WineLiker

Hi, this is my first post on this site and I want to say thanks for the massive amount of information on here!

(Apologies for the long post

I'll get my info out of the way first. Basically, I've been drinking maybe three bottles of wine a week for a year or two (midweek and weekends) but over the last year my drinking has increased to the point where I'm drinking every night (I'd say this started in July/August.) What I usually have is one can of 5% lager, one bottle of wine and maybe a double vodka and coke or two afterwards. Some nights, I might just have a can or two of lager and a couple of double vodkas.

I tried to have a 'day off' in September, but simply couldn't get to sleep. A few weeks back I had three pints in the afternoon and decided not to have any more drink that night and ended up again having the sleeplessness (which I remedied with Nytol.)

Now, I *enjoy* drinking. I can sit and chill and aren't an aggressive drunk. But I know I'm drinking too much and want to cut down as I'm definitely getting more anxiety during the days (I'm an anxious person anyway.)

When I was 'limiting' myself to 'just' a bottle of wine on three occasions a week, I felt OK the next day, and slept well on the nights when I wasn't boozing.

What I'm worried about is withdrawal. Yesterday I went all day to 11 o' clock pm without a drink and went through a couple of anxiety/depersonalisation attacks which kind of went off at 9, leaving my mind a bit 'foggy'. I checked this site out, but couldn't post so I rang Drinkline and asked if it was wise to not have a drink after weeks of constant drinking and they advised me to drink as suddenly stopping drinking could potentially cause fits and blackouts.

So, basically I had a bottle of wine and a double bourbon and went to bed. I haven't had a drink yet today, either, but I'm pondering whether it's wise to have a 'smaller' one than last night.

Can anyone help with this situation re: tapering/withdrawal???

The actual 'idea' of anxiety created by withdrawal actually creates anxiety in me, if that makes sense.

GettinSober

I went 'Cold Turkey' Wineliker and found that although I suffered sleeplessness I didn't have any other side effects. After about 7 days I slept like a baby. Halcyon days - I wish I was back there now As it happens I drink far more than you and for far longer but that doesn't mean too much as we all handle alcohol differently.

Before I came to this site I would have said that given the amount you drink and for the relatively short period of time that you would be very, very, very, very unlucky to suffer from more than sleeplessness.

But I'm not a doctor so please take those comments in that context.

CarolD

Welcome to SR!

Here is a thread that you might find interesting
Just click on the line below.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ithdrawal.html

Tapering never worked for me
nor for the countless alcoholics I have met in AA.
I do think we all had to try it however.

It's good to see a new member
Post often..we are here 24/7

Take care..

Astro

I heartily agree with this, and would like to share my experience with tapering off/cutting down. I can't tell you how many times I tried, and it worked for brief periods, but those in AA can tell you that alcohol is "cunning, baffling, and powerful". In short time I'd be drinking full speed ahead, and I usually returned with a vengeance, drinking more than I had before I tried to taper off.

I'm very familiar with anxiety attacks as I suffered from them in my first couple months sober. If I could make a suggestion it would be to see a doctor/physician and see what they recommend for you. Sleep will return, but first you need to detox. Please proceed carefully and with caution.

WineLiker

One of my problems is that I have panic disorder even before I started drinking and the thought of getting the DT's/having fits scares me to death. I read through your thread with great interest before posting, and have the feeling that I need to 'nip my habit in the bud' a bit before it gets too out of hand. It's more of a routine at present, and I rarely 'crave' alcohol, but this routine seems to be taking me somewhere which might become unpleasant if I let it develop too much. I want to find a 'happy medium', if such a thing is possible (???????)

PS: Carol, I was reading that thread last night and it was the reason I rang Drinkline to ask if it was safe not to have a drink!

I'm still pondering a 'nightcap' or two at present. I'd like to try one day without, but I just feel so unsure...

WineLiker

Do you think I'd be wiser to have a couple of drinks tonight and see the Doctor tomorrow and get his advice?

Astro

Couldn't hurt, especially considering your history so far. But please keep in mind that I'm NOT a doctor, and shouldn't be giving you advice. I'm only offering my experiences and some gentle suggestions.

I quit cold turkey myself, and it was probably one of the dumbest things I've ever done. Knowing what I know now I wish I would've detoxed properly. What's done is done though, and in spite of the side effects of withdrawing cold-turkey I'm alive today. Still, I wouldn't recommend my method to anyone else.

WineLiker

Thanks Astro, I just rang Drinkline again and they gave me some useful places to seek out advice in my area. They also advised me to have a drink (again) so I'll have a few glasses of wine and see how I feel in an hour or two.

Last thing I cold-turkeyed was Prozac, and it was hell.

brians

Once you stop drinking and are detoxed. Try AA for everyday help and keep posting here. We all like to know how you are doing, Wineliker.

GlassPrisoner

Ditto
Ditto Ditto

Good Luck and God Bless.

kats

WineLiker,

I drink more than you do (at least of the hard stuff), and have been doing it for many years. I have another post going on this board regarding withdrawals. What I can say is that there have been many occasions over the years when I've not been able to have what I normally have to drink on a given night and I've not experienced any real problems -- until now. I think I'm in for a real battle this time. I don't know why it's different -- age? Not sure -- but I wish I'd quit when I was at your level rather than waiting to this late stage. I applaud you for seeking help before you are drowning yourself as I've done for far too long.

WineLiker

Thanks for the kind replies, everyone. I'm on my second glass of wine at the moment but I feel a little tired so I might try not to drink the whole bottle and go to bed early. I feel like I'm drinking more out of fear of withdrawal at the moment, rather than actually *wanting* to drink. But I'm already feeling less anxious, which is both a blessing and a curse (!)

PS: Kats, I've been reading your thread and I really hope stuff goes well. I'm 32 and have never really had a problem with drink until now (apart from the odd binge session when I've been out or at weekends.) Only thing I've really had a problem with was marijuana, which I used to do from morning til night, even at work, but I quit that no problem when I realised how much I had let things slide.

I feel a bit strange here as - basically - I still want to be able to drink, rather than quit entirely. I just don't want the stuff dominating my life. It seems to be a difficult balancing act.

CarolD

Well...if you are planning to keep drinking
you may want to look at this.

Moderation Management,
the one group that deals with moderate drinking;
useful for the guidelines:
http://moderation.org/

Take Care

Tazman53

Welcome to SR wineliker, I am an alcoholic, I tried everything to become "Normal" in my dirinking, abstaining for several days, limiting the times I drank, limiting the amount I drank, etc. I tried them all, none of them worked! I am an alcoholic, as a result I will not have a drink today which will make 107 days straight sober. I can not drink like normal people.

If you would like to find out if you may be an alcoholic try some controled drinking:

1. Drink 1 drink and do not have another one.
2. Do not drink for a week and then have one drink and do not drink for another week.
3. Do not drink for a month.

If you can do all of the above without any cravings or duress then you are probably not an alcoholic, if you can't you may want to consider the possibility you may be an alcoholic.

I am in AA and we do not feel it is up to anyone but our selfs who can determine if we are an alcoholic or not. I can tell you that I could not do a single one of the three test I mentioned.

Wineliker I drank for 40 years, I put myself into detox after talking to a doctor, they kept me medicated to lessen withdrawal, pumped full of vitamins, educated me on alcoholism, and encouraged me to attend AA if I wanted to maintain my sobriety long term. When I got out of de-tox I followed directions, I went to 90 AA meetings in 90 days, I got a sponsor, and I have followed directions that other recovered alcoholics have given me.

I am sober and happier then I have been in at least 30 years. Sobriety ROCKS!!!

WineLiker

Hi again, this is just a brief update. I finished the (13%) bottle of wine last night (much less than I've been previously drinking) and went to bed. I had about 1.5 hours worth of sleep, followed by a few hours awake tossing and turning with racing 'vision' thoughts and probably had two brief 20/30 minute spurts of sleep afterwards. Though I slept a short time, the dreams I had were plentiful and vivid, and I quite enjoyed them as I don't dream as much as I used to. I awoke feeling pretty dazed and sleep-deprived, and my mind has been a bit 'foggy' today but apart from that my anxiety has been pretty low and I've felt quite energetic, strangely.

I don't know if this is a good sign or a bad sign!

PS: Carol, thanks for the link - verrry interesting.

PPS: Tazman, I'm more worried about physical withdrawal and the worry kind of propels me to keep drinking. If I was assured I could withdraw safely, I think I might be able to try those things because I never really 'crave' booze in an addictive sense, I just like drinking it and find it fun most of the time, unless I drink too much and get over-emotional. However, at the moment, those steps you mention would be very difficult to abide by(!)

kats

Wineliker:

I can totally relate to how you are feeling. I drank last night, though not quite as much as I usually do -- and didn't sleep well, though this time, I didn't have any horrible nightmares like the night before. Then again, I drank tequila last night and I just had few shots less than normal. I still want to try tapering as a means of avoiding the withdrawal beast, but as someone said to me in a different message, if we, as alcoholics, could control our drinking like that -- maybe we're not alcoholics! I want to avoid going to my doctor -- I know it's not advisable, but if I *can* successfully taper -- gradually, over two or three weeks, then maybe I won't suffer withdrawals. If I can't manage this or I start having withdrawal symptoms, I will break down and seek the help of a professional. If you're afraid of the withdrawals, maybe you should consider the same. I've never had this problem before, but I've been drinking hard for about 14 years, longer and much harder than you.

Good luck to you!

leeside

I used to drink wine. Now its sparkling grape juice or sparkling apple juice. I sip it just like wine. It also helps with the DTs along with vitamins IMO.

WineLiker

Thanks Kats, somebody close to me put the fear of god into me and got me thinking about my drinking (and I'm a worrier anyway.) So if I can't manage it, I will definitely seek the help of a professional as I have her to back me up and help me along (she is a bit of a binge drinker, too, but we never drink together and she's concerned about herself in the same way.)

I hope your tapering goes well and you don't have withdrawal problems. I know my drinking is probably pretty 'small fry' by comparison so I appreciate it will likely be more difficult for you.

I'm drinking a similar amount tonight and will see what happens. If my sleep is improved on the same amount of booze, I'll see that as a small step in the right direction in regards to cutting down.

WineLiker

I've cut out the caffeine and have been drinking loads of water during the day/early evening and I must say I feel healthier in certain respects, my anxiety is definitely slightly milder since I started this a couple of weeks ago. It's no substitute for the booze, but I guess it's better than being a caffeine, tobacco AND alcohol freak(!)

leviathon

I find the drinkline advice surprising. For people with a drinking problem when first stopping, getting it all out of your system is the best bet IMO.

In terms of the withdrawal, those symptoms are quite common.

Peace, Levi