What Was Your Detox Like?
 

Its been awhile but I'm still around and still drinking......

I'm curious about detox. My dad is an alcoholic and is detox'ing right now in a hospital (for the 5000th time) and it's really severe. No seizures this time but hallucinations, he doesn't know where he is or who he is, shaking, cold, sweats, can't even walk, can't talk, etc.

He has been an alcoholic all his life. As of current time, he "says" he is drinking a pint of vodka every other day. Yes, that it is alot of alcohol by normal people's standards but is that "enough" to cause the detox that he goes through? Or is he lying about the amount he drinks? Or is his detox so bad because he is 60 and has been an alcoholic for over 40 years? I'm confused......He also is addicted to pain pills so is his detox more severe because of that?????

And that makes me scared for me. I'm an alcoholic too. But high functioning. I've never blacked-out, not done anything because of being drunk or hung-over, no dui's, I exercise regularly, eat fairly well, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah (no excuses here just saying) but I drink every other day as well and I drink a lot for my size. Will that mean that my detox will be like his? It makes me scared......

I really think detox is different for each individual, I know mine scared the sh!t out of me and I plan to never experience it again. Here is a link to give you some information on different peoples detoxing experiences, http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html.

I drank anywhere from 375ml ( close to a pint I think? ) to 750ml ( just shy of a true 1/5th) a day 3-5 days a week at the end.

I had shakes and trouble sleep , cold sweats and one night a near panic attack. I never hit DT's though.

It would be hard for me to believe a pint every OTHER day would be that strong , but like said above I guess everyone is different. Mine had only been going on for a year or so and at that high level only about 6 months.

If he's been doing that his entire life , his body is likely reacting alot more strongly.

Thanks all and thanks for the link.

Yes, I wonder if he's either lying about the amount OR its just because he's been doing it for so long.

His first detox that I SAW was 10 years ago. It was horrible. Seizures, hallucinations (squirrels in his room, bugs, etc) tremors, severe pain. I've never seen anything like it.

My dad will die from this disease. I just know it. And I hate him and love him more than anything,,,,all at the same time.

And now I'm doing the same thing...and I hate and love myself all at the same time too.

And I hate and LOOOOVE alcohol all at the same time. Hmmm, how ironic.

I'm sorry about your dad, why not break the string of dependence and quit yourself now?

Everyone's detox is individual, but I'm guessing your dad's detox after 40 years of drinking is probably worse than most. I'm sorry your dad has to go through this, but it does give you a visual of what your life might be like if you continue drinking.

So, so, so, soooooo true! And WHY do I continue to drink?!?! I can't figure it out myself. What a disgusting/lovable substance alcohol is.....

I love the way it makes me feel. I sometimes think the only thing I have to look forward to is when I can drink again. How pathetic is that?? (especially since I am married to a wonderful man, I have THE most adorable 2year old around, I am financially secure, I am fit and attractive--everything is great on the outside but something is missing on the inside)

My dad was such a great dad to me. Plugged in, loving, attentive....and now he is wasting away.

Yet...I'm scared to quit drinking though. Can't imagine life without it because I love it so much. Plus, watching my dad detox. Why the heck would I want to go through that when everything right now is functioning fine. What the f*** is wrong with me????


(disclaimer--all things said above I can see right through and I have an answer for all of them. So why the heck do I still drink?)

Nights are the worst for me. I can't sleep as the hamster wheel in my brain is going a mile a minute. "Fork lightning-like" pains flash through my liver, pancreas, gall bladder, and kidneys. Paranoia. When I do drift off to sleep I have the most hellish nightmares imaginable. I'll sweat right through the mattress and have intermittent hot & cold spells. It's a wonder we allow this addiction to continue as it is such a vicious cycle.

So, so, so, soooooo true! And WHY do I continue to drink?!?! I can't figure it out myself. What a disgusting/lovable substance alcohol is.....

The Big Book calls alcohol, "cunning, baffling and powerful," that pretty well describes the hold it often has on us.

Please Google "kindling and alcohol." I didn't drink "that much" (about 2 bottles of wine a night) but my repeated detoxes got progressively more severe due to kindling.

GG

Also, PLEASE talk to your doctor. Medical help is important and makes it so much easier. It was really hard for me because I'm in a licensed profession and was terrified of having it in my medical record, but I'm so glad I did.

GG

So sorry to hear about your dad - I hope things improve for him and that he can stop drinking.

I usually drank a bottle of wine (though not every night) for the last 8-12 months of my drinking. My withdrawals weren't too bad, but they were bad enough! Like you, I didn't have the blackouts, DUI's, or family problems, although I spent plenty of mornings with a hangover and I wasn't functioning at nearly the level I told myself I was.

What I did have (big time) was the addiction - I couldn't imagine life without alcohol. I didn't want to quit. Drinking was the highlight of my day. I would hide it, choose to be alone so that I could have more, pick events to attend on the basis of whether alcohol would be served, was irritable if I have to postpone my drinking, etc. etc. and the list goes on. So in truth I was just as sick as the person with that DUI.

p.s. I never could figure out why I kept drinking too much either. :33:

Your dad is in the right place,he is in the hospital. There is not a whole lot more you can do. If you are an alcoholic your self I am sure you understand that. Nobody can be forced to quit. You HAVE to WANT it.
I have seen guys in jail for multiple years,and the minute they are out and have a chance to get away with it. Boom! Drunk again!
Nobody knows how your disease will progress. Mine stayed the same most of my life. I never drank before or at work. But at 5 Oclock I drank till I passed out. That went on for almost 30 years

My last detox I quit cold turkey. For the first week waking up with cold sweats,nightmares and break the glass cravings. It SLOWLY tapered off. I had also tried to quit many many many times. I knew most of the ways I failed.
I had aches in my legs for the first 6 months that were very painful. I have no idea what they were. I am not a doctor person and they completely went away. I work on my feet all day,and it was hell.
It was probably 3 or 4 months before I walked into a place that sold beer that I walked out and realized I didn't stare at the beer wanting to buy it. That was a true feeling of freedom for me.
My last really bad craving was at the 6 month mark. But I still had weaker ones after that. I have been sober a little over 2 years now.
I just have no clue what I was thinking all those years now that I have stopped. Alcohol puts the idea in your head that this is all just "normal". And it keeps on doing it for quite a while after you stop. Like I say, in order to stop YOU HAVE to WANT it. You have to be done with it.
I wish you the best.....
Fred

my detox was pretty horrific.

i don't doubt your dad's claims on the amount so much either. i was almost always in a constant state of withdrawal. to what varying degree depended on how much i drank...or didn't drink.

it effects everyone differently. i'll also say this. i found out that even if i didn't drink for a period of time (maybe 3-4 days) and i even drank a little bit...i would get virtually the same withdrawal symptoms as if i had been binging for days at a time. i was a bottom of the barrel drunk at the end of my drinking career...sometimes drinking a half a gallon of whiskey a night.

i detoxed from booze the same time as i did from benzos, sleep aids and painkillers and the detox from those, would exacerbate the alcohol withdrawal and vise versa. it was a horrible, vicious cycle. most alcohol withdrawal detoxes last about 3-7 days. mine was a month long because of the pill addiction.

when you mix drugs and alcohol...even just painkillers into the equasion, it makes detox very complicated and very dangerous. i almost lost my life from my last detox.

i hope you and your father find your way to a happy sober life. my life is 1000 times better now than it was 18 months ago.

Your Dad was plugged in and attentive and an alcoholic? You were lucky. Mine wasn't. He just drank and stayed safe in his world of addicition, rarely coming out.

I'm sorry to know of your Dad's situation but very glad he is being professionally supervised.....:yup:

If you read the link already posted....you will see that not one of us had the same exact de tox experiences.

Generally....it takes 3 to 4 days to de tox...and it can be done safely. To keep drinking because you fear de tox is a lot more harmful.

I hope you will find your way....recovery can be awesome....:yup:

I;ve had some very nasty withdrawls, many seizures (15+), it can be very dangerous, even fatal.Any benzo. will stop the symptoms, thats the best way to go, with a Dr. of course.

My detox wasn't that bad, I tapered down my drinking with beer for 3 days, along with a lot of fruit, vitamines, healthy food etc. The worst part for me was the emotional feeling of being dead while having no interest in things. Luckily that's behind me. :)

I've always detoxed at home. The results have been about 8-9 home detoxes with 3 ER visits quickly, plus many Dr. appointments a few weeks latter with symptoms of; seizures, hallucinations, jaundice, vomiting, upper-lower gastrointestinal pain/problems, kidney failure, delusions, psychosis...well plenty more bad stuff too.

Even with all that, I was a high (maybe medium high or medium...maybe medium low) functioning alcoholic/doper too. I also didn't have any drastic felony convictions or like that mess, yet I did suffer mentally/emotionally/physically grave consequences as a result of my wild drunken/doped lifestyle.

No matter how far you went down or managed to rise above the equally disastrous life of abusing alcohol/drugs...problems arise sooner or latter as you know.

Oooohhhhh this is a old thread...Well I hope there is something to learn, something to heal and something to share for all that have an alcohol problem...that is helpful from this thread...http://www.mazeguy.net/expressive/scratchchin.gif.