jerry479

Hey all,

Im new to this group, and definitely realizing im an alcoholic...

I've been drinking pretty hard for the past 2 years, having a bottle of wine or more, or 6 beers at night, of which I thought I had in control, as I would occasionally go a day or two without drinking. (seldom)

Last 5 days, I was on a very heavy binge, as I was in las vegas and pretty much didn't stop the whole time, along with very little food, and even adderall to stay awake.

Needless to say, I came home a wreck.

It's been two days since I've returned, and both days I had to drink 4-6 beers just to ease the pain.

I'm experiencing serious night sweats, annoying heart racing or palpitations (dont know the difference), shaking hands, and the scariest part is I just don't feel like I can think clearly and my balance seems off.

I'm really wanting to kick this stuff for GOOD, cold turkey.

I equally as much, do not want to go to the doctor.

Is it more safe for me to ween myself off over the course of a few days, if I'm not planning on going to the doctor. Or should I try to get through tonight with nothing at all.

I've been taking lots of b vitamins and eating lots now with plenty of fluids.

I'm very thankful for this forum, because I had no idea how harmful this all was to my mind and heart. I appreciate any input.

I know that no-one understands this better than the other users in this forum.

Thanks.

JackNWA

Detoxing can be very dangerous. I would suggest seeing a doctor or going to the ER.

Anna

Please talk to your dr or go to an ER.

It can be dangerous to detox from alcohol.

Dee74

I'm still suffering the effects of my last home detox 4 years ago.
Please seek some professional medical supervision Jerry.

D

onlythetruth

Jerry--I'm going to echo the others who've written and really encourage you to seek medical attention. If you decide against doing that against our advice, then at least have someone with you who can take you to the ER immediately. Whatever your reasons are for not wanting to see a doctor, I can tell you they are not good enough reasons to die over.

OTT

jerry479

Thanks everyone for your honest thoughts... I'm very much considering medical intervention. I've spoken with my wife a lot, am I(we) are trying to discern if I'm just panicking a little too much or not.

At this point in time, I'm only experiencing a slight shakiness of the hands, along with some dizzy/light headed-ness.

One thing I'm very much concerned with, is what happens when you go to an ER or doctor in Michigan? Am I going to be labeled on my medical record as a drug abuser for the rest of my life? I can't afford to be in rehab, etc, if I don't absolutely need it.

It's a very difficult decision to make.

Dee74

I don;t know anything about ERs I'm afraid.

As far as tapering goes - never worked for me - if I could control my lcohol intake, I wouldn;t need to taper in the first place, Jerry.

You're much better off under professional medical supervision - I wish I could turn the clock back. Nothing is more important than good health. Nothing.

D

least

The signs you mentioned: shaky and racing heart and not able to think clearly are all symptoms of withdrawal. Alcohol w/d can be deadly. Please go to the ER or a doctor to get safely thru it. After you've detoxed then you can find or make some support to stay sober. You'll find a lot of support right here. I rely on this site every day and my addiction counselor once a week. Helps me a lot and has gotten me over a year sober now. I hope we can help you as much.

jerry479

okay, so I went to the ER... now I'm just confused!

I got an IV of fluids, they said my fuzzy thoughts and balance were likely just from all the hard drinking I did the past week... duh.

so, they gave me valium to deal with some of the withdrawal symptoms, but I'm still going to be detoxing for the next few days to try to get sober. so, isn't that when it REALLY get dangerous? (as I've been drinking up until this point)

shouldn't they have given me something else, recommended vitamins, anything?

so confused.

any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks all!

I hope that tomorrow will be DAY 1 for me!

Dee74

Hi Jerry

An ER is a crisis point. That's what they do - get you through the crisis.

If they thought you were in any danger from ongoing detox I doubt you'd have been released - if you want ongoing support and supervision I recommend you see a MD one on one

D

jerry479

Thanks Dee...

That's helpful... I'm going to kick these next two day's a$$, and go see doc on monday!

Roostah

Jerry - if you don't seek medical help to detox, at least make sure you have someone monitor you.

I had all of your symptoms up until the third day sober. Then I had a horrible seizure. If my wife had not been home, I would probably not be typing this right now. Please, please be careful with this, it's not to be taken lightly.

jerry479

Hey roostah!

Thanks, I actually went to the doctor/ER this morning, and he gave me Diazepam/Valium to handle the withdrawal symptoms...

(I believe this helps with seizures/anxiety/shakiness etc)

My wife should be with me for the next few days to make sure I'm alright as well.

When you say doctor, do you mean that I should become an inpatient somewhere as well?

Thanks for your help!

jerry479

Also if I start having any type of hallucination or anything else unusual, I'll definitely be going back to the ER. I'm not taking this lightly anymore, at all.

As of right now, I just have a general uneasiness, and a bit of shakiness, but have been okay otherwise. It's about 24 hours since my last drink, so I know that can be a pretty big time for chaos in my body.

Anything else I should look for/be aware of, in anyone's opinion?

Dee74

We have a thread about detox experiences Jerry...just remember that just about everyones' experience is different.,..you'll know if you need assistance or not

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

D

jerry479

Thanks Dee... That's very helpful!

Roostah

You did the right thing. I'm no expert, but whenever I come across someone that exhibits the same symptoms I had, I urge them to at least see their doctor for help. Especially if you start having hallucinations ... that was what started happening about three or four hours before my seizure.

As Dee stated, everyone's detox is different, so looking into a program is really case by case.

jerry479

Thanks all! I'm at about 60 hours now, aka morning of day three (five if you count my weaning detox days), and feeling pretty darn good!

I'm certain I'll have some anxiety along the way, but I'm looking forward to a new, brighter, future.

Praise the Lord.

nvrbeentospain

Glad you're feeling better, Jerry. As for the treatment you got in the ED, it sounds about right. They probably did give you some IV vitamins with the fluids, and benzos like diazepam are the treatment for alcohol withdrawal. I'm glad you went and hope you don't have any medical insurance problems in the future because of it.

For long term things like vitamin supplementation, your regular doctor is probably a better source of info.