Insomnia is one of my contributors to my drinking how do you go around it without meds
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Hey Deborah, yeah insomnia is no fun. I recommend reading a book, 'The Alcohol Experiment' by Annie Grace. She explains the effects alcohol has on us, and how our bodies work in the first 30daus without it. When we drink and fall asleep we are getting terrible sleep, and our bodies 'forget' how to go to sleep on their own. A few days into sobriety (could be different for everyone). Our bodies relearn that skill, it's just that we need to let our bodies heal for that amount of time. Exercise, healthy diet, and rest help that healing process along.
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ZMA-5 supplements. (Amazon) All vitamins and minerals nothing crazy. Meditation music, PM yoga by Rodney Yee (YouTube) and occasionally chamomile or kava kava when it is really rough.
I had insomnia to the point of sober hallucination off and on for years.
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How's your sleep now, any better?
Not very well takes time to fall asleep coz my mind won’t shut up but once I fall asleep I do sleep long
Insomnia was the worst part of sobriety here as well. Over the years I've tried a plethora of OTC and Rx, meditation, exercise, etc.
Easy organic options I ve found are melatonin and or CBD gummies geared toward relaxation. I only get a few nights of respite from them though. Other supplements I've tried are Apigenin, magnesium threonate, L-threanine, GABA agonists among others. I e found the best of these is Apigenin and GABA supplements....as they help shut down the forebrain to stop the "overthinking" everything while lying there. Currently, personally I'm on a prescription of hydroxyzine and 100mg Seraquel. If the OTC or supplements don't work , many Rx are available to try: Seraquel, trazadone, and clonidine have helped me but i try to stay away from benzodiaepines that work well to like Clonazepam, Librium, lorazepam, diazepam etc. I imagine you should stay away from those too due to high addictivity. Also, I cannot stress how much regular cardiovascular exercise of some sort helps . Nothing crazy at first but 10 min. Exercise makes all the difference at the end of the night as well. It's unfortunately very subjective as to what works so you just have to do trial and error. Keep a journal about how you feel, symptoms, etc when you try these various medicines, OTC or Rx. Good luck I know it s u cks
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2 bags of sleepy time tea and a melatonin
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my body has a about two weeks before sleep returns.
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Prayer journal take walks get involved with nature helps me
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I did my 5th step with my sponsor. All the fears and regrets. All the sham and anxiety. I got it out. Without judgement. And I have slept so much better ever since.
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Insomnia is super common in early sobriety.
The 12 steps helped me to sleep better. Other than that exercise is a great sleep aid.
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You forgot opiates, pharmaceutical alcohols and several barbiturates. 
Pharmaceutical alcohols? Dear God...
Yes, I was referring to diethyl-ether. That’ll help ya sleep guaranteed.
Insomnia is something you’ll have to work through rather than go around. It’s actually caused by the alcohol or the lack of it when your body thinks it needs it to sleep. When I chose to quit drinking I developed insomnia like crazy and the only “fix” was drinking alcohol. Kinda a catch 22.. well it wasn’t til I battled through it and would soak in a nice hot bath just before bed each night to help me fall asleep faster. Once over my withdrawals I started being able to sleep again but that didn’t happen over night.
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Try the book Alcohol Explained by Porter. It explains the physiology of alcohol in the human mind and body very well.
I couldn’t stop my brain at night. This was the main reason to drink was to go to sleep. 1) Therapy- write down what stresses you and address those with a trained therapist. 2) medicine, see a psychiatrist and ask about trazadone and maybe some anxiety/depression meds if diagnosed. 3) stay active during the day and drink plenty of water and reduce caffeine and sugar as much as possible. 4) No late meals or snacks, digestion can interrupt the bodies desire to sleep. 5) Sleepy time tea and journal before bed. Dump the bad thoughts away and highlight the good. 6) Sleep headphones with relaxing music, audiobooks or night-time stories to calm your brain. For some ppl ASMR works as well. Hope this helps best of luck. I’m always a message away if ya need a friend!
Remember. DRINKING AND USING IS JUST A SYMPTOM AND NOT THE PROBLEM. ONCE WE SOBER UP IT'S LIKE A EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER WE DEAL WITH UNTIL WE GET THINGS IN ORDER. .
In the Hawaii and many of the Asian Pacific Islands they have Kava bars. Kava kava is a plant based drink, almost like a tea or coffee that makes you drowsy. I also take the supplement ZMA-5 ( from amazon). Between the two it should definitely help. Long term kava kava is also a bit harsh on your liver so be aware of that.