Are you not drinking or still drinking? For me the withdrawal was over by about 5 days but the mental still gives me some issues from time to time. I needed to find a replacement for my drinking. I went to a 430 meeting when I used to go to the bar. I had to find something to fill in all the down time. It is possible just gotta get to it!
1is2many

Thank you. It's the emotional pain. My brain won't stop. My husband uses everyday. But he won't help me.
I think that pain is worse than not drinking.

I'm not drinking today. But last couple weeks have been out of control.

If it's withdrawals you are speaking of and you don't feel you can handle it, call 911 and get into a detox facility asap!

I will pray for you

God Bless

Hello Mandy1,

If you can stick with it through the pain you will experience great rewards but if you go back to drinking the only way you will go is down – the choice is yours.

The pain of withdrawal begins to ease after a few days but the doctor is the best person to talk to about that. The emotional pain can ease quite quickly too but very often it requires some work in order to deal with background issues. When an alcoholic stops drinking but doesn’t deal with those issues it can be a horrible existence, well described elsewhere as being: “Restless, irritable and discontented”. That is probably what you are feeling right now.

I would urge you to get help as soon as possible. Talk to a counsellor, a member of the clergy if you have religious beliefs or go back to AA. I see from another post that you have been to AA before but that it didn’t work for you. Is the pain bad enough for you to be prepared to go to any lengths for recovery? Do you accept that you cannot drink again or do you plan to go back to it once the pain eases?

If you are ready to get serious about sobriety, this is what I would do if I were in your place. I would go back to AA and make use of everything they had to offer. I would approach it with an open mind and become willing to learn. After a while, I would get a good sponsor who would help me with the Steps. In that way you can successfully deal with the guilt and other emotions that you are now experiencing. Your husband cannot do it for you – only you can take the necessary action.

The danger with doing nothing is that once the pain eases, the thought may come to you one day that your drinking was not really that bad. One drink will then take you right back to where you were before. Pride will tell you that you don’t need help and sometimes self-pity can become gruesomely enjoyable on the way to an early grave. You don’t have to go there but recovery will not come without action on your part. I would go to a meeting.

I am still sober. Almost 24 hours. It has been a brutal 24:( But I'm still alive. Thank God.
Dealing with those issues you speak of PJ are what push me closer to my vice. I have drank heavily for 30 years. I really don't know any other way.
I can commit to the work today. Only because I hate feeling lonely in my own body.

Mandy,

I drank heavily for 38 years and towards the end I believed that I could never stop or that even if I did stop, I could not face life without alcohol. I was completely wrong on both counts but I could not see that at the time. Alcoholism distorts people’s thinking to the point where it is difficult to tell what is real and what is imagination.

There comes a point where drinking no longer works in dealing with difficult life issues and most alcoholics eventually arrive at that point. You can try to bury those feelings at the back of your mind but they will always come back to bite you. The alternative is to face them head on with outside help if necessary. It can be a painful process but the end result is freedom.

Feeling lonely in your own body is something I know very well. I remember that I often sat in a crowded bar where there was music, talking and great fun all around. Yet, for me it was the loneliest place in the world because I was not at ease with myself. When drinking got out of control I could not see anything else that would offer some hope but Alcoholics Anonymous and I hated AA. Desperation is a great motivator and I eventually went to a meeting. Today, I am not just sober but also free. I like the person that I am and do not have to constantly seek praise or approval from other people. I have also seen many other alcoholics who were in an even worse place than I was and who have that same freedom today.

You too can be sober and free but in order to get there you will have to get out of the comfort zone and do things that you swore you would never do. I hope that you succeed because you are worth it.

PJ, have amazing advice. You been in this website for many years. I tried a couple of years ago to do this..... With no success. I am trying so hard. This time I have more support... But a great deal more pain.
Emotional pain overwhelmed me to the point where can't sleep, can't eat. I shutter and the thought of dealing with my past and pain I've caused to myself and others. My children:(

I really believe you should talk to your doctor and ask for a referal to a treatment program. You will learn coping skills and it will give your life new meaning. Save your life and do it soon.

I will pray for you

God Bless

I have to work..
Single mother, sole provider.

I have been here before.
Each time just gets worse and worse.
I've been in treatment before., only just to waste my parents money:(

Do something different. You can do it.

Totally crazy I went to this support group GSA. Never heard of it before. I didn't cry for first time in two days. I actually feel like maybe I can do this.

Mandy,

This is a good time to grasp the nettle. Many people hate visiting the dentist but when the pain gets bad enough they will accept short term discomfort in order to live pain-free in the longer term.

I have never heard of GSA but use them if you think they are useful. However, a support group, be they GSA, AA or something else are just that – a support group. Solving the emotional damage that comes from alcohol abuse often requires more direct action and getting into the fine details. The AA programme of recovery deals with this very well if it is done with the help of a competent sponsor but it is not the only way. Some people also require professional help and there is no shame in availing of such services.

Now that you have made a good start in tackling the alcohol problem it would be wise to keep the momentum going. Try to keep an open mind and rule nothing out. Sitting in the dentist’s chair is not nice but living with a toothache every day is much worse.

Great you found something that makes you feel safe.