Forwards

Hello all. As metioned in my other thread my alcohol consumption has increased again recently. Simply put, I took my eye off the ball thinking work was more important than AA and of course it escalated.

So it's time for another go, seriously this time. I have contacted my alcohol councillor (unfortunately he's on holiday). I aim to get back to my local AA on Saturday without being drunk.

Now, I have suffered fairly alarming withdrawals in the past - typically worst around around Day 2.

Yesterday I consumed 20 units of alcohol exactly (equiv to around 2 bottles of wine). Today I intend to halve this - strictly metered and distributed througout the day, interspersed with plenty of water and decaf tea. Tomorrow I will halve it again. Saturday will be Day 1.

I realise that this is a risky strategy but living alone, Librium etc is not available to me in an outpatient setting, there are long delays for inpatient treatment and I'm keen to stop as safely as possible.

I have had this work in the past. Has anyone else tried this? Any luck please?

Kza

It amazes me that you can taper off. Are you sure you can?

SSIL75

2 bottles of wine is 10 units, no? Either way I personally have had mixed results with tapering. Alcohol Control not being any alcoholic's strong point.

penny74

Yes l have tried it and no, l had no luck with it.
l thought it was a terrible experience, terrible..

Forwards

1 UK unit is 10ml pure ethanol = 1 standard drink. 2 * 750ml of wine at 12% is 20 standard drinks ie. quite a bit.... UK safe limit for a man is 3-4 units... 0 for me...

It's not for everyone admittedly but for me it does have to be a relatively fast taper (a few days, not as one doctor foolishly advised me - a few weeks...). The first day of the taper is the worst. I now hate the taste and smell of the first pint (these days I always choose a beer I dislike). Of course I always carry on anyway and loose all control.

I've had one and a half pints of beer and 3 pints of water with lunch today after a hellish night last night. I waked out on the extra half beer as this hadn't quite been intended. I am now shaking and shivering which I take as a good sign of alcohol reduction.

The next (single) beer will be at 5pm. This evening will be the danger zone as I'll have to go home to another 'hell night' without an extra bottle. Why oh why do we do this to ourselves?

SlimSlim

Forwards:

I successfully tapered my with two attempts towards sobriety, the last one being the end of July/beginning of August. I am now 21 days sober.

I would side with your doctor that your plan is a fast taper. I was drinking more heavily than usual before I tapered- 6 units a day. I went down to 4 units a day for a couple of days, then 3 units for one day and my last day less than 2 units (I measured 1 ounce shots of rum with 12 ounces of water). I also spaced out my drinks 2 hours apart and poured the rest of the bottle down the drain on the last night.

Why do you say your doctor is foolish with his advice? He's trying to get your alcohol intake down to a safe level so that you don't risk medical complications with withdrawal.

As for control, if you are firmly committed to sobriety, this is the first step and it is doable. Many alcoholics exhibit control while actively drinking, such as going out to dinner with friends and having 2 glasses of wine, and then going home and having drinks by themselves to hit their "comfort level" with drinking. That's just one example.

In a nutshell, tapering is possible and it should follow the doctor's plan. The shaking and shivering that you went through is a sign that your body is withdrawing and you don't know what could happen; seizures can come on without warning.

Good luck...be wise and safe about this.

Forwards

Hi thanks SlimSlim,

No no - the doctor is now think was slightly foolish asked me to taper over many weeks while I was completely out of control. Chaos ensued... My own plan is to taper to zero over 4 days as I have done this before.

I have not enjoyed drinking alcohol for a while now. I took to drinking alone in order to remove some of the pain of my current situation - having been 'asked to leave' by my lovely family.

I am not prepared to turn up drunk to my AA group, doctor or councillor hence rapid but safe action is needed.

ZZworldontheweb

I personally would think that stopping entirely with the aid of some kind of anti-anxiety prescription from your doctor would be a better plan. Seems easier to control.

CarolD

Never tried this ....hope this will work out to your benefit ..

CarolD

Please remember before posting....
we are not allowed to give specific advice on medications

What your doctor gave you may well be harmful to others.

I have removed replies that did so.

Thanks for respecting our SR posting rules

Sally1009

I have tried tapering off in the past. But as time went on it got harder, and more recently, impossible. Personally I needed help from a doctor, who gave me a short course of medication to protect against seizures.
I think it's always best to see a doctor about this.
Good luck - you can beat this.