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Old 02-28-2016, 11:21 AM
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anxiety about withdrawal

hey everyone well i have to a realization i need to quit drinking
ive been a daily drinker for around a yr and a half
which ironic enough is when my anxiety levels became an all time high
although i am prone to anxiety

my daily consumption is about 4 standard drinks/ beers budli**t nightly or i should say before bed

what are the odds of exp severe WD if i go cold turkey? i do have a benzo i got from my doc for anxiety one of the longer lasting ones
i tried to taper i have successfully got down to 2 beers a night but i always end up going back to 4
the anxiety of having a seizure etc is horrendous
4 standard beers is just enough to get me sleepy and help me stay asleep

can my drinking be causing these anxiety spikes?

any help would be appreciated as a detox is not an answer and i really want to quit drinking
it no longer bring me happiness and recently my father who also was (no longer drinking now) an alcoholic got some sad news
which is really motivating me now to quit drinking
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Old 02-28-2016, 11:36 AM
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Alcohol is a great cause of anxiety for many people, it makes things seem much worse than they are except when you're actively buzzed. I'd talk to a doctor if you're worried about withdrawal, but in my personal experience you have to be pretty pickled to get severe symptoms, and I doubt you'll experience much at 2-4 drinks a day. The usual medical assist for withdrawal is a very limited supply of benzos like Librium, to help you through the first few days.
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Old 02-28-2016, 11:43 AM
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Originally Posted by JeffreyAK View Post
Alcohol is a great cause of anxiety for many people, it makes things seem much worse than they are except when you're actively buzzed. I'd talk to a doctor if you're worried about withdrawal, but in my personal experience you have to be pretty pickled to get severe symptoms, and I doubt you'll experience much at 2-4 drinks a day. The usual medical assist for withdrawal is a very limited supply of benzos like Librium, to help you through the first few days.
i do have an active prescription of klonopin and a months supply ativan that i got before i got dropped from my insurance and had to go to a new doc where is when i got my klonopin prescription

is it plausible that i am exp mini WD everyday and no longer a hangover?
as soon as i take medication or drink a beer my anxiety goes away and given that both alcohol and benzo affect the gaba receptors leads me to believe what i am exp is alcohol use related or am i wrong?
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:03 PM
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Drinking made my anxiety a lot worse. The day after drinking, I'd wake up in a panic and consumed by anxiety.

When I detoxed medically, they gave me Ativan to soothe the w/d anxiety and help prevent seizures.

I hope you can detox safely and get sober for good.
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by least View Post
Drinking made my anxiety a lot worse. The day after drinking, I'd wake up in a panic and consumed by anxiety.

When I detoxed medically, they gave me Ativan to soothe the w/d anxiety and help prevent seizures.

I hope you can detox safely and get sober for good.
thank you i plan on being sober cant take anymore of these anxiety levels
even if alcohol consumption isnt the culprit i can then start a anti depressant if needed which i cant right nowbecause a lot of those interact with alcohol

yes i have read a bit i do have a good vitamin b12 with folic acid in it and benzos to help
but i guess i did the worst thing you can do and googled and came across the possible seizures

why i want to know if my daily intake is enough to cause that

s far as everything else i endure that on a daily basis im sure i can push through it
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by deos68 View Post
but i guess i did the worst thing you can do and googled and came across the possible seizures

why i want to know if my daily intake is enough to cause that
Yep, googling symptoms is a bad idea. You can diagnose ( or undiagnose ) yourself with just about anything.

Regarding your intake, we really can't answer that for you. Since you've already been prescribed multiple meds, your best bet would be to talk with the doctor who prescribed them. Be honest about your drinking and that you need to quit.
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by ScottFromWI View Post
Yep, googling symptoms is a bad idea. You can diagnose ( or undiagnose ) yourself with just about anything.

Regarding your intake, we really can't answer that for you. Since you've already been prescribed multiple meds, your best bet would be to talk with the doctor who prescribed them. Be honest about your drinking and that you need to quit.
talking to my doc isnt a option as it stays on my history and medical insurance has a strict policy against drug and alcohol abuse i cant afford to lose this insurance ...and yes they do check
as i have other health issues that without my insurance i would have to pay over 1000 a month for treatment out of pocket

i mean other than extreme anxiety i dont feel much else i went a full 24 hrs once and nothing else happen no stomach cramps, no shaky hands well i mean no other typical alcohol WD symptoms

another thing i was reading about vitamin depletion
that alcohol wrecks havoc regarding vitamins
i find when i take my daily vitamin mix i feel tons better and when i dont take it i feel like crap
prob go get my vitamin levels tested
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Old 02-28-2016, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by deos68 View Post
...i went a full 24 hrs once and nothing else happen no stomach cramps, no shaky hands well i mean no other typical alcohol WD symptoms...
There ya go, just quit and get it over with. Without the alcohol, any meds you might be taking will have a chance to work, too. We can really psyche ourselves out of quitting for all kinds of reasons, but there really aren't any good reasons, or issues that can't be managed.
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Old 02-28-2016, 01:22 PM
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Originally Posted by JeffreyAK View Post
There ya go, just quit and get it over with. Without the alcohol, any meds you might be taking will have a chance to work, too. We can really psyche ourselves out of quitting for all kinds of reasons, but there really aren't any good reasons, or issues that can't be managed.
well i guess i go a full 22 hrs everyday i usually start drinking around 7pm everyday never earlier and stop at around 9pm and fall asleep then back at it again at around 7 pm

guess thats all im doing is psyching myself out but fear of having a seizure is strong

what is the usual time frame for WD 3 days?
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Old 02-28-2016, 01:52 PM
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WD can be different for everyone. I'd say my withdrawels went on for a year at least at varrying degrees. I guess the whole chemical aspect couldnt have been more hen a few days but mentally i was a friggen mess and my body was incredibly out of wack. I also drank considerably more then 4 a night and for a lot longer time tho. I also was a heavy smoker and obese so i had that fun going for me too.

I tapered over the course of a few days then realized the fun was over and crossed my fingers and didnt drink again.

I'm glad i didnt go to a doc I'm afraid i wolda been addicted to benzos or something else personally. But I also think it might have made my life a heck of a lot easier too I was also playing with fire DT's are no joke and quiting booze can kill you.

I had to quit because the panic attacks all day long where awful. My anxiety was terrible unless i was drunk like really drunk then my anxiety wasnt too bad. Basicly i went through horrible WD every day and just drank my brains out to try and keep myself calm. I just couldnt do it anymore.

I'm also prone to anxiety too etc.. that was worse far far worse for me after i quit but the panic calmed down pretty fast. In time it all eases up tho.
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Old 02-29-2016, 02:22 AM
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My withdrawals were bad the day after......while driving to work was the worst....so yeah, definitely the alcohol.....You may need medical help and meds to help ease the symptoms....everybody's different.

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Old 02-29-2016, 05:42 AM
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So I ask about tapering
As much as I wanted that extra beer last night I resisted
That means I drank 3 beers so today i drink 2 then tomorrow 1 then nothing .... Will that schedule ease the WD
Also read an an article stating its all about genetics that will determine the intensity of the WD?
I read that it's worse if you don't taper and quit cold turkey that reportedly that's where the PAWS comes into play the worst as opposed to tapering
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Old 02-29-2016, 05:45 AM
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I"d imagine by tapering your easing your pain to some degree how much? who knows.

I dont want to lie to you or sugar coat it. It can be tough to put down the booze etc.. no matter how you slice it. Your best bet? get some support even if all you do is post here etc...

I went it alone the first year it was so stinking hard. I should have asked for help etc..
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Old 02-29-2016, 05:48 AM
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And yes after talking to all of you
Well in the grand scheme of things
me continuing to drink because of my anxiety about WD is pure ignorance on my part and I am only prolonging the inevitable
Gonna take action soon
Maybe report my status on how I am doing

Thank you all who replied
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Old 02-29-2016, 05:55 AM
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Originally Posted by zjw View Post
I"d imagine by tapering your easing your pain to some degree how much? who knows.

I dont want to lie to you or sugar coat it. It can be tough to put down the booze etc.. no matter how you slice it. Your best bet? get some support even if all you do is post here etc...

I went it alone the first year it was so stinking hard. I should have asked for help etc..
Well for what it is I no longer enjoy drinking
I only drink because of my fear of WD
I actually feel ashamed that I have to go to different stores everyday so to hide the fact I'm an alcoholic
And well if beer is the cause to my intense anxiety levels I'll be more than happy to leave that sh** behind for good
Nothing is worth me enduring the crazy anxiety and panic attacks on a daily
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Old 02-29-2016, 06:12 AM
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deos yes i shopped many stores too. I had a rotation and its not easy if i'm doing liquor because around here those stores have some strange hours and can be a considerable distance from each other but I'd still drive pretty far if it meant not showing face to often in the same place. I alwys figured if i got asked i'd say a bunch of people came over drnak me out of house and home i had a story lined up.

My anxiety and panic was terrible. I always had anxiety but in the end with drinking it was killer. The panic is what did me in however. At first i quit smoking for a month or so thinking maybe that was it. Then I read how alcohol could cause it. I felt tht was BS and didnt wanna give up my drinking. But I went back to smoking and figured I'd try quiting booze and if it didnt work I'd just go back to drinking and try something else.

Panic for me calmed down pretty fast thankfully. I went from multiple panic attacks a day to like once a week or so then to less and less. anxiety however canked up big time and stayed there for 7 months or so. One day it just started to ease off thankfully. Tho i still suffer from anxiety even today at 4.5 years sober.

I guess one thing I got going for me that i didnt have then was I've learned a ton of things to help calm me down and keep my anxiety at bay etc... So when it does flair up I'm not always wishing I could just go drink or something. I"m able to calm down etc..

Time is really the best cure to it all tho. Everyones journey seems to be a bit different but in time we all do much better once we sober up.
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Old 02-29-2016, 06:18 AM
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Yeah I don't really know how bad the withdrawals will be coming off of 4 drinks a day. I was up to 16-18 drinks per day when I quit. And I needed hospitalization due to DTs, hallucinations and seizures.
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Old 02-29-2016, 06:22 AM
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Originally Posted by deos68 View Post
Nothing is worth me enduring the crazy anxiety and panic attacks on a daily
I hear you, that's where I was when I quit drinking as well.

I hope you can find the will to seek help and quit. Tapering mostly just prolongs the inevitable, and self-medicating is dangerous. Perhaps you could go to an AA meeting if you won't see a doctor?
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Old 02-29-2016, 06:24 AM
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when i tapered I think it was at about 3 or 4 a day that I just said screw it and quit if i couldnt get drunk i felt no point in drinking figured I might as well get this hell over with etc...

That might not be a bad thing if you find yourself at that point on your taper where you think whats the use this stuffs just gonna make me feel terrible anyhow and if i cant have fun whats the point anymore.
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Old 02-29-2016, 08:35 AM
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Anyone ever had reverse tolerance ?
For a long time I was drinking 6 to 8 beers nightly 6 would be the buzzing phase and 8 would be I couldn't tell apart my own my elbow from as*

Then little by little 7 beers Then 6 then 5 and now 4 is my hammered phase
And 3 is my buzzing

I got my liver and other organs checked and everything is fine

No weight changes same eating habit
I thought that was a bit strange
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