Originally Posted by
Santideva 
Is the amount I am drinking that much compared to others? Do you think it's actually dangerous to do cold turkey? If so, are there medications you can propose that would help me do this in short order?
I'm just sharing my experience here, and will note that it is different than what many on here (esp our friends in the UK) will have done or suggest:
Yes, what you are drinking is a lot compared to many. To me, no- by the end I was drinking a handle every two days, or less. I am 5'7" and about 115 at the time and pretty much lived on vodka.
I quit cold turkey on Feb 2, 2016. I suffered all kinds of withdrawal- immediate then prolonged PAWS. I chose the unknown amount of that over certain death by drinking- my liver dr gave me a yr, 18 mo to live (at age 39) if I kept going as I was. I had my psych, GP and liver dr as a team and I took Antabuse the first 90 days and began taking Campral which I still take. I have had ZERO physical cravings. That said, no medicine out there cures you of alcoholism, and all should be used properly and under the care of a good dr with whom you are honest. THey are meant to be tools, not crutches or toys or immediate panaceas.
I was- am- entirely devoted to quitting. Being that sick at the end of my drinking and going through what I did for the first months I quit is something I am grateful for. It took me that time to come back to life and I have kept getting healthier and better and better (in all ways) now closing in on a year.
My current program is a sweet spot of 4-6 meetings a week; daily, I do a lot of work starting with my first thing in the AM list of to-dos: I read pp 85-88/417-418 of the Big Book, I do a daily (Christian) devotional, I study the Richard Rohr daily email, ask myself HALT as a self-check, come on SR (multiple times throughout the day to read and check in with my Class of Feb 2016 buddies). I also have an awesome sponsor, a bf (soon to be fiance, yay!) who is also in recovery and one of my rocks, and a select group of family and friends who are 100% supportive and proud of my sobriety. I also go and do, wherever and whenever I choose, I work in a restaurant (no problem) and I live a super life.
My plan was one of immediate action once I decided I was done- cold turkey, AA (I did about 82 mtgs in 90 days) and devotion to building a completely different life.
Best thing I ever did for myself.
No matter how we do it, I think that this is the commitment that we have to make to truly live a sober life that is full, healthy, and has potential for what we can possibly have in our one chance.
Good luck.