jo3nkitty

oh, and not to take over this thread or anything, but it's on-topic: today, day four, is much much better than day three was. still haven't slept, but mood is way less black, brain working better. it does pass.

babycat

So true, But scarier. I wish I knew of a doctor who was not an ******* in my area. I finally did see a doc in Feb, who was just mean and lecturing and telling me all the things that I was already freaked out to begin with. I was shaking so bad and crying when I left. But hey! Got some adivan.....

jo3nkitty

good point, my doctor is amazing. still, seeing someone who could help is maybe better than shivering and sweating alone in bed all day/night hating yourself (speaking from experience).

babycat

Truth. Just wish I knew how to find one. That experience truly scared me.

Dee74

There are a lot of free or low cost clinics around the US - if there's one in your local area anyone might get some medical advice there?

Free/Low-Cost/Sliding-Scale Clinics
2-1-1 Call Center Search

D

fishchicken

Although I have been a heavy binge drinker in the past, I have been much more restrained in recent years. However I went on a holiday last week and drank nearly constantly for 5 days, strong spirits, and ate nearly no food.

I returned and have the worst alcohol withdrawal I have ever experienced. I have been so lacking in energy, in some pain, and not able to face the outside world (or work) for 3 days now. At night I have been waking up literally drenched in sweat, feeling hot and cold, I have had some crazy dreams and not having sold sleep, waking every hour or so. During the day I have felt terrible too, very tired, and all my muscles feel dull and lifeless. I still cannot eat proper meals, but I have been able to eat some protein shakes, and fruit.

This thread has been very useful to me to know that others have experienced the same, and that it will pass, I was getting a bit worried.

I have found drinking lots of fruit juices and eating fruit, along with lots of water all day is beginning to help, hopefully tomorrow I can face the world again.

I think it's time to stop binge-drinking, for those of you who have een successful with your drinking goals, well done

GwenCummings

I am on day 16. I had terrible sweats which I put down to the hot weather and terrible itching ( an allergy!) and I saw dancing lights on the walls ( over tiredness). Now I am able to say to all of you that I had alcohol withdrawal. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. My doctor gave me Librium and all the symptoms stopped.

TDInstall

Extreme sweating whilst sleeping, savage itching especially lower legs, waves of super-strong paranoia, liver ache, exhaustion both physical and mental, wild mood swings, brutal nightmares, etc, etc. I had them all. For months.

Over most of it now, bar some lingering depression, which is easing off.

Horrific drug, alcohol. You are not alone in your withdrawals.

Like2Hike

I'm coming up on 7 months since quitting alcohol with most areas of life infinitely better. i didn't have nightsweats but my dreams are so more vivid and frequent now. This was noticed after the first month and it hasn't changed. I take it as a good sign that the brain is healing and normal sleep is being restored.

"Alcohol is a horrific drug"...well said, TDI. So true.

TDInstall

Yeah, I thought it would get better in about a month. Completely wrong. I can feel in my soul that this is going to take years.

I am over the initial recovery now, which due to the severity of what I put myself through, I now need several months of complete rest to get over!

People talk a lot about withdrawals and recovery - they seem to miss the part about these two things being utterly exhausting. We also have to recover from the recovery.

Like2Hike

I had a profound period of exhaustion months 3-5. It was bad enough for a trip to my GP. After a bunch of tests (blood, chest x-ray, etc.,) she said I was in very good health and to keep doing what I was doing (healthy diet/exercise). A few weeks ago the energy started coming back and is far better than the rollercoaster drinking years. Don't be too hard on yourself because it will get better without alcohol.

TDInstall

Oh I am fully aware of the transitional nature of the symptoms - just grim how long they last for.

nomis

I guess I was more of a binge drinker. Weekends go hard. Take Sunday and Monday off usually with a couple of drinks the rest of the weeknights. I would sweat some on Sunday and then profusely on Monday night. But generally I just sweat a lot at night when I was drinking. The sweats stopped completely I would say after about my 10th day sober. Maybe earlier, can't remember for sure.

karate

Thats what i did ,Binge drinking , ALWAYS had the anxeity after a good round of bingeing , Never knew why .

Until i did a little reading ,Then it was a revelation .

Gee ,everyone has the same symptopm (s) well ,Guess im not very smart

I had those anxeity attacks after EVERY binge drinking round ,EVERY ONE !

To Hell with that miserable foolishness .

PeachyBlue

I too am recently sober and have had night sweats the past three nights. I try sleeping with just a sheet on, but then I start getting hot, so I take the sheet off but then I'm cold. Then I'll find a way that I think I'm okay and wake up several times soaked in sweat (my legs seem to get the brunt of it for some reason) and I have to change my clothes in the middle of the night (because even sleeping naked does nothing as it seems to come from the inside and not environment, cause I've tried putting fans on, opening the window, etc.) So that is why I'm sure it is withdrawal and nothing I can do physically like clothes or cooling will help. I just need to ride it out. I just hope it doesn't last too much longer because I haven't had a full nights sleep in days.

kitty71

I was telling someone just the other day about how I had a towel in my bed and a fresh towel and fresh pyjamas beside the bed in very early sobriety and if I got too wet at night I'd change ...I was comparing it to early menopause...which I'm enjoying now
It does pass!! Hang in there x

pinkdog

Hi Panic, yes I sweated like crazy for about two weeks. I embraced it. I felt that it was getting toxins out of me. I also exercised in the hot sun to speed it along. And drank lots of water. For me, it was a part of the detox. Something that needed to be done. When I was drinking, I also sweated quite alot. My hands and feet were clammy. I was surprised when my hands and feet did not sweat so much. They don't sweat much anymore. Sobriety is worth the sweating time. It really is.

resolute50

My feet would freeze but the rest of my body was soaked in sweat.
I tossed and turned for 2 straight nights with no sleep.
A couple times I sweated so much there was a puddle os sweat in the indent of my throat.On the 3rd night things started to get better.

And now I sleep jusr fine every night. No more racing thoughts.

MaidenNZ

I just replied because I wanted to be the 100th response lol.

No, but seriously... I thought I had sudden onset menopause or something I was sweating so much in my sleep. I had to change the sheets daily for about a week. Not a nice feeling waking up soaked. I kept telling myself that I was detoxing and all the poison I filled myself with was being expelled.

Short term discomfort for long term health. Well worth the extra washing.

stevee

ohh man....I went for 4 nights alcohlol free....and today was just too much..So wish I was strong enough to resist...