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Need Help - Want to stop but having Withdraws

Hello.. Starting about a year ago I started drinking on weekdays to cope with some anxiety mostly about work. Up to that point I would only really binge drink on a Friday or Saturday but about a year ago I started drinking 2 or 3 times a week. Mostly beer and some shots (shots would include just about any type of alochol we had in the house, vodka, rum, bourbon, etc..) now for about the past 6 or 7 months I pretty much drink everyday and for about the last month or so I started drinkkng first thing in the mornings to help cope with my axiety regarding my new job. Ill start in the morning and continue throughout the day and then finish at night right before bed. I would say on average I drink about a pint of vodka a day. Sometimes a little less sometimes more.

I really want to stop! Last week I didn't drink for a day and half and it got miserable a few times. I started having hot flashes and random sweating, heart race would speed up randomly and anxiety would be out of the roof. These feelings would come and go throughout the day but were miserable. I think I may have gotten 2 hours of sleep that night. The next day I didn't drink in the morning and still experienced these symptoms so that evening I drink to stop the symptoms and so I could sleep. Now I'm pretty much back to drinking all day everyday except for today. Yesterday I decided I would not drink today and the symptoms picked back up. I took a shot of vodka hoping it would help. Really The symptoms I feel now are just the anxiety, heart racing and sweating I don't think much else is going on. I researched symptoms of wothdraw and this all seems pretty normal but I'm scared it's only going to get worse.

I cannot go to the doctor because my health insurance is not active for another week. I do plan on going to the doctor to see if I can get on something to help with my general anxiety next week when my insurance is active.

I'm wondering if I should try to slowly stop the drinking or if I should just cold turkey it. I wouldn't even know how much to drink to help wean off of it though.

I'm hoping someone can share their stories and how they cope with the with drawl symptoms and just any help or reassurance would be greatly appreciated.
3 Responses
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1667237 tn?1464300631
P.S. Good luck!
Helpful - 1
1667237 tn?1464300631
I agree with Ibizan.

You have 2 options:
1) To taper off with alcohol (if you can control the amount of how much you drink)
2) To drink until you get your insurance back and then the doctor will prescribe you some benzodiazepines (they will give you GABA boost as a replacement for alcohol-related GABA boost)

But DO NOT stop with drinking all at once! It can be dangerous!
Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
Going to the doctor to get a drug for anxiety will greatly exacerbate the problem!If you are serious about stopping drinking you should check out outpatient substance abuse agencies in your county.They have funding to assist and use sliding fee scales.Getting an evaluation from a licensed counselor will aid in guiding you to the most beneficial treatment recommendation. I've been sober/clean for 32 years now! Treatment and support groups did indeed save my life!
Helpful - 0
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