37 days sober...and some thoughts on ways to quit
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 8
37 days sober...and some thoughts on ways to quit
Back again...I had posted earlier about 40 days ago about my confusion on what path to follow to quit drinking...from cold turkey, to AA, to the Sinclair Method...
I tried going cold turkey at home twice but the shakes were so bad that I couldn't. Went to my doctor who prescribed Librium...came back home and found I may be substituting one drug for another (or worse, getting hooked on two drugs!). I tried Naltrexone, the Sinclair Method, but finally decided I did not want to depend on yet more chemicals in my life.
After a really bad binge, I checked myself in to a rehab center, initially intending to simply detox and come home. But after a couple of days there, I decided to stay for their residential program for 4 weeks. They gave me Valium and phenobarbital the first two days, then once the shakes were manageable, cut me off and kept me on vitamins mainly.
Once I was out of detox (4 days), I stayed for their residential rehab program (AA 12 steps along with a ton of other classes and discussions learning about alcoholism and addictions, tools to stay sober). In retrospect, it was a really good decision (one of the few in my life!). Being in the company of other recovering alcoholics and addicts, supportive of each other, in a safe cocoon for a few weeks were extremely helpful in giving me courage and hope. Even more, once I read the Big Book, I really wanted that way of life, not just quitting alcohol. Yeah, I could have gone the Sinclair Method, but that wouldn't have changed my thinking or addressed the deeper issues within me.
The 12 step program is helping me immensely in changing myself for the better, overcoming my fears, resentments, self-pity, and learning to live life differently, on life's terms, not frustrating myself by trying to make everything go MY way.
For anyone who is thinking about how to quit, I would suggest the following:
- Get medical help detoxing. It can be fatal going cold turkey. From my usual BP of 105/75, I was registering 160/115 after 24 hours, dangerously close to heart attacks and strokes.
- Don't detox at home alone if you can avoid it. You need someone to cut you off from the benzos in a timely manner.
- Read the AA Big Book before you decide if the AA program is right for you or you want to try some other method to quit. Coming from other alcoholics, it resonated strongly with me - it is fascinating reading IMO.
- Don't delude yourself that you can go back to social/moderate drinking. If you are an alcoholic, there is NO safe drinking. As I can attest from the number of relapsed patients I saw at the rehab center.
Just some thoughts that I hope will help others who, like me, are trying to escape the bondage of alcoholism.
I tried going cold turkey at home twice but the shakes were so bad that I couldn't. Went to my doctor who prescribed Librium...came back home and found I may be substituting one drug for another (or worse, getting hooked on two drugs!). I tried Naltrexone, the Sinclair Method, but finally decided I did not want to depend on yet more chemicals in my life.
After a really bad binge, I checked myself in to a rehab center, initially intending to simply detox and come home. But after a couple of days there, I decided to stay for their residential program for 4 weeks. They gave me Valium and phenobarbital the first two days, then once the shakes were manageable, cut me off and kept me on vitamins mainly.
Once I was out of detox (4 days), I stayed for their residential rehab program (AA 12 steps along with a ton of other classes and discussions learning about alcoholism and addictions, tools to stay sober). In retrospect, it was a really good decision (one of the few in my life!). Being in the company of other recovering alcoholics and addicts, supportive of each other, in a safe cocoon for a few weeks were extremely helpful in giving me courage and hope. Even more, once I read the Big Book, I really wanted that way of life, not just quitting alcohol. Yeah, I could have gone the Sinclair Method, but that wouldn't have changed my thinking or addressed the deeper issues within me.
The 12 step program is helping me immensely in changing myself for the better, overcoming my fears, resentments, self-pity, and learning to live life differently, on life's terms, not frustrating myself by trying to make everything go MY way.
For anyone who is thinking about how to quit, I would suggest the following:
- Get medical help detoxing. It can be fatal going cold turkey. From my usual BP of 105/75, I was registering 160/115 after 24 hours, dangerously close to heart attacks and strokes.
- Don't detox at home alone if you can avoid it. You need someone to cut you off from the benzos in a timely manner.
- Read the AA Big Book before you decide if the AA program is right for you or you want to try some other method to quit. Coming from other alcoholics, it resonated strongly with me - it is fascinating reading IMO.
- Don't delude yourself that you can go back to social/moderate drinking. If you are an alcoholic, there is NO safe drinking. As I can attest from the number of relapsed patients I saw at the rehab center.
Just some thoughts that I hope will help others who, like me, are trying to escape the bondage of alcoholism.
Self recovered Self discovered
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 5,148
I recommend that everyone read the BB too, it was the first thing I did when I decided to quit drinking. It certainly was an eye opener for me as well.
A list of ways to quit drinking that includes only CT, AA and the Sinclair method needs some serious updating. There are many more choices than these.
A list of ways to quit drinking that includes only CT, AA and the Sinclair method needs some serious updating. There are many more choices than these.
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