Early on in my sobriety, I noticed some immediate changes. Some benefits initially included better sleep, clearer thinking (less brain fog), more energy. I learned that it takes 7-10 days for alcohol to get out of your system. The first week I did have some cravings, but after that it was literally like a habit. I’d come home from work, change out of my work clothes, and immediately pour myself a glass of wine. Within the first couple weeks, I would go through that routine and think next: “now, get my wine glass and pour me some”! I also had terrible sugar cravings. But I told myself it was okay to indulge myself as long as I didn’t drink. I also experienced some headaches for about 3 weeks. They got pretty bad but I was able to manage them with aspirin and some caffeine.

I’ve since learned about the PINK CLOUD or the pink cloud syndrome. It describes a stage of early addiction recovery that involves feelings of euphoria and elations. It leaves you feeling very confident and excited about your recovery. I definitely felt it. I would have moments where I would wake up and my mind would be racing (but in a good way). I would be going through a mental check off list of everything I had to accomplish that day. I wouldn’t forget anything and not have to write everything down. It was crazy! But, sadly, the pink cloud feeling goes away and this is when many people fall off the wagon. I guess ignorance is bliss, I fairly recently learned about the pink cloud, so I just thought the feeling would stay with me. When it went away, I was so busy staying focused on staying away from alcohol and reading and joining all the groups I could, it helped me stay on track.

One of the suggestions I read about was taking selfies and I wish I would have done that from the beginning. I started taking selfies when I was about 2 months in. I have had a lot of people tell me how good my skin looks, how confident I seem and just overall looking better and younger. It is definitely one of the benefits that is keeping me going.