Do I need to worry about DTs? Help appreciated
 

Hi everyone. I very recently realized that I'm most likely an alcoholic and I have a sincere desire to stop drinking.

I went through a painful breakup and coped by drinking pretty much every single day for three weeks. I drank about 5-7 drinks per day and my last drink was almost 24 hours ago. Was I drinking enough / long enough to have to worry about serious withdrawal symptoms?

I already feel quite shakey and I haven't been able to sleep at all. Should I try to taper off over a few days? Was I drinking enough to consider professionally detoxing? Any advice is appreciated.

I would STRONGLY suggest you see a doctor asap. W/D can be dangerous. Supervised medical planning is a must.

Hi Issac

The best advice for anyone worried about withdrawal is to get checked out by a Dr.

I know you'd like some kind of guarantee...but we just can;t give that to you, or anybody...

none of us are Drs and even if we were, none of us know your clinical history or vital signs.

D

Welcome to SR Isaac, hope you are doing OK. As the folks above mention it's better to be safe than sorry during a detox. The symptoms you are having could be related to physical withdrawal, or even anxiety/panic that is also common during this time. But having a professional medical opinion is always best if you have access to it. You could also ask at that time if they recommend a supervised detox or not. Hope you are feeling better soon and congrats on your decision to quit. Withdrawals are no fun but they are only temporary.

I say see the doc.
You talk about a taper, but that might not be necessary and the doc can put your mind at ease.
You've made a huge decision and should be proud.

Stick around here and tell us how you get on.
You'll find lots of support here.

Welcome to the site. Withdrawal is different for everyone, though severe symptoms luckily are rare.
You can taper down over a few days, or if you do go cold turkey, try to have someone there with you and/or keep your phone next to you in case things do get bad.

Almost one week sober
 

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for all of the replies. Here's a little update since my last post:

The withdrawal was torture but I saw a doctor and made it through without tapering or detoxing. I'm now coming up on 7 days without a drink. The cravings are still there but they're becoming weaker with each day.

To those of you who have been sober for a while: does the craving ever subside? When life hits you with something hard--like a breakup or some sort of other crisis--how do you cope without alcohol?

Apart from drinking for emotional reasons, the idea of never having a drink again is daunting. I'm in my early 20s and a huge part of my social life revolves around drinking.

For now, taking it one day at a time.

For me it is all about mindset. If you leave drinking in the future as an option you will drink again and go back to the same patterns eventually.

I tried and tried to moderate to no avail. Once you make up your mind that you are done period and drinking is not an option then you plan your life moving forward without alcohol in it. That may sound small but it was big for me.

Congratulations, IsaacT!

Yes, the cravings subside.

You can learn much more effective ways to cope with a crisis -- you can develop the ability to talk through sadness and fears without being drunk, to overcome anxiety through exercise and meditation, to stop running away from emotional challenge. People on these forums can help you learn new coping skills, once drinking is off the table as an option.