Drinking Mouthwash=How Dangerous?

[tiburon88]

Hey everyone I'm still here and usually drunk as a skunk. I hit a new low. I know, I know the advice will be: see a doctor. It was 5AM & I couldn't buy booze so I bought a big bottle of Listerine mouthwash and chugged the whole thing. Has anyone ever done this before? I'm getting sharp pains on my right side & don't feel right at all. On a side note if I just drink mouthwash is that considered a relapse? The drunk I got off the mouthwash was very weird and didn't seem like a usually drunk. I got some meds to help me detox and will be doing it soon. I'm only 32 & I feel like alcohol is starting to physically kill me. Mentally it beat me down years ago. Just curious if anyone else resorted to mouthwash to get drunk. I feel like I'm watching a train wreck in slow motion and just can't stop it.

tiburon "10 years of Alcoholism and still going"

[CarolD]

No...I never drank mouthwash..
.I have no clue as to what it will do.
Yes...
the ER is calling your name again.

[Latte]

It sure itsn't good for you.

I would consider going to the hospital and seeing if they can find a detox bed for you.

[tiburon88]

The ER has been calling my name all month. I finally want to stop though. The last week or so I simply didn't care anymore.

tib

[Latte]

No one can make you care about yourself. I hope that you can get the help you need.

[CarolD]

You know we care...but you gotta do your part with this.
We just can't do it for you.
I'm truly sorry you are drinking again...

[Dee74]

Please go and see a Dr, Sean

D

[Jules62]

Originally Posted by tiburon88

tiburon "10 years of Alcoholism and still going"

tib-you might not make 11 at this rate and as you said-you're only 32.Please go see a doctor.Seriously.This isn't good.

[tiburon88]

I have to pick the right hospital. A few know me and label me as a "drug seeker" and will refuse to see me for any reason. I'm not even kidding about this. I just can't believe I drank the nasty mouthwash. It was burning my throat but I just kept chugging it. What's next for me rubbing alcohol? I think I might just start smoking pot instead I mean at least my liver can handle that. Why should anyone care about me? I certainly don't give a crap about a single person in this world right now.


tiburon

[FightingIrish]

Wow you have been through so much and yet you still continue to drink and lie about it.

It's clear nothing I say is going to change your mind about this, so I will just pray you hit the bottom you need to stop drinking (while still living).

Originally Posted by tiburon88

Hey everyone I'm still here and usually drunk as a skunk. I hit a new low. I know, I know the advice will be: see a doctor. It was 5AM & I couldn't buy booze so I bought a big bottle of Listerine mouthwash and chugged the whole thing. Has anyone ever done this before? I'm getting sharp pains on my right side & don't feel right at all. On a side note if I just drink mouthwash is that considered a relapse? The drunk I got off the mouthwash was very weird and didn't seem like a usually drunk. I got some meds to help me detox and will be doing it soon. I'm only 32 & I feel like alcohol is starting to physically kill me. Mentally it beat me down years ago. Just curious if anyone else resorted to mouthwash to get drunk. I feel like I'm watching a train wreck in slow motion and just can't stop it.

tiburon "10 years of Alcoholism and still going"

[Bamboozle]

Dude, the last thing you should be worrying about is whether drinking mouthwash is considered a relapse or not.

Get to the emergency room now. Get help now. This is nothing to play around with.

[dgillz]

I need to find the right hospital

That's a little like someone on a sinking ship saying "I need to find the right life preserver".

I don't care what your history is, if you go to the ER for detox and mean business, they will help you. The only drugs they are likely to give you are anti seizure and blood pressure meds.

If you go there looking for pills to get high on so you can temporarily step away from booze, then you're right, they may not help you.

Tib, this is a chance to live. Please take it. What do you have to lose?

[tyler]

I think you have gotten all the answers you need, it is just a question of whether you will follow up on any of them. If you are drinking like you say you are, and drinking mouthwash because you can't get anything else, you NEED a medical detox. If you say a particular hospital won't take you, go to one that will. Listerene is particularly bad as it has a lot of other chemicals in it other than alcohol. I knew a girl in rehab who was addicted to it, specifically. It ruined her liver and she had to get on the transplant list. Not sure if she ever got one, if not, she is probably dead now.

I understand not caring about yourself. I often feel that way myself. It's the booze clouding your judgement. As you can see from the responses, there are people who do care about you, here, and I would guess also in your f2f life as well. You may have let a lot of them down, but if you start making the right choices you may be able to earn back their trust. Even if there is no one, I can promise you that if you keep drinking, you will keep hating yourself. You hate yourself, so you continue to hurt yourself, so you hate yourself even more. Its a vicious cycle!! Please try to break it.

It's good to reach out for help here, but all our words can be is encouragement. You have to do the work. You have to go get help. There must still be a small part of yourself that still cares or you wouldn't be posting here. Try to use that small part and get some help. One day your posts will stop coming, because you will be dead. None of us want to see that. You are only 32, you still have many years in front of you, if you get some help and stop what you are doing. Best of luck. Take care.

[emmanuel2012]

Ack.
I'm sure this is not the first time.
My sponsor wanted me to get rid of my listerine.
I said no thanks, I like having fresh breath.
It IS like 40% alcohol.
Will you die? Nah.

I used to get high from taking DXM, in cough medications,
Destromethorphan. One time I was not careful about
The other ingredients, and I consumed over 6000 mgs of
Aceteminphen. Which is almost a deadly dose of tylenol,
Which could destroy your liver.

Not that you did, this, I would cal 18882220182
That's the number on the Listerine bottle,
And they can tell you if you need emergency care.
Just be sure.

Drink water, breathe, eat fruits and veges,
Things easier on the digestive system.
The pain should go away.

The desire to get drunk, might not.
There are many others who have recovered from
A seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,
Who can help you, and would like to,
I think you might know where to find them.

[paulmh]

I guess I'm the only one laughing at this, maybe because I too was a not so secret mouthwash drinker Listen it gets worse - I ended up checking on the internet which mouthwashes had the highest alcohol content - then I started rotating my pharmacists so that they wouldn't peg me as a mouthwash abuser....

I got into it because I had my own office in my own business but I was concerned about people smelling booze on me - so I kept the mouthwash in the office. It jsut progressed through drinking a bottle of wine and swilling out with the stuff, to swallowing it and finding that I got a mild buzz, to having no booze in the office so chugging the mouthwash! Pretty soon each day I was going to work and buying one or two bottles of mouthwash on the way, as well as the four bottles of wine I needed to get through work. By close of play - all drunk!

Insanity.

I can relate on feeling like **** afterwards, whatever else is in that stuff is going to work against it becoming anyone's drug of choice. Still, desperation in a human will take us all sorts of places we don't expect I suppose. Sure hope you get desperate enough soon Tib.

[emmanuel2012]

Ack.
I'm sure this is not the first time.
My sponsor wanted me to get rid of my listerine.
I said no thanks, I like having fresh breath.
It IS like 40% alcohol.
Will you die? Nah.

I used to get high from taking DXM, in cough medications,
Destromethorphan. One time I was not careful about
The other ingredients, and I consumed over 6000 mgs of
Aceteminphen. Which is almost a deadly dose of tylenol,
Which could destroy your liver.

Not that you did, this, I would cal 18882220182
That's the number on the Listerine bottle,
And they can tell you if you need emergency care.
Just be sure.

Drink water, breathe, eat fruits and veges,
Things easier on the digestive system.
The pain should go away.

The desire to get drunk, might not.
There are many others who have recovered from
A seemingly hopeless state of mind and body,
Who can help you, and would like to,
I think you might know where to find them.:sorry

[emmanuel2012]

I called the 800 number just to find out what they would say.
They told me that you should indeed seek medical care (911)
And they also game me a number for poison control:
1800-222-1222

Please seek help. I wish nothing but goodness upon you

[flutter]

No Tib, never in my darkest hour did I resort to mouthwash. However, some people do. I hope you get help soon, but of course that is your choice.

[crzylilmndfreak]

i used to have to hide the smell of alcohol from my husband, so one day i drank lilke 4 bottles of vanilla (which does NOT smell like vanilla, btw) then i did see as someone mentioned here the show Intervention, and i thought "HALLALUYA" (sp.??) i thought i had found the answer! I could drink and my husband wouldnt even smell it!! so i boought the mouthwash, and intended on only haveing one or two shots, but wound up drinking almost half the bottle (very BIG bottle by the way) and i went for a walk while my husband was sleeping and came back all bloody, not sure why, apparently i had fallen, but i dont remember it... i came home and he had woken up, and took me straight to detox (he works at a drug and alcohol program)
anywho, it was a terrible experience, and i wouldnt recommend it to anyone, it has to be very dangerous, im sure.

[Boleo]

Originally Posted by tiburon88

What's next for me rubbing alcohol?

tiburon

I don't know much about drinking mouthwash (never tried it) but I do know rubbing alcohol is made from Isopropyl alcohol (a.k.a. wood alcohol) which was responsible for thousands of deaths during Prohibition.

[gravity]

Why should anyone care about me? I certainly don't give a crap about a single person in this world right now.

I've been reading your posts for quite some time and what often comes through is ego. You seem to separate yourself from others, like you are somehow different from everyone else. I was like this for years and for the life of me I could not put down the bottle.

We are typical alcoholics. Your alcoholism is not unique. I do care what happens to you. So do many people on SR and in the rooms of AA.

I remember that you recently had 6 months (?) of sobriety. So you know that it can be done. Surrender to your alcoholism, work an honest program & get the help you need (medical & otherwise).

Praying for you.

[tiburon88]

I went to the hospital & things to be okay except for my liver enzymes. They are very high. They refused to write me a prescription for Ativan which I need. The doctor also tried to scare me into sobriety but that has never & will never work. Why not give me the anti-anxiety meds that I need? I just don't get it. The nurse also treated me like crap but that's to be expected. I know when I was a kid my dream was always to be a alcoholic/drug addict. I also dreamed of become apart of AA. At least I have achieved my goals huh? Thanks everyone for reading.


tiburon

[bugsworth]

Tib...I am so sad to see you doing this to yourself. I wish you peace and hope you find your way.

[baggervance]

No one can scare me into sobrity or the AAers talking there stuff. What can they know anyway. I'm not like most alcoholics. Them doctors dont understand either I need my pills. Yeah I used to tell myself that. Hope one day you can get honest look back on this time and see the BS your pitching.

[lauraandersen4]

If this is true, I wonder if you are even trying... or just looking for another excuse. Anyway... it isn't easy for anyone and I am too short in to give you quitting advice since I am craving alcohol myself...ridiculously on day 3.

I was going to say though, that I don't think a hospital can deny you an emergency room visit...even if you are marked as a "drug seeker" at least from my understanding...at least state funded hospitals.

Im a dentist to be... so I have some news for you about mouthwash... FLUORIDE OVERDOSE... if you think you had an alcohol problem... I'll tell you, it is NOTHING compared to a Fluoride problem!

Look it up. I wouldn't advise it unless you love convulsing and diarrhea along with the potential...much worse. Good luck on sobering up...at least give it a shot.