Withdrawal Getting Worse?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 81
Withdrawal Getting Worse?
Hi,
I know these forums aren't for asking medical advice, but I'm confused at what's happening to me right now, and maybe somebody has had similar experiences. My hands usually shake mildly (sometimes not so mildly) every day if I don't have a drink until late afternoon or the evening and especially if I had more than 8 or so the night before. However, I only had three drinks last night and they are shaking more than I can ever remember (It's only 6:20 PM here) and I'm also getting occasional mild shakes in my body.
I know that the past 6 weeks or so I've drank more (average of 10+ drinks more than I usually do in a given week), so could that be it? Or could it be that the withdrawal coming on stronger due to long-term effects of my drinking?
I know these forums aren't for asking medical advice, but I'm confused at what's happening to me right now, and maybe somebody has had similar experiences. My hands usually shake mildly (sometimes not so mildly) every day if I don't have a drink until late afternoon or the evening and especially if I had more than 8 or so the night before. However, I only had three drinks last night and they are shaking more than I can ever remember (It's only 6:20 PM here) and I'm also getting occasional mild shakes in my body.
I know that the past 6 weeks or so I've drank more (average of 10+ drinks more than I usually do in a given week), so could that be it? Or could it be that the withdrawal coming on stronger due to long-term effects of my drinking?
Laozi Old Man
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 6,665
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 81
Hi guys,
I didn't end up going to the ER although I definitely considered it. I was ok as it never progressed past mild shakes. Still a bit disconcerting though.
Thanks again.
I didn't end up going to the ER although I definitely considered it. I was ok as it never progressed past mild shakes. Still a bit disconcerting though.
Thanks again.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: ON
Posts: 766
i stopped drinking July 10th and made it three days, yes with shakes and sweats but the was about it until the fourth nite went i woke up in te middle of the night with terrible chest pains and huge electric jolts that would wake me everytime i would try and fall asleep so much so i thought they werer going to be seizures. i woke my partner at 5 am and told him i think we should go to the dr or the hospital. he asked why and i told him that i had been drinking, he actually thought i was clean for almost a month but far from it. alcoholics are the master liars.
we went to the dr for diazepam and my heart was racing so fast he thought i should go to the ER. while there they fast tracked me as i was having my shocks. they gave me some intravenous valium and made me stay overnight. no seizures thank HP but could have been close.
i beg everyone who even considers going cold turkey to fess up to someone and let them know you need help. i thought if i made it past day three i was almost in the clear. NOPE.
Please do not risk it. and if you truly want your desire for alcohol to be gone go thru something like this and see all the support that comes your way, you will not feel alone anymore.
But my biggest warning to everyone is to please dont go cold turkey. it is true that they say you can DIE. and i didnt want to die and i dont want you too either. get some help no matter how hard it is to tell some.
we went to the dr for diazepam and my heart was racing so fast he thought i should go to the ER. while there they fast tracked me as i was having my shocks. they gave me some intravenous valium and made me stay overnight. no seizures thank HP but could have been close.
i beg everyone who even considers going cold turkey to fess up to someone and let them know you need help. i thought if i made it past day three i was almost in the clear. NOPE.
Please do not risk it. and if you truly want your desire for alcohol to be gone go thru something like this and see all the support that comes your way, you will not feel alone anymore.
But my biggest warning to everyone is to please dont go cold turkey. it is true that they say you can DIE. and i didnt want to die and i dont want you too either. get some help no matter how hard it is to tell some.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 81
Originally Posted by whiskeyman 
i stopped drinking July 10th and made it three days, yes with shakes and sweats but the was about it until the fourth nite went i woke up in te middle of the night with terrible chest pains and huge electric jolts that would wake me everytime i would try and fall asleep so much so i thought they werer going to be seizures. i woke my partner at 5 am and told him i think we should go to the dr or the hospital. he asked why and i told him that i had been drinking, he actually thought i was clean for almost a month but far from it. alcoholics are the master liars.
we went to the dr for diazepam and my heart was racing so fast he thought i should go to the ER. while there they fast tracked me as i was having my shocks. they gave me some intravenous valium and made me stay overnight. no seizures thank HP but could have been close.
i beg everyone who even considers going cold turkey to fess up to someone and let them know you need help. i thought if i made it past day three i was almost in the clear. NOPE.
Please do not risk it. and if you truly want your desire for alcohol to be gone go thru something like this and see all the support that comes your way, you will not feel alone anymore.
But my biggest warning to everyone is to please dont go cold turkey. it is true that they say you can DIE. and i didnt want to die and i dont want you too either. get some help no matter how hard it is to tell some.
we went to the dr for diazepam and my heart was racing so fast he thought i should go to the ER. while there they fast tracked me as i was having my shocks. they gave me some intravenous valium and made me stay overnight. no seizures thank HP but could have been close.
i beg everyone who even considers going cold turkey to fess up to someone and let them know you need help. i thought if i made it past day three i was almost in the clear. NOPE.
Please do not risk it. and if you truly want your desire for alcohol to be gone go thru something like this and see all the support that comes your way, you will not feel alone anymore.
But my biggest warning to everyone is to please dont go cold turkey. it is true that they say you can DIE. and i didnt want to die and i dont want you too either. get some help no matter how hard it is to tell some.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posts: 81
Originally Posted by Dee74
Glad it turned out ok for you, Mark.
How's everything else going?
D
How's everything else going?
D
Thanks. I won't lie, things aren't going good. It's this steady, nagging, negativity that follows me every day. I don't want to be one of these people that dumps all their emotions on everybody but it's been frustrating me.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: California
Posts: 382
I had bad shakes and sweats for a while. Like my 10th day threw my 15th day. I first noticed my shacking back when I was drinking. I would take my 1st shot of the night and I was already shaking. That's when I knew it was time to stop. I never went to the E.R. It was tuff but it gets better the longer you go.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NC
Posts: 1,737
Originally Posted by MarkNS
Thanks. I won't lie, things aren't going good. It's this steady, nagging, negativity that follows me every day. I don't want to be one of these people that dumps all their emotions on everybody but it's been frustrating me.
I replied to another of your posts, but want to make sure you see this: buy a copy of Under the Influence by James Milam (US$8 paperback) - it's got tons of information on how and why alcohol is affecting you and whats in store if you continue. I highly recommend you read it.
Good luck, Mark! Keep posting...
Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: « USA » Recovered with AVRT (Rational Recovery) ___________
Posts: 3,680
Originally Posted by MarkNS
Hi,
I know these forums aren't for asking medical advice, but I'm confused at what's happening to me right now, and maybe somebody has had similar experiences. My hands usually shake mildly (sometimes not so mildly) every day if I don't have a drink until late afternoon or the evening and especially if I had more than 8 or so the night before. However, I only had three drinks last night and they are shaking more than I can ever remember (It's only 6:20 PM here) and I'm also getting occasional mild shakes in my body.
I know that the past 6 weeks or so I've drank more (average of 10+ drinks more than I usually do in a given week), so could that be it? Or could it be that the withdrawal coming on stronger due to long-term effects of my drinking?
I know these forums aren't for asking medical advice, but I'm confused at what's happening to me right now, and maybe somebody has had similar experiences. My hands usually shake mildly (sometimes not so mildly) every day if I don't have a drink until late afternoon or the evening and especially if I had more than 8 or so the night before. However, I only had three drinks last night and they are shaking more than I can ever remember (It's only 6:20 PM here) and I'm also getting occasional mild shakes in my body.
I know that the past 6 weeks or so I've drank more (average of 10+ drinks more than I usually do in a given week), so could that be it? Or could it be that the withdrawal coming on stronger due to long-term effects of my drinking?
Your experience is not unique, and is due to a kindling phenomenon in alcohol withdrawal. Multiple "cold turkey" start/stop cycles can actually make things progressively worse. It is sometimes better to have a proper supervised detox, provided that you don't intend to start up again as soon as the detox is over. Please read this article regarding Kindling in Alcohol Withdrawal.
NIAAA - Kindling in Alcohol Withdrawal (PDF)
NIAAA - Kindling in Alcohol Withdrawal (Google Docs HTML View)
In many alcoholics, the severity of withdrawal symptoms increases after repeated withdrawal episodes. This exacerbation may be attributable to a kindling process. Kindling is a phenomenon in which a weak electrical or chemical stimulus, which initially causes no overt behavioral responses, results in the appearance of behavioral effects, such as seizures, when it is administered repeatedly. Both clinical and experimental evidence support the existence of a kindling mechanism during alcohol withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms, such as seizures, result from neurochemical imbalances in the brain of alcoholics who suddenly reduce or cease alcohol consumption. These imbalances may be exacerbated after repeated withdrawal experiences. The existence of kindling during withdrawal suggests that even patients experiencing mild withdrawal should be treated aggressively to prevent the increase in severity of subsequent withdrawal episodes. Kindling also may contribute to a patient’s relapse risk and to alcohol-related brain damage and cognitive impairment.
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