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Detox @ Home? Much of the general advice is to seek medical help but has anyone really suffered horrible effects (not the obvious which we've all earned) that required emergency medical intervention? |
Yes. I don't post for shock value. I suffered some brain trauma as a direct result of not seeing a Dr - I have a permanent reminder of my drinking days now. You might be ok - but I don't get why anyone would want to take that chance. See a Dr. D |
I landed in the ER after home detox attempt. Everyone is different and would See a Doc about it if you can. Ronnie |
has anyone really suffered horrible effects On Sunday June 7, 1981, at approximately 4:30pm (I know it was afternoon, I had a cheap $2 digital plastic watch, it said 4:30 and it was light out so knew it was afternoon) as I would take a swig in (oh btw I was a Jack Daniels and/or Wild Turkey drinker for most of my life and was on Thunderbird Wine by this time) it felt like it was coming out of every pore of my body as fast as I put it in. It was then I had no doubts left …………………….. I was dying. I was going to die soon if I kept drinking and I was going to die soon if I tried to stop, but somehow I wanted to die sober. I put the cap back on the bottle, threw it in the back seat with the rest of the empties and started to cry. I was sitting on the concrete bumper and I did scream out PLEASE HELP ME Not my typical alkie prayer of “God get me out of this one and I’ll never do it again” just PLEASE HELP ME. I can tell you it was a pretty rough night. The next morning I knew something was terribly wrong. I knew there was a hospital called Olive View in Van Nuys, had heard about it from my Wino buddies, but had no idea where it was. I started the car, intent on finding OliveViewHospital. Yes, I found the hospital, there had to be someone guiding that automobile because I had no idea where I was going. I found out later, by reading my medical chart and by talking to the gal that was at the admissions desk that day, that I walked up to the desk, told the gal I was an alcoholic, said I hadn’t had a drink since the day before and something was drastically wrong. She told me I was green, she was hitting the emergency button under her desk, while she directed me to a chair right across from her desk, maybe a distance of 4 feet. I never made it. I went into seizures on the floor in front of her desk. Later in reading the medical chart from that day, I found out that when I went into seizures my BAC was .38 and my body was CRAVING MORE. My heart stopped from the seizures. They would get me started again, and after a little while I would start to seizure again. This went on all day. The last time my heart stopped, I was down for 28 minutes and the ER Dr gave up. He called it and was writing the TOD on my chart (24 hours after I stopped drinking) and my heart started on it’s own. I was given a SECOND CHANCE. Do it under a Dr's Supervison or go to the ER. J M H O Love and hugs, |
Hmm... I de toxed before I knew how dangerous it was. :duh: me. Please read this link for info ... http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html Hope you have better sense than I did. :yup: |
Yes, please see a doctor. At the very least, have someone you trust to watch you. Keep a list of the closest hospitals, urgent care or emergency rooms at hand. Call 911 if you need to. Detox doesn't have to be horrific, with proper medical supervision it wasn't so bad for me. I was treated very well and with much kindness. I never felt I was being judged or poorly thought-of by the staff. Take care of yourself. Love, Lenina |
Like Carol, I detoxed at home. I had no idea at the time how dangerous it could be. I still remember how horrible it was. Dry heaves and horrible stomach cramps, shaking so hard that you could hear the vibration in my voice, my nerves so raw and exposed that I jumped a mile high if anything even brushed my arm, the sheer desperation for a drink but the panic of knowing I had to quit or die. I didn't sleep for days. I just laid in a recliner in the state I described above under the watchful eye of my mom. The whole time there is this voice in my head that kept telling me over and over that I didn't HAVE to put myself through this. A drink would make it all better. But another voice kept telling me that if I could just get through this I didn't ever have to do it again, IF I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO. Nowadays, knowing more about the dangers of unsupervised detox I don't recommend it to anyone, HOWEVER, if you are determined to try it make sure someone is there with you that knows what you're trying to do and what they need to be on the lookout for as far as danger signs. I would recommend you read the Quitting: What to Expect sticky AND whoever is with you should read it too. But I will state a final time, it's not recommended to do it alone. At the very least go see your doctor first and be straight up with them and see what they can do to help. Good luck, Kellye |
Not doing anything stupid I have a Rx for anti-anxiety meds should I need them and orders to check my BP every few hours and immediately call should it rise. I have a list of warning signs (compiled from these forums!) of withdrawal and my wife is home with me should. So far, so good. It's pretty cliche but for some reason timing my detox with 1 Jan seems appropriate. My tapering period seems to have worked out OK but now the hard work begins. I can't think so far ahead right now as to say "I'll never have another drink" so I've arbitrarily chosen the Chinese New Year (26 Jan) as my first milestone. And then another milestone...and another...and maybe someday I'll get to that "never again" point. Thanks to everyone here for the kind words and insights. |
I'm glad to hear that you plan to quit drinking. A much easier milestone is to just not drink today. Don't worry about tomorrow, just don't drink today. Good luck to you! |
Originally Posted by laurie6781
(Post 2474451)
Yes. Here is a bit of what happened to me: Detox is nothing to mess around with, people other than myself have died and NOT been given that 'second chance.' Do it under a Dr's Supervison or go to the ER. J M H O Love and hugs, What an amazing story - I'm so glad you're here. |
Originally Posted by MeAndOnlyMe
(Post 2474355)
Much of the general advice is to seek medical help but has anyone really suffered horrible effects (not the obvious which we've all earned) that required emergency medical intervention? Fits or seizures upto day eightish.......bit off a portion of my tougue. restrained to a hospital bed........severe hallucinations....prolonged visual and auditory. elevated heart reate and blood pressure..........blood sugar levels dropped through the floor....... complicated with malnutrition... but.........i did come off the streets so was in poor physical condition before detox with medical intervention. Always always always best to ask a doctor if it is a wise thing to do. i guess it depends on what/how much you drink and what condition your health is before you stop abruptly |
I have been wanting to bring this up since I joined this forum, but I was afraid to. There are two sides to this coin. I quit drinking a few weeks before joining this forum, and I'm kind of glad I did. If I would have come on here and talked about thinking about it, and heard all the people saying see a doctor or go to the ER. I believe my alcoholic mind would use this as an excuse. (I can't quit I have to go see a doctor, or this might be dangerous) (although I had quit a few weeks at a time in the past), but I still would have used this as an excuse. But I think there is a strong possibility I wouldn't have quit just because of that, and I really wonder haw many people have put off quitting. Saying (oh, I can't quit now, I have to see a doctor). We alcoholics use every excuse in the book whether we realize it or not. I'm sure men are worse than women about this, but I believe it's true. I also know the danger of detoxing is very real, and I'm not trying to say it isn't. I guess my point is. Alcoholism kills or handicaps also, and when someone decides to quit. There might be a small window of opportunity that gets slammed shut because subconsciously there is an excuse to put it off. I am not trying to upset the apple cart. But like I said, there are to sides to this coin. Fred |
well........i knew what was gonna happen and i still detoxed and wanted to stay stopped.....desperation got me to that point. i think some may use it as an excuse........you may have a point but i can only put across my experience. im not qualified nor do i have the experience to say...."hey your be fine.... just stop".. |
Originally Posted by Nevertheless
(Post 2474723)
I have been wanting to bring this up since I joined this forum, but I was afraid to. There are two sides to this coin. I quit drinking a few weeks before joining this forum, and I'm kind of glad I did. If I would have come on here and talked about thinking about it, and heard all the people saying see a doctor or go to the ER. I believe my alcoholic mind would use this as an excuse. (I can't quit I have to go see a doctor, or this might be dangerous) (although I had quit a few weeks at a time in the past), but I still would have used this as an excuse. But I think there is a strong possibility I wouldn't have quit just because of that, and I really wonder haw many people have put off quitting. Saying (oh, I can't quit now, I have to see a doctor). We alcoholics use every excuse in the book whether we realize it or not. I'm sure men are worse than women about this, but I believe it's true. I also know the danger of detoxing is very real, and I'm not trying to say it isn't. I guess my point is. Alcoholism kills or handicaps also, and when someone decides to quit. There might be a small window of opportunity that gets slammed shut because subconsciously there is an excuse to put it off. I am not trying to upset the apple cart. But like I said, there are to sides to this coin. Fred I can see both sides too, but it's more like a trick coin you speak of in my eyes - one that is heavier on one side. In a situation like this, when not advising a doctor can be fatal (all in the hopes of catching someone's window), it seems the lesser of two "evils" to me. And really, if the person is making excuses to drink, they're just not done drinking and there is nothing anyone but that person can do about that. |
There are so many variables, that's why it's wise to seek medical advice. It's impossible for anyone here to tell you exactly how you're gonna withdraw. Why take the risk? At the worst you're gonna be safe. How much do you drink and for how long, have you had withdrawal symptoms before, are you eating, how is your blood sugar, are you drinking anything but alcohol, how much gatorade or fruit juice do you have in the house, are you vomiting, etc.... No two detoxes of mine were the same, and none of mine have been exactly the same as someone else's. I have been through it at home in 24 hours with just a night of no sleep and lots of chills and sweats all the way up to full on DT's featuring a seizure. Woke up in the ER, sent to county detox for 7 days. That was my last one. |
Nevertheless, while I see your point I have to say that I found enough reasons on my own every day to put off quitting. I didn't quit until there was absolutely no other alternative for me. By the time I got to that point I just wanted it over with. I had already wasted too much time trying to do things my way. I had tried tapering, changing what I drank, vowing to myself every morning that today was the day I quit, etc. Like you I did detox at home before coming to SR so I had no clue how dangerous it could be but even so, I was so close to liver and kidney shutdown that it had to be done. I can't say if reading these threads would have changed a thing other than to at least give me and my mom an idea of what to look out for. I just don't know. But now that I do know how dangerous it can be I feel that I have an obligation to point it out. I have no control over what the other person does with the information. If they use it as an excuse to keep drinking then I guess they may not have been done yet but if I don't say something and they die, then I couldn't live with that burden. Take care, Kellye |
I just went through this... it SUCKED. Three days of confusion, seeing things (shadows become people, etc) and hearing things that aren't there (voices and music), horrible shakes, puking, feeling like I was going to fall down or pass out at any second. I would not advise that for anyone. But I got through it, somehow. I am somewhat concerned I may have got some brain damage from it ... lots of weird involuntary muscle movements. Of course, it depends on how much you drank and for how long. |
Please go see your Dr if you're worried Darkest Days :) D |
Please see a doctor. As others have noted, alcohol withdrawal can be fatal. Someone I know from meetings, a person who is relatively young and healthy who decided to try detox home alone--they had a stroke/siezure, bit off some of their tounge, and are currently in the hospital w/ serious brain damage. This is not something to mess around w/. |
Your name reveals a lot " MeAndOnlyMe " Remember getting sober is not about will-power. IMO- Get into a recovery program, because sobriety is just the beginning of the journey. The spiritual path and fellowship is what can change your life. |
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