Dane

Hello everyone, This is my first time posting here today. I'v been creeping around this site for a few days and I found It by looking for Information about alcohol detox and withdrawl. The reason for this post is that I'm looking for an opinion. NOT MEDICAL ADVISE! I was wondering If anybodys situation out there is similar or close to mine. I understand that everybody is different and reacts in different ways. This Is what's going on, I recently decided to try to quit drinking on the weekdays. Now I do drink on the weekends but I figured to set my goals within reach. My current weekday poison Is "Rumple Minze" 100 proof peppermint schnapps, I comsume approx. 7 to 8 airplane bottles per day.Mostly 3 after work and 4 at night. I use the airplane bottles to keep track of how much I drink. Plus there easier to hide! Also I drink gin on the weekends, but's that's aloud. Anyway, I'v been sort of "prepping my body" the last few weeks for the quit. Drinking at least 60 ounces of water day, Taking super b and c vitimans in liquid form, pills to cleanse my liver, Ect. The sort of dilemma I'm having Is that I was planning to quit the "Rumple" cold turkey, but as I was reading around, that may not be such a good Idea. Wondering If "weening off" would be better for me.Dont want to drop dead yet! I have been able to not drink for around 2 days, only having some anxiety, but not much sleep at night. I know drinking on the weekends Is not going to help much but this weekday garbage has got to stop! I'm ready! Thanks, Dane. P.S. rather not see my doctor.

smacked

If you're an alcoholic, you wont be able to taper, wean or whatever term you want to use that simply means "keep drinking instead of quitting". Your doctor should be able to supervise any withdrawal, even from afar. Some prescribe anti seizure meds to get you through the first day or two, others recommend inpatient detox, which is safest. I drank a fifth of vodka every day for a few years, quit cold turkey and other than a mild hangover, I was fine. Other people who have drank much less than that, and gone cold turkey, have died.

But anyways, it seems as though you want to remain a weekend warrior and only cut out the week day drinking? That was a fantasy of mine too. I was successful with it too, other than the fact that I obsessed all week long about when I "could" drink on the weekend finally. Sick. I also did the standard alcoholic tricks like switching to "beer only", or "drinking a glass of water between drinks". If you have to control your drinking, it already controls you.

Alcoholism is progressive, unfortunately.

SSIL75

I probably drank about that much on average. Not that drink but that much alcohol. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

I did taper a bit. My biggest trigger to drink was (ironically) a hangover. So I drank night one to get rid of my hangover and then not the second night. Or maybe I did two 3 drink nights, I can't remember. My point is anyway that I did manage to taper but I know it's not usually sucessful not to mind that it's a shot in the dark in terms of warding off withdrawals.

I do think moderation in any form is kind of a hopeless exercise but it was a step in the right direction for me. Quitting totally was very daunting to me and frankly just unattractive. I didn't want that. I wanted alcohol in my life, still. Through trial and error (and error and error and error ) I learned that I was incapable of moderation. Perhaps you will, too. It's all part of the journey.

Do stick around. You'll likely 'see' yourself in lots of our stories.

Dee74

Hi Dane

welcome to SR

The thing about the medical advice rule here is - none of us are doctors...

even if we were, none of us know you - we don't have your chart in front of us...we have no idea of your state of health, your clinical history, your drinking history, your lifestyle....

Some people detox ok - others have problems.
There's really no way for any of us to give anyone any assurances either way.

If you want to be safe, see your doctor.

I didn't want to see mine either - I'm still regretting that decision - I'm still dealing with the legacies of my last detox four years one.

I could never taper. If I could control my intake, I would never have had a problem.

D

Dime

I tried all sorts of things to control or taper down my drinking and always failed. In the end my drinking always got worse. Stopping without medical help is very dangerous and difficult. Detoxing with medical help is so much safer and immensely more comfortable why not do it the easier and safer way.

Dane

Thanks everyone for the quick feedback! once I figure out how work this site, I'll get in touch with you. Thanks. dane

artsoul

Welcome Dane - you're reaching out for some support, which is a really good thing. Very few people can quit without some kind of help. I found that there were very few times I could limit my drinks, but I did do a couple of days tapering before I finally quit. I wish you all the best. Stick around - this place is great!

least

Why not? Better to be safe than sorry, as Dee said. And I agree with Smacked: "if you have to control your drinking, it already controls you." Something to think about.

As for myself, I'm glad I gave it up completely. I don't miss it at all and am much better off without it altogether.

stanleyhouse

Hi Dane
Welcome to SR. I hope you can achieve sobriety because it is the best way to live. It is great to stop wondering if I am going to have a drink at dinner and just enjoy the meal.
SH

Demut

Hi Dane ~ only on the weekends eh? airline bottles, cutting back on weekdays ~ blah blah blah; frankly, it all sounds exhausting! Ever stop to think about how much EFFORT we put into drinking. I mean its a full-time commitment, all the planning, strategizing, scruitinizing, hiding ~ its a lot of work. I encourage you to keep reading around here and you'll begin seeing a pattern of how many, of not most, of us have "been there, done that" , all to no avail. I'm an alcoholic, which translates into - I..........cannot.............drink..............a lcoholic...............beverages. period.
God knows I have tried. From my own personal experience, as that is all I got,
I see you as having two choices:
1) stop the insanity now - entirely
2) keep playing games with yourself until you're in an unfortunate situation; financial struggle, jail, loss of job, loss of meaningful relationships, deeper loss of self-respect,
or death
Thanks for that ~ just when I thought I'd heard every AA quip! Powerful statement

Isaiah

Tapering is the old folk remedy. Prior to medical sciences taking any sort of interest in helping alcoholics (back when it was simply "sinfulness") that was how people got alcoholics sober in the safest way they could at the time. But it's archaic. There is no way to monitor your physical state, there is no way to know what a proper dosage is, and even tapered withdrawal can be very unpleasant. It'd be like trying to administer your own chemotherapy in a sense.

I would encourage a doctor, however unpleasant the idea seems. Bear in mind that he/she is legally obliged not to speak a word about your condition. So what happens in the office is between you, the doctor and maybe a nurse.

And I tried the "weekend only" method too. Didn't work for me. I think waiting for the next time to drink made me far more anxious then not drinking at all. And with all that anxiety I felt I made numerous "exceptions" to my rule until eventually I was just daily drinking again.

Anna

I think that your obsessive thoughts about alcohol must be exhausting. I used to think like that too - counting bottles, what kind of alcohol, etc., until my mind was consumed. As others have said, cutting back doesn't work for addicts. We try and try, and usually get worse while we try.

Do talk to your dr, and know that you can do this!

6yearsold

I am only on Day 2 but I am doing it cold turkey. I am also epileptic(which may work in my favor since I already have the anti-seizure meds). I have fantasys about drinking but then I just remember the nightmare of a person I am when I drink and thats no good. Weening yourself doesn't work- don't kid yourself any longer. The weekend thing? Yea, okay... its December next thing you know it'll be "the holiday party thing, too" or... and just to be honest with you "the fact that I am lonely or depressed thing." Alcoholics(thats us, mind you) will convince our mind of countless things in order to get the drink. Do you realize how many times my mind actually convinced me that I had more money in my bank account so I could hit the bars when... whoa, I forgot I paid that cell phone bill AND THEN went drinking. Seriously, that weekend sh1t does not work. I don't mean to be harsh but I am just being honest and I am struggling too but you can do this! Keep coming here for support and I will be around, too.

LittleSparrow

If you're going to make a goal, you might as well make it a really great one instead of just getting halfway. You like to make up rules for yourself, so how about this one: "I won't drink alcohol on any day that ends with the letter y."

CJ2006

I sent you a private message, let me know if you get it.

CJ2006

Dane

Thanks CJ2006, Recieved message but can't reply till I have 5 post's. Thank's. Dane!

Dane

O.K. CJ2006, This will be #5. I have to go right now, but I'll get back to you when I have a little more privacy. Thank's. Dane.