You know that ending your alcohol use is the right choice, but you’re worried about how your body and mind will react—especially when it comes to fatigue after quitting alcohol. For example, are you experiencing sobriety fatigue? How long will this exhaustion last? What can you do to regain your energy and motivation? Today’s post focuses on the physical, psychological, and behavioral aspects of sobriety fatigue.

If you or a loved one are struggling with alcohol, Lake Avenue Recovery is here to support you every step of the way. Call us today, or visit our admissions page to easily verify your insurance and take the first step toward healing.

Does Fatigue After Quitting Alcohol Make You Tired?

Let’s jump right in with the question from today’s headline: Does Fatigue After Quitting Alcohol Make You Tired?

Yes, when you stop drinking, you can expect to go through a period of feeling overly tired. This experience is sometimes referred to as sobriety fatigue or sobriety exhaustion. 

When you become addicted to alcohol, your body adapts to the near-constant presence of this substance. When you abruptly end your alcohol abuse, your body may react in a variety of unpleasant ways. The various symptoms you may experience are known collectively as alcohol withdrawal. Fatigue can be a withdrawal symptom.

(Note: When you wake up after a night of heavy drinking, the exhaustion you feel isn’t just because you stayed up too late. Having a hangover is a sort of mini-withdrawal.)

When you quit drinking for good, the exhaustion can be more intense than a typical hangover. But the principle is the same. Your alcohol use disrupted the normal functioning of your system, and now that the substance has been eliminated, your body is working to get back to normal.

Factors That Can Contribute to Sobriety Fatigue

Even after you’ve completed withdrawal, you may still struggle with sobriety fatigue. Here are a few other reasons to explain why you may still feel fatigue after quitting alcohol:

• Insomnia is common in early recovery. As your body continues to heal from the damage inflicted on it by alcohol, you may have a difficult time getting to sleep and staying asleep. This can understandably lead to a persistent state of exhaustion.
  
• Compulsive alcohol abuse can lead to malnutrition and dehydration, both of which can contribute to fatigue. While you were drinking, you may not have realized how you’d been affected. During your early days in sobriety, you may start to feel the fatigue and other effects more strongly than you had before.
  
• Withdrawal and early recovery can be emotionally taxing times. Change is difficult, even when you know the end result of that change will be beneficial. Addressing the issues that contributed to your alcoholism and developing effective relapse-prevention strategies require hard work, and hard work can be exhausting.

Please don’t lose sight of the fact that sobriety fatigue is not permanent. Yes, being tired and dealing with the other challenges of withdrawal and early recovery can be overwhelming at times. But every day that you’re sober is another day that your body and mind can get stronger. 

Over time, the exhaustion will fade, your energy will increase, and you’ll start to feel better than you have in a long time.

Tips for Overcoming Fatigue After Quitting Alcohol

As we mentioned earlier in this post, sobriety fatigue can have physical, psychological, and behavioral aspects. These same factors can also help you overcome the fatigue after quitting alcohol.

Here are a few tips for rebuilding your strength and stamina:

• Eat better: Your body can’t operate at maximum capacity if you’re not providing it with the nutrients it needs. 
• Stay active: Find healthy and enjoyable ways to fill the hours that you used to devote to alcohol abuse. Staying active can improve your strength and boost your mood – both of which can ease your struggles with exhaustion. 
• Stay connected: Keep in touch with people who are important to you. When your motivation is ebbing, they can prevent you from slipping back into unhealthy habits. When things are going well, their enthusiasm and support can reinforce your positive behaviors.
• Get help: Quitting alcohol is just the beginning. To manage alcohol fatigue and support your recovery, ongoing care is essential. At Lake Avenue Recovery in Massachusetts, we offer both inpatient and outpatient programs to help you stay on track and succeed.
• Don’t overdo it: Overexertion can be just as detrimental as idleness. Take time to rest and relax, and make sure you’re getting an appropriate amount of sleep every night.  

Find Alcohol Addiction Treatment in Massachusetts

Acknowledging that you have a problem with alcohol can be the first step on the path toward a much more hopeful future. Once you’ve make the courageous admission, you need to follow it up by taking decisive action. In many cases, the best next step is to seek professional help.

Lake Avenue Recovery is a respected provider of personalized outpatient programs, available during the day or evening, designed for adults seeking to overcome alcohol and substance abuse. Our drug and alcohol rehab in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a safe and welcoming place where you can work in close collaboration with a team of highly skilled treatment professionals.

Our team understands the many ways that alcoholism can disrupt your life. We’re also well aware of the many challenges you may encounter throughout your recovery journey. We use these insights to help our patients develop the skills and strategies that can empower them to resist relapse and reap the many benefits of lifelong sobriety.

When you’re ready to start living the healthier life you deserve, the Lake Avenue Recovery team is here for you. To learn more or to schedule a free assessment, call us today or head over to our admissions page to take the next step to a happier life.