WHAT AM I FEELING?

Early sobriety can come with a lot of emotions — sometimes several of them in the same damn day.

You might feel proud in the morning, irritated by lunch, anxious in the afternoon and completely exhausted by dinner. You might also have moments where you feel surprisingly good.

For a lot of us, alcohol became one of the ways we changed, avoided or shut down uncomfortable feelings. When that option disappears, those feelings don't necessarily disappear with it.

You don't have to solve every feeling.

Sometimes the first step is simply noticing what's happening: I'm angry. I'm lonely. I'm overwhelmed. I'm bored. I'm anxious. I'm actually having a pretty good day.

Learning to sit with emotions instead of immediately escaping them is something that can develop over time.

GIVE YOURSELF SOME TIME.

Sleep can feel completely backwards in early sobriety. Some people are exhausted constantly. Others have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Some bounce between both.

Your routines have changed, and your body may be adjusting to life without alcohol.

This probably isn't the time to expect yourself to operate at 110%.

Eat. Hydrate. Rest when you can. Build a simple nighttime routine. Give your body some room to adjust.

A rough night's sleep doesn't mean sobriety isn't working.

If sleep problems are severe, persistent or concerning, speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW?

Boredom can be one of the strangest parts of early sobriety.

Drinking wasn't always just the drinking itself. There was buying it, planning around it, recovering from it and sometimes structuring entire evenings or weekends around it.

Remove all of that and suddenly there can be a lot of empty space.

You don't need to immediately fill every hour with some life-changing productive activity.

Go for a walk. Watch something stupid. Make food. Play a game. Clean something. Call somebody. Go somewhere you normally wouldn't. Try something new and decide you hate it.

The goal isn't to become busy every second of the day. It's to start discovering what life can contain besides drinking.

Eventually some of those random things become routines, interests and parts of a life you actually enjoy being present for.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WIN FOREVER.

When a craving hits, your brain can suddenly become very good at making drinking sound reasonable.

Just one. Just tonight. I'll start again tomorrow.

You don't need to argue with that voice for the rest of your life. Deal with what's happening right now.

Change your environment. Eat something. Drink something non-alcoholic. Move your body. Distract yourself. Reach out to someone safe. Give the craving time to change.

This too shall pass.

The goal isn't necessarily to make every craving disappear instantly. Sometimes the job is simply getting through it without turning the feeling into an action.