Does anyone have any insight on how long it takes to "feel" normal again? Specifically, my memory and speech have really taken a bashing over many years of alcohol abuse. Simple word recall and putting together a coherent sentence where it doesn't sound like I'm struggling with my words is embarrassing and frustrating. I don't know if this is a side effect of my anxiety medication or if this is a permanent problem. I have fallen and hit my head before while drinking and never got checked out ... that was a while ago though (years). I'm just not sure if I should go now and see my doc or not. Does it interfere with daily life? Yes. I don't even know what I would say to my doc. It's just so embarrassing. I've been sober for 5 weeks.
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That was my thought process too (about the clarity piece).
Go to your doctor. Be completely honest. If your anxiety meds are benzos I’d recommend beginning the process of getting off them too.
As to a return to clarity, it happens. My memory isn’t great, but it’s better. There’s a lot of relearning to do. You’ll see results clearly if you look back to your first sober day. Then your first week. Second week. You’ll see incremental improvements. Stay the course. We messed ourselves up for years and years. We won’t be fixed in a matter of weeks.
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Hi Craig, I'm not on benzos. My docs won't prescribe them anyway. I'm a bit more clear than day 1 for sure. My frustration is while in the middle of a sentence I'll forget the simplest word or forget how to describe something or pause too long in a sentence because I've lost my words. I'll see if my doc has an appointment tomorrow. My heart rate goes from 50s and 60s to up over 100 at times. Sometimes without any stimulation whatsoever.
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You’re doing great. It’s normal. I’m so glad you can already see positive results
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It depends on many factors of course but I can relate extremely much to having these difficulties early in recovery. For me it took a year and now I'm close to being like a normal person. I'm at least not worried anymore that I'm permafried. I have mentioned my fears to various doctors but they didn't really want to predict the future since it is different for everyone. My sponsor had a brain injury and it did cause permanent damage that she is embarrassed about but from an outside perspective she seems normal enough to me.
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It really depends on what a person does for their own recovery. PAWS Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. Look it up. 12 months to 2 years depending on your drug of choice.
Alcohol I think is about a year if you are proactive in your recovery program
My memory still sucks but way better than it was! Like I used to not be able to remember a single digit number for longer than like a second but now I can remember like five digits (like when I'm copying a zoom room number or a bill payment amount). I used to have a terrible time finding my keys and phone etc when I left the house and now it's only like once a week I'm having to look for something like that misplaced. I still struggle with reading especially reading out loud and reading comprehension. And this is coming from a person who once got a PhD and now I struggle with four syllable words lol. Sometimes I slur and mix words and it comes out like gibberish. But I hold my head up high and don't feel shame anymore, I can look people in the eye, so I get through those awkward moments better.
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Update: My psychiatrist called this morning with a virtual appointment that opened up. He said for me I could be looking at 3 months before I see any remarkable changes. In the meantime my other symptoms are more pronounced because my crutch is gone. So if I still feel that things haven't changed then I'll follow back up.
It’s good that you are asking questions, being honest, and getting help. These are all positive signs of a good recovery! Keep up the good work! It’s not easy, but it’s so worth it!
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