Tapering off alcohol
Hey y'all. I'm a long time alcoholic and know it's now time to stop. I'm 38 and usual poison of choice is chardonnay. Boxed wine.
I work nights and usually drink from around 7am until 1 or 2pm when I go to sleep. I go through 5 liters in two days.
I've recently, in the past month or so, started getting scary withdrawal symptoms at work. I'll start twitching or my head will jerk and spasm. I'll get hot flashes and my hands will shake.
So last week I hit a new low. As a safety precaution I'll bring some mini bottles with me to work and if I feel like the withdrawals are getting too bad I'll go to my car on break and take a few drinks.
I'm not proud of this. I'm afraid this is going to end in me getting fired, a DWI, or death.
So I'm attempting to taper off. If any of you have successfully tapered off, I'd love to hear your tips and tricks. Right now I'm trying to drink a little less than the previous day and go to sleep earlier.
I've successfully quit 3 times before. One time was due to being prescribed benzos, which I'd REALLY like to avoid.
Are there natural supplements or teas or something that ease the withdrawal symptoms?
I am a smoker but I've recently stopped drinking coffee, other than one cup on my days off.
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know this is a grey area and I'm not expecting professional medical advice on this forum. Just looking to pick the brains of any of you who successfully tapered off.
Thanks in advance.