An addict medicates with p. You are now coming off the dopamine drip and will start to actually feel the ups and downs of life. Anxiety and insomnia may well be a necessary gate you must pass through. What makes it better? Therapy, exercise, mindfulness, and acheiving your goals without p.

Hunger,

It is quite common to experience anxiety and insomnia after going cold turkey. As Brian explained, you no longer are supplying your brain with its usual dose of input and your body/mind is protesting big time.

But do not let that protest bother you. Instead, just ride out and find other healthy things to replace it. I was rabid/raw for months before I started to feel normal again. I also had serious insomnia for months on end but that eventually dissipated once my brain stopped asking for something it was no longer getting.

I addressed these annoyances by postponing the urges, I rode them out. Sometimes, I would take my bike and rode until I no longer felt the urge, went somewhere I could not indulge such as a bookstore, library, etc. As for the insomnia, I began to be grateful for the little sleep I did get, and I stopped worrying about how little sleep I was getting, did not mention it or complained about it.

The reason was that I wanted to take the focus off the addictive cycle and I started focusing on the recovery period. So I started to be proactive, instead. When I could not sleep, i would read a book until I felt drowsy or I would listen to soothing music. I started using the evening meditation CD from Louise Hay and that would relax me enough to fall asleep, not only that but I would wake up refreshed. I also used her morning meditation portion to help me through the day. It took a while but eventually I got my sleeping cycle back to normal and better than it used to be, after 30 years of addictive behavior.

But whatever you do, do NOT go back to your addictive life, otherwise you'd have to start all over again. Everyday you do not given in, it is a day closer to freedom, keep that in mind.

Hope this helps,
Wolf (4 1/2 years sober)

Thank you audio much for the responses. I am glad I'm not alone. I've taken to doing more constructive things as well, Wolfie! It feels good to get things done again.