Quitting Alcohol - physical side effects?

I started drinking about a half liter of vodka a day around 2 years ago. 3 months ago I decided I want to stop, but I decided I should cut-down to avoid any withdrawls, so I stopped drinking vodka completely and now I drink 3 - 24 oz. cans of beer a night, a 6 pack.

I read that if you stop cold turkey, you can go through DT's and seizures.  The thought of this makes me feel like having a panic attack.  Is your body dependant on the amount of alcohol or alcohol period?

Should I continue to cut-down since I'm having success with this method? Maybe cut down to two beers, for a week, and then 1 beer, and then stop? Is cutting down slowly a good way to avoid side effects? Is my body getting used to not having alcohol? My stomach now feels better, less gas, and my apetite has increased.

I'm not going to have any psychological withdrawls, I feel good without drinking, I'm just worried about the physical withdrawls.

I know some people are going to mention to go to a hospital, but I have a thing about hospitals and don't like them, besides I'm broke and unemployed.


Thanks

[chivaknevel]

i drink much more than that every night and i can go days without drinking....if it's just a 6 pack a day shouldn't be much problem.  might get a little shaky in the evening, might be hard to sleep but no DT's you should be ok.  and i have been drinking everyday for 27 years or so.  do you drink in the morning?  if you don't need a drink to get out of bed you should be fine

[singha]

personnally I would cut back a beer every 2 days or so. Until you are down to 0. My parents are recovering alcoholics for 23 years and I can remember when they stopped ct....it wasn't pretty so tapering may be your best bet....but again that is my opinion....Good Luck

[abcdabcd]

I used to drink in the morning as well as evening when I was drinking vodka, I used to wake up in the middle of the night and drink if I sobered up, since being sober would wake me up, since I have insomnia. Then I stopped drinking vodka and only drinking beer in the evenings.  I drink before I go to sleep, around 9pm drink for a couple hours and go to sleep.  Since I stopped drinking vodka, I haven't gotten any shakes.  After I stopped drinking vodka, I had some kidney pains, but then they went away.  

Many people have suggested to just cut back, so I'll drink 2 cans for about a week, and then 1 can, and then stop.

[singha]

have you ever tried Nyquil instead???If you are just looking for alcohol to sleep maybe after you cut back to like 3 cans you can try nyquil instead....just a thought

[abcdabcd]

I have tried Nyquil before and it has worked in getting me drowsy, but I guess since I've been drinking, I forgot about that, thanks for the suggestion!

[singha]

take the nyquil and a very hot bath and go directly to bed after and keep me posted good luck

[K Todd]

Hi there,

I just absolutly could not let your post go by without it catching my eyes.

I am 38 years old, and I have finally been able to maitain sobriety for 3-1/2 years now.

Trust me on this..I was a chronic acloholic, to the points of death. I always pretty much drank beer, with the execption of weekends. In my 30's I was no longer able to quit without medical help. I had got to the point from drinking from sunup to sundown and my daily average was 30-35 beers a day. I had been in the hospital for detox 17 times, I had liver failure and turned yellow, I also had a seizure in trying to quit cold turkey after 4 days, I had tried every program and everything known to mankind to quit. I had to drink in the morning before work, then I had to drink at work, and I had to drink on breaks just to get me through the day. Then I was fired, and my drinking continued as I battled to get off. I had DT's, shakes, had to drink in the morning, when I woke at night, and all day and night almost to the point when one day after 39 beers I could not pass out...I hit detox again, and after that they kicked me out and told me to find another hospital..but I was broke, had to sell my house and lost everything.

I have learned how to self detox with medication and also how to detox alcohol with alcohol itslelf (but if is very tricky)...the thing is, is you never feel when a seizure is coming your way, and if you cut back to fast, then out of no where..you'll wake up somewhere only to find out that you had a seizure. So I will tell you I was able to quit by detoxing alcohol with alcohol.

This is just the way I did it. From 35 beers a day, I would take the count down by 2 beers at each time, and let my body adjust. Being up in the 30 count I was usually able to take down 2 beers every 3 days...until it got into the 20 a day count. Then I would take it down 2 more, and let my body adjust...until there was no, shakes or w/d's and then I would hit the next 2 and so forth until I got down to 6-8 and I would level off there and STAY there for a month, then take it down 1 beer at a time, and letting the time tell me when to proceed to the next.

So the basic principle behing this, is to cut back, give your body time to adjust, to where you do not have any w/d's or shakes of anykind...before you take it down another beer.

My personal advise, from coming of hard liquor - just to a six pack so quick...is to make sure that you are 100% stable and your body has no discomfort at a 6 pack a day...until you take it down just by 1 only!!!!! Then just keep following the process, and when your down to 3 a day and it has been plenty of time since you drank the hard stuff and you have no w/d's - Then you should be able to walk at ease! You can also pick up some benadryl in this process to help you sleep.

Well that is it, for you question of the physical part. Just be carefull and do not rush yourself, if it is to soon and your body is not adjusted!

Hope this helps, and keep us up to date!

God Bless,
Todd

[green eyed lady]

Hi...I wanted to let you know that my BF is an alcoholic and I was able to get him to detox and while he was there they put him on a new drug called CAMPRAL. This is a fairly new drug that helps with CRAVINGS not the detox..you need to be detoxed before you start the drug.

I believe you stated that you are unable to go to detox so I recommend what KTODD said and do a gradual tapering. And once you are detoxed your general practioner can prescribe the campral for you. As with any drug you need to be monitored and if you want more info regarding the campral just google it and there is lots of info out there so you can make an informed decision.

I do realize that tapering can be extremely difficult but I think with KTODD's tapering schedule you can be successful...the key is to let your body adjust so that you aren't hurting and you will be less inclined to abuse. I wish you the best...Godspeed.

[esterbanana]

Well, I finally, after 30 years of alochol addiction got honest w/myself and knew I could not control it, could not quit on my own either.
My doc, when I finally admitted the above to him prescribed campral....wow.
I haven't had a drink, or a craving in 5 days....I have NEVER done that before.

[gina717]

my 25yr old son ask for help to detox off alochol he also has been in muliple detoxs and rehabs he has had a herion addiction in the past but is now in a methadone program but for the last 2 yrs the alochol has been his drug of choice  he has no insurance he ask for me & his girlfriend to taper for him i read k todd advice but that takes a long time & my son has 2 small children serious financal problems to the point of being homeless they are coming here to live with me as of feb i have been living with addiction in those i love for over 30 yrs alot of sober times but alot not i am afriad for him physically see my oldest son, his brother died two yrs ago from alochol withdrawal he had a seizure in the shower his girlfriend was sleeping in a different part of the house and didn't hear anything he was 27yrs old he wanted to stop in the worse way  

[marcatj]

hey sweety, i just wanted to let you know you posted this on a very old thread, so it may not get seen.  if you want some feedback, it's best to repost it on a new thread...

i'm so sorry for your troubles.. :-/   i sure hope things turn around.

warmly,
mj

[hezeling]

i am happy to hear that i can safely detox....  it's been 8 days, but i went throgh some serious dts

[hezeling]

i mean i went through dts in july

[jh00069]

i quit pretty much cold turkey after a year and a half of heavy drinking since the last time i was sober. usually about 3 days of bad sleep and night sweats i start to feel better.  this time the first 3 nights i pertty much didnt sleep and sweated all night. last night was the 4th night and slept a little with a little less sweating but still soaked pillows and shirts. i didnt know there was a medical danger to do this. my last drinking was sat night. so i didnt drink sun thru wed night. its now thurs and i feel slightly better. how long before the risk is over? thank anyone for any help.

[newme258]

Hello,

I had been drinking Regularly (meaning at least 3 to 4 nights a week and usually 7 to 9 beer's a night) for about 7 years. In all honesty, i don't even know if i had so much on a regular basis as i mostly drank ALOT during parties or social gatherings... hardly ever really drank alone and never have felt deppression or etc.. I have been drinking alcohol off and on since aroun 1999 but alot more since 2003. Usually mostly always beer with the occasional whiskey and or wine. I noticed i was putting on some extra weight and im sure its due to the alcohol. WHen i would drink, it would be no time at all before i was STARVING! lol.. and so id eat anything i could find... Its now 2009 and i had gone from 200 lbs in 2003, to 225lbs now... i recently decided i HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!! While drinking is fun and we all have our great times and fun times and laughs we all have to Grow up sometime..... I quit drinking the day after Halloween of this year and havent had ANYTHING with alcohol in it since!!!!  I really don't feel like ive even been tempted to drink anything either... ( and thats with me being as honest with myself as i can be) .. The only things that ive noticed is that within 2 weeks i lost 10 lbs!!!!!! YAY!! ;)  and i have more energy during the day!!! SO much in fact that people think ive had 8 pots of coffee! ha ha... the other thing ive noticed however is a loss of appetite... i can eat 3 egg whites for breakfast, take my multivitamin and have some grape fruit juice (the kind with NO SUGAR)  and a cup of coffee or 2 and, unless i make myself eat, i can go almost until 8 or 9 o'clock before i even get a hint of being hungry!!!! Is that normal????? i know i have to eat so im making myself eat something throughout the day even if i have to choke it down! lol.. but why is this happening??? I sleep fine... i don't crave the drink... but i went from wanting to eat all the time to having to force myself to eat.... weird.... i also know that i need to "listen to my body" and thats what i do.... i never liked sweets that much and still don't but i know that Beer has TONS of sugar in it and so if i ever do get to feeling weird or awkward then i go and grab a milkshake from Hardees or whatever, i give my body what it wants.... just without the alcohol!!! Im in control here!!!! Not the substance and thats the way its going to be!!!!!!!! lol.... But im glad i caught it in time... im 29 years old and was told by a doctor once that as long as your mature about the partying and as long as i stop over excess of alcohol before i hit 30 and don't have more than 2 a day after 30 then i should be fine... im listening and the next 30 years are going to be clean and dry! Plus people say im more enjoyable to be around when sober... lol... they say that im actually more fun than when we all were drunk... and i think they are too.. any comments are welcome.. Thanks!!


BB

[Chuckles1970]

Hi, Im new here. Anyway, I got laid off 2 years ago, and havnt found work as of yet. I started drinking Jim Beam along with 6 packs of beer a day since I got laid off. Last Sunday, I was drinking my usual beverages, and noticed a pain shooting up from my stomach area. I scares the hell out of me, and I poured the rest down the drain. I have not had a drink since then, but my body still hurts with occasional chest pains. They have gotten a little better, but I cant slowly stop, because it effected me to drink physically, so I had to stop all together. Can some one tell me about how long it could take for the pains to go away? Thanks,,,

[AlexNixon]

Alcohol can be very very deadly to detox on your own. If you stop cold turkey, when you`ve been drinking a lot, for a long period of time, it can be fatal. It messes with your heart rate, and it has been known to either skyrocket your blood pressure, or drop it significantly, leading to cardiac arrest and heart attacks. It destroys your organs as well, so there`s many ways for fatalities to come. I suggest a treatment center. Drug withdrawals may feel like you`re going to die, but you won`t. Severe alcohol withdrawal very easily will.

[Grammygram3936]

I had the same question and thank everyone here for the advise. I absolutely do not want to drink anymore, but am afraid I will die if I quit cold turkey. The anxiety is killing me...but so is the alcohol.  Someone also suggested Librium to me. Does anyone know about that?

[shadymaster107]

im 30 and i have been drinking sence  was a kid in recent years i have been drinking every day just at night when i get off work any where from 6 to 15 beers recently i have had alot of diarrhea and im wondering if my drinking is the cause has anyone else had this happen to them? and if it is the cause should i cut back slowly or cold turkey?

[babiicakesx3]

hi  i  have a boyfreid that im trying to  helpm  he ust to  drink  up  to  a liter of  100 proof a night. not once stoping. now hes acting funny. he already had a seizer from  stoping cold turkey. but know he says he blacks out. he doesnt remember thing and can be very mean, drozy and barely can tlk. he said its part of his withdrawls is this true?

[unhappy1988]

I drink about 1/2 to 1pint a day of 80 proof whisky. I don't mix it. just shots. I am only 23 years old. Do I have a problem? yes I do! So you ask if the pain you will find from stopping C.T. or over time witch will be greater? that depends on you! First why do you drink? Most people that drink a lot have something heavy on there mind something there trying to forget, change , undo, This is where you should start. Look at why your drinking. Is it to just have fun? If so the you can do a lot of stuff with your friend's with out drinking. Now if your drinking for one of the other thing I listed before then you will not stop till you solved that.How ever if you don't stop soon you will fill pain all the time drunk or not! Take my self I wanted to stop I did for 2 years. How ever look at me now I drink every day. I can not solve my other problems that cause me to want to drink (i.e) get away. So now I will tell you what you will fill if you don't stop. If you are with someone that loves you you will lose them. are if they love you to the point they will stay with you. you will make them suffer. in turn so will you. 2nd the pains you will feel your self will be  sleepy all the time. You will feel week,sick. Your **** will have blood in it. your lower back i.e (kidneys) will hurt all day. you will forget things all the time? what did you do the other day at 6pm you don't know. Look to ceep me from going on and on if you can stop. stop now. the pain that I have felt is most terrible. Please don't subject your self to that pain.    

[dovecat]

About 4 years ago my husband said he was going to leave if I didn't stop drinking and about a month later I got up one day and stopped. I had no problem or desire to drink again. That is until my husband told me this morning he was going to leave me and then I wanted a drink--lol. This shall pass too.

Dovecat

[hunter11]

Hi ,i have noticed since i have been on venlafaxine for bi pola,my drinking has gone through the roof,at least two bottles every night of white wine,for the past 2 years,i have decided to stop today for loads of reasons,has anyone else had this problem with this medication

[hunter11]

Hi ,i have noticed since i have been on venlafaxine for bi pola,my drinking has gone through the roof,at least two bottles every night of white wine,for the past 2 years,i have decided to stop today for loads of reasons,has anyone else had this problem with this medication

[dewienerz]

i am still up for 4 days. i cant get to a detox cause i am at work camp, and the medic here thinks i just need sleep. my body is shaky and weak. have drank for 20 years, but quit for 2 eeks at work. i am worried sitting here in my room, i am due for a seisure. and just cant get too sleep. i am getting worriied about everything as well. if i am not on shift tommorrow, which wont happen without sleep, i am gonna loose my job. if i get through this i will never touch it agaian i cant go througfh this again

[diane1430]

hearing these stories are so scary for me i need to quit i detoxing now first time with such sign sick, scared to get a seizre went to hospital but they said i should be fine dont feel fine, vomiting with tremors yuk scared wish me luck i feel i need to do this cold turkey no in between for me at this point its either now or never

[Hydroco_Done]

Do you have your own doctor?  If you do go to him tell him what's going on he'll give you benzos to help with the w/d symtoms (symptoms) they both bind to the same receptors and will make things a lot easier for you.  Good luck I know you can do this I'll be rooting for you!

[jim7742]

i see this is an old thread but i caught my eye and so did todd's story because im trying to do the same thing. I am not a success story yet, i am still drinking about 15 beers per day. Every two days on the last beer of the night  i will use a measuring cup and cut off that 15th lIttle by little. I cant do it an entire beer or two at a time. I started at 24 per day and have gotten down to 15...mililiter by milileter...and it ***** because i want to just quit. I hate myself when i drink etc etc...  but this method takes time and i hope to be at a 6 pack a day...or holy cow ...one beer per night...this is my dream and my goal. I cant go to detox or hospital for reasons...thats that..and this is my only way to stop. But todds story inspired me a great deal and joined this forum just to say "me too! me too!"...hopefully one day i can post somewhere and say that i am done with beer....thanks todd for the story...i was wondering if i was the only person that was trying this method...jim

[cabbyfare12]

Should it be okay to stop drinking cold turkey if I have been drinking two six packs of beer a day for about 7 months?

[braekdown]

After several incidents in my life, I started drinking heavily every day to be able to escape the pain. An ex of mine and I would split a liter bottle starting three years ago. A few more incidents happened to me, along with Over a year ago starting to work overnight. For me, it's near impossible to sleep during the day.
I tried benadryl but can now take 5 of them and not bat an eye. Nyquil stopped working as well. I was drinking while taking all of these as well.
Melatonin, velerian root, marijuana, st johns wort. I even got ahold of some lunesta but it only worked for about a month and gave me horrible hangovers. I got to the point where I was stopping at the package store on my way home from work (10 - 11 AM), buying eight tall boys of mikes hardER lemonade (8%Alc/v) and a handle of vodka. Give or take assorted nips on sale or whatever I would hit home and drink the Mikes and half the bottle of vodka before bed. It became a necessity or I couldn't sleep a wink.
This happened for a year until I started waking up for work, not drunk, but more in a daze. I felt like I had gotten a severe concussion... Like I was still sleeping sort of. I finally called out of work one day last week when it became to much to deal with.  I broke down in a panic attack and called my best friend. They came over and took care of me, and I willingly helped her pour all my booze down the drain. I was twitching, cold, felt very naseaus and had a migraine all night. Had panic attacks that came and went... But did not drink. When it neared my bedtime that day I took three lunesta and slept for an hour. This was five days ago. The next day I only had a couple panic attacks and was able to walk them off around my block. The twitches were there still but getting better. I craved booze but still hadn't yet. I was able to lay down and catch a few minutes of sleep before my shift at work. In the middle of the night I started seeing bright flashes of light and/or dark shadows (Like the ghost hunter people describe in those shows) but it's obviously not ghosts. It startled me but that's about it. Never had a physical effect besides that. The cravings have lessened along with the twitching. It's day five, I haven't drank or slept since. I've developed minor kidney pain and the hallucinations have gotten worse and I've experienced some auditory hallucinations as well...
But all in all, I feel good at day five. Considering the amount of alcohol I depended on daily, and the fact that alcohol withdrawal is the only substance withdrawal that can kill, I think I'm doing alright for going cold turkey. Everyone's reaction will be different however.
Once I can get a good night/days sleep I think the visions will go away.
In my opinion it's become more of a sleep deprivation symptom.

[Hooty64]

When I Detox I took  lorazepam (Ativan)   and Vistril, Yes I did have the shakes, and hardly could sleep,Drank alot of Gatorade.
Its been the 6th day now, and I Feel so Good, Goodbye Beer and Vodka....

[Hooty64]

P.S I also quit Smoking at the same time and now Chewing Nicotine Gum.

[Hooty64]

Day 7 here and My Sleeping Pattern is off, go to bed at 4am, Need to get some Melatonin. if I can go to sleep at 12.30am then I will be great!  Remember if you drank for years and you are detoxing at home make sure you have a spouse or friend there to watch you..You will need help.. Lots of Gatorade , because of Dehydration. You will sweat so bad the room will smell like Alchohol.Its worth it to quit, or your Liver will die..My mind was like foggy, getting better... God Bless

[SugaGin]

Is Red Wine that effective aswel? I drink it every night every morning everytime I have a chance

[SugaGin]

*I drink a 1.5L bottle of red wine or 2. Every night. And I have tried not to drink it for the past 3 days now since a whole year and now I'm getting crazy stomach upsets, diarriah, and headaches. And I'm been grumpy so often! Not forgetting it's hard to sleep cause a BOTTLE has been MY BESTFRIEND!

[Cat047]

Knower the feeling about 'best friend'.  I'm stopping today... I either drink 1 bottle of red wine a night -or 1/2 bottle of something like cointreau or.. grandmarnier... or something.  When I get home from work, I just can't wait to crack open the bottle.  Especially after a hard day.  My really bad drinking started a year ago during my divorce, I just had to be drunk every day to get through it.  Today I had 1/2 bottle of cointreau (it's not a massive bottle )... fell to sleep on the sofa (at 1pm)... cancelled meeting a friend for lunch, cancelled meeting a friend after work, cancelled an appointment... all because of alcohol.  It's Saturday night - and I'm staying in ...again...  I'm pretty miserable most of the time.  Most people though wouldn't know and they wouldn't have a clue how much I drink - especially the cointreau...  But it's ruining my social life.  I'm getting fatter by the second.  I am really fat now.  I am lonely, I'm becoming poor... and ... alcohol seems to consistently be my cure.  I had one alcohol free day this week, on Monday - I was bored.... didn't know what to do.  Wish me luck.  I've just got to stop.  It's really ruining my life and me as a person - and it's making me a social recluse - and even more so because I hate being fat.  I mostly feel like just jumping off  a cliff - but I never ever would.. just that feeling - probably due to alcohol and it stopping me having a life.  Thank you for sharing your stories here.  It's helped me.xx

[10356]

Hi Cat Welcome to the forum.. Congrats on your desire to quit alcohol !! You have posted on a old thread if you go to the top of the forum you can post this on your own thread You will receive more support this way. we also have a alcohol forum that is terrific and a lot of support just look it up on the very top of this page "forums". I had lost weight when I put down the bottle and you will too we feel more motivated and eat so much better. Waking up in the morning is a pleasure now it was not always so while drinking I always woke with a queasy stomach a slight headache and just that all around feeling of being dragged down. I no longer say inappropriate things and I have much more fun when going out and I no longer worry about drinking and driving. I will send a prayer for you that you make it thru the day clean.. I will look for your own post.. take care. lesa

[loganlea]

hi...I have just read the comment from the lady drinking the red wine every night.You and I are the same...I stopped the 16 nov...the kids were getting too upset...I had drunk a bottle and half of red wine and half a big bottle of vodka.Scared me so much as the next few days I felt like I had dementia.Have gone cold turkey since...headaches. depression, anxiety and sleepless nights...but I am hoping i can carry on...no craving any more...just hope i dont die from a seizure or something.You can do it!

[loganlea]

hi...I have just read the comment from the lady drinking the red wine every night.You and I are the same...I stopped the 16 nov...the kids were getting too upset...I had drunk a bottle and half of red wine and half a big bottle of vodka.Scared me so much as the next few days I felt like I had dementia.Have gone cold turkey since...headaches. depression, anxiety and sleepless nights...but I am hoping i can carry on...no craving any more...just hope i dont die from a seijure or something.You can do it!

[jhuse26]

Hi. Im Josh and I'm 27. I have been a chronic drinker for the past 3 years as well as a daily marijuana/cigarrette smoker. I would average no less than 6-8 beers a night. Three months ago (A month before I lost my job) I started calling in to work so that I could drink all morning, afternoon and evening. I lost my job a month later. For the last two months I would drink from sunup to sundown, sometimes passing out in the middle of the day then begin drinking again until blacking out once more. 5 days ago I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance because I thought I was having a heart attack. Coughing up blood and having constant pains in my right side never stopped me from binging. The doctors could not see any heart or lung damage (Or anything else out of the norm) though I still have a slight pain under my right rib cage. Im sure my liver is inflamed from so much abuse. This was my wakeup call. It has been three days and I have not had one drink. I have had minor shakes and ussually wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat. But, for the most part, I havent had withdrawels like I thought I would. I have decided to clean up my act for awhile and get back on track. I already feel ten times better than I did a few days ago. My thought process and physical functions have already began to improve. I am not writing this to scare anyone or make up your mind, I just wanted to share my story. Trust me, you dont want to abuse anything to the point that your in a goddamb ambulance in fear of your life. Not cool...

[rnangel]

Hey welcome to the forum! This is an old thread and you may want to post another question to get the most response.

Congratulations on wanting  to stop drinking. Even binge drinkers can damage their liver. Suddenly stopping alcohol can cause seizures and cardiovascular collapse. This is more likely to happen around the third day of abstinence. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and when we stop drinking, it has a rebound effect. The nervous system becomes over stimulated, causing tremors, hallucinations, seizures and even heart failure. Benzo`s are given by health care professionals, and in appropriate doses, based on symptoms. Alcohol withdrawl (withdrawal) is serious business. Of course the intensity of withdrawl (withdrawal) depends on many factors. People wanting to quit drinking should always seek medical advice. Detoxing from alcohol is a decision made with the heartfelt intention of wanting to live a longer life. Unfortunately some people don`t get to see what sobriety feels like. Take care and I wish you all the best as you journey through recovery. A dedication to AA meetings will help keep you sober as you will connect with other people who have the same desire to live a healthier and happier life. Keep posting here an keep us updated. There is a ton of support on this forum. Peace.

[someday11]

I know exactly what you went through. I own my own business and I would call them everyday just so I could drink all day and night and even into the midnight hours just to pass out and now it's taken a toll on it. I'm sitting here writing this with the shakes real bad because I haven't had a drink all day. well I made it until just a few minutes ago because of reading about all the people dying with the seizures and now panick attacks are setting in. I don't want to dye in my sleep so I'm thinking I should gradually cut down and eventually all the way. I never thought this could happen to me. I used to drink for fun then because of stress and now because I need it. I've also notice I don't hang around with my friends to much anymore because of this problem. I will do it but damn it scares the hell out of me

[someday11]

I know exactly what you went through. I own my own business and I would call them everyday just so I could drink all day and night and even into the midnight hours just to pass out and now it's taken a toll on it. I'm sitting here writing this with the shakes real bad because I haven't had a drink all day. well I made it until just a few minutes ago because of reading about all the people dying with the seizures and now panick attacks are setting in. I don't want to dye in my sleep so I'm thinking I should gradually cut down and eventually all the way. I never thought this could happen to me. I used to drink for fun then because of stress and now because I need it. I've also notice I don't hang around with my friends to much anymore because of this problem. I will do it but damn it scares the hell out of me

[tbird456]

Librium is what they give you when you go to a Detox clinic.
If you are admitted to a hospital for bad withdrawal symptoms (I have probable 6 times) they will always give you Ativan right off the bat. One or 2 mg. That lowers your blood pressure, stops the bad shakes, and makes you feel at ease.
If they send you home after they monitor you for a few hours, sometimes they will give you a script for Librium. Enough for only about 6 days or so.
That is probably to keep you at ease, and probably to ward off seizures.
Seizures can happen after stopping cold turkey even after 3 or 4 days.
Even when you are starting to feel a lot better. So if you did drink a lot everyday for a long time..quit...start the very uncomfortable detox, if it gets bad and your blood pressure is high..just go to the emergency room. They have to treat you. (insurance or not). Hopefully they will give you a prescription for Librium  after they release you. Some hospitals will..some wont.

[treehugger79]

This thread has helped me some. I didn't get a chance to read all of the posts but here's my deal (don't mean to hijack thread)....

I have been drinking for a few years now (vodka). I never drank before the sun went down. Most of the time I would wait until after 8:00 pm. I would drink 3 to 4 mixed drinks a night, maybe 5 on Saturday night. Well, work has my stress level up higher than ever, even higher than my divorce or any other job. Over the holidays, we got a week off. Well, this is not like me, but I would wake up, drink for a buzz and then quit. I'd drink a little more in the afternoon and quit. And then do my usual thing at night. I did this over the whole week. I found myself doing the same thing over this past weekend.

My worries were always, if I cut down and then cut out, would I have DTs or seizures, etc? Seeing these posts makes me realize that I can cut down and then out. I have anxiety disorder and depression. I am tired of the depression and know the #1 cause of it and this is a new year for me to begin my life.
Thank you.

[eves2055]

i have panic disorder so i always have ativan around...can i use that daily to thwart off seizures?

[Katsass]

Has anyone here had an upset tummy due to stopping?  I haven't had a drink in 6 days but my stomach is still nauseous.  How long does this last?

[ibizan]

geez!u folks that are using benzos other meds and over the counter stuff to help u thru withdrawals r really playing roulette here!Anyone going to alcohol/drug counseling?seeing a doctor?where these drugs coming from?this is crazy!

[escapeartisthk]

HEY CAT,

Hope your doing better than you were on Nov. All the stuff you are/ were going through, so have I. In my case, alcoholism had something to do with the fact that my life left me, but the drinking certainly kicked in full gear when she left me of 17 years. This went on solid for 2+ years and there were few moments I wasn't lit-up. The divorce had a different effect on me than you, I lost a lot of weight. This was because I had this idea in my mind if I started gaining weight, I my low self esteem would be forces to sink deeper, plus I wouldn't be able to get laid. Since then, I've gained and dropped 15-20 lbs a few times, but it's less of a big deal for me as it used to be.  Unfortunately, I still drink. But, I've been able to curb it down to 2-3 beers a, every other night, from 1/2 liter + of Absolute a day, with beer chasers. You have to crawl out. You may not be successful the first time, but you might have to get into a habit of falling off the wagon and starting over again. Thats what I've done many times. It turns out that I'm tired of falling off, so my binges have become farther apart. I've also been exercising (downhill mountain biking, kayaking, ******* my gf) with friends I've met along my recovery. I'm almost 42 and  I have been told I look younger now than 5 years ago. Oh, I should mention I've been drinking heavily for 10-15 years. I did I felt very unlikeable for a long time, I din't know that I had anything to offer anyone, but I kept trying to be social (even though I didn't feel like it) and it seems like I've found a certain groove. I'm not the happiest guy you met, but, I'm not spending my whole day feeling sorry for myself either. So for that at least, I'm thankful. Hang in there bub'. Don't be afraid to pick yourself up, even if you feel the odds are your going to fall on your face again. Your situation now (if it is now) can and will change. You mentioned that your poor and I understand that. Once your brain/ body has less alcohol in it, you can replace it with tons (!) of water. After a month or so, you will get more energy back and can get more things done. YOur body won't be so sore from the booze and you can be more mobile. I'm one of the worst sorts of drunks and I'm getting better. So get off your fat-*** and tough out some work bud', Once you were on top, you'll get that back and you may also feel some satisfaction you accomplished crawling out of a horrible **** state of being. Go!

[Disraeli]

Great job Josh. 30 years of drinking came to an end for me 10 days ago. Took 3 decades but finally was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I just turned the switch off and it's worked so far. Dad, uncle, and recently my brother all dies via drugs/booze. I am blessed to still be alive and plan on changing lives for my last few decades here on Mother Earth.

Keep it up bro.http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Alcoholism/Quitting-Alcohol---physical-side-effects/show/55346#

[Disraeli]

TreeHugger - Just went through the cold turkey without any DT's. Been drinking/drugging for 30 years. Email me @ ***@**** if you wanna chat.

[Mako610]

About 5 years ago I started to drink a bottle of wine every night. Since then, the problem has steadily progressed... to the point where I drank at least 2 bottles a night, and on the weekends, far more. I also associated drinking with food. I would rarely have any dinner without wine. The thought just didn't make sense to me. I would eat all night as I drank. During the weekends, I would start around 1pm... and I would get angry that I would be so drunk by mid-afternoon. I would then drink 5 hour energy or something else, to 'sober' me up (I know it didn't really), which would enable me to keep drinking late into the night, so I could 'enjoy' being drunk.

During all of this, I maintained an excellent job, and excelled at the job. There were days where I was hungover, but I still managed to get done what had to be done. I have a wife and two young children. I was able to still be (in my mind) a good husband and father. I would get home from work, clean the house up, cook the kids dinner, give them a bath... and maybe sit back and have a glass of wine while they were playing. Once they went to bed, I would start the heavy drinking.

At least two times a week, around 11pm, when I was drunk and tired... I would start to hate myself for what I had become. I would be tempted to just dump all the alcohol down the drain, and I would self-analyze myself. The next day, I'd be hungover and think "I won't drink tonight", then I'd get home and make sure I had more wine for that night, and I'd be so happy to open that bottle and forget worrying about anything else.

I never knew about side effects from alcohol withdrawal. I had tried to stop three other times. Every time, I had the runs for a week, fevers, sweating, puking... the whole deal. Every single time I thought I had gotten sick.

So when I decided to 'take a break' this week, I woke up at 2am that night, and stayed in the bathroom most of the night puking and dry heaving. That morning on the drive to work, I thought "I wonder if it has anything to do with me not drinking?"

I googled it, and was horrified by what I read.

I knew I had a problem. Despite my family life going well, and work life going well... my personal life had gone to hell. I knew that. I knew I drank a lot... but tv and the movies depict alcoholics as people who lose their jobs, or hurt their family and those around them. I didn't think I was like that. In fact, my dad's side of the family jokingly calls themselves "functioning alcoholics". I used to laugh about that... they were all extremely successful, big houses, great families... but they drank every single night. His entire family.

Then I realized I was going through alcohol withdrawal... until that point, I had not accepted the fact that I was so deep into this. That it had ruined my body that much. I was disgusted with myself. I think about the 'functioning alcoholic' line, and am repulsed. My uncle died less than two years ago from drinking.

So now I am on Day 5. I didn't go to the doctor... I still am dizzy/nauseous most of the time, and my digestive tract is a complete mess (horrible runs for the 5 days straight). My mood swings go from angry at the world, to emotional (eyes tearing up) about stupid things. My kidneys hurt, a lot. I sleep like crap... and whenever we have a good meal (like burgers), or there is a good show on tv... I feel like I cannot enjoy it without alcohol. The cravings have been tough. I usually feel bored, or like I can't enjoy things without the alcohol involved.

A lot of the nights, I sit there on the couch and I just don't know what to do with myself. The depression has probably been the worst part. Even though I feel better for trying this, at night the depression hits hard. I just try to keep myself busy with things to not think about drinking.

And yet, when I wake up in the morning, my head is feeling more clear than it has in a very long time. When I have conversations at work, I feel like I am thinking faster. Looking back, I feel like my entire life had this 'fog' over it when I was drinking, and I just didn't realize it.

I know I have an insanely long road in front of me. I know I need to get to the bottom of some personal issues that make me drink to cover up any pain or stress... I know I have to learn how to deal with things while sober. Right now, I'm taking it one step at a time. I'm still young (30), and when I look at my dad, who has been drinking every night for my entire life... I am happy that maybe the future holds something different for me. Most of the time I looked at him and his family, and thought what I was doing was ok. I hope I can show my kids a different path. I hope I can find a path where I can find joy in life without alcohol being involved. I want to find that place.

[ibizan]

Typical male!GET TO YOUR DOCTOR! alcohol withdrawal can kill!is their a wife in the home?where is she during all this?

[phsycodog]

I agree with ibizan, and I am a male and an alcoholic. Alcohol DT's can kill you QUICKLY. If you are not that fortunate, they can cause severe brain damage. My best advice, dial 911; I don't mean to sound like a hard a**, I've been there, so I know this is exactly what you don't want to here, but you seriously need to get into detox. I'm on day 123 of sobriety, and I wasn't just a casual drinker. I drank atleast 1.5 liters of Captain Morgan (with just enough Coke for color) every week night, the weekends were more, much, much, more. Just for fun I'd mix in prescription drugs, occasionally pot, cocaine, even did PCP & acid a time or two, anything else you could eat, smoke, snort, swallow, I stayed away of the stuff you could inject. Eventually after fracturing my skull four or five times, I fell really good; two and a half years ago I suffered a traumatic brain injury that required emergency brain surgery (frontal craniotomy). The doctors gave my chance of survival only slightly higher than 1%. Well, that became infected, so a couple days (literally a couple days) later I had a second frontal craniotomy. This time they gave my chance of survival only slightly higher than 0%, and then, if by some miracle I did survive, the best quality of life we could hope for would be a vegetative state. I was in a coma for 3 weeks, ICU for 5, and off work for 3 months. I had to learn how to talk again, walk again, think again, wash myself again, go to the bathroom by myself again, shave again, feed myself, get dressed, read, write, the list goes on, and on, and on.
And you know what I did after I was fully recovered and my Mom moved out of my house (that was one of the conditions of my release from the hopital by the way)? That's right, I promptly went to the liquor store, stocked up, went home and proceeded to get drunk off my a**.

Anyone who doesn't think alcohol can kill you, think again. I'm not normally one to preach, so, consider this a Public Service Announcement.

[anglol101]

hello,
I  couldn't help but reply to you, I read many posts from this site.  I feel the same way as you do about the weight and about the cliff.... I went for a smoke  and i live right on a cliff and have felt like my drinking has me wanting to jump.. but im not its just the way drinking can make you feel.  I have been drinking  daily for almost ten years and most people would never know... I have tried MANY TIMES but seem to only last a few days and that is torture...The weight gain is a big issue for me and seems like if only the alcohol would go away than so will the weight...reading some of the posts seems to help and i appreciate your post.  Take care

[ibizan]

Ahh i love it when ur being a hardbooty w/the advice!:)Fab PSA u posted dear!:)

[phsycodog]

It burns my arse when people throw out that defeatist propagana; I mean, it's hard to believe that not so long ago I had the same attitude. If there is anything that I've learned through all of this, is that if you sincerely want to get sober, there is no reason you can't. None. And, noone can make that decision except you. I geuss that's actually two things I've learned. I'm on Day 124, and damn proud of it. I stopped throwing myself pity parties about Day 45.

I'm not the most touchy feely kind of guy. Not a big fan of hugfests or group hugs. But, somewhere in that deep dark abyss where most people have a heart, there is a small amount of compassion. I know how much alcohol can F'up your life if you let it. Look at mine. I should be a case study. I'd just like to be able to help a few people avoid some of the mistakes I've made. They've cost me jobs, money, relationships, friends, family, health, embarrassment, dignity, and more; even more importent than any of those is all of the pain and grief I've caused others. I will never, ever, forgive myself for that. If I could help just one person avoid having to live with that guilt, I would sleep better at night.

Again, I don't mean to preach, so, this has been a test of The Emergency Broadcast System; in the event of an actual emergency...

[johnboy630]

well folks Johnboy finially needs some help.
I've been drinking at least  a 1.75 ov vodka and a 12 pack of beer ( or 4 40 oz beers at 8.1%) with it everyday for the last 8 years.  im 27 years old, have had a heartattack and i really want to quit drinking but  after a day (12 or so hours)  my blood pressure was 198/155  and my heart rate was 180bpm at rest. i feel my self getting sleepy and then i wake up on the floor. no idea whats going on but my step daughter has found me 3 times now face down on the floor and called an ambulance.  When i drink i feel fine aside from normal hang overs and such but when i quit and dont drink for a day i wake up in the ER  help me!

[rnangel]

Hey there, congrats on the desire to stop drinking. You will experience acute withdrawl (withdrawal) symptoms because of the amount of alcohol you have been taking. It is VERY dangerous to stop without medical supervision. You can have seizures and heart attacks if your symptoms are not managed with valium. Alcohol depresses the central nervous system and when you stop, the nervous system becomes overstimulated. This is the cause of seizures, high blood pressure and puts you at risk of cardiovascular collapse. Please talk to your doctor about this. You will need to be monitored my medical professionals if you want to detox safely. There is no other way around it. You can die if you continue to stop drinking on your own. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[azhiaziam11]

anybody still reading this? i drink a 12-18 pack of beer a night. I have been doing this EVERYDAY  for two years. I am 27, 5'1, and 117lbs..my heart now hurts all the time and my anxiety attacks are thru the roof! Ive been taking by the ambulance twice thinking i was having a heart attack! nobody will prescribe anything because i drink like a fish! help me! what do i do? if i stop cold turkey will i die?

[ibizan]

u could very well endanger ur life by going thru alcohol withdrawal by urself.U need to be medically detoxed!!!!!!got a family doctor who ur honest with who knows ur drinking history?U really should be in a inpatient unit for this!

[iammeandthatsbad]

I tell myself that I have no problem, I have constant gas cant remember much, sleep till work and always feel tired, I dont remember the last time I had energy and because of alcohol I dont remember the last time I was honest with my friends or myself. I dont wanna quite at all, but I know I have to atleast seriously cut down, I am 26 years old and alcohol really had already ruined so much of my life, please help.  

[ibizan]

Wow!u sound very miserable.....if alcohol is causing u this much misery whats the point in continuing 2 drink?

[Chriscom]

I'm 46 and I can't remember my last dry day.  It certainly would've been a number of years ago, and then only a one-off.  I work full-time and drink between six and ten beers a night.  I wake up in the middle of the night and will drink what's left in the fridge, maybe two or four cans.  On the weekends I'll ususally start drinking in the morning right through to evening averaging between fifteen and twenty beers.

I'm thinking about going cold turkey but am wondering if the amount i drink means it's not advisable?  Is this still not enough to really trigger the problems some people find going cold turkey?  If it is, what would be the level of beer regular drunk that would mean going cold turkey wouldn't be a problem?

[ibizan]

have u tried going 24 hrs.minus alcohol?what happens?therein will lie ur answer to the severity of ur withdrawal symptoms!

[ray524]

Wow Im glad I found this site. Im 40 years old and have been drinking since my early 20's and probably can count on two hands how many days I went without having a drink. Can someone tell me if Im going to do the right thing. I woke up today a poured out all the wine and vodka in the house. I never crave alcohol during the day but when 6PM rolls around its time for my first drink. I will consume 5 drinks of vodka and tonic until 8:30 or so then a large glass of wine to help me sleep Im in bed no later than 9:30. I want to start today and quit cold turkey I bought Tylenol PM to take before bed becuase I know I will just stare at that clock all night not sure if it will help but we will see. Im I doing the right thing please help with some advice...

Thanks for the support..

Ray

[Chriscom]

If I have a dry day I will wake up with a bad headache very similar to a hangover. It goes away after about an hour after getting up. Last week I tried to have a dry day but ended up having just 4 beers in the evening, and even then ended up with one of these "lack of grog" headaches.

[rod44]

Hi,
you should NOT detox without first talking to your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe medication such as Librium.

Be aware one of the risks that comes from taking Tylenol PM such as liver damage from prolonged use, you can alsow become psychologically dependent on the medication.

[ibizan]

sure hope u seriously consider admitting urself for detox and inpatient treatment for this.......there will be no better way!:)

[abouttime44]

I hope your ok, please drink some water and keep your fluids up. Try to eat some healthy food, I wish you the very best of luck and if you feel you are in fact very ill please seek medical help.

[katrab]

I am on my computer tonight looking for the same answer for my son.  He has been drinking 12 beers at night for several years and is stopping cold turkey tonight.  He takes care of his baby while his fiancee' works until very late at night. I'm worried he will have a seizure or something worse while alone with the baby. He called and said he has an immense migraine.  I am trying to tell him that I think he should cut back a little at a time instead of all at once.  I hope someone answers our question.

[ibizan]

yikes!is there someone else who could care for the baby?that is a train wreck waiting to happen caring for an infant w/alcohol in ur system!and do not believe that he tells u he's not consuming while watching the child!

[soccervolleyhoopsmom]

Good advice for me as well!~ thank you!

[Chriscom]

Thanks for that.  Looking at the amounts others are talking about I did wonder whether six to ten beers a night really wasn't enough to worry about the effects of going cold turkey.  Interesting that a few weeks ago I had two nights in a row of having four beers only, then on the third night had eleven and on the weekend about thirty.  Felt like if I dropped the level one day there'd be this need to somehow catch up later on.  Weird.

[johnboy271]

how old are you john and what sort of food do u eat and do u smoke aswell.

[johnboy271]

iam john, 39 years old now, starting drinking at 15, roughly 4 cans a night.
at the age of 21 i stopped for about 6 months was roughly averaging about 5-7 pints a night. after the 6 months,started again averaged about 8 cans a night. now iam lucky if i have 2 days off.iam roughly on about 6-8 cans now. what i will say to help others is always have a good litre or so of milk before you go to bed.milk thistle defo reduces hangovers .
most importantly, you have to eat healthily.

[mia2001]

Hi Just posting this to help anyone who is in a similar position!  when i first came on here it was to glean confirmation if I COULD that  I wouldnt suffer an alcoholic sezuire if i suddenly stopped drinking.  The truth is no one except a medicaly trained proffessinal who checks your vitals can tell so please take that route if your considering cold turkey   however a kinda guidleine if you care about your health off whether your likely to have one is answer honeslty   do you have more than 3/4 drink free days from time to time  if the answer is yes then its not likley you will have a sezuire aslo it greatly depends on the amounts your drinking and how long youve been drinking for.   I had been drinking for 22 years every week heavily and sometimes for days on end but always ate and always diluted spirits with juice,  at weekends and holidays i drank all day 350-500 ml vodka and three bottles off wine all in one day once the reason i eventually wanted to quit for good was this,  

I was and still am the model off a good housewife and mum I work 25 hours a week in a pretty stresfull job and also have 6 kids,  did miss the odd day at work becasue off my drinking but not enough for my boss to notice.  I called myself a functioning alki as i have six kids and a husband who does not drink beleive it or not anyway hubby loves me but does nothing at home houswork or cooking wise,,,   to be honest i think this is the reason why i drank heavy because it pepped me up and made me keep going.  hangovers  off the physical were totaly rare as the years went on and I built up a tolerance but OMG  the pshycologial hangovers     became unbearable   guilt, shame, fear, anxiety and I got into this  cycle off when I got this kind off hangover to keep drinking  This all came of a head one weekend when hubs took me to a health spa and i spent the whole weekend in fear    it was enough and I had at last had enough i went cold turkey after 6 days off mega drinking 16 hours a day and thank god was fine after 48 hours   I dont recommend this I did it  because my wee one youngest child was not well and I did not want to not be there for her.  

Been off the booze for 6 months and can honestly say I never miss it When i actually look back i used it as a med   but beleive me its a very addictive dangerous way to medicate oneself     good luck to everyone reading this who wants to stop beleive me if I can do it you can do it too I DID not beleive i could ever stop xxx

[ibizan]

U r a real trooper Mia!pls keep us posted here on ur progress....love to see new ppl here who are earnest @their sobriety!

[OPositive]

Obviously a bit late, but someone else might read this - I just have. Nyquil is heavily contraindicated with alcohol. The drug itself causes liver damage, and, according to the pharmaceutical books I have, at quite low doses, and shouldn't be taken for any length of time, either. Perhaps try the anthistamine products.

[shellbell242]

Thank you

[shellbell242]

Thank you

[Wineonly]

I have wine every day for 30 years. Other than my wife waking me like every other night w sleep apnea and snoring   i normally sleep fine and feel great. She constantly tells me  im killing my liver w just white wine 2  to 3 glasses a night. She thinks im a alcoholic but if she stops wakng me i have a clear head and could do anything like creating  my own Apple company. Am i wrong to include wine every day lke this? Other than hemorrhoid i have aclean bill of health.

[Sparky_00]

Hi I'm 38 years old and I used to drink more than half a liter of whiskey a day. I decided to change to 2 or 3 beers per day, but now I have pain in the muscles I feel week and I can't sleep before 5 or 6 in the morning. In addition I feel depressed during the day. Is there anyway to ease the process?
Thank you and bless you all

[chrisleon]

I have been an alcoholic since I was 15, or rather since I was born apparently but I have drank every day since 15, with the exceptions of a few days in jail plus 30 days house arrest with the breathalizer machine and a couple weeks I quit to keep my youngest children's mom around.  I have many alcoholic friends that are worse than i am, getting obnoxiously drunk with slurred speech and stumbling and bumbling every night, to the ones that cannot get out of bed without taking a couple of shots. My drink of choice is brandy or scotch, not vodka, lol, as I can maintain a job and do not drink twenty four seven.  I get the shakes every day and get the goosebumps and immediate satisfaction every evening with the first drink. I have gone from points of consuming a pint a day to half gallons a day, just in the evenings. Lately I have been maintaining 2 full time jobs, working 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. then again from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. I have to take sleeping pills and a few drinks between jobs in order to sleep at all. between the night job and the morning job i will take half a sleeping pill and have one drink, between the day job and the night job i will take 3 sleeping pills and have 3-5 drinks.........at any rate, point I overly detailed and lead up to before getting to it is...........you can't, at least in my experience, quit until you are ready.....you need an m.o., something to drive you and make you want to be sober.  I dunno I when I was sober for the few occasions, sour candy and a bowl of icecream with some soda poured over helped to curb my cravings.  My grandpa is a recoverd alcoholic for 25 years. *pats on back* I give hime props, but he has to work all of the time whether having a job or just buying old cars to tinker on, he has to focus every single day to remain sober......he eats a lot of chocolate too, lol, i dunno.....he watched his brother die from psoriasis of the liver, that was a big eye opener for him.................anyway you have to want it and it will be a constant struggle, being a sober alcoholic is a job all on its own........

[Louise1711]

Hi, I have read all these posts and have had lots of info on alcohol. Just only wish that we had got the right help for my mum in time! My mum aged just 46 was an alcoholic only for just 9 months she drank from morning to evening! Until one day she went yellow and had bloods checked was told needed hosp stay, there she was for 2 months trying to get better. Was told as soon as her bloods were on track she could Go home. So to our huge shock we were told 5 days before she passed away, there was nothing they could do she had end stage cirrhosis of the liver which caused her kidneys to fail! What I still can't understand was how her body was so used to the alcohol and then all of a sudden admitted to hosp and stopped instantly! I was so proud of her for doing it like that but it's now started to get me thinking.......is that what killed her? I will never know but it was just too shocking how we thought she was getting better and had never been in hosp with liver probs before. She never got that warning or that second chance she deserved. It also saddens me that there really isn't a great deal of help out there for alcohol dependents or alot of people that understand. It's such a Shame that people get 'labeled or judged ' for having an illness, that there isn't alot of advise or help on. My lovely mother passed away 6 weeks ago leaving her 2 kids and 3 grandchildren, i just want to open peoples eyes to what really can happen and hope you all get the help and support you need for yourselves and families......believe in yourself is the key.

[ibizan]

I don't understand what u mean when u say" there really isn't a great deal of help out there for alcohol dependents or alot of ppl who understand?"I sought help 28 years ago.......talked to a recovering alcoholic counselor who helped get me in2 a 28 day inpatient program...and took me to my first AA meeting.I took RESPONSIBILTY for my disease.......and have done the WORK it takes to stay sober/clean for 28 years!

[Henriman]

Mate i have desperately been hoping to here a story such as yours.... that it actually CAN be done in such a way by reducing gradually...... Now all i need is the discipline to actually do it...

[Henriman]

Mate i have desperately been hoping to here a story such as yours.... that it actually CAN be done in such a way by reducing gradually...... Now all i need is the discipline to actually do it...

[ibizan]

U mentioned the key word here....SELF DISCIPLINE!If i did it.......anyone can!

[von696]

I am the same ... I am so petrified of stopping even although I hate drinking .. it all started with a very early menopause osteoporosis a brok eback and wrist... I drink a bottle of wine every night sometimes plus ... and a mo scared to go to the doc for fear he will say im am alcoholic ... yet i already know .... want to quit bur SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO scar of a seizure . any help will be much appriciated x

[Twosandbits]

Dear Von

You should ask your doctor for help, I know it is scary but once you have acknowledged your concerns to someone who can help you, you will feel less scared. Drinking to much alcohol will make your existing osteoporosis worse, I am too facing an early menopause and stopped drinking completely 5 months ago, it is not easy at first but I feel very very happy and don't miss alcohol at all!

Hope you manage to ask for help!

[BigDawg2012]

If I take a swallow of beer, will that violate my days of sobriety?. I accidently did this while in the kitchen cooking with my wife. She likes a beer every now and then, and her having one hasn't bothered me or given me the desire to drink. I just picked the open beer up and took a swig like I always did while we cooked together. Seems like the old environmental habit, scenario has shot me in the foot. I didn't get impaired from this as I immediately drank a bunch of water. I am a 40 year recovering alcoholic who has been through treatment and am 213 days sober, with this one exception. Can anyone help me out.

[BigDawg2012]

If I take a swallow of beer, will that violate my days of sobriety?. I accidently did this while in the kitchen cooking with my wife. She likes a beer every now and then, and her having one hasn't bothered me or given me the desire to drink. I just picked the open beer up and took a swig like I always did while we cooked together. Seems like the old environmental habit, scenario has shot me in the foot. I didn't get impaired from this as I immediately drank a bunch of water. I am a 40 year recovering alcoholic who has been through treatment and am 213 days sober, with this one exception. Can anyone help me out.

[ibizan]

THAT was not a good idea!the old alcoholic brain will later on taunt u with hey old boy...u handled one.....why not another??????not worth it dear man...just not worth it!

[possitive]

Hello all im 37 and been drinking for a long long time  i drink 12 cans a night and sometimes a bottle of vodka . Last time i drank this was monday just gone . Now ive stoped and im on my second night without a drink and im getting withdraws  sweeting badly and i fall a sleep and my body jumps after being asleep for 5 10 mins allso my lower back is starting to hert this only started today . Im happy ive made it 2 nights so far but im worryed that the withdraws im getting will get worse . Im not feeling hungree at all aswell . Thank you for any advice help its much needed

[Twosandbits]

Hello and welcome, it's really positive that you have realised that you have a problem with alcohol and you want to do something about it. I don't mean to scare you but stopping drinking abruptly after the amount of alcohol and time you have been drinking can be extremely dangerous and you are running the risk of experiencing serve withdrawals. Is it possible for you to see a doctor and get help with stopping drinking, I strongly suggest that you seek medical help and set up some sort of care system such as AA or a similar programme.

I wish you every success but I can't emphasise enough how important it is to seek medical help :-)

[possitive]

Thank you i went to the doctors last year after i stoped drinking and hes advice to me was he can not give me meds for withdrawals because i could drink with them and i should go and buy some beers to help . This felt like a huge door was slammed in my face so i brought beers and that was that i gave up . i know why i drink i just needed help . i can do this and want to do this . im going to sign up with a new GP tomorrow and get the help i need . Can i just say im not good at talking about this ive search the web before for help but to be honest to blind drunk to read and just put it off. Its really good to find this site and from what ive read it made me tearfull because it brings it home to me that its not just me .

[Twosandbits]

Awwww Possitve, it certainly is not just you! I drank for many years and also new why I was drinking and the damage my drinking was doing! It is not easy to stop drinking by any means but if you really want this you will do it :-) It's bad that your doctor offered you no further help but to tell you to buy beers :-( that is not very helpful or professional. I can't help you with using alcohol to taper your drinking down as I have no experience and it would be dangerous as I'm not medically trained. I can offer support by listening and understanding what you are going through, I live in the UK so if you are from the USA are times are different but I will reply when I can. Right now it is 01.16 and I should really get some sleep soon. But before I go I just wanted to say that you must be going through hell right now! If you feel really unwell could you go to an emergency department? Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, don't worry about food for now your appetite will come back later. When you can get a good multi vitamin & mineral, also vitiamin B strong compound and some Thiamine. Oh and if it all gets too much and you do drink alcohol don't dispare! You just need more help and I sincerely hope you find it :-)

[possitive]

Thanks alot im in the uk so times no problem Really thanks alot for the surport it much needed im off to try and sleep now but i will keep you posted Good night

[Twosandbits]

Oh good I'm glad you are in the UK! Yes please keep posting even if you slip with the alcohol, it helps 100% to be able to tell people what you are going through, especially people who will listen and understand! Goodnight and I hope you get some peaceful sleep :-)

[rpooo]

Hello Positive and Welcome to MedHelp. I’m very glad you found us. Twosandbits has given some excellent advice and I very much agree. To stop drinking abruptly can be very dangerous and possibly lead to coma and in rare cases even death. Many people here will not recommend quitting without the help of a medical professional.
So let me tell you a little bit about myself, on 03-23-10 I was diagnosed with End stage Cirrhosis. I was 38 at the time and drank for 20+ years. For the last couple of years that I drank I was up to 23 beers a day. After diagnosis I knew right away I needed to stop drinking immediately to avoid further liver damage. Tapering is the method I chose since at the time I knew very little about the dangers. In my circumstance you can understand why it was so critical to stop as quickly as possible. You must also understand that everyone is affected differently. In your circumstance what's the hurry? If tapering is a method you have considered then take your time doing so. Each night start your drinking later and later reducing the quantity by one each night. Beer only! When the beer is gone go to bed. Separate how many you are allowed for that evening so there is no mix-up and stick to your own rules. It is much safer and you will be alcohol free in no time. Below is some information I think you should know followed by a link concerning the dangers of quitting abruptly.
Why Do People Get Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms?
  
If you use alcohol for long enough, and in sufficient quantities, your brain adapts to this use by making some changes to the way it works, and this is one reason why people who drink regularly will develop a tolerance to alcohol and need much more to feel the same effects as an occasional drinker.
  
When you drink alcohol it increases the release of a neurotransmitter called GABA in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter that controls the release of other neurotransmitters, like dopamine, norepinephrine and glutamate. GABA slows down and controls brain activity.
  
When you drink very heavily, your brain responds to this constant influx of alcohol by reducing the number of GABA receptors and by changing their function. Without sufficient GABA in the brain you would normally experience too much neural activity and symptoms like tremors and sickness and anxiety and many others - but since you are using a lot of alcohol each day, the alcohol slow things down in the brain just like a normal amount of GABA would.
  
If you then suddenly stop drinking alcohol, your brain isn’t getting enough GABA and it isn’t getting the alcohol to slow things down – and so it races and too many excitatory neurotransmitters get released and you experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
  
Fortunately, your neurochemistry largely recovers in a few days or weeks, and as GABA function normalizes, symptoms of alcohol withdrawal disappear.

Please be sure to visit this link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001769/

Please feel welcome to keep posting your progress and we will be glad to help in any way we can. Take care.

Randy

[possitive]

Thanks this info is great things i never new . You ask whats the hurray ? wel i was going to lie why but truth is best . I allways drink alone and find drinking is makeing me really down . 4 mounths ago i tried takeing my own life as i was so low i hated myself for drinking and drinking was bringing up the past over and over like a broken record in my head allways haveing a mind fight with myself really did feel like i was going crazy . And the last few times i drank i started feeling that way again and to be honest it terrifies me as i want to live . This is why i just stoped . i understand that stoping slowly is best but i can not do that i know myself to well . I think for me a clean break is best but with surport . Ive been to the doctor's today and ive been given vitamins and ive been referd to a group called aquarius so im on the right track . SO its day 3 still not had a drink and im feeling positive but not looking forward to the night time at all . im drinking lots of water as advised the lower back pain has now gone . Hopping to eat today as i am still positive but enygy level is low . I have a goel set and im really hopeing i can start MOUNTAIN BIKEING again as it keeps me focused . Thanks for your surport again guys

[rpooo]

Good morning, I'm glad you found the information helpful. The more you know and understand something the more successful you can be at your goal/objective. Thanks for telling the truth, no point in lying since that’s not going to help me offer you the best advice I possibly can. I want you to live too!!! I'm very glad you saw your doctor this morning, do you mind my asking are you taking anxiety/antidepressants? If not I highly recommend you talk to your doctor about them. Also are you currently seeing a counselor to help you sort out these feelings, it would truly help. Feelings of depression are very common amongst alcoholics. For most of us it's a big reason why we drink, so don't feel alone here. Now that you have stopped drinking are you still having suicidal thoughts? I agree that you know yourself best so if quitting in this manner is best then go for it but use caution, watch for the severe symptoms you read about. Have a plan in place in case you need immediate attention/help.  

The water is very good for you since it helps flush the toxins out of your body, you need to try eating much more since it will help with your energy level and your over-all health. The nutrition will aid your liver in regeneration tremendously. You have chosen a very good goal that will help you in so many ways with your mental and physical health. Keep hanging in there one day, one hour or even one minute at a time. Take whatever small steps you need to you’re doing great!

Start thinking of some ways to help you get through the night. One thing is since you’re in the UK and I’m in the US with the time change it will seem to you as I am up all night so if you would like to throw back and forth some emails me or somebody will be here. Why do you think the night time is the hardest for you?

[possitive]

Thanks no im not takeing anxiety/antidepressants i do believe that my problems started from young age i had X stream ADHD and i think it gets harder for me at night when im more restless . i was a person who was allways on the go and think ive used drink to slow myself down instead it did the other . No im not feeling  suicidal now its crazy how drink can take a hold off a person and twist things so they dont make sense anymore. is it normal for your eyes to be strang because mine feel like focus is on off allmost jumpy pupils if that makes sence ?

[Twosandbits]

Hello, well done for everything you have done today and for talking about your problems, that is a big step! Sorry I have been in touch but I am not feeling very well. Hopefully I will feel a bit better tomorrow and wil write a longer message. I hope tonight is not to bad for you and you manage to get some sleep. Take care and again very well done! :-)

[Twosandbits]

Oh and just on the eye thing you mentioned, I think it is probably normal as your whole body and senses will be absolutely super super sensitive, your brain is waking up after years of being dormant so be prepared to feel all sorts of strange sensations, they will settle. If you are worried you can always seek medical advice. I found that the medical profession was a lot more understanding and helpful once they new I was fighting against my addiction and wanted to get better :-)

[possitive]

Thanks i hope you feel better tomorrow  :-)

[possitive]

Hope your feeling better today Twosandbits . Last night was night that bad i woke up once  felt like id been hit by a train when i got up this morning . Im feeling pretty good now 4 days is the longest ive done without a drink . Thanks for the positive comment s . The goal is to go for a short bike ride today but i will see as this may not be a good idear just yet may need abit more time . Im eating now not alot but its a start . Ive allso notice my thinking pattern is slower and not as random think things are starting to get back to normal allmost forgot what normal was . I want to just say to all you guys girls out there you can do it  and please dont give up on yourself  :-)

[Twosandbits]

Hello, I'm really pleased that you are feeling a bit better today, I'm not entirely sure but I think you may be over the most dangerous part of withdrawals. It's good you have your appetite back a little and feel like you can do a bit of exercise, it will really help with your recovery as exercise releases feel good endorphins into your body. If you google PAWS, Post Acute Withdrwal Syndrome it will give you and insight into how you may feel in the months to come. Articles about PAWS are really useful because after you stop drinking you usually go on a natural high (after withdrawals) but at some point you will have a slump which is normal too, it's just good to be aware of this so you are not shocked by it. Do you have any more support other than this website? I am a member of SMART Recovery UK and there website has a forum where you can post and get advice or just have a moan haha! They also have a chat room and tools to aid recovery. Are you on face book? If so I can add you to the group, if you want too you can send me a personal message on this site, then I can find you on face book and add you to SMART Recovery. It is a closed group and confidential so it won't show up on your face book page or anything.

I hope you are having a good a day as possible :-) speak soon.

[possitive]

dammmmm it ive sliped had a drink tonight after a phone call i didnt like . Sorry i dont use facebook but ill look up SMART Recovery UK. This is the only site i use . Why can i not just be left alone to sort my problems out just as i get my head straight bang another bloody drama . im going to shut up now dont think its wize posting tomuch when drinking .

[rpooo]

It's disappointing to hear that my friend. You put yourself through so much and was getting things going good for you. As alcoholics we have trained our minds to reach for the alcohol anytime we have a problem. This will solve nothing and tomorrow you will still have to live with what upset you but also have to deal with giving up your sobriety which you worked and suffered so hard for. Life is full of problems and in order to maintain your sobriety you have to learn to just accept the things that happen in life and figure out how to address them, figure out the best way to cope.
My mother living 2400 miles away at the time had a massive stroke, man I sure wanted to give it up and drink, My daughter 20 years old went to jail (long stupid story) again I wanted so bad to drink. Instead I maintained my sobriety, got myself together and came up with the best things I could do to be there for both of them. Something getting drunk was not going to help with!
The wonderful thing about quitting drinking is we are allowed mistakes and we can recover from them by starting all back over again. Know that you are better than this and that you will be! Stick to your goals and show yourself you can do it! Tomorrow starts a new day so you start again and this time you have to make it! No exceptions this time around. Seek more personal support from family and friends and use Google to find an AA meeting in your area. So many have found the personal support they need from AA, it's really tough when you’re feeling like you are doing this on your own. Do it together with others that have the same goal in common, with your determination show them you can make it too! Tomorrow starts a new day, I hope to hear from you then. Take care.
Randy

[possitive]

iknow iknow i have let myself down. But on a good note i brought 8 cans of beers and by 12.30 i had drank 5 then said thats it and through the other 3 cans away so 3 days without drinking must have done me good because normally i would stay up drink them all then go get more . After the phone call i had i felt my heart pounding and i was so restless after a hour of haveing a head fight with myself i gave in . Yes you are right i need to find otherways to deal with problems drinking is just not the way forward. But yes today is a new day and im not going to dwell on haveing a drink last night to much .

[Twosandbits]

Hey, don't beat yourself up too much for having a drink, I have 3 serious attempts of stopping drinking and thank goodness I got it on my 3rd time as I'm not sure if I would still be alive today and I DEFINATELY would not be trying to help you! At least you posted you had a drink and not run away like many many people do and yes today is another day!

Do you know when your referral to the aquarious group will come through. Like Randy I cannot stress enough how important it is to have support from others in your situation! I go to a drug and alcohol centre called CODA, I have my own personal counsellor who I used to see every week, more if I needed too and I attended a group everyday where we would learn how to deal with life without drinking. Seeing how I am unemoyed I have turned my recovery into my job and I wok hard at it everyday, forcing myself to attend group even if I don't feel like it. I have made lots of new friends with very similar problems to me and I can now meet up with my friends or pick up the phone if I have a problem instead of drinking all alone in my flat. I do actually have a family and friends but I did used to spend an awfull lot of time alone just drinking by myself so I know where you are coming from Possitive.

So please please please try your best to get more support if you are still serious about stopping drinking, I do not think you can do it alone!

Take care and speak soon :-) oh hope you do take a look at the SMART Recovery website, they run meetings too if AA doesn't float your boat (sorry Randy!) The website has only been up and running for a couple of months and they have already 800 members, so you are not alone with this :-)

[possitive]

Hi i have siged up to smart recovery im haveing trouble activating it thow . Im going to a sorport group thursday

[Twosandbits]

Hey Possitive, How are you doing? I'm glad you have an appointment on Thursday :-)

[possitive]

Hi im ok thanks . How are you ? im drinking sad to say but hay that the truth  To be honest this is harder than i thought and i know ive been kiding myself . i have rang aquarious today to get seen sooner the lady is going to ring me in the morning to try and get me seen asap tomorrow ie today . For the time being i am not going to try giveing up on my own i just dont have the tools . i hope you are doing well and are ok i wish you well your one of the good guys :-)  will post how i get on

[Ilovekitties]

Hi everyone, i'm in need of advice. I am a 28 year old bartender as well as an exotic dancer. I have been drinking a liter almost everyday for around 6 or 7 years. I am 106 pounds and I can feel my health fading. Everyday I wake up and with swollen eyes and the pressure in my brain is unberable! I feel dizzy and confussed and my eyesight is very blurry. It's also hard for me to have conversations with anyone because it is hard to think or comprehend. I have been put on blood pressure medicine since last december. Does anyone know what causes this feeling in my head? Also, what is a good way to quit safely at home? I don't like to drink but it is the only thing that helps me to somewhat function throughout the day.

[possitive]

Hi there are you taking the blood pressure medicine aswell as drinking ? If so i think it would be best to see your doctor and be honest about how much you drink and that you feel somewhat dependant on drink . Did you tell your doctor about how much you drink before he gave you blood pressure medicine ? if not drink could be the reason your haveing blood pressure problems . Im no doctor and im just learnig the ins and outs of drinking ive had some great info from here and it helped me do what i have to do . Problem is with drinking to much or being drink dependant is we tend to burn candles at both ends . Feeling like crap most morning can soon become the norm so your not on your own there . quit safely at home have someone around to keep a eye on you . I tried it on my own i must say it was hell for me i went 3 days without a drink and crashed on day 4 i am now seeking help because i can not do it on my own . So really seeing your doctor is the best way forward i think . Hope this helps you take care

[rpooo]

Hello and welcome to MedHelp.

Unfortunately I don't think I can offer any really good suggestions concerning how to quit safely that hasn't already been mentioned repeatedly in this thread.

However I can tell you that you have some very good reasons for concern since it is having an effect on your health. That is a lot of alcohol for someone your size and I suspect the symptoms you described are due to the alcohol abuse. I strongly recommend you quit before any permanent damage is made to your liver. Never think your too young to get liver disease, I was only ten years older at the time of my diagnosis. It's a medical fact that woman do not metabolize alcohol as easy as men.

I think you are on the right track but as you probably already know quitting drinking is very difficult and in your work atmosphere It could make it seem nearly impossible to maintain your sobriety. Any ideas there?

I think it is important you get to your doctor for blood work this will give him/her direction in figuring out the best way to treat you and helping you feel better. It will be very important for you be honest with your doctor about the amount you drink so they will test appropriately. Liver damage is always a possibility for anyone abusing alcohol and catching it in time is critical.

I hope this helps lead you in the right direction and I wish the best for you! Please feel welcome to post any further questions and to update us with how you are doing :) Take care!

Randy

[rpooo]

Hello Possitive with two "S's" lol It's good to hear you are seeking further help and staying on the right track this time! Isn't twosandbits amazing! She has an amazing story and so will you. Keep up the good work your going to make it this time my friend! Take care.

Randy

[Twosandbits]

Hello Possitive, I'm glad you are getting more help and hope you are going to stay with us here, it's hard to stop drinking alone, but alone you are not!

Hoping you are ok :-)

[possitive]

Hi all sorry its been a while ive been fighting my demons and allthough its hard ive been taking my time .im not seeking any help but i have cut my drinking down alot . I used to start drinking 5 6 tea time and never eat and keep drinking all night . Now i eat tea time and drink at 830 ish . Im much better takeing it at my own pace. I think i rushed it first time around and felt bad for messing up . Thanks to you for the help more so Twosandbits . Take care love scott

[Twosandbits]

You are welcome Possitive, keep going with the eating the more you eat the less likely you are to binge on alcohol. I'm not talking making yourself obese here ha! It's just your body will get the sugar it needs through food so the less your cravings will be for alcohol. Practice a healthy eating pattern for damage limitation and take good care of yourself, just don't forget that your drinking was worrying you :-)

[Egenie]

Hi everyone,

I have been reading these with great interest. I am in my 50's and have been drinking 6 - 20 bears a night since I was 17. I once went 3 months with out drinking about 15 years ago. other than that it's daily. I work out 3 times a week and i thought that made it ok. Lately I have been concerned that I may need to quit so I accessed this to find out if it would negatively affect me . I'm going to try cold turkey, I hopit goes ok

[CricketStrom]

Hi Egenie,

Good for you. Life is not easy drinking that much and I promise it's better sober. Much much much better.

But it's easier said than done. You will need help. Relapsing can be very demoralizing. I got sober twice for two year stints and found myself back in the bottom again each time. A.A. is a good way to stay in a community that is conscious of what alcohol addiction is. Sometimes it's hard to remember that it is a problem when we're not around others talking about it.

Good luck. Oh, and as far as the cold turkey thing goes, it was the only option for me. I can't advise that for you, as it's an individual call, but I was not in a position of being able to ween myself off. I took the better part of a week to be in bed and sweat and sleep.

[CricketStrom]

But, please be aware that detox from alcohol can be very dangerous for some people, so having someone to watch you, having a hospital on speed-dial, or someone to get you alcohol if you get too sick, are all good safety measures. People can die from quitting alcohol cold turkey.

Detox facilities are useful because they'll watch you and help you to detox without further damaging your organs or dying. Many centers will accept patients for free without health insurance. However, given the huge number of people wanting to quit alcohol consumption, they will usually require you to ask for help on multiple days in a row. I am happy to help you find a detox center in your general area.

[burma57]

Interesting story. Have you had any relapses? I have been sober for 6 weeks this Monday and had been drinking beer everyday for over 20 years.

I went cold turkey and wow,,,,,, I don't advise it. I knew it wasn't wise but there were circumstances which contributed to the decision.

So, which day did you decide to stop completely after your beer easing approach?

Please keep me posted about life now and any new temptations?

[burma57]

I am learning as I read but any idea why my internist didn't/wouldn't give me any medication for the terrible withdrawal symptoms I was experiencing or anything for cravings and to help relapse? I was doing it all on my own!

burma

[Egenie]

Thanks. It's been a few days and ironically I haven't really noticed any withdraw symptoms other than restless sleep. I'm not sure though if i will make it very long only because it's such a habit. Today will be key.

[poppies360]

Hi All  I have been drinking almost two bottle of wine everynight for as long as I can remember.  I keep trying to give up but get terrible insomnia and night sweats and end up giving in after two bad nights.  Does anyone know roughly how many nights you can go through this before you come out the other end?  I have no problem quitting its just not sleeping that is messing me up.

[enough_z_nough]

The multiple requests on this thread for information about quitting cold turkey or not and the fear of just quitting because of the physical effects inspired me to start another thread while I tried weaning off alcohol. No one seems to want to stick their neck out and say anything... Well, here's what I learned...

* You can quit, successfully. Anyone can quit. You may need to try several times, and you may need to find a program that works for you, and you may need to focus on a real reason. The latter was most important to me.

* Everyone is different. Your tolerance and symptoms of withdrawal will not only vary depending on your sex and weight and the amount you consume, but your chemistry and general health. 6 beers to a strapping 20-year-old in perfect health are different than 6 beers to a 60-year-old with cirrhosis and failing kidneys on blood pressure medication and in cancer treatment.

* Be careful quitting. Withdrawal can kill. Your detox period will depend on many factors. Your symptoms may vary widely because of the point above. Take steps to be sure you are quitting safely...

* Go to the doctor BEFORE you quit. Deciding to quit without a doctor visit might be suicide. Be honest about the amount you drink. Don't use the excuse that you have no money and no insurance; I didn't either. Truth is, you have money if you can always find it to maintain your habit. A single visit to your GP won't cost so much out of pocket that it isn't worth the reassurance and possibly saving your life. Doctors can prescribe medication to help with withdrawal, test your vitals, and perhaps can point to programs for detox/withdrawal.

* Develop a plan and be prepared to use it to quit. I chose to wean from alcohol, and it worked well for me. Some will not be able to wean because of the draw to drink more. But the alcohol is not the only factor... you need a time line, perhaps the assistance of people to watch you during the period of withdrawal, time off from work, food for nourishment (enough for the planned period of withdrawal, including healthy assortment of fruits and vegetables), liquids to replace electrolytes and maintain hydration (e.g., gatoraide), vitamins (consult a doctor, but B6, B12, magnesium and phosphorus), and an escape plan (e.g., 911, what hospital to get to for withdrawal, and what taxi or ambulance service to call). Good nutrition can help reduce symptoms.

* Don't expect to be symptom free, but know what symptoms need treatment. You will probably have some headaches, insomnia, sweating, dizziness... It is when these elevate to more serious levels or other issues like tremors, confusion, hallucinations, or seizures occur that you are already in a dangerous way. Research the symptoms -- not to fear them but to use them as understanding of what to expect and when to hit the panic button. If you are having minor symptoms, it is uncomfortable and you can ride them out... if you have serious symptoms, you need to get medical attention.

* Don't mix treatments and come off too many things at once. You should not, for example, expect to get a prescription of a benzodiazepine and start taking it while you are still drinking. Follow the doctor's suggestions for using any prescription. If you are addicted to other substances, even nicotine, you may have to come off them one-at-a-time or you likely will increase your chances of having a catastrophic withdrawal. If you decide to wean off alcohol, you will likely not have the security of prescriptions to ward off other symptoms...and it will be up to you to manage your alcohol intake, and that is why many can fail and revert.

* Empower yourself. Before reducing or going cold turkey, learn to meditate/relax, have a light exercise plan (discuss with your doctor), and plan some activities -- even if they are just around the house. Sitting and dwelling on symptoms will probably make them seem worse.

* Know yourself. If you have one drink and need to have 8, it is not likely you will be able to do anything but cold turkey. If you are intolerant of pain and need support, you may want to consider checking into a detox. I tapered quickly from a 12 pack a day, drinking only when I felt symptoms coming on. A feel a 12-pack is a lot and had been doing that much for months... No matter how much you drink, the severity of your reaction to any reduction will give you a hint as to the severity of your over-all withdrawal. Most people who drink say they drink less than they actually do -- I know, I used to too. Be honest with yourself, and your doctor, and if you need a friend for support, find one you trust.

* Arm yourself and do it. I did all of the things above to prepare for the worst and plan for the best. My fear of withdrawal was probably the only thing keeping me drinking, as it was easier to maintain the drinking than to face that fear. When I had my plan, I set it in motion, and only changing my mind about quitting would have stopped me.

* Know your triggers and have alternatives. I won't be going to the local bar anymore. When I need a moment after a call to the lawyer about the divorce, unpaid bills, flooding, death in the family, my first reaction will not be to go to the drug store for beer. Maybe i'll shoot some hoops or hop on the exercise bike... If you come home from work and habitually hit the liquor cabinet, consider taking a walk instead, playing with the dog, focusing on the kids or your spouse. There will still be triggers to deal with, and you will need alternatives to reaching for a glass.

I am only 5 days without a drink, but 10 days into my plan of reduction/weaning. But I am done with it. Sure, it is possible to revert, but my main point of resistance (fear of withdrawal) has been overcome, and I don't see why I would ever turn back after that experience. I'm looking forward to the most exciting part of my life... And hope that my suggestions here help someone achieve the same.

[brycer]

how long did it take kidney pains to go away ???   was it bad enough that you couldnt get comfortable in any position - kinda like a kidney infection?

[enough_z_nough]

I didn't have those kidney pains, but I know what you are talking about...I think. You might want to get a doctor's opinion as to whether it can be something else, and if they are lasting more than a few days or getting worse. I have in the past felt discomfort in the kidney area, but it never really lasted more than 2 days. Indeed it was painful at times, and did feel like I should be able to shift position to make it go away, but never could. I'd try water to see if it helps or otherwise... dehydration usually seems to worsen everything for me. I was really careful to drink at least as much liquid as I was with the beer so a shift in liquid volume wouldnt cause cramps, constipation and dehydration. If you are having other kidney symptoms (pain numbing in shoulder, arms and feet; swelling; fatigue; frequent urination), you might want to see a doctor. could be something not exactly related to the drinking too (stones...).

[CricketStrom]

How's it going now, Egenie? Hope you are well.

[Gav1b]

I have been alcoholic since I was 15, I'm now 37. I have not sunk as low as some but I have definitely done things that would make most of you cringe, alas I am not on trial for my sins.

I am here to tell you about a book I read, 12 months ago I discovered 'Easyway' this is the 'easy way to stop smoking' I read half of it and my partner read the whole book, we quit smoking, or more accurately we were released from the trap of smoking.

I then discovered another book by the same author/organisation. 'The easy way to control alchohol'. I finished the book a week ago and I can confirm to you all I am no longer an alcoholic, recovering or otherwise, I am an ex addict, a non alcohol drinker. In fact I am a normal free spirit. I knew I was going to end the dependence on alchohol before I finished the book.

I have no financial involvement, other than purchasing a copy of the books, with Easyway. I won't gain from this post, In fact the author tells us, the reader, NOT to try and help others unless they specifically ask for your help. I don't think I am betraying the author as you have all askedfor/suggested ways to help.

I would like each person to read the book to the end, don't cheat or say you have if you have not as you will only cheat your self. If you don't want to read it don't, I'm not in a position to monitor your reading anyway. I ask you to read it cover to cover purely so you can help yourself.

I hope you all have a very good week

Cheers G.B

[working dog]

so your saying to ignore people you know that have an alcohol problem? i know i wish i knew what alcohol withdrawal was....i had no idea......i think i almost killed myself quitting the stuff....i used to ask friends if they thought i was drinking too much and asked if i might be an alcoholic....they said "you have nothing to worry about"......i thought i had a problem....finally when a dog i had was dying of cancer i just couldn't drink...i wanted to be straight as that was going down fast.....he died and about 4 days after i stopped drinking i was going into full withdrawals....i thought i was dying ....went to the docs...he said drink 5 or 6 beers a day and cut them back....i did....within 6 weeks i was off alcohol....my withdrawals were so bad...i later found out i had hep c...it can make withdrawals 7 times worse...so i thank my dog the most....i wish i was on this forum early on...the anxiety i had was hard to believe...for about 2 years....i talk with people all the time about alcohol....i think its worse then heroin to stop...i have helped people out by being open about my alcohol addiction...these books are good too........good luck...hope you stay clean....billy

[Blessed_Mimi]

When I quit drinking I stopped cold turkey. I was a stone cold alcoholic but through the grace of God I was able to conquer that addiction. Now on the flip side of things my body did go through a big change emotionally for the first couple of weeks. I have always been a person to have panic attacks but as soon as I stopped drinking they became worse. I have always had hormone problems ever since I had my partial hysterectomy I believe that what caused me to start drinking like I did in the first place. But if u can cut down the amount and in the place of taking a drink find a positive outlet to take your mind off of the alcohol. Some days will be easier than others but with faith anything is possible.

[jack123463]

Am i a alcoholic?
I drink x1 large bottle of Bicardi per week mixed with coke.
Don`t drink beer or wine.
I`m just worried that every evening i need the same routine,i don`t even like feeling drunk !
Do i need to worry, as i`m 56 and concerned that my insides and brain will cancer up.
I have just had the flu and have not touched any for x1 week--now is my time to keep it up now i have started !
Am i a alcky on x1 bottle ?

[Telmet]

I recently stopped drinking 2 days ago CT and now I've been getting facial numbness, dizziness, problems breathing, high BP, and running a temp anywhere from 99 - 100. Should I have a few beers and ween myself off rather than CT because this is pure hell! BTW used to drink 15-20 beers/day. 5'9" 140lbs. 30 years old

[24penny68]

I'm 40, fairly thin, and drink 5 or 6(or more) drinks a night.  I have taken days off of drinking, but not more than 1 or 2 in a row.  I'm quitting cold turkey, but I haven't slept more than 3 hours a night.  I can barely function!  Should I have 2 drinks a night for a while?  I'm afraid I'm enabling myself...I'm afraid my kids will find me having a seizure...I'm petrified I would be able to stop drinking.

[crankbonkers]

Quitting alcohol addiction is not as easy it seems because of the symptoms involved. People mistakenly think that it is easy to give up the habit as well as to overcome any side effects: physically, psychologically and emotionally.