Originally Posted by ChrisClark

I used to average 1/2 to 3/4 of a bottle of Jim Beam on the rocks per night. Sometimes with a few beers right after work with the guys. I did this for about 3 years straight. That was about from 2000-2003. I got a promotion and tried to start cleaning my act up abit. I would try to just keep the drinking to weekends that that was kinda iffy at times.

However, looks like once I got away from the everyday drinking and started binging every month or every couple of months I noticed hangovers etc. starting. I guess I wasn't in very good practice as some would say. Then I noticed I had one bad withdrawal after a binge. Things never were the same....
Here's some questions for you:
1. How long did you have to wait the last 5 times for the symptoms to go away? All of them were right about a week and a half.. Except for the last two lasted about 2 weeks. Of course this one has been since the begining of Jan. and I'm still having problems. I notice it's getting a little better but I still have a while to go. I'm hoping by this time next week the hard stuff will be about gone. (wishful thinking)
2. If I take a long period of time off drinking (3-6 months) and then just try 2-3 beers only once or twice a month, am I going to feel all the symptoms again and have to wait for my body to heal all over again? I know I can stop myself after 3 and limit the drinking to once every other week or once a month. However, I do not want all the withdrawal symptoms to return. Will they? Will i have to wait 2-3 months to heal again just from having 1 or 2 drinks? I wouldn't advise this but I've been able to get away with 3-5 a night for about 3 nights and didn't have any major troubles besides a little nervous and nausea. It's way better when I just don't drink. That way I don't have to worry about what tomorrow or next week will bring.

3. I am still getting tingling (pins and needles) through my face and sometimes my arms and legs. Tomorrow will be day 21 of being sober. I am getting worried that these pins and needles will never go away? Did you have this symptom the other 5 times? How long before this went away?

Usually by the second week they were gone. This time they have not left the building quite yet.... It's not doing it all day anymore just mostly in the evening.4. I feel like things are getting slightly better from week to week but not much...and if I have a time of high stress...all symptoms get fully activated and it's almost unbearable.

Mine always took it's sweet time but got better day to day. I publicly speak for my job, giving presentations etc. sometimes I want to jump off stage and run. I get confused with questions, and get very foggy. I'm a very good speaker who always has the right thing to say. However, the couple weeks during a withdrawal I sound like a studdering idiot.

Keep me posted about how you're doing and I will do the same.