.png)
Someone is pouring me a glass of wine. I know I shouldn’t drink it as I’m in recovery from substance abuse but surely, no one will find out if I have just one. I check to make sure no one I know looking, throw caution to the wind and pick up that drink. With a shaky breath, I take a grateful sip.
I wake with my heart pounding, sweating and panicking. It’s just a dream, I tell myself. It’s not real. It didn’t happen. I haven’t relapsed or sabotaged my recovery.
The relief of waking to my sober reality is immense but I am rattled by this intensely realistic dream. I could smell the wine and taste it. Where did that dream come from? Do I subconsciously want to drink? That thought is hard to reconcile with my day-to-day life, which is full of rich recovery activities. Any conscious desire to drink left me long ago, and I haven’t had a craving for alcohol since my early days of sobriety. I have recovery routines, surround myself with positive people who support me, and have never felt better.
What do drinking dreams mean?
It turns out that ‘drinking dreams’ are not that rare in people who have stopped drinking alcohol. But what do drinking dreams mean and what can you do about them?
Concrete reasons about why drinking dreams occur don’t exist but one study* found that about a third of people in recovery have had drinking dreams, and that they tended to affect people who had been severely affected by their drinking. The study also found that the dreams became less common the longer the person in recovery remained sober.
Ocean Hills founder Elaine Atkinson knows first-hand about the power of drinking dreams from her own experiences in early sobriety, about 18 years ago.
“It feels incredibly real - as if you’ve had the drink.”
As part of helping many people get and stay sober at Ocean Hills, she knows that a lot of people experience drinking dreams, especially when they first get sober.
“It’s normal to have a drinking dream when you first stop drinking alcohol. They are a normal part of early recovery and don’t usually continue.”
Though they can be scary, Elaine suggests viewing the dreams as a way to remind yourself how important it is to stick to your programme of recovery, and to double-down on your efforts to keep strong in sobriety.
Self-care is the way forward
“Keeping stress low is important and one of the best ways to support yourself is by getting good sleep. People are often very tired when they first stop drinking and need extra rest in order to heal. Don’t push yourself too far.”
Journaling is also another way to revisit the disturbing reams in a safe way, and explore any feelings of anxiety surrounding them. “If negative thoughts are out of your head and down on the page, they often lose power.”
Mindful practices like meditation, breathing techniques and therapeutic yoga also help to control stress and protect your sobriety, she says. “All those tools are integral parts of the therapy programme taught by our professional team at Ocean Hills.”
If the drinking dreams continue, know that the longer you stay sober, the more likely they will lessen in frequency.
Sharing the experience with a friend who understands is also useful, she advises.
“Remind yourself that you’re still sober, and share the dream with someone supportive who you trust. Then put it out of your mind and move on with looking after yourself.”
Comments