I know that I can't be the only one.. I don't even really know what I enjoy anymore.. I do the same things day in and day out.. I don't even feel like I'm living anymore.. just existing.. like a robot. When I was drinking I had
"friends" I was the life of the party.. now have two friends with their own lives.. my kids are teenagers doing their own things and then it's just me.. alone.. with mental health issues on top of it making it hard to get out and socialize.. I feel like I'm at the end of my rope.
I feel the Exact Same way!!! It’s been really hard, and I don’t really see any end in sight… I know it won’t always be like this but for now I feel stuck and like I am just existing. Hang in there Sarah!
hi sarah, my name is peter, and i am an alcoholic,
my sobriety date is 10th september 1991,
that was the day i walked into aa and asked for help, it saved my life and gave and gives me a life i never dreamt of would be possible
it truly works for me
take care
p
I agree with Peter. I am Jonathan and I am an alcoholic and I realize that I truly am. I have 410 days of sobriety and am so grateful to God and for the fellowship of that program. It truly works if you work it. I have seen it and have experienced it.
Going Along with others can erode our awareness of what our own interests are. If you don’t drink under any and all conditions you can do anything you want in AA. Boundary setting helps but when I get to the place you describe I am usually depressed and beating myself up with cell criticism. Recently I got help with self acceptance and interesting things followed immediately. That’s just my experience.
Initiate
Find strangers to talk with. If you are on a trip it’s often easier to be yourself with some you probably won’t see any more.
How long have you been sober? Give it time. Eventually you will piece together new friends and a new life. Just one dudes opinion. I am three months in and I don’t do much.
i’m not sure where you are sarah but we have aa meetings almost every where and with zoom meetings you can attend anywhere in the world , you are not alone and don’t ever have to be alone again
Over 3 years
I couldn’t relate more than I do with what your feeling Sarah. It’s pretty much what drove me constantly to wanna drink and use….never seeing or even feeling like I had a purpose. What I will say though is this. You do have options, we all do. We just have to remain strong and believe in our capacity to do good. We have to, otherwise our issues will swallow us up and destroy us.
I’ve been sober for over 20 years and been clean for 3 after relapsing after 14 years.. I use to be the life of the party too.. but I’m older now and don’t care for that way of life.. I understand how you feel.. I do the same thing everyday.. I get up and have my coffee and clean up after my animals after I feed them.. it’s like that’s all I live for.. My brother and sister live next door and are both addicts.. I know I need to move but it’s hard to have the umph to do what it takes to get out of here.. I try to help everyone else but I can’t get any help from others.. I’m get’n where I’m not able to do what I use to do.. I’m just alone with my cats.
I can totally relate. The same thing is happening to me. My daughter is a teenager and we don't have the same level of interaction we used to. My addiction at least kept my life interesting and dynamic. Now, I just sit around and think way too much. Sometimes I think it's not worth it.
When I quit drinking I was sober and miserable. Then I found recovery in a 12 step program and it made all the difference for me.
Meetings, step work, sponsor, fellowship, being of service, higher power. That’s what saved me.
YES OH MY GOD exactly
how i feel! i have 67 days i feel like i don’t like anythinf i used to like and idek myself
I don't know how much sober time you have, but in early recovery, this is known as Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome or "PAWS." We forced so much more dopamine into our brains than out body's are used to over the span of our heavy use that our pleasure thresholds have skyrocketed. We don't get joy from the things we once did. This has happened to me with playing music. I used to play guitar to all hours of the night before drinking and then becoming an alcoholic. I get no joy from it.
The good news is that these things come back, as our brains slowly get back to their normal levels and are no longer being inundated by false pleasures.
In the meantime, AA has been a help. Simply seeing people, talking to people and forcing myself to share has helped. Working on my self and going through my past and resentments, thought not fun at all at the moment, has been a source of relief.
I'm slowly getting more and more joy from doing things like going for a walk or making dinner with friends. It takes time. Thinking joyful thiughts for you.
Thank you for the awesome reminder! I think I forgot how much artificial highs I pumped into my body. My therapist said it takes time for the body to naturally create its own highs and balance out. It is sooo easy to forget about our body normalizing after stopping the drinking and that it will take time. It’s almost like learning how to walk again.
Hey Sarah, I am struggling with the same thing. 100% I was the guy with dozens of friends and everywhere I went, I would know somebody. In hind site, those “somewhere” were bars, nightclubs, sporting venues, concert venues, house parties …….in other words, places to drink without judgement. I feel exactly like you said, existing. Meetings help, but zero real connections. Honestly, I had really high hopes with this site.
I can relate to how you feel but for me I am so grateful to be sober that I find new ways to live life. Everyday is not good but after all of it I make sure that I stay positive. I used to be the one living on the edge. I loved it but now the most important thing to me is my sobriety some days are boring. Sometimes I wonder if this is all there is. Working, meetings and working but I have to go out and make my life fun​:blush:
Thank God because you are able to feel again. It sounds like you have been able to express because maybe before you were having way to much fun and forgot to feel.