ScottFromWI

Hope you can make that call OldTomato, don't listen to that voice in your head trying to tell you otherwise..it's your addiction rearing it's ugly head - nothing more. Glad to hear you were able to stay sober. Perhaps you could ask for a few minutes personal time to make the call tomorrow? If your manager is fully aware of your situation as you mentioned previously, I would think that she'd be more than willing to allow you a few minutes to make the call.

Justincredible

Welcome to SR.

Some great advice here that I agree with. The Dr. should help and I'm sure your manager will be very supportive along with SR to get you started on the road to recovery!

enfinthechange

How did u get on??? Hope it was OK. ... thinking of you ...

PennyLane76

Old Tomato... Doing this on your own can be dangerous. Make time to call the dr., you can if you want to. Your life may depend on that call, to detox safely and give yourself a way to a better life.

OldTomato

I haven't done it yet enfinthechange, but I'm going to give tomorrow morning a shot.

I need to just book the appointment and not think about it too much, otherwise I'll just keep talking myself out of it and nothing will change. I'm so grateful to you guys for all your support, I need to remember all of this tomorrow morning!

freecoffee

Yeah most doctors will drop a script for benzos so you can withdraw at home, but are probably gonna give you a crapload of papers/docs on support groups and followups, and most likely suggest you see a psychiatrist or therapist. The only incidence they wouldn't prescribe you anything was if you were in serious danger of seizures or legit DT's, but most benzos they prescribe deal with that, and they'll probably want to follow up with you on a day to day basis. I've used even weaker benzos like Klonopin in the past before with success.

E: in the event they refuse to give you benzos, you could try a taper - I used vodka, because I hate it the most out of all alcohols, and just measured it out in an airplane bottle since that's one standard drink (ie. like basically a beer) and tapered off slowly and carefully, like one per hour the first day, one per every hour and a half or two hours, the second, etc. I never got drunk, and only drank when the shakes and shivers got too bad.

OldTomato

I did! I have an appointment for next Tuesday, I kept hanging up the phone while I was waiting in the queue but I finally pushed myself to stay on the line.

If the doctor is no help then I really hope I can push myself to try freecoffee's tapering suggestion, and to seek out support groups on my own!

SoberinSyracuse

Most doctors treat alcoholism as a medical issue and take it very seriously. Tell the doc about the withdrawals you have when you stop drinking. They can help reduce that, which will improve your chances of success.

Trust me; you want to beat this now. It only gets worse with time.

ScottFromWI

Great news, good for you OT! Be very honest about your drinking habits and intentions. There is nothing you can say that they haven't heard before either, and it's all confidential so just let it out.

Luna1231

You are going in the right direction. Good luck to you

It is good that you are realising this early and changing your life for the better.

freecoffee

If you have to taper pick your least favorite drink and use that, and remember - it's medicine, not fun. As I said, I did straight vodka since it tastes absolutely disgusting to me. Here's this, though it might be a bit (like a really small amount) off for the hard stuff depending on if you go that route - either way, good luck. You'll pull through. tapering takes a hell of a lot of willpower, but use something you don't like at all:

What Is A Standard Drink? | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Dee74

Picking my least favourite drink didn't work for me at all, I'm afraid.

I hope the Drs goes well OT.

D

ALinNS

Very happy to hear you have an appointment!!!

bounced

I had a full medical check up in the early days of sobriety and they didn't find anything wrong with me so I decided it was OK to carry on drinking. So please be aware that going to see a Dr is not about making sure you are still OK because you evidently aren't. None of us are OK when we are drinking that much.

I did manage to quit eventually, with the help of a counsellor, but I didn't go to see a Dr again until I was 2 years sober. When I did, I couldn't believe how understanding and knowledgeable he was. He has prescribed me some anti-depressants which are working REALLY well for me. I just wish I had gone to see a Dr much, much earlier.

The thing to realise for me when I quit was that "not drinking" simply is not the answer. We all self medicate with alcohol to try and treat other underlying issues. These can vary widely and you will definitely need help from a Dr and possibly a counsellor to help you get to the root cause of why you have been wanting to blot out normal enjoyment of life. The physical addiction is just a minor part in all this.

Well done on making that call. Realising that you need help is a big step. Congratulations!

v0da12

What i am posting is unrelated but i can't help but wonder how some people drink way more like a person i know drinks 700ml a night and has no physical W/D nor a hard time staying sober for a week or two and then there is people like you who get a full blown alcoholism by drinking 330ml a day for only 1 year... Strange things man.

PS. And those stories about people getting liver failure at 25 are plain scary or hepatatis C at 21...

Dropsie

Welcome and good luck.

OldTomato

So I went to the doctor, he was kind and understanding and told me that he hears this kind of thing a lot. I've had a blood test to check that I haven't done any damage, mainly to my liver.

He also gave me a phone number for a self referral organisation, which I managed to call. I'll be hearing back from them in the next few days to go in for an assessment and from that we can figure out what the best treatment plan for me is. They told me that I'll most likely be detoxing as I have a physical dependency on alcohol, and I'm not allowed to quit or even cut down until I see them as it could be dangerous.

I feel like I'm in limbo right now, I'm not allowed to stop drinking just yet and I'm just waiting for them to get back to me. But I know that it'll all come around sooner than I think and I'll be able to have a life again.

I just wanted to post that little update in case anyone was in a similar situation to where I was. I was completely honest with my doctor and I'm getting the help I need, I'm glad I'm sorting this out early and I'm looking forward to actually living my life. There are so many possibilities if I'm not drunk/recovering from drinking all the time!!

ScottFromWI

That's great to hear, thanks for the update OldTomato. Waiting is never any fun, but it sounds like you'll be getting the help you need soon, and it will be worth the wait. Don't forget SR is always here if you need to share or need some extra support.

Change4good

I imagine this must be absolute hell when you feel so ill, and clearly want to be done with it.

Admittedly this is my personal frustration with medical services. . .if professionals realize you are killing yourself, why would they allow you to prolong it? Is it possible to go to the ER (or what I believe is A&E in the UK), and tell them you are vomiting, shaking, surely dehydrated, and have them treat you straight away?

Others may disagree with me, but it sounds like this might be a good option. You said you are getting so drunk you are unable to walk (not judging, just commenting.) In the US, you would be considered a threat to yourself and others, thus mandating treatment.

Stepping off soapbox. I am wishing good things for you, and am proud that you are taking great steps. Keep at it, and be your own best advocate.

Change4good

Also want to add. . .please take good care of yourself at all costs. Lots of water, nourishing food, sleep as best you can. Etc. You know the drill.