Brightening

I have been a daily drinker pretty much non-stop since a misscarriage in 2009. I drink 3-4 standard drinks most nights, with lots of binge nights thrown in. Binge nights are usually 6-10 standard drinks. I'm done with it. Last night I got down to 2 1/2 standard drinks over the course of 4 hours and went to bed later sober...it was a revelation. I want to completely stop tonight and try to not drink at all. I am healthy and 28 years old, but tend to have some anxiety issues about my health. I believe the alcohol is the main cause of my actual panic episodes, as before the alcohol the anxiety was only mild. I am not on any medication and don't want to be. Generally I'm a happy, confident person and social with or without alcohol. I'm ready for some kind of abstinence period to let my liver heal and not be self-medicating any anxiety. I am worried about withdrawl, however. My husband says that I don't drink enough to experience anything dangerous. Can anyone weigh in on this??

Sapling

Talk to a doctor....That will take care of the anxiety you are feeling about your health and what you might need to safely detox. Just be honest.

Taking5

My experience is that the average drinker does not pour a standard drink and therefore underestimates their consumption. Do you have a jigger at the house? Or any other way to measure liquids? If so pour 1-1/2 oz of water and judge for yourself.

On the withdrawal issue, I always advise seeing a Dr.

Dee74

Hi Brightening

there's so many individual variables with withdrawal...
I really recommend seeing a doctor if you have any questions or concerns

Welcome back btw

D

Brightening

Yes, by standard drink I do mean standard drink. I've learned some things about drinking and never lie about consumption as it doesn't help at all. I won't be seeing a Dr. About this as I have no insurance and do not feel that my symptoms will necessitate hospitalization. I do not drink during the day, for instance. Maybe I should aim for a beer or two before bed to ease the transition? I suppose I will just have to wait and see how I feel. I just don't think there is room in my life for alcohol right now. Mainly I combat my own addictive personality, which is another reason I really don't want to get involved with Xanax or other highly addictive drugs. It seems like everyone I know is on some kind of psych med. I'm looking to stop my only med...alcohol. So I'll be going this one alone.

Brightening

Yeah I've been here before. It's amazing what the loss of a pregnancy can do to someone.... Especially to a hypochondriac.

Sapling

I'm very sorry about that...You know you don't have to do it alone.

Brightening

Let me clarify... I'm long over the emotional part of the misscarriage, and have a very fulfilling life and career. It was just kind of a habit I fell into after it happened. I was drinking to escape the pain and go to sleep at night. There are plenty of nights now that I would prefer to not drink at all, but I'm scared of the potential withdrawl. Eventually, a binge will derail my moderation efforts and then I'm back where I started. I'm sure a lot of you can relate. I would like to do a 30 day detox for starters, and have been retreading AVRT. Just need a little support because most people in my family drink regularly. I was the driver last night for everyone and that helped me to not drink at all when out. I'm going to volunteer for DD all the time now! I feel pretty good this morning!

Sapling

That's good...If AVRT is the path you want...Put everything you've got into it...You don't need 30 days to detox....Most medical ones are three to five days....It's the not picking up a drink after that where it gets tricky. If it's a 30 Day rehab you are talking about...You might be able to find one in your area that offers that for free...Salvation Army maybe?

SSIL75

I think just keep an eye on yourself and don't be afraid to call the doc if things go badly. Personally I drank more than that and did something similar as I stopped drinking and everything was fine. But there are no guarantees. Best of luck with your sobriety effort. I also used AVRT.

Brightening

So how I feel is a good indication of the danger levels? I suppose if I start feeling weird, I'll go to the ER. I really don't think it will come to that... I felt just fine this morning. A little anxious upon waking, but that always happens anyway. Right now I feel relaxed and happy. Thanks for listening and I'll let you guys know how it goes! Gonna take some special willpower around the witching hour, when everyone else will be having drinks but me... Maybe I'll make punch and have dessert...

Sapling

Find something else to do at that time....Might be a good time to set aside and read your book....Work towards your recovery. And enjoy the punch and dessert.

hypochondriac

Hey Brightening, I was scared about withdrawals too. I was also worried that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between withdrawals and my usual panic attacks! As it turned out though my anxiety got less and less with every day that passed Try not to worry too much about it but do not hesitate to get help if you think you need it x

SSIL75

Definitely do something else during the witching hours! I kept myself v. aware of just how much more relaxed I was after a good workout than a bottle of wine, for example.