Quitting Alcohol - physical side effects?

[abcdabcd]

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

[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.

[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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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