The last couple of nights I have had great sleep. Last night – my third evening in a row with zero alcohol – was another story.
Lights were out at 9pm, but I woke at 11pm, 1am, then tossed and turned all night, dozing lightly between awake moments. I had really interesting dreams with amazing clarity. They were all flashbacks from my past. Moments from my social life as an eighteen year old at university, as a teenager show jumping in local gymkhanas, then cross-country at the Olympics (I believe the Olympic part was television I had watched, but I was riding in my dream!), plus a wide range of topics that I can’t remember now, but I do remember that they had no connection with my recent life. These memories have literally been recovered from within the depths of my brain. I’m fairly sure these vivid dreams are a response to having zero alcohol. I don’t usually have dreams like this at night, more nightmarish worries in the dark.
Anyway, dreams aside, I have heard that sleep can be difficult when first giving up. Apparently this sleep deprived period passes relatively soon, as in 1-2 weeks. And the next phase is long nights of deep sleep like a baby. Bring it on!
Today’s takeaways from my reading:
Drinking doesn’t solve life’s problems, it delays them and can compound them. Grief cannot be fixed by alcohol. Alcohol can anathesise you to it temporarily, but it will still be there when you sober up. You will be even more unhappy, and you will be even further down the slippery slope of alcohol addiction.
Ask me how I know…
xx E
Leave a Reply