Carol,
I did find this thread after all. Sorry to be so dense, perhaps killed a few brain cell too many before I finally stopped!!
MY DETOX, like everything else at that point in life I was beyond stupid in the way I went about it. I was drinking between 2 sometimes almost 3 fifths of Canadian Club whiskey per day. I had been a very heavy drinker for almost 26 years, but this level for about a year. I was always pleasantly drunk morning to night and if I didn't drink I would shake so badly that I couldn't write. Believe it or not I was running my business during all this. Just goes to show that we don’t always need to lose “stuff” before we hit bottom hard!
DETOX
Day 1: I decided that I couldn't live like I was anymore so I went into one of the bedrooms in the back wing of the house and shut the door. Thus began 3 days of hell. Severe chills, violent cramping to the point of pain that was almost unbearable. Hot flashes and then followed by more numbing chills. I imagined I saw all manner of bugs and creatures crawling on the walls and carpet, but no pink elephants!
Day 2: More of the same from day 1 with periods of complete exhaustion and lapses of memory for a few hours at a time may have been blackouts but I was the only one there and so I don't really know what happened.
Day 3: Got somewhat better, but most of the symptoms were still coming and going. A whole bunch of sweating and chills. I was beyond wrung out with dehydration and hunger. At the mid point of day 3 I came out of my “cave” and showered, shaved, and drank copious amounts of water. I was very shaky and exhausted. I finally slept a lot.
Week 1: Contacted an old college friend, he is a doctor who was and still does run the University of Utah's Medical center and Medical School and asked him for some advice on what to do now. He told me "get on your knees and thank God that you didn't have a stroke and/or die you idiot!" “There are reasons why they have detox centers!” After these kind words he suggested that I do something with the rest of my life since I MUST HAVE BEEN SPARED FOR A REASON! Obviously he didn't think my "solo detox method" was a good idea.
Week 1 & 2: I called my insurance agent who was the only person I knew in AA and he took me to a meeting and I have been going ever since. Got a sponsor, took the steps as quickly as I could and began making my amends.
Weeks 2 thru 422 (the present): Go to at least 2 meetings a week or more if needed, work with other alcoholics and exercise regularly, eat sensibly and pray when required based on life's little bumps in the road.
DO NOT FOLLOW the first three days under any circumstances. After week 1, if you are a PhD like I was (poor hopeless drunk), then what I have done just might work for you. Only my opinion however.
Thanks for asking me to participate Carol.
Jon