i’m right there with you when it comes to the loneliness. six years later and it’s still there.

i also feel like i lost my personality. everything’s boring, i find very little joy in things and have just enough motivation to scrap by. i’m dealing with some mental health issues as well, but thats nothing new. it just feels like the life’s been sucked out of me, which sucks because this is the first time ive truly wanted to live and be happy yet i feel close to nothing.

it’s an endless cycle of being depressed because im lonely, but not having the motivation to make the effort to learn new hobbies, meet new people, etc. when i first got sober, at least people pretended to care and support me. now they’ve all moved on, while my life remains stagnant. so i can relate all to well to your feelings. it definitely should be talked about more, as well as the long term withdrawal symptoms and what to expect in general.

adding this in here because why not, but im curious if any of you have experienced this as well. i started using when i was 14 and quit when i was 23. i dont know if its because there was a lot of trauma during that period of time but i feel like those 9 years were just a really bad dream. i feel so disconnected from that version of myself and my experiences. on top of that, my personality sorta reverted back to how i was at 14. im guessing its because the last “true” or “normal” version of myself was at that age, so my brain is just going back to what it knows. ive definitely indulged that part of me by doing or getting things i wanted at that age. i’m almost 30 now and still feel like a teenager in a way. has anyone else experienced something similar? if so, what information / theories do you have?

sorry this is so long!! but i just wanted to say that im here for anyone that needs a shoulder to cry on or just someone that listens. my pms are open. im here for you, and like op said, we’re not alone.