adelina123

I posted something similar to this a couple of days ago but on the wrong thread I think.
Anyway .... i will start with being honest, I have drank the last 3 days, I'm in a strange Place right now in terms of stopping / not stopping you will see this from my other threads.

Anyway .... earlier this week I went 3 days without drinking and by the 3rd day the tops of my legs were aching like mad. After drinking this aching has gone away. Is this withdrawals? Has anyone else had something similar??

TroyW

Aching or tingling / numbness?

Are you on any prescription meds?

I would recommend talking to a doctor more than anything.

jezza

Hi Adelina... Withdrawals can produce some weird & odd things all over & in the body. I wrote a list of all the effects that withdrawal had on me just as a reminder & the list went on & on... If you are truly concerned, might be worth getting it checked out by your Doctor...

PennyLane76

Hi Adelina, Like Jezza, I had so many issues during withdrawal I wrote them down. I did have tingling in feet and legs, and also had pain from any previous injury resurface(knee, back, neck,...weird). felt achy all over too. Those lasted a couple weeks. So, I don't discount any symptom as being due to detox/withdrawal. I absolutely believe I should have done a medical detox so a call to your dr. may be wise.

entropy1964

Hi Adelina
I'm sorry you've been drinking. I am confused about something. What is the basis of your ambivelance regarding stopping? Do you think that your drinking will get 'normal' and everything will be ok if you continue? Are you afraid to stop? I'm just concerned for you.
As far as the leg pain goes. Alcohol is a neurotoxin, its poison essentially. When a person drinks any level of alcohol the liver stops performing its primary funtion and goes into oxidation mode to rid the body of the poison. Good thing its not the heart Anyway, it requires B1/B12 and other nutrients to do this. So in other words it leaches the body of vital electrolytes. So our bodies respond with all kinds of weird stuff. One being muscle cramps and pain. Prolonged vitamin B1 deficiency can cause alcoholic dementia or Werneckes Karsikoff syndrome. Not pretty. So whether quitting or deciding drinking is good for you, you should take lots of B supplements and electrolytes. Dehydration also causes muscle pain and cramping.
I hope you consider putting the drink down. If you're here, you know you're in trouble. I had a craving last night. A pretty powerful one cause it was one of the 'no one will now' 'who cares, *uck-it' types. But I rode it out. In 20 minutes it was gone. And I am soooo grateful I'm drinking coffee this AM, well rested. Please hang in there ok?

Soberwolf

I think I remember the thread Adelina and I think I said it could be pins & needles from nerves waking up

Your being honest & you got 3 days sober

Try again dust yourself off write up a plan things youl do to help you not drink

Mtns, literature, therapy, exercise, journal, things to help you stay sober

Best wishes

adelina123

I guess I'm still hoping I can moderate in some way. I hate the fact I'm not in control, I want to be able to control it and be able to drink socially, on holidays etc the thought of not being able to fills me with dread. Alcohol has always been a huge part of my life.
My mum is an alcoholic. This is another factor. I'm scared of becoming her as she is now. Is this a rational fear? She's further down the slope than I am but will I end up there?? Am I just scaring myself too much??
All these questions .... The truth is I'm probably just burying my head in the sand and putting off the inevitable .... which is stopping drinking completely xx

Soberwolf

My mum was alcoholic & yes continue drinking & it will get worse

Sorry if that is harsh but I know firsthand plus no alcoholic wants to be alcoholic at first but by accepting it & realising we can't drink safely or responsibly we do ourselves a massive favour by staying sober

Trust me by staying sober things get better its hard but with support its easily doable

I'm glad you found us Adelina

bexxed

My mom is an alcoholic. She's sober now, after my siblings and I did an intervention with her nearly 7 years ago. I was drinking alcoholically when we did that, but wasn't "nearly as bad" as she was. And I wasn't. I wasn't blacking out regularly, driving drunk and crashing my car, ruining relationships at work and in my family, saying cruel things to my grown children, occasionally accompanied with violence, and forgetting it the next day, falling asleep IN the dinner my daughter visiting from the other side of the country had prepared especially for me, hiding vodka in the vinegar cabinet (I remember discovering this, because I was cooking dinner. That was what told me my mother was an alcoholic).

I never accomplished these alcoholic feats that my mother achieved. Well, I did black out. I did say cruel things, but I remembered them later and.. ouch. I did drive drunk, but didn't crash.

Thankfully, my mother showed me what being an alcoholic promised for me. Her demise was long and slow. When I started gaining weight just like she did, started drinking just like she did, started hiding booze just like she did, started to talk just like she did.... I could see it. I don't need to out do her on this one.

Anna

Alcoholism is a progressive disease and it will get worse unless you stop drinking.

There is lots of support here.

entropy1964

Control vs. powerlessness. A long discussed topic in recovery. For me controlling alcohol, once it is in my system, is like herding cats (and I did this the other night...neighbors 4- 6 month old kittens in my garage...took me 90 minutes to get them all out). The only control I have over alcohol is the ability to say no to the first drink. After that, it controls me, period. I am powerless once it is in my system...by me putting it there. Otherwise it is an inert liquid, like water or anything else that I choose to drink. Have you ever thought about the absurd nature of trying to control an inert liquid? I mean, what does that mean? A normal drinker would never, and I mean never, even consider the thought or the necessity of controlling booze. Only an alcoholic, in my opinion, ponders this dilemma. Believe me, I know the mental gymnastics you are doing now. I've been there. But once a pickle, never again a cucumber. My level of acceptance of who and what I am equals my level of serenity. The more I accept, the more peaceful I am. Hang in there.

adelina123

Thank you for this I can see you have been through so much of what I'm currently going through.
My mum has hidden bottles all over the house. Hidden drinks under the kitchen sink. Disposed of empties in random places. Lied, stolen, pestered friends and neighbours for cash, drank neat spirits, been abusive, fell oven in streets and got in debt the list is endless. She still drinks, is adamant she does not have a problem.
I have not done very many of the above apart from forget what I've said and done and Bury empties in the recycling a little deeper than I should need to.
When you say you did an intervention what do you mean? My family and I are so frustrated. I'm an only child.
Like you say .... my mums drinking career isn't a career I need to follow for my future!!

adelina123

I love your reference to herding the kittens, made me smile!!
I agree, if you have to question your control over alcohol then you've lost control. This is my logical thinking and I can see totally what you're saying its just remembering this logic when tempted to drink .... that's the problem!!!

Verdantia

The aching legs could be neuropathy; I had bad cramps and aches in my legs and hands. It went away after several months of sobriety. This is a good place to find help and encouragement. After you get through the initial withdrawal you will feel so much better and your head will clear. Life will make more sense.
My dad was an alcoholic. He was frightening and put our family in danger in numerous occasions. Even when he had prolonged sobriety he was often unkind and seemed miserable. It was hard to be a daddy's girl and have that special feeling taken away at an early age. It's way tough to deal with an alcoholic parent.
Just stop. There is a new world waiting for you, a much better one.

entropy1964

Haha. If someone had recorded me trying to get these little guys out of my garage for a very long time it would have been pretty funny. I'm holding a couple, rounding up another, setting two out of the garage, picking up a couple more while the other two run back in . I tried closing the garage, half stayed in, half ran out. It was really silly. But in some way fun, they are so darn cute.
But being drunk and trying to control the next drink isn't cute or fun huh? Its that acceptance, and practicing it day in, day out. You are habituated to drink, that took time. It will take time to become habituated not to.

Rar

Hi Adelina - I understand how you feel. I thought I was one of those who could moderate and for many months I kidded myself into thinking I was managing the "Beast". During those months, I could go several days without drinking and have only a couple of beers. As time went on, I was drinking every day again and the number of beers had increased to the point at which I stopped last year. Today is my Day 1 (again). Did you read Dee's story about the frog in the pot?

adelina123

Someone said to me yesterday ( not on here) that until I accept it and don't want to drink i will always be a "dry drunk" it annoyed me a little at the time probably because it struck a cord!!
Hope your day 1 went ok .... keep going!!
Yes I've read it now and can see the relevance very much!!

2WheelsGood

Keep quit and it slowly gets better. One day you stop and think, "hey! I haven't felt xxxx in quite a while. I don't miss that."

For me a lot of it was gastointestinal. I also had wierd symptoms that mimicked a cold. They eventually all went away.

It's odd how the body deals with the change. Vitamins seem to help. And eating right.