Dealing With the Emotional Rollercoaster That Comes with Sobriety

How to Cope When Soothing Yourself with Alcohol is no Longer an Option

I am an introvert, I spend a lot of time in my head and yes, I do have full on conversations with myself too. Thankfully though since quitting drinking over a year ago, my mind is no longer a crazy battlefield, the conversations are no longer fraught with negative self talk, shame, regret and fighting the beer monster. The chatter is often much lighter, it’s more positive, full of possibilities, there’s still lots of questions but it’s more like a tranquil oasis compared to the volcano it once was.

Even so, the thoughts and feelings and emotions are still there and can be difficult to deal with at times. When drinking, I would get tired of this constant noise and alcohol was my only escape, I could melt away into my own world and close the curtains on life. I would sit there with my wine or beer or whatever, getting sozzled and slowly retreat into myself, away from the problems, away from the world and sadly, away from my family and my kids. I would make plans, dream about my other life and soothe myself with the fact that when I stopped drinking, all of my dreams would come true. The trouble was that the more I drank, the more I forgot who I really was and what I really wanted and then I…