[hope2bhappy]

I just learned last night that a past acquaintance of ours suffered a serious stroke while he was attempting to quit drinking "cold turkey." He is only in his 40's.

I've read many posts on the forum about people's A's who are attempting to quit drinking on their own, and I worry about them. Depending on their level of dependency, this can be extremely dangerous. Putting down the bottle is not as simple as it seems. It can be deadly. According to doctors, alcohol is the ONLY chemical which can actually cause death during withdrawal and should never be attempted without medical supervision.

I saw how sick my own A would get whenever he would try to regulate or come off the alcohol by himself -- terrible vomiting, shakes, cold sweats. The withdrawal symptoms were so bad, that he would drink again just to get rid of them. When he finally went into treatment, he was in intensive care for 3 days. His blood pressure was extremely high, he was on anti-seizure medication and had to be closely monitored.

If your A has reached the point where he wants to stop drinking... congratulations... this can be a new beginning for both of you. But don't let him try it on his own. Seek professional medical help at a hospital or drug treatment facility.