Stop Drinking

1339 readers

19 users here now

This is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. It is also a place for non drinkers to discuss and share.

We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for advice, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit or cut down.

Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

What do I do when it hurts too much to sleep? (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

18 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I have struggles with PTSD. Some very terrible things have been done to me by people I loved and trusted.

I can be very distracted during the day. I have a very active mind, lots of coping mechanisms and most of the time I’m fine. But it’s trying to sleep that is impossible.

Weed can help, but there’s this pain that hits late at night. It’s crushing. Weed will quiet flashbacks, will help me get to the point that my parasympathetic nervous can kick in and I don’t feel afraid and hyper vigilant, but it can only sometimes help the pain.

Drinking helps. It’s making me sick at this point but I don’t know how else to cope with the black pit of despair. Doomscrolling and drinking all night at least stops the rumination.

And so I pay for help with this and see the therapists I can. There’s barely any options for therapy and I try to journal and do all of the things but it just doesn’t help when I feel like my heart is bleeding out and I need to sleep.

It feels almost physical, a gaping wound that needs a beer to hold it together.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

you're not going to believe me, and i can't believe that i'm making this suggestion given what you wrote, because it seems so cheap. so much "wow thanks i'm cured"

but please at least try this. you have nothing to lose and it's free.

take a DEEP SLOW breath. all the way in. slowly. should be "one hippopotamus, two hippopotamus..." do it through your mouth.

hold it for a sec. however long you want.

then, let it go. do it through your nose or mouth or both. make it take just as long as it took you to inhale, but take some extra time if needed to make sure you got rid of all your air.

and then take a sec.

and then do it again.

you'll quickly be hit with an oxygen buzz, and it'll be your decision to keep breathing or just go to sleep.

edit - didn't realize where i was posting, and it's funny because i'm one, too. this is what i do. breathe in for 5 secs as much as you possibly can, hold it for a sec or two, then exhale completely. repeat. do this five or six times and you'll get a buzz. and it will make you want to sleep.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

something like this?
4-7-8 breathing

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

looks like it. it's a really common and simple technique that's used in a ton of different breathing and meditation techniques. nothing particularly spiritual or supernatural about it in its base form, just a really therapeutic exercise.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I stumbled on that one in local news portal as help with jet-lag and sleep schedule disruptions.
I helped me when I messed my sleep rythm to mediate problem until I got it back to schedule.