Smckay87

I'm looking for some insight from the SR community on how much they drank, how often and long and what withdrawals you experienced. Would love to get some feedback as I am currently going through Detox.

Bunny211

I do not advise detoxing on your own. You could actually die. I detoxed in the hospital. When I was brought in my BP was 180/120 and my pulse was 155. I was hallucinating and sweating and I thought I was going to die. I had been drinking 18+ standard drinks a day for a couple of months. But I was an alcoholic for a solid 8 years....got progressively worse.

Go to the ER.

ScottFromWI

I would add that the amount that one drinks and the frequency is not always a true indicator of how bad withdrawals will be. It's also worth mentioning that subsequent withdrawals can increase in intensity, so making this your last one would be a great idea!

You mentioned in your other post that you've already been to the doctor and have been prescribed some meds to help out in your own detox, I'd highly recommend following the dr's orders regarding the meds.

In the meantime you could also start looking into a plan or resources moving forward. The meds and withdrawals themselves are only temporary - you will need to have a formal plan to stay sober too once that process is done.

August252015

I went from a handle of vodka about every 2 days (plus other drinks after work, sometimes) at the end, to quitting cold turkey on my own. I did suffer from pretty significant PAWS (see attached link for a good article on it - https://digital-dharma.net/post-acut...r-immediately/). I often say I don't really remember much of the first five weeks of being sober as I was just getting alive again; the good part about that is I didn't have to deal with thoughts of drinking, at all.

My psych for meds, my GP for help if needed, and office visits for tests of ALL kinds- my liver was on the brink of cirrhosis, for one, and things like potassium, iron, etc were low/at risk. I slept a lot, I did have vomiting and nausea, I had to start eating again, and I went through cramps and mild seizures throughout my body from thighs on down. It took awhile for my spatial abilities to stabilize. Other things like word grasp had to readjust too. I was very sick, though in hindsight a few months of healing are very short for all I put my body through.

I took Antabuse for the first 90 days, still take Campral (anti craving- I have not had a single physical craving so if that is part of why, I will take it forever) and seroquel for sleep most every night. Nightmares turned to really vivid dreams turned to "normal" stuff.

I am sure there is stuff I am leaving out .... the bottom line is that you can get well. You have to keep not drinking and keep dealing with the health stuff unique to you.

Good luck.

MattM316

Brace yourself, this is a long one....


Since I was about 18 (i'm 36 on Saturday) I drank. Not anything major, certainly more than I should but not really much more than anyone else in my social circle.

Into about my mid-twenties I found that I was drinking more. Often drinking more before I went out than anyone drank whilst we were out, yet I was almost always the most sober one, or at least the most sober acting one.
So in this period I was drinking too much but it wasn't having a big effect on my life or my worklife.

Towards the end of my 20's I started hitting spirits hard. For various reasons I think, including my Mum being ill, various girlfriend stresses etc.
When I was about 28/29 it started hitting me harder. I found that I was having to drink in the morning just to get through the day and get rid of the shakes.
It made me feel less anxious, calmer and strangely more motivated.
9 times out of 10 it worked, but soon that 1 time out of 10 became 2 times out of 10 and then 3 times out of 10 when I just couldn't function.

A couple of days after my 30th I had my first seizure.
Leading up to this my withdrawals were getting bad. I couldn't sleep, I was shaky and was hallucinating at night. That's when I first started reading up on and found out about the dangers of alcohol withdrawal.
Was in my parents living room thankfully. Was taken to hospital and had two more seizures in there.
The next day the doctors asked how I felt, I said 'I feel ok but my arm hurts a bit'.
Next day my arm had gone purple and I couldn't touch my nose with my finger.
An x-ray and MRI scan later and it turned out I'd suffered a rare and very bad fracture to my shoulder.
Had to have an urgent operation to put a metal plate and bolts in.

About 8 months later I had another operation to take them out because the plate had slipped and was rubbing on the bone.
About a year and a half ago I had a third operation to put in a full replacement shoulder joint.
(*** I have pictures of the x-rays of when the plate was in and what it looks like now with the replacement shoulder, so if anyone is curious PM me" ***)

I didn't learn, even after all that.
This was my life for about a year fairly soon after - Take an early lunch at about 11am. Go to the shops, buy a bottle of vodka and a bottle of lucozade in the newsagents. Go next door to the betting shop, go in their toilet, drink some of the vodka, tip away half or 3/4 of the lucozade and fill it with vodka.
Go back to work and sip through the rest of the day.
I'd do this 3 to 4 times a week sometimes.

Eventually it caught up with me, I couldn't fake it anymore and I lost my job of 15 years.
Actually finished on good terms. Should have been gross misconduct but they paid me two months wages.

Anyway, after that it was the first time I was ever out of work.
At some point I hit the vodka again. Hard.
I woke up one day suffering very nasty withdrawals.
I decided to try the taper down method, so I walked to Asda to get a bottle of vodka which I planned to slowly drink over the coming days.
I was sweating, I was shaking, my legs were like rubber....I couldn't even physically scan the bottle I was shaking so much. So I left it.
I went home without the vodka.

Next thing I know, I wake up in bed the next day.
I go downstairs and the kitchen floor is covered in blood. It's on the floor it's on the fridge, it's over the cupboard, it looks like a murder scene.
I wonder what the hell has happened, have I been attacked?
I then notice I've bitten my tongue and the side of my cheeks so realize I've had another seizure.
I go upstairs to get some towels to clean up the blood, glance in the mirror.....I look like the Elephant Man had just been mugged.
My face is covered in blood and the left side of my face looks like I've grown a second head.
Ring parents, go to hospital, and again two more seizures in the hospital and a nosebleed that lasted about 30 minutes.

(*** I have pictures of the state I was in after the second bout of seizures but I obviously won't post them here because they are too graphic***)


So since then I've had the odd slip-up here and there which is very frustrating.
When I get withdrawals they are terrible.
So on a few occasions I've had to spend those crucial 72 hours shaking, heart racing, full of anxiety, not able to eat or sleep, just hoping that another seizure doesn't come.
After you stop drinking those next 72 hours are crucial as that is when the danger/seizures will happen. Once through that time you're ok in that respect but it doesn't get any easier.

biminiblue

I think it's part of the whole detox process to have rampant fear. That didn't subside for me for at least a couple weeks. Then it took another several months for the general anxiety to ease.

Keep reading here on this site, there is a deep well of wisdom here from addiction to mental health. Since you have meds, take them as prescribed and try to be gentle with yourself. If you were honest with your doctor, the meds will do the work of keeping you safe from the dangerous parts of withdrawal.

Smckay87

I'm on day 2 atm and I'm feeling pretty good the meds I was given from the doc have worked better then I imagined and I actually got a full 8 hours of sleep without a drop of alcohol. it has been 33 hours since my last drink.

SnazzyDresser

When I quit I was very naive about the possible dangers of withdrawals and very lucky to have had relatively mild symptoms, despite drinking 24-30 beers every day for years. I'm also lucky in not having experienced the strong cravings in sobriety that so many do.

Glad you're doing ok, Smckay.

MattM316

I was never given any meds by my GP, they didn't even mention them.

I've no idea what I was on in hospital the two times I went in due to withdrawals but I'd imagine what was being pumped into me was some form of the meds the GP should have gave me!

Upstairs

Geez Matt. I feel extremely lucky my withdrawals paled in comparison to yours. Stay clean and don't put yourself through that again!

MattM316

Well I keep the photos of my injuries on my phone to remind myself what happened. Well and showing them to people to freak them out.

SpaceMandrill

As people here said, its different for everyone, and even for the same person it differs from detox to detox.

My most current relapse was the worst yet. I'm on day 9 already, and my heart beat and blood pressure STILL won't calm down. Better than it was, though.

Basically, it was a two week bender. Round the clock drinking, around 15 or so cans of strong Polish lager, 6-7%. Vodka too, if I could get it cheap. I'd drink all day, sleep an hour or two in the night, wait sweaty and shaky in bed for the stores to open, and start again. Around half way through, I couldn't even get drunk anymore. No matter how much or how fast I chugged the beer, I'd just be stopping the WD's.

When it ended, it ended suddenly, but not unexpectedly. I've been getting wicked headaches for three or four days, and my heartrate never went below 130. On the 11 of October at about 4 am, I started having seizures. It was two hours after my last drink. Somehow, between the fits, I managed to call an ambulnce. Blood pressure 180 over 110, hr 150, o2 sat way too low. I was on my way out, basically.

Well, long story short, they stabilised and discharged me in two days with an immediate refferal to a community detox centre. Been on Librium taper since then, and I honestly think its saved my life. I still get dizzy spells, palpitations, bp spikes, you name it. At least the shakes stopped after three days. The fear never left, and It'll probably be a while before it does.

I've known people who've drank MUCH more for longer periods, and never experienced anything like I have. The moral here is, don't play with fire You cannot know how your body will react to WD's, and when it does, it might just be too late. I'm only still here because I've more luck than I deserve.

SunnyDenver

THANK YOU for this web link today about PAWS. Coincidentally I had just read another article today on hypoglycemia. I knew my system was out of whack and that eating for me every two hours was crucial, as I'm doing now. My last relapse also started after having spent all day at coffee shops and not eating enough. I'm definitely ditching the coffee. Kind of ironic that coffee is such a ritual at AA meetings...

MattM316

The weird thing about the seizures, for me anyway, is that you don't know you've had one and you don't know you're going to have one. It's not like there is a countdown and you brace yourself for it, it just hits.

ThatWasTheOldMe

Alcohol is part of a class of drugs known as sedative-hypnotics.

These types of drugs tend to enhance the effect of GABA at GABA receptors in the brain, resulting in a calm feeling and anxiolytic effects. Unfortunately, upon abrupt cessation, your entire system can "rebound" resulting in a desensitization effect. This is what you feel as withdrawal.

There is another component. Repeated withdrawal episodes cause physical changes in your nervous system and cause it to become more and more sensitive to GABA rebound. This is known as "kindling." This means that if you've ever had a withdrawal seizure or experienced alcoholic hallucinosis, you are more likely to have similar or worse withdrawal experiences.

Some symptoms of sedative-hypnotic withdrawal can be life-threatening. See a doctor or go to the ER. Going solo is not a good plan.

MattM316

I was told the fatality rate for people who have the DT's/seizures is 5 to 25%.
That shook me up a bit seeing as I've had six of them :/

And yeah the withdrawals definitely get worse after you've had the seizures.
When I've had slip-ups the withdrawals have been nasty and the worst part is knowing all you can do is just sit around for that crucial 72 hour period and hope nothing bad happens.

August252015

Glad it helped!

A few more thoughts on things people have mentioned. I, too, had temp spikes and drops (I was wearing a fleece a lot of the time into April), and sudden irritability, immediate and urgent fatigue at times (like, pull over the car and nap inside it immediate fatigue), heart palp etc on and off.

I have developed a bad caffeine habit, though I drink tons of non-caff bevs, which is one of my constant "new habits." I absolutely always have something to drink with me. I have also had an uptick in headaches, and think that is caffeine-related. I'm cutting back.

Another thing- food cravings. I still - yes, still- want sugar. Ice cream became and is still too close of a friend. I am at a fine weight though I would like to lose a few of the pounds I needed to gain, so I am not stressing about this too much and am eating an overall healthy diet. Again, learning to listen to what my body needs for fuel is key. Cutting myself slack here- for various reasons, including past eating disorder issues- has been important, mentally and physically.

Of the five things I do every morning as part of my recovery work, one is HALT. I also keep an eye out for the hungry and tired throughout the day, both consciously and not.

Recently, I have been able to go a day or two in a row without taking an anxiety med. I have learned a good bit about when I need to take one in prevention mode- I get an amped up feeling in my chest- and also about how to put other skills I have developed into practice to deal and get through a period of time when I am stressed, instead.

I am learning to read my body, and what the "normal people" kind of signs are, and not getting freaked out by them. Acceptance applies to body as well as mind stuff, and you can adjust and become comfortable in "being ok."

MattM316

One thing I've never done is taken meds.
Obviously I had them when I was in hospital because I was on a drip, but the longest period I was in hospital was four days and the only meds I got on leaving was pain medication for my shoulder.

Do meds help?
I guess so. Maybe. I've never had them, but I know 100% for sure that after the 72 hours you've had your last drink you don't need them.
Once you've broken the super dangerous 72 hours of withdrawal, everything is psychological and stops being any kind of physical depency on alcohol.

I personally will not take drugs to alter me psychologically.