Trying to be sober has resulted in increased behaviors that I haven’t seen since adolescence such as crazy panic attacks and self injury. I’m still coping unhealthily.
It’s how your body has decided to go through with drawls.. for me it’s not sleeping.. depression.. anger.. for me it’s just let if the process.. I use meetings and family and my therapist as my coping strategies
How long have you been sober? You might be experiencing post acute withdrawal syndrome
Hi Laura, I can imagine this must be quite alarming, as Ángela mentioned, depending on how much you were drinking you make be experiencing PAWS. I suggest reaching out to your primary care physician, also, for the self-harm I highly suggest getting in touch with a therapist. Moments and actions like those can be overwhelming and professional help is usually needed to work through to the cause. I have a lot of experience with self-harm, so if you would ever like to talk let me know! Sending you a hug and strength to keep moving forward. Sobriety is totally worth it, I promise you!
There are 5stages grief our mental emotional and physical are going to go through these stages it's going to feel like you lost your best friend or closest family members so prepare your self for the highs and lows PTSD, days And it does get better a day at a time
Find something positive to do… maybe volunteer at a school
Hi Laura! I’ve been dealing with similar issues since my late teens. As I recognized one compulsive/obsessive behavior was becoming a huge issue, I’d cold turkey stop it. Unbeknownst to me another compulsive/obsessive behavior would slowly appear and make my life unmanageable. As I eliminated several of these behaviors, there was always another one waiting to take over. The bottom line for me was these behaviors became addictive, and were my way of numbing and avoiding my feelings. All of these behaviors are symptoms of a mental health /addiction issue that I needed to finally address. I first found help in a 12 step program. This gave me a solid foundation of recovery and opened up so many doors for me. I follow this program on a daily basis. I was in desperate need to get better ASAP, as my entire life (my health, my wife, my kids, my business etc) were all falling apart at the same time. I got into therapy ( and shared the truth this time lol), and I took some suggestions from some pretty amazing people on here. This lead me to some great podcasts, books, and other helpful tools that are working for me today. I’m learning that just being me is ok. I’m enough. I don’t need to lead a double life today. I don’t need to be perfect today. I don’t measure myself by comparing myself, or by some ridiculous measuring stick. The tools I learned to survive my childhood ( being perfect so my father wouldn’t lose his temper, lying and not expressing myself to avoid conflict so that my father wouldn’t lose his temper and go berserk), they stopped working for me 35-40 years ago! I’ve been mentally stuck in this childhood survival mode for years without realizing it. Anyways, the point I’m trying to say is that all of these addictive behaviors you are experiencing are symptoms, and you can recover and feel better. We are not bad people. We don’t act this way because we are bad people. Yes, we do bad things and are responsible for our actions, but this has more to do with an illness that we are suffering from. I pray that you find the courage and strength to find the help you need. I believe you will. I believe that you sharing and opening up about it is a huge giant step forward. The awareness that you need help, and the desperation to feel better is what you needed to get started. You are on the right path! Keep pushing forward. It’s both a painful and beautiful experience! Welcome to recovery Laura! You can do this! ❤🩹
Wow! YOU could start a podcast! Can you recommend a couple please?
Lol. Thanks, but I’m just starting to figure myself out. As for podcasts, I’m fairly new to listening to them. I recently stumbled upon one I really resonate with. It’s The IGNTD Podcast with Dr Adi Jaffe and his wife Sophie. Check it out.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll give it a try!
I’ve experienced the same thing. I joined adult children of alcoholics ACA to work through those issues and past trauma. It has helped tremendously