DeepSouth101

I finally came clean about my 20 years history of 3-4 times a week beer binges. My blood pressure was sky high today and I am an physically fit 36 year old guy who eats 3 wholesome meals a day. The Doctor was quite alarmed at my BP numbers. I told him that I knew that I need to quit drinking but didn't think I was nearly at the point of needing to go to a detox center, I told him I would rather try to quit on my own. He prescribed me a low dose Benzo drug to help with any unpleasant withdrawals, specifically the anxiety. More bloodwork and tests will be forthcoming in effort to determine if any permanent damage has been done to my body.

I can't seem to fathom having to give up beer which been a good friend of mine for many years. But if mass consumption of the liquid bread has caused my BP problem then I will most certainly need to give it up for good. I'm a new poster here and would appreciate any advice that could be given. Thanks.

Holds1325

To be honest I wouldnt have done it cold turkey. Then again I'm not a doctor and cant really give that type of advice.

I would be very careful trying to detox at home and if necessary keep in touch with your doctor regularly, reporting anything you arent comfortable with, dont hesitate to go to the ER etc.

Other then that, glad you are wanting to sober up! My BP was sky high for a long time while drinking and it eventually evened out a bit after a couple months of sobering up however, everyones different so good luck and stick to it!

least

Welcome! It's good that you're getting sober. There are so many benefits to living sober. My favorite is waking up feeling good every day.

It's good your doctor prescribed something to help you thru the first few days. What is your plan for staying sober once you've detoxed? Have you considered AA? There are other recovery programs out there too, if AA isn't a good fit for you.

I hope the support here can help you get sober for good.

MariahGayle

Glad you are here DS & that you came clean with your Doctor! That is a great step that takes some courage. Your life & health will only improve by removing the alcohol. Alcoholism is progressive, so making this change now will be to your benefit.

DeepSouth101

Coming clean to my Dr. was very difficult in that I am terribly afraid of admitting to this great weakness and character flaw on my part..

DeepSouth101

I'm not sure I have many options for remaining sober after the initial detox period. I live in a remote, rural area and nearest AA meetings are quite some distance away. I supposed I could turn into a complete workaholic, as I am already inclined toward that, so that there is little to no idle time available for drinking.

tokattes

Congratulations on coming clean with a doctor. That's a huge hurdle. If you are up for it I'd be interested to hear more how the experience of coming out to your doctor was for you and how you felt your doctor reacted to it.

Dee74

Hi Deep South

I don't think any of us could imagine giving up beer - and quite a few of us, me included, had the decision made for us by our health.

I'm glad tho - not drinking has given me the chance to live the life I want and for me to be the guy I want to be.

When I look at it like that, giving up alcohol is nothing really

I hope you'll come to feel the same

D

DeepSouth101

For the past couple of weeks I came to the realization that my drinking was absolutely out of control and that I was headed in a bad direction with my health, relationships and finances. I had never hit rock bottom. I have always held down a decent job. I was well aware that as my addiction progressed all those negative consequences would be forthcoming, As I entered the doctors office this morning I was overcome with severe anxiety. I am afraid of being perceived as a weak willed person, by a Doctor or anyone else. The doctor asked me how things were going and I right off the bat I said that I believed I was using far more alcohol than what would be considered moderate drinking. He asked a bit about me previous drinking habits and then took my blood pressure, which was extremely high. I told him I didn't think I needed to go to an inpatient detox center and would prefer to quit on my own. He prescribed me some Klonopin to help ease the withdrawls and asked to have me come back for a follow up appt. in one month. Blood work is being scheduled to be done to detect any major problems. Overall, the Doctor seems very helpful and willing to listen to my concerns. I'm sure they quite often see patients with alcohol abuse issues.

Zebra1275

I was about your age when a Dr. appointment found my blood pressure to be very high. The Dr. couldn't understand such a high reading. He though that the BP machine might be broken so he had me go to another room to get another reading. Eventually, I was prescribed medication and after some trial and error with the type of medication and dosage level my BP was brought down into the normal range.

That was the good news.

The bad news was that since I now had normal blood pressure, I could continue to drink like a pig. I did that for another 10 years.

Thankfully I'm now sober and have been for several years. My BP is normal (although I still take medication) and I'm in very good health. I'm lucky.

Hevyn

DeepSouth - it's so good to have you with us. I once felt the same about losing 'my friend', so I did nothing to change my habits. Years later, I found myself completely dependent on it & drinking every day. The damage done to my life & health need never have happened. You're wise to be taking charge now.

FLCamper

Telling my Dr. was a relief for me. He holds me accountable and congratulates me whenever I'm in his office. I guess he sees a lot of people not sobering up so I'm a victory for him.

It is hard to think of giving up beer. Until you do and realize how much better you feel. And how much easier life is with out the stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, relationship problems, expense etc. that beer was causing!

You made a comment about not hitting bottom and always holding down a job. For me, hitting bottom did not involve a life changing event like losing a job, getting a DUI, crashing my car. My "bottom" was more of a realization that alcohol was causing a lot of problems and messing up my life in lots of different ways and I needed to change.

BBQBOY

Hi Deep South,
You don't have a weakness nor lack of character......you have a disease!!
I know I have a disease and I treat it accordingly. I do consider myself to be strong with much character.....it is only after I have that first drink that it all changes. I don't process alcohol like normal people...it has nothing to do with character or willpower!! I try like heck to stay away from that 1st drink! Best Wishes..

120degrees0ut

HI DeepSouth101! I was thinking same thing above member wrote! Youre not weak-willed..quite the opposite! If anything..i think alcohol makes a person weak, literally and figuratively! Plus does damage to the body. Dr. noticed my high bp too. also i have liver damage from hard core drinking and id go on long binges and not eat for days. I hope all your tests come out good for ya. To me this great forum reminds me of going to AA meetings. U will find alot of support w/ the knowledgable members here. i know their comments in threads ive written here have really helped me! Good Luck w/ everything DeepSouth101

DeepSouth101

Its nearly unbearable to think of completely giving up beer forever, as it has been a major part of my life since age 12 or so. I guess the physical and psychological addiction to alcohol I am confronted with is the reason for my massive compulsion to drink. I have researched AA and plan to attend my first meeting this Sunday. I know I won't be able to beat this thing on my own without the support of others that understand. I have another Dr's. appt a month from now to follow up on my self commited abstinence from alcohol.