Flashbacks

amytomjerry

Hi..I quit drinking at the start of February. So glad and adamant to stay off it for good. Was on a high for weeks initially, now I have hit the doldrums of bleakness and hopelessness. And even worse I keep having cringe flashbacks of different scenarios of how I behaved when drunk...some of these going back a very long time.

And the shame is hard to tolerate...kind of at the stage of not knowing who I really am.
Feel very dull company and struggling to entertain visitors etc.
Know for sure now that I drank to numb..an absolute crutch.
Should I seek professional counselling or is this just part of the course?

Thank you

prishtinaboy99

first well done for taking the great decision to quit, despite those feelings which are really normal.


The first period can feel great like a sense of achievement which it is no doubt but that is always followed by a period of missing out, depression whatever you want to call it. This is the hard part to keep going in sobriety as going back to the drink seems like a solution but the question is why did you try to stop in the first place and therein lies the answer.

Having got past the first few days sober then you are physically past that phase but the mental obsession is the hard part long term, when your not drinking your thinking about it.

Used to have loads of flashbacks at beginning of sobriety or used to dream was drinking then wake up in a panic but they fade over time.

I think getting professional advice is a great idea as it helped me a lot too during my initial period of sobriety, relapses etc.

Also do not rule out attending an AA meeting as its a great resource, not sure if meetings are back yet in Ireland or there are loads on zoom also.

Keep going and get all the help you can get as its a lonely battle to fight alone and good luck.

amytomjerry

Thank you so much...that advice you have given is just what I needed to hear. Really appreciate it.