Is this day 4 or day 5?

I'm excited for you. There's gonna be a day (probably between day 14 to day 21) where your endorphins kick back in. You'll get a good feeling....the kind that you normally need alcohol to get.....and it'll probly be the first time (in a long time) you have a good mood without intervening to 'make' it happen by drinking.

Hopefully you can take comfort in that. The reason you feel lousy is because you've trained your body to release dopamine in conjunction with drinking. So for 3 or so weeks....you're body is not gonna release any dopamine in the absence of alcohol. But the beautiful thing is......it comes back! And when it does...it'll be natural. So you won't have to prop it up. When you think about it.....carrying an alcohol/drug dependency is stressful as shit. It's also really hard work. When is the store closing.....why isn't my dealer calling me back.....do I have enough money.....I have to wait til work finishes......I have to wait for the kids to go to bed......etc etc etc. Soon, you'll be able to have all those good feelings without the chores and burdens of addiction maintenance.

And that's what sobriety is all about. Letting your body's natural dopamine cycle happen without trying to interfere with it.