I’ve been sober now for about 11 weeks and I feel a lot better then I did during the first month (when I was going through PAWS - Post Addiction Withdrawal Syndrome), not to mention when I was drinking all the time, taking sleeping pills, purging, and smoking.
One of my goals at the end of rehab was to run a half marathon. Well, I did just that this past Sunday. I reached my goals of under 2:30 and no walking (my chip time is 2:24:15). I can’t tell you how great it felt to cross that finish line.
I finally go my certification to teach spinning at the gym and today was my first official class. I did sub during the last month, but Tuesdays at 12:20 is now ‘my class’, and I have a contract. After class today, one of the girls asked if I’d be teaching from now on, because my class is the only one she feels she gets a hardcore workout in. That felt fantastic.
I’ve lost about 10 or 12 lbs. That came off in the first three or four weeks. Because of my history of eating disorders, I’m just concentrating on exercise and eating lots of protein, and not on losing weight. This is why I’m focusing on my resting heart rate (and other athletic markers) rather then the scale. I still don’t look like I still wish I did, but who cares. And I’m honestly getting closer to actually not caring about it, and just caring that I’m healthy.
My relationship is SO, SO much better. We don’t argue (we discuss now, with conversation level voices!) and he’s always telling me how much he loves me. We joke around. I’m usually in a good mood. He really IS my best friend now.
I guess this post seems like I’m bragging, but I’m not. I just wanted those of you that are me, three months ago, to know that it really is better on the other side. Good luck.
EmanJ! Good on you! I’m so glad to see this follow-up thread. I remember when you first posted about trying to get sober. I am also working on living a sober life (16 weeks) and it’s amazing how much better my life is becoming for it.
It’s fantastic that your relationship with your SO is getting stronger and that you’re doing good things for yourself. Keep it up!!
ETA: Brag away! You should be damn proud of yourself!
I hope you are under the care of a doctor. Bradycardia is perfectly acceptable for trained athletes but with no other details to go on I would be very concerned about a recent alcoholic, with a history of eating disorders and sudden weight loss telling me that he has a pulse below 50.
It is. Mine was around 45 last I checked and every time I go to the hospital I worry the nurses 'cause my heart is barely beating. Going from 70 to 42 in two months is… superhuman.
Don’t be concerned about my heart rate! I’ve always been athletic, even making myself run/bike when I was hungover, but I obviously could never push myself like I am able to now that I’m sober. Part of the reason my HR was so high was because of the drinking/being hung over, not to mention that I started having panic attacks around December (pretty under control now, I’m working through it).
I’m very athletic, so my low resting HR makes sense. It was this low years ago (before all this) and I remember a doctor saying ‘Wow, 45, you must be a runner’, and I am.
About three weeks after I quit drinking, I quit smoking. I continued smoking, and actually smoked more then usual, while I was in rehab. Afterwards I just decided that as part of my recovery, which included being more active, I should probably give up smoking too. Quitting drinking was harder for me. I wasn’t a hardcore smoker, maybe four or five a day.
Honestly, the hardest one psychologically to give up was taking sleeping pills. I started drinking because I have a lot of trouble sleeping, so quitting the sleeping pills as well as drinking really scared me. I hate not being able to sleep, but so far, so good (I take Valerian Root and Melatonin right now).
