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Thread: Stopping Drinking Alcohol

  1. #1
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    Stopping Drinking Alcohol

    I had to stop all alcohol last week cos I was on antibiotics and I can't really drink again until at least this Friday as I need to let them get out of my system first.

    I have a few questions and I am hoping someone (Vern possibly?) could help.

    I do like a glass (or 2) of wine and I love my Stella and I guess I was drinking more than I should have anyway so it has done me good to stop for a couple of weeks.

    The thing is that my sleep is absolutely terrible. I can't fall asleep and when I do I am awaking on and off all night and can't settle. I guess I was using alcohol to help me fall asleep (yes I know it actually disturbs your sleep more).

    I also seem to be so hungry ! I think I have substituted alcohol with food cos I seem to be eating all night! Not good for my diet.

    I am also up and down all night to the loo!

    Anyone got any suggestions or can tell me their experiences of stopping alcohol and how long before things settle down cos I really want a good night's sleep!

    I am still craving it some nights but substituting it with other drinks and the occasional alcohol-free wine or lager so I am getting there slowly.

    Thanks in advance.




    Nicola

    "Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

  2. #2
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    i have the same problem , ive been using alcohol for the same reasons . i dont sleep well unless i have 2 glasses of wine . now i have to take meds its worring me too , sorry i cant give advice, just wanted to say your doing really well without it

  3. #3
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    [quote]I have had big problems with alcohol in the past (but that is another story).

    I found that after 7 or 8 days my sleeping pattern returned to 'normal'. If i stopped up a little later than normal I would wear myself out and would get a restful nights sleep. I also did the usual things before retiring, having a warm bath and a little reading. What surprised me was how well I felt in the mornings once I started sleeping properly.

    Whem I came off the booze for the first couple of days I wasn't hungry but after that my appetite came back with a vengeance, probably due to the fact that most of the time I was living on the 'empty calories' that alcohol supplies. But again it settled town after a couple of days too.



    Hope this helps and if you feel the need to talk about things any further please feel free to pm me.




    'After the rain comes the sun'

  4. #4
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    Hi Nicola

    Interesting post.

    I now believe alcohol and anxiety do not go together.

    I have had a couple of really difficult nights, similar to those you described. Interestingly, things were going very well and my sleep had been back to normal pattern, but Saturday late afternoon, had a glass and a half of red wine - then had a horrendous night - there is a post under panic attacks you may well have read!

    The couple of times I have had wine, the same thing has happened, so apart from being cross with myself, I now think alcohol and me at the moment, don't mix!

    Many friends have said wine should be OK, but I have decided, sleep is far more important - I won't be risking it again!

    In the past, when I have drunk alcohol, my appetite has been surpressed, so I'm very aware of this and try to keep a tight rein on it, but some days are better than others!

    Hope this helps a little

    Good Juck

    Elaine XX

  5. #5
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    Hey Nic,

    I am on anti's too at the moment. I also am on mirtazapine, which you are not really supposed to drink on. I did cut alcohol out for 4 months,and found that it took about 3 weekends ( as that was when i drunk the most) to lose the urge for a glass of wine.

    I do find that a hot chocolate in the evening, fills me up enough to not keep eating. And hot milky drink is supposed to help you sleep.

    Failing that, keep on brushing your teeth when you want to pick. Thats enough to make the nicest treat taste rough!!

    tracy x x



    Every time you avoid your fears they become stronger,every time you face your fears they become weaker.

  6. #6
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    I used to drink quite heavily, at the time I was "having fun" now I know it was depression. Once I started drinking I couldnt stop I look back and cant believe I was that bad! I had to quit drinking as the doctor thought my symptoms were liver enzyme damage (later found to be anxiety) it was diificult at first but I found that avoiding alcohol "areas" got me through it. For a couple of weeks I avoided socialising ( a small sacrifice in the long run) when shopping avoid the alcohol section. Dont have any alcohol in the house if possible. After a couple of weeks my head felt so much clearer and overall things improved. I am now fully in control and have only got drunk around 3 times in the last 2 years. When I drink now I can limit it very easily, you will soon get into the habit of it. When you feel the benefits you will never go back to drinking a lot. Stick with it, 2 weeks isn't long really. Sorry it's so long, just hope it helps!

  7. #7
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    I quite often have a couple on a night for the exact same reasons, to help me sleep. I can, and always have found it really difficult to drop off otherwise so it's kind of a catch 22. Drinking alchohol isn't healthy, but neither is not sleeping. But of course alchohol is the easier, and more comforting option. The latter being the real clincher, it's far more easy to dwell in comfort rather than your discomfort.

    This brings you to the first problem. Unfortunately, you do have to go through some amount of discomfort. It may not be alchoholism, or an aid for your anxiety, but it plays a role as some kind of crutch in your daily living. When you throw away that crutch, it's inevitable that you'll walk with a limp for a little while.

    As for sleep. I've said it umpteen times on here, but relaxation befopre bed really helps me. May not work for you, but seeing as I have a very overactive mind, this is that root cause of my troubles getting to sleep. I usually hate going to bed, I don't like to go until I can't stay awake any longer (by which time it's time to get up ), but after a little relaxation I find myself actually wanting to go to bed, and feeling tired much earlier than usual. I've found that my racing mind often overruns my tiredness and filters out the subconscious requests for sleep.

    Once you're actually in bed, it can be tricky. You're either tired, or you're not. If you're not, then you could be in for a long night. But whatever you do, never try to go to sleep, you'll be there till morning, wide awake.

    I'm sure you've read Claire Weeke's. Well, I think 'acceptance' applies to this too. Accept that if you don't go to sleep then you don't go to sleep, there's little you can do about it. As soon as you forget, that's the moment you fall asleep.

    <b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">I also seem to be so hungry ! I think I have substituted alcohol with food cos I seem to be eating all night! Not good for my diet.</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">
    It may sound ridiculous, but again, relaxation helps. An anxious mind will be quite happy to eat all day. When your mind is racing, your behaviour can sometimes become a little eratic with seemingly little control over it. By eratic, I just mean little things, picking at food, getting a Stella purely through habit, and basically just not thinking about these things at all, you find you've cracked open a packet of crisps before you even realised you got them out of the cupboard, like your mind is on autopilot.

    When you relax, many of the thought processes that contribute to this kind of behaviour are quietened down and you find yourself having a lot more self-control, and feeling comfortable with it.

    It's very much a psychological game. Some people can drink the same and have no trouble whatsoever, they can take it or leave it, to others, they feel they have a void to fill. If you want to look into it, I'd recommend Alan Carr's book. It may be focused on smoking, but it gives some interesting insights into the psychological sides of addiction.



    mico

    'Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding Danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.'

  8. #8
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    Thanks so much for the replies.

    It was nice waking up Saturday without a hangover and laughing at Alex who had one.

    But - I have been going to bed later and later each night - 3am on Saturday night. I just wasn't tired and they say not to go to bed until you are tired so I stayed up.

    I am waking on and off all night so I do feel a bit jaded in the morning but I hope I get used to it. Last year I gave up for 3.5 weeks and never slept well the whole time so I guess with me it takes longer as I had issues with sleeping anyway.

    Mico - thanks for the suggestion of relaxation tapes - I may dig mine out again and wipe of the dust.

    Tracy - I will also try hot milk before bed. Never thought about brushing my teeth so could try that.

    Rhowes - there is alcohol in the house but only wine and I really can't drink it at the moment so I am not tempted. Next week will be a big test cos I will be able to drink again and then my willpower has to come into play.

    I also find that I associate all night sat on here with drinking so I am turning the PC off and watching TV or doing something else to change the routine and habit. Like you said Mico - it is a case of reach for a Stella for the sake of it.

    I will let you know how it goes but thanks for all the suggestions.


    Nicola

    "Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

  9. #9
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    Hi Nic sorry I missed this post. I haven’t been on for a few days. Well as you know I have been off all alcohol now for 2 years this month. I think your anxiety will get a little higher for a while when you stop drink. Your system has to detox and your complete nerve system has to adjust to not having alcohol as you used alcohol to relax and help you sleep?
    I think it’s different for people who only drink when they go out or a special occasion. But I think you were a bit like me with your drinking habit (having to have a drink every night to sleep and drinking at home for the comfort of the relaxed don’t care feeling?). Alcohol does make a lot of people with anxieties feel worst. But I think you will find it makes more people feel better at the time of and just after drinking. At 16 when I first started drinking I had bad agoraphobia and so many fears and found that drink (the cheaper and stronger the better) helped me go out and socialise. Without the drink I wouldn’t have even left the house. So yes in my mind it gave me a life as after drink I could do anything, sleeps relaxed anywhere and travel no problem. I always avoided antibiotics, as I didn’t think it was possible to stop drink even for one night, as I was so sure I would never sleep. If I ever had to have antibiotics I always told doctor I had a wedding coming up and they would put me on meds that didn’t really affect drinking. But now I know all that was wrong and I was just denying I had a problem. Well now I have stopped drink for 3 years I believe alcohol is evil and a crafty drink and noone will admit they have a problem and use excuses like it relaxes them and helps them sleep. Well in the long term it don’t really help you sleep as I found now I have stopped for 2 years I sleep much better and feel much less tired in the day, My anxiety levels have dropped loads and am able to enjoy going places and doing things without drink, I realize now it was just a real waste of money and health but this takes time, months rather than days. However the first weeks I stopped drink It didn’t really affect me then after a while my anxiety hit the roof, a bit like when you start antidepressants you seem to get worst before you get better. Reading in bed for a while used to really help me sleep without drink, I took a cup of horlicks to bed with me and read for a bit and soon got into sleeping no problem, But now I am addicted to the horliks lol. I think it does make you feel that hunger as your tummy has to shrink back to normal as all that volume of drink stretches your tummy? I found I drank lots of tea and coffee to replace the alcohol but mainly decaff. If you need drink daily and you are bothered about having to stop for a while to take antibiotics, Nic I would def stop fully 100%. Cutting down and the odd drink just don’t work you just end up having the nightcap every night again to sleep. Believe me I drank heavy, daily for 40 years and can really honestly say I feel so much better now without any. I would be full of fear before going to bed without drink but this does go away and you learn to fight your anxieties and sleepless nights without drink. Take care Nic. Vernon

  10. #10
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    Hi nic, dont want you to think Im mean for not answering your post mate but you know my thoughts as we discussed on msn, take care and be strong, soon you will have a figure like twiggy too,

    Alexis

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