congrats on 7 months sobriety, thats a helluva accomplishment! yes, i get where you're coming from, having just over a year in myself. my main reasons for drinking were loneliness and depression, so this is nothing new, but without alcohol it seemed more unbearable. working the steps of recovery have helped me the most in dealing with depression, locating the source, coming to terms with it. yes, it still knocks on the door, but i choose to not let it in, or stay with me long when it barges in. activity has been key too. i enjoy working out and this really helps ward off the blues. going to support meetings is another. getting involved in work or a hobby that you truly enjoy, one that makes the hours pass when you're feeling down. being with friends is another that seems to help. just a few ideas. please know, that you have truly accomplished something amazing with 7 months under your belt! if you're not in a recovery program, then you might consider it or seeing a therapist to help you this this rough period. wishing you the best and please keep us posted!

When I first got sober, for some reason i thought that 5 months was a big deal. I guess some of the folks who were really active with AA meetings when I was in the first 90 days were at the 5 month mark and I was impressed and impressionable. That was, for me, in 1997.

7 months is a very big deal. Congratulations on that. The honeymoon phase of sobriety is wearing off and you are realizing that being sober isn't all unicorns and rainbows.

Life still often stinks and is full of lousy people and unpleasant situations. You still have problems, but they are better problems and exponentially more manageable than if you were still drinking.

For some, therapy is a good path. Antidepressants can be good at lifting that bottom up just enough that it isn't crippling. Being social can be good. Self-care, in all its forms can help.

Bottom line - being a recovering alcoholic is hard at times. Find as many tools as you can stow in your toolbox - some days you might need almost all of them.

may the force be with you.

Thanks.and to you also.i go to AA every sunday and the meeting I go to is realy nice and a eye opener there is a lot of people there that are 30 plus years sober its great.But the good thing is im not drinking or hung over everyday.yes its amazing to be sober I have been drinking since I was 10 so I never been sober for 7 months ever.i feel like im reborn I got to learn things over again.also im a recovering drug addict 9 years clean.i hope things get easier

Congrats on the 9 years and on the 7 months.

I’m nearing 5 years and right now I’m frustrated as hell. I understand where you’re coming from.

Part of what ails me is the transparency and vocalization of my feelings. But then I feel that because I’m so honest, I’m frustrated whenever i am not met with my desired outcome.

This is when i need to do a gratitude check and realize how much worse things were. And how I’m facing quality problems.

It isn’t always to easy to see. Sometimes we just need to step outside ourselves and do it.

Hang in there. this shall pass.

If you are feeling depressed all the time and dead inside, it might be time to see a medical professional. This might not pass on its own -- depression is a serious condition to deal with. Worth checking it out, don't you think?

you maybe depressed because you no longer consume booze to hide your true feelings!

Pray, talk to other sober people and become active and do not sit around your house.

An idle mind is a devils workshop.

I found I needed to find ways that made me feel better about myself. I got into a charity and started to give back. It was weird at first but after awhile I began to get a better feeling about who I was sober.

This is like a fight with mike Tyson. You gotta train, and move and fight back. Or else you get knocked out. Get in the ring and keep moving

1is2many

I’m just an old psych RN but with depression, it’s difficult to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. Time to be evaluated by a md. Like someone else said, an anti-depression med could take the world off your shoulders long enough for you to cope. Also remember that “AA is not a cure all”, nor have we ever claimed to be. Godspeed to you.

Great advice about. I’m a novice (eight months). Loved the honeymoon concept!! I might be one of those fortunate ones who quit and never looked back. I can say though that while I was drinking I struggled with emotional hurts in the past. And by self medicating it seemed like they were never resolved/ healed. And so they became bigger than the original. And overwhelming. After I got sober I continued dwelling on things I had no control over. It took a very conscious effort to stop my mind from going to unhealthy places. I had to practice not doing it. And for a while I actually felt empty not tormenting myself with pain. As it had become a part of me. Crazy but true. So I have replaced the bad with good. Exercise, great diet, reading (no tv) and reaching out to people who I drifted away from. Now I am on the path to feeling whole. But for a while there I could relate with your emptiness. Use your amazing accomplishment to build up confidence and start to better yourself. One baby step at a time.