Why We Have Crazy Dreams In Early Sobriety?

Becoming an expert in something takes a lot of repetition. As a chronic relapser, I have dealt with the pains of early sobriety many times (this is the last time); one thing that stands out is the crazy dreaming we do in those first few weeks of sobriety. Relapse nightmares, dreams about the past, and crazy dreams that make absolutely no sense, but feel extremely real, are something most people in early sobriety experience.

When I did a thirty-day in-patient rehab a few months ago, most of us struggled with these crazy dreams if we could sleep at all at night. We often discussed them in the mornings, laughing about how real they felt. I remember it was a major problem for me; I would wake up in the mornings sweaty and panicking, after dreaming about relapsing in treatment and getting kicked out, only to wake up uncomfortably in my little rehab room.

Last night, I had another one of those dreams. I dreamt that I had thrown everything away again, my dad finally gave up on me, and I was all alone, one of my biggest fears. This got me thinking about why we have such vivid and upsetting dreams in early recovery, so I decided to write this article to discover the cause behind my crazy nightmares. Since I am mainly addicted to alcohol, this article will be about alcohol and early recovery dreams, although many of these points apply to most substances.

Why Do We Have Crazy Dreams In Early Sobriety?

It's because alcohol and other substances mess with your regular sleep patterns. A healthy individual, who abstains from substances, will usually experience four different sleep cycles, three stages of non-rapid eye movement sleep with one stage of rapid eye movement sleep. They go through these cycles approximately five times per night.

Alcohol drastically decreases the rapid eye movement sleep we experience, arguably the most important part of the sleep cycle. Since research says that REM is where most people experience vivid dreams, people who use substances generally do not dream as vividly as others.

When we start our sobriety journey, everything our drug of choice altered will bounce back with a vengeance, usually going overboard in the opposite direction. An example of this is anxiety; a chronic drinker has slowed down their central nervous system for an extended period of time. The brain always seeks balance, so if we slow something down, it will speed it up to compensate. When we no longer have the alcohol in our system, slowing down our nervous system, it takes a long time for our brains to recalibrate, causing elevated anxiety levels. This is why detoxing from alcohol can cause seizures.

Vivid dreams result from people in early sobriety experiencing a large increase in REM sleep when they abstain from alcohol or substances. They seem very real, almost as real as being awake. I know that when I get these dreams, it sometimes takes me a few minutes after I wake up to realize that they aren’t real, and I remember every little detail, just like a real memory.

What Do We Dream About?

We tend to dream about what we know. One of the most common early sobriety dreams is about relapsing. When in active addiction, our whole world revolves around our substance of choice, so it makes sense that we dream about these things when we give them up. These relapse dreams can ironically cause people to relapse.

We may also dream about significant events in our past. This can include things that happened recently or as far back as early childhood. I have a lot of dreams about my mother, who died over two decades ago; I dream that she has returned and completely hates the person her son has become. She then convinces my dad I am a waste of space, and they get rid of me. These dreams are extremely painful for me, as I had a very close relationship with my mother, and my biggest fear is being left alone.

Another common theme is things in the future that we are worried about. Years of addiction can cause a lot of wreckage, making life quite chaotic. When we finally get sober, it comes with much uncertainty about our future due to the chaotic nature of living in active addiction.

What Purpose Do These Dreams Serve?

This is theoretical, but I believe dreams are a means for our mind and soul to deal with complex emotions we have buried or numbed throughout our addiction.

These dreams tend to have reoccurring themes, often including shameful past behaviours, fears of the future, and fears of relapsing. They tend to trigger painful emotions such as fear, guilt, helplessness, anger, and frustration—feelings we may have avoided with substance abuse for years or even decades.

Fortunately, these dreams lessen in frequency and intensity as we go further in our sobriety journey, perhaps because they have done their job, making us face our fears in a dreamland where it is safe. From personal experience, my crazy dreams disappear after thirty days of sobriety, and it’s back to dreaming about rainbows and puppies. Not really, but you get my point.

My final note is, don’t let these dreams discourage you on your path to sober living. They are perfectly normal and will weaken over time when they do what they’re supposed to. This is just one of the many early sobriety struggles that we must overcome to become the best version of ourselves. Try writing them down and analyzing them to see what your mind is trying to tell you; maybe you could even learn something.

If you or somebody you love suffers from depression and anxiety, please seek help. For all mental health problems, please consult your healthcare professional. You can also find the appropriate helplines to call here.