I am 22 days sober now. Big deal for me because I was drinking daily for 13 years. I am 35. Went to my Dr. to be safe, and he gave me something for withdrawals.
Two things I am noticing: 1. I want to eat nothing but sugary cereal. I have to force myself to eat protein. I have lost 10 lbs in a week. How long does this last? It is not that I can't keep the food down, it is just that I have absolutely NO apetite even when I am physically hungry.
2. I am now an insomniac. I never go to bed before 3 am, and that is with melatonin.
How long do these symptoms last? I was told in AA the reason I want sugar is because that is what alcohol is, pure sugar. Too bad I am diabetic! So I am not eating deserts so much, just cereal. And I force the protein to level it all out.
I need to meed with my temporary sponser tomorrow to discuss the 12 steps. And it is 2:30 am and I am not remotely tired. Good thing is...when I wake I am up for the day. But I don't know how long this can last.
Welcome to MIP. It's a great forum and it really enhances the quality of my sobriety. I do hope that you'll come back often and post and read as much as you want.
When I first stopped drinking, I started to eat a lot of sugary things, too. But, then I gradually started to wean myself off them. Also, I preferred to eat small amounts of food and often, instead of more large meals.
I also found trying to get some decent sleep was quite difficult for the first few weeks. But, it will suddenly change for you and all start to come right. Just hang in there and the rewards will be better than you ever thought possible.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Yes, weird dietary tendencies are par for the course as we suddenly wean our bodies off of the empty carbs of alcohol. This is a transient thing, though. Your diabetes will make that possibly more tricky - so monitor closely and keep in touch with your doc. 10 pounds in one week sounds alarming to me. You did not mention if that sudden dropped stopped or leveled out.
It sounds like you are being smart - going for complex carbs instead of simple sugar. Its got to be maddening, though, if you crave sweets. I am recalling that, once past the initial withdrawal phase, things mellowed a bit for me.
Good luck with it. At least, coming here, you realize that you are not alone, even in this diet thing. No one understands an alki like an other alki! (:
Thanks so much guys. I DO think it is leveling out a bit. I weighed myself this morning and I have, in the last couple of days, stayed the same. Maybe it was just the lack of appetite. I forced some boiled eggs down this morning, so that is healthy protein.
It is nice to be able to ask questions here. In the town I live in, there are few women at alcoholic anonymous meetings and I am having a hard time finding a sponser. I am on my second "temporary" one.
But I have to do this. I was on my way to seizure-ville if I didn't quit.
Hi MicKen and welcome! As far as the weight loss goes... I dropped weight really fast when I quit drinking and it isn't like I was obese. I did not do it on purpose but that is what happens when suddenly your calorie intake drops that fast. If it was a beer night then I would be drinking at least 1500 calories alone nevermind what my total calorie intake was once I had up the meals I would eat. Once you stop, you are bound to lose weight. However because of your diabetes I would be very careful! I also would crave sugar and chocolate when I first started sobriety. Someone on here told me that if I crave a drink then eat some chocolate because the craving diminishes. As far as the sleeping... when I first started sobriety I wrote on this board all the time about how I could not sleep. It was the worst! I got over it and you will too...It took me almost a month.... I finally started sleeping but it would be 12 hours at least a night! At the beginning I also always felt like I had a hangover when I woke up... anyway all of these things will pass... congrats on your sobriety... keep it one day at a time!!! Jamie
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"Advice is what you ask for when you already know the answer but wish you didn't"
Personally, though I am only at 11 days as of today, I had myself set up for recovery before I realized that I even accepted that I had a problem. I had, a couple months earlier, decided that I was going to get really into my fitness regimen - yeah, silly to think that my binge drinking was going to fit in somehow, but we all lied to ourselves, didn't we?
In any case, going in, I already had a regular exercise regimen, and a body used to a calorie-controlled diet. This was easy for me because I live in New York City and can get fitness-geared meals delivered every morning that include recommended daily allowances of everything, plenty of protein, fiber, recommended fruits and vegetables, etc. I have kept this up during my sobriety, and found myself not having these problems.
I strongly believe that exercise helps. If you are only 35, you should be able to manage something. I find that I can get into it and push to a nearly-meditative state, which helps on so many levels, and, as a side effect, can make me tired and able to sleep well.
I cannot say that I am not also losing weight, but for me, it is strictly losing the beer gut, and faster than I would have thought. Wow, trading a twelve pack for a six pack! In any case, your concerns about not wanting to drop too much are very valid. I am not diabetic, but a good way to satisfy a craving for sweets and get protein is to drink protein shakes, like the type you can buy at GNC. Always, always, read labels, and pay close attention to sugar content (I am not a doctor and don't want to see anything bad happen to you), but protein plus exercise generally leads to healthy weight loss, or even muscle weight gain, depending on how hard you want to work it.
I agree with what is written above that you crave empty carbs. That's what alcohol is. Refined sugar is to this what Nicorette is to cigarettes - it may abate a part of the craving, and may be an OK place to start, but it will not totally get you away from the addiction. Gradually try to get yourself away from refined sugars and bleached flour. You don't have to be a health nut (I still splurge on unhealthy stuff now and again), but to me, a healthy body helps you focus on getting your mind healthy for the battle all of us have.
By the way, congratulations on having 22 days. Stay strong!
CONGRATS on the 23-24 days now. It's tough, but follow your feet and get well. The more time away from alcohol, the easier the sleep issue will be. Keep at it.
As it's been said above, the fast weight loss doesn't sound good, but then again, you did write back to say it's slowing. I will say that I lost an insane amount of weight and quite quickly--not 11 pounds in one week, but still .. . it was a lot. In fact, I am still losing wait and it's been nearly seven months since I quit drinking. I must have altered my body chemistry and now it's correcting itself.
I had the same sugar need when I quit. Problem is I haven't made much of an effort to quit the sugar and I know it's not healthy. I had the reverse problem with sleep--I couldn't get enough of it. I'd be so tired throughout the day, go home sleep like a rock for 8 or more hours and still be tired throughout the day, but that went away.
I'm glad you went to the doctor to help you. That was smart and shows responsability.
