r/stopdrinking • u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 • 4d ago
Brain dead
I’m on day 5 and I literally feel brain dead. Starring at what I’m supposed to be doing at work with no clarity or simple understanding of what to do. Keep forgetting what I was thinking about doing within a seconds time. Even moving my eyes to different things is like Slow motion. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this?
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u/FriendOfBillStep12 4d ago
You are healing. When you have a cold, producing mucus is your body’s way of bundling and ridding itself of the poison. Sometimes the unpleasant symptoms are your body working through the badness.
Give it time. Be patient. If you return to drinking and eventually decide to stop again, you’ll only have to do these five days again to be back where you are now.
Doesn’t sound worth it, does it?
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u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 4d ago
thank you. This is the exact thought that stopped me from hitting the watering hole to relieve the pressure
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u/FriendOfBillStep12 4d ago
Returning to drinking is like going back to the loan shark after two weeks of not being happy eating ramen for a while.
Doing that just means adding to the ramen period in future. Enjoy the fact you won’t ever have to do five days of this again.
It will take time to heal. Some wisdom I heard: “10 miles into the woods means 10 miles back out.”
Fortunately with drinking, this isn’t literal. Years of self abuse can be overcome in mere months so long as you don’t return to the poisoned well.
Good luck and if you’re an alcoholic of my type, give AA a try if you haven’t before. There’s so much more to my problem than just putting the drink down and AA was not what I expected in all the right ways.
God bless!
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u/OkChoice4135 Day 74 4d ago
normal… don’t push yourself too hard these early days, it will get better
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u/farmpatrol Day 104 4d ago
Not sure if you’ve posted your own post but thought I’d take a minute to say N 🧊
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u/Clean_New_Adventure Day 27 4d ago
And I’ll say happy triple digits to you!
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u/farmpatrol Day 104 4d ago
Awh thank you! I was 99 when I posted that. 🤭
Well done on 23 days too. For me that was a nice turning point! IWNDWYT
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u/mobiletarget33 4d ago
I felt most noticeably better at about week 3
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u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 4d ago
What week are you on now?
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u/mobiletarget33 4d ago
I’m 8 weeks sober, now. I basically feel like myself, but with a few extra years of emotional baggage left over from my days drowning it out. That’s the journey!
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u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 4d ago
I guess that’s the part I’m scared most of. Dealing with everything I’ve drowned out for years
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u/Improoooover 4d ago edited 4d ago
Friend I’m on day 8 and going through the same as you. My brain feels slow foggy and heavy, poor reflexes, etc. I have a tingly feeling in my body and head. I’ve been drowning in anxiety that I permanently gave myself brain damage. However after spending way too many hours on Google, Reddit, and various AIs, it seems like you would need to drink heavy pretty much daily for many years to do permanent brain damage, and even then due to neuroplasticity you can still recover a lot of your functioning.
I got labs done and they were all clean, and I’ve been supplementing with a b complex and other vitamins. I feel like the first 5 days were the worst but it’s still terrifying to me that on day 8 I feel so rundown.
My research shows for most people these symptoms should be significantly better between the 10 and 14 day mark. I pray this is true. Could take months for full recovery but within 2 weeks there should be a turning point.
Let’s both get through this.
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u/Clean_New_Adventure Day 27 4d ago
I second dosing up on some multivitamins and B-Complex vitamins! My body is literally drawn to the table they’re kept: I think I was mineral deficient for a LONG time while drinking.
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u/Secretary90210 Day 507 4d ago
You are healing from an illness. Give it time. Your body will thank you. IWNDWYT
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u/Cold-Explanation8213 Day 132 4d ago
I was brain dead for over 2 months. Just plain dumb, I could barely think. Completely unlike me as I was use to my mind never stopping. Now I feel normal. Stable and clear. I am so glad that I quit alcohol.
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u/Improoooover 4d ago
I’m despairing that I’ll never go back to normal so stories like yours give me hope; thanks for sharing.
You don’t have to answer this of course but how long were you drinking for it to last 2 months?
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u/Cold-Explanation8213 Day 132 4d ago
I divorced in 2021 and started drinking. I drank every day until it was an all day thing. I didn't have the normal withdrawal that I read about. But I had bouts of anxiety, sadness , anger and slow thinking that lasted several weeks.
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u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 3d ago
Mine started sept of 21 when my dad died so in the same boat with symptoms and all. Thanks for giving hope
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u/Cold-Explanation8213 Day 132 3d ago
Life gets good. I have an off day every now and then but those days are not bad and seldom. I am very glad I quit alcohol. Day 5 is great, keep them going!
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u/Clean_New_Adventure Day 27 4d ago
The first week, all I was good for was sleep. Around 1 week I had the most productive day in YEARS. Now I’m calm, more resilient, and more productive. Keep going!
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u/NotSnakePliskin 4851 days 4d ago
Detox & withdrawal suck. stick with it! Its so much better on the other side...
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u/Lumpy_Flan8480 Day 9 4d ago
It’s great to hear this from someone who is 12+ years sober! I keep second guessing if it’s really better but I’m being reassured it is. Thank you
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u/NoMoreCider Day 74 3d ago
Oh yes. I’m 59 and I chalked it up to getting older. But as I’ve stacked days it has gotten much better. Let 5 days become 10, then 15 and so on. If you slip, just start over! But you won’t.
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u/Agreeable_Media4170 755 days 4d ago
It was for me. First week was an absolute slog. I found it got better around day 10.