Two Weeks Sober -2 Weeks Baby!!

Here I am now into my second week sober without drinking, TWO WEEKS SOBER!! Not only that but now free from alcohol AND cigarettes. Yes, I have decided to do them both head-on, together.

So, how am I finding it so far?

Body and physical health

I am feeling slightly weary overall to be honest. The first few days I did feel a noticeable increase in energy, and a general feeling of wellness. From years of just being used to waking up hungover, waking up fresh was amazing. Now two weeks in and I am finding myself a little more tired really. This could be due to exercising so much in the first 10 days or so, but whatever it is I am just feeling a bit physically tired.

The pain in my back and side that I have had for many years has really died down. In fact, they were non-existent for a week or so, but I have felt twinges today.

I have been experiencing tingling in my fingers and toes for months, maybe years now…that has certainly gone already. These are things that I really should go to the doctors with, but my rationale is that I will go after a month or two so they cannot just pin it on drinking and smoking….or then say ‘well it is early days’….then blame it on drinking and smoking. It may well be right, that it is due to drinking and smoking, and if something disappears then great. But for now, I want to see if things heal of their own accord before I start going down a medical route to see what is going on. If I have done damage, then I will accept that, but for now I want to clear my body of enough sh*t as possible.

I think that the alcohol puffiness in my face has reduced quite a bit, but I am determined not to do a side-by-side picture until at least 4 weeks without drinking. At two weeks sober though, I think I can actually see a difference. Time will tell!

Sleep

As I boulder through two weeks sober I am currently still using sleeping tablets (zopiclone 7.5) and also magnesium as advised by lots of quit lit books.

I feel that my sleep is actually fine, no issues getting to sleep and feeling slightly groggy in the morning but I did not want to stop using the sleeping pills too early. My plan is to reduce the zopiclone by half as of this point (14 days), and see how that goes. I won’t beat myself too much if I do have to return to using sleeping pills, and am very happy so far that it is a small trade-off to get rid of alcohol and cigarettes from my life.

Dreams are vivid. I have given up smoking before – well I actually have not or I would not be writing this now! But I have temporarily stopped smoking before and sleep has always gone crazy when I have. Dreams become vivid, but I actually enjoy that aspect. This time has been great so far. I think the sleeping tablets are definitely helping but will look at reducing them at some point this week – slowly.

I do feel quite hungover from the tablets. Nowhere near alcohol but it is definitely there. A strange taste – tinny taste – I don’t like it but it has its place for now. I am treating myself with kid gloves this time round. I am determined to get this one right.

So far at two weeks sober I am feeling pretty good overall. I am having cravings as to be expected, but am combatting them by throwing myself head into this whole sober game. I am reading quit lit books, hitting them hard. Reading them throughout the day, squeezing in 10 minutes here and there even when the kids are running around, just so I can squeeze bits into my head.

I have hit the gym quite hard over the past week. I am going to bed quite early – -9-930pm and am waking around 3-4 am. I have joined a 24 hour gym – something that is a bit of a luxury that I have never had before really…so I am showing up at the gym at around 5am while the family is asleep. It surprises me just how many people are actually in the gym at this time of day.

I like going the gym at this time as I do not feel selfish about taking my time, as the family are all still sleeping.

Food

My appetite is quite strong now but am conscious that I have read about people putting weight on at this point when stopping smoking. I would like to think that cutting out the drinking and all of those empty calories should level out any food that I am eating in excess, but really am conscious that I don’t want to pile on the weight. So, I have been doing long slow cardio, plenty of situps and core stuff, and then doing some light weights at the end.

I am taking mulit-vitamins and vitamin Bs, on the advice of lots of people around sober-type groups and also through reading. They are meant to give you energy. I think they are helping as overall I do feel better than I have done in a long time, and previously when I have tried to quit. But it is hard to say if it is the vitamins or whatever….I do like that they are taken regularly thought and I think they give me focus on something as I wriggle through these days.

Mood

I am actually feeling really good. I am conscious about the last time that I felt like this though…well, I relapsed. I honestly think it was largely related to the pink cloud that was mentioned a lot the first time around…something that I was warned about….One minute I was feeling fit, on top of the world, people complimenting me on how well I looked and seemed…all that jazz.

Then…oh this is ok…maybe I am not really that bad…yeah, I will just get a few beers in. Then bang! 3 months later I was drinking as heavily as I ever was before. I was the same mess. So this time, I am keeping my guard up with my mood.

Overall I think at two weeks sober, all is going well. But I am VERY conscious that this is only two weeks sober into the rest of my life.

But…it is the rest of my life, that I am extremely focused on.

Let this continue…….