AL Behavior without AL?

[Farm Girl]

I am on Day 42 (thanks to all of you and this great website). Funny thing is I still feel like some of my behavior/habits are the same as when I was drinking! I still have a hard time getting up in the morning, withdraw into myself at least once a week, etc...Have any of you run into this? I've heard the term "dry drunk" before and I wonder if this is what I am experiencing!

[bugz]

AL Behavior without AL?

my theory is it takes a while for your brain to adjust to being normal again so some parts of
it are still thinking or making you feel the way you did when you where drinking.

my 2 cents

[Stargazerlily]

AL Behavior without AL?

Drinking alot is an emotional lifestyle. Up, down, and all over again. When I drank alot all my time was spent looking forward to the next drink, planning, the excitement of drinking, then the waking up in the middle of the night, anxiety, depression, regrets, then the hangover. The cycle was an emotional and physical rollercoaster. It is an ingrained pattern. That is why MWO is so important to me, reading of others' journeys and learning that it takes time and personal work.

Some find that AA is very helpful. Some explore therapy and counseling to get back on track. Whatever it takes to be emotionally stable. I though that if I just quit drinking my life would be perfect. It is much better, but I have had to learn to deal with my emotions differently, realtionships have changed, and physically I feel so much better. But it has taken time.

Dry drunk is an AA term right? AAers twelve steps address lifestyle and every aspect of healing. It is very interesting. But yeah, quitting drinking is just the first step in this journey. I found that when I realized that being AF is a gift, not something I am taking away from myself, my journey has been different. But never easy. It is so totally worth it.

[gyco]

AL Behavior without AL?

interesting

Farm Girl;835203 wrote: I am on Day 42 (thanks to all of you and this great website). Funny thing is I still feel like some of my behavior/habits are the same as when I was drinking! I still have a hard time getting up in the morning, withdraw into myself at least once a week, etc...Have any of you run into this? I've heard the term "dry drunk" before and I wonder if this is what I am experiencing!

:goodjobn the 42 days,coming off of alchohol and drugs,is a lot like when you come off anistesia,thats how i understood it in treatment,thats what i beleive,we numb the brain so long,when you stop it,you deprive it of somthin it got use to doing,remember we over did it,:thanks:beleive it or not,a little Al relaxes people,when we consume the amounts some of us did,[when we got totally intoxicated,you ever herd the phrase [one more drink]you would of bean dead,if one gives the the body to much of one givin thing to long,it will eventually kill you,for one who has been doing this Al thing a long time,give it time,it does get better,but it will take the Brain a long time to adjust,gyco

[hillsidetime]

AL Behavior without AL?

Hey Farmgirl, the term dry-drunk is new to me, so I am not sure. I sometimes feel like I have less energy for sure since I quit. Sometimes I attribute this to the fact that I am not drinking - I would use it as fuel to accomplish a lot - especially late at night. For example paint the house till the wee hours etc. I think now, I have to get used to being tired if I am tired, and not taking a drug for extra energy. My theory is that one can't cheat time - if someone uses a drug to avoid fatigue, at some point in their life they have to pay it back. For me, I was aging too fast as a result, and I think shortening my life. Perhaps this is a part of what you are feeling. Have a good weekend,
Hill

[Reenie]

AL Behavior without AL?

Great feedback. I'm only on day 2. I know I have a tough journey ahead of me with the shakes and anxiety. My sleeping pattern is messed up. I have resigned myself to hang on and get through the next couple of weeks despite how awful I feel. I know once I get more sober time behind me, I'm going to "feel" emotions again, whether they be happys, sad, nervous, etc.... I'm going to cope with the feelings and cry if I have to.

[fennel]

AL Behavior without AL?

I don't place a lot of stock in the whole "dry drunk" theory. Their reasoning is that you can quit drinking, but your behavior doesn't change, ie; "dry drunk" unless you get your ass to AA and become indoctrinated.

Some things about me will never change. For example, I'm an introvert. I love to tuck into my house (nest) at night. No amount of sobriety is going to change that. No amount of sobriety is going to make me happy to spring out of bed at the crack of dawn, either- that's just in my psychological make-up.

Some people are just as crazy sober as when they were drinking- I'll grant that. I saw a lot of them, and they were actually going to AA meetings. I think that sometimes people have mental issues or criminal tendencies that were in place before drinking, and remain after the cessation of drinking.

Oh...congratulaions on day 42! That's fantastic!

[Lavande]

AL Behavior without AL?

Farm Girl,

Yes, I do know what you're talking about!

Remember - it takes 21 days to break a bad habit and 90 days to develop a new one!
Give yourself some time to adjust

Lav

[bugz]

AL Behavior without AL?

Lavande;835396 wrote: Farm Girl,

Yes, I do know what you're talking about!

Remember - it takes 21 days to break a bad habit and 90 days to develop a new one!
Give yourself some time to adjust

Lav

where does this 21 days theory come from? is there any proof behind it
or is it just something to make you feel better?