Bratnik: Congratulations on Day Five, that's amazing! I identify with everything you wrote about--like you and least, I have been an isolating wino, hiding it from people, including my boyfriend, who had no idea how much I was drinking, which was all day every day. It is a self-imprisoned hell, and I am so glad to hear that you are putting an end to it. I am on Day Nine, and am so glad that I am going outside, seeing people, walking, etc, instead of hiding for weeks on end in my home, drinking away my pain.
I also come from an alcoholic family, and just got back from seeing my father in the hospital, near death from alcoholic pancreatitis, and understand the pain of that. And of course, seeing that doesn't change things for us, we have to change because we want to, and it seems like we both have a lot of resolve.
Congratulations on throwing out the wine! That's a big step. And I agree with Dee--there are doctors out there who are real caregivers, and who know that alcoholism is a disease that needs to be treated, not judged. I had to detox with a doctor's help and he has been very supportive. Glad you didn't have any real withdrawal symptoms, that's great.
Thanks so much for sharing your story and for joining the site--it has helped me a lot.