Krissy 72

I completely agree with lovingseren. It is possible to wean, but incredibly hard. I understand the position you are in - it's scary. I'm on day two myself. Is there anyone who could help you? Also, if you have a family Doc that you can talk to, he very well may be able to help - or at least monitor - you at home.

While you are cutting back, definately treat yourself well this week - get lots of good, easy to make healthy food, drink enough liquids to float and get as much rest as possible. I've been living on V8, cranberry juice and a huge pot of chicken soup I made right before I started. If you end up having to quit completely, you'll be that much more prepared for it. I also have to skip the coffee, makes things worse for me. If you do end up having to quit cold turkey, definately call your Dr.

You sound truly determined,

I will be thinking of you and wishing you all the best

lovingseren

It's amazing but it actually works for some of us.
I got sober this way, it worked for me, that does not mean I recommend it to others, nor would I presume to tell others what will and will not work for them.
Seren

barb dwyer

There's some really good advice here.

We're here .. that the best we got.

I detoxed at home on the job.

It sucked.

Not trying to discourage you - just being honest.
One thing to think of though -
you'll never have to do it again.

bye_bye_vodka

If you were like I was, you cannot just have 2 a day. I've tried before and it doesn't happen. I was always fooling myself. The first two lines in your thread say it all. You have to quit! Seek medical help and find the better life. I too preferred vodka. Believe me it is not your friend anymore.

You will be amazed at whats on the other side!! Trust me!

possiblyNuts

Day one down! The withdrawals were moderate I would stay. Getting to sleep was the biggest problem, but I did actually manage to get some good Zzzzs after awhile. I've had some minor DTs, nausea, and some sweating this morning.

Honestly, I had no craving at all last night to keep drinking (and get drunk) after my two drinks. I know some of you might think 'liar!' when you read that, but it is true. I'm determined to stick this through, I don't want to be physically addicted to alcohol anymore, and this is the only way.

BTW I constantly have a phone near me, so I'm prepared for any really scary situations.

tay-lyn

For me there is no such thing as 'weaning'....but I'm a drunk. So that means one drink leads to.....the next, and the next, and the next.......blackouts, stupidity, hangover, not remembering, self-loathing, then it starts all over again. But that's me. If I put one drop in my system, I lose control of myself. The drunk comes out and she doesn't stop at one or two.
And ya, detoxing is super tough, you should consider getting help.
And if you're new to this site, stick around, it is a great help. Eveyone here is helpful and caring. No judgements, just support. Which we all need. Best of luck.

Pick-a-name

Hi..hope a doctor is involved,or at least a trusted friend or family member. My sister started having hallucinations,etc. (that even her doctor did not think possible because it was a few days longer than he would have expected) but eventually he helped her do a medical detox while she was at home with office visits. The Rx he used was Valium,however,so that adds another twist to your situation.

Good luck. If what you are doing now doesn't end up being the solution to your problem,perhaps a long weekend detox in a medical facility with another caregiver arranged for the older person you help,would help you both.

RufusACanal

Minor DT's ? possibly nuts you might have experienced the shakes, but DT's are the real deal and if you are to the point of Delirium Tremens you are in desperate shape. Many die once the body goes into DT's; please seek help!

possiblyNuts

Ah, it is probably just the shakes then. I read up on DTs and they seem to be much more severe (tried to edit the post, but I can't... I guess you can only edit a topic once for some reason.) I'm mostly just a bit shakey, and a few times I've had some weird involuntary muscle spasms (legs kicking for no reason, it was really weird).

Krissy 72

That's great possiblynuts I was in a similar situation years ago as far as caring for an elderly relative (grandmother had Alzheimer's) and I know it's hard. Like everyone else, no one wants you to end up in a medically dangerous situation, or God forbid, say something that would encourage you to put yourself in a dangerous situation. So again, best scenario, call your Dr.

Besides the weaning, are you eating, getting fluids, that kind of stuff? I know I already said this and I sound like a nagging mom, but I'm on day 3 and I know with my own symptoms that it makes a difference. I'm glad to hear you got some sleep - get all the rest you can.

I am really rooting for you!! I hope you keep posting.

tcrhino

I have successfully weaned from alcohol 3 times. I say successfelly becasue i have stayed sober for a good period of time between each home/ween/detox. The first itme i detoxed i went to a detoxfacility. I spent 7 days of hell. The 3 times i did it at home it was much easier. Sure some will call it controlled drinking but i called it controlled weaning from my fifth a day. I'm on day 6 after 8 days of weaning and I feel great today. Yesterday and the day before were hard.

Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for outside help if it gets too hairy. Any family who could help you for a 7 day detox if you need too.

possiblyNuts

Thanks for your support! I'm drinking tons of water, and eating some good stuff. I've been drinking v8 juice as well, and eating some carrots/greens.

possiblyNuts

Day 2 down, and day 3 has arrived! Everything has gone as planned so far. Yesterday I did have withdrawals of course, but they weren't as bad as day 1. Mainly sweats and shakiness (and a strange uncontrollable urge to wash my face! It was weird, I must have done it like 10 times yesterday). I was able to catch some decent sleep, but a lot of it was just tossing and turning.

So far I feel pretty good this morning. Now its time to drink some v8 and have some toast. ^^

possiblyNuts

Day 3 went as planned. I experienced minimal withdrawals. Mostly sweating, a bit shakiness, and of course a tiny bit of insomnia. This seems to be working well. Today I'm going to cut down to 2 shots of vodka. I'm going to take them at 11pm or so, shortly before I goto sleep. We'll see how I feel before then (since I've been taking one drink at 6 and another at 11, this will be the longest I've gone without a drink in awhile).

Yesterday afternoon I even felt good enough to go see a movie! I saw Cloverfield, it was entertaining. Thankfully I wasn't feeling nauseous because the camera shakes around a lot!

Tazman53

Good luck, I tried weaning off numerous times for 10 years, for me it was a mental and physical torture which always led to me drinking again.

The only success I have had since 1998 in staying sober longer then a week or 2 was putting myself into detox and then into AA, I am still sober and I went into detox Sept. 18th, 2006.

I have heard of a few people weaning them selfs off of it, but very few. Best of luck, BTW things really did not get serious for me until day 3 and I was medically detoxed, of course all they had to do was up the meds.

Remember detox has killed the best of men and women.

AndrewBeen

Never heard of an alcoholic successfully weaning. Anyone else? For me it was impossible. It sounds logical but just never seems to work.

Tazman53

Andrew actually many years ago weaning was the method used for drying out a drunk, but the weaning was in a VERY controled manner. The alcoholic was locked up and only given enough booze daily to keep the DTs away, that was it. Who ever was controling the booze for the drunk simply would not even give them a single drop until the spiders were about to come and then it was just enough to keep the spiders away. Once the spiders quit trying to come no more booze was given.

Basically it was a forced weaning.

FightingIrish

I weaned successfuly three times in the last five dark years of active alcoholism. By day five was feeling so good I always got drunk again. (The last time I did it in a detox and then went to a 28-day program.)

I now realize that what I had done was quite dangerous. (My dad died at 50 due to seizures that resulted from stopping on his own.) I would recommend getting medical supervision, although it sounds like you are getting through it. What they generally do in a detox is give you some sort of anti-convulsant (librium, for me) and monitor your blood pressure every few hours until you stabilize. I can't say that I found the librium to be a substance I would abuse, but then again I was medically supervised so I couldn't.

I would also add in some AA meetings, even while you are still weaning. The fellowship and support I found in AA is what is keeping me from drinking, which was always the problem once I got past the five dys of trying to stop.

Please report back on how you're doing. I would never say that anything was impossible to do, I can only say what worked or didn't for me.

possiblyNuts

Day 4 went alright. I made it to 11 before having the 2 shots, as planned. I didn't start feeling bad until about thirty minutes before that. Sleeping was harder than the previous few days. Getting to sleep took several hours, and once I was asleep I kept waking up constantly and was always covered in sweat. I also had some really weird dreams! It is about 11:20 am now, and I'm feeling good.

possiblyNuts

How is it successful if you started drinking again at day 5? Or were you done with the weaning by day 5 ?

Thanks for the concerns, so far I haven't experienced any really scary withdrawals (which is somewhat surprising actually). But, we will see how I do when I actually stop the alcohol consumption completely. That will be a different ballgame, I assume.