ryry77

So I mentioned before I am not really the AA type. I don't really like sharing in public and don't want to really go to a meeting. But I found a person from AA that said she could help me. She told me that since I was a binge drinker I shouldn't just give up cold turkey. I should just try to space my drinking out. Is this real? Is that what they tell you in AA? I don't really trust her and I stopped talking to her because she said she would call at certain times and never did. Do most people just quit cold turkey?

Coldfusion

Hello Ryry!

It is always best to get medical supervision to detox. Alcohol withdrawal can even be fatal. I would suggest going to the hospital before drinking again.

biminiblue

That isn't an AA "thing." AA is about complete abstinence.

That said, it can be dangerous to go cold turkey, so depending on how much you are drinking, you may need a doctor's supervision. Could she have been saying something along those lines, maybe you misunderstood?

ryry77

No she just told me basically to try to space out my drinking.

Dee74

I don't know what she meant by 'space out your drinking' unless she meant reducing the amount you drink gradually to zero. That's called tapering.

Unfortunately that never worked for me because I had no control over my intake.

I recommend anyone quitting see a Dr.
They can give you professional advice based on your clinical circumstances.

Anna

Stopping drinking cold turkey can be dangerous and it's unpredictable. Talk to your dr. If you decide to stop drinking, tapering/moderating is by far more difficult for alcoholics than simply stopping.

ryry77

I know obviously controlling drinking has always been a major problem. That's why I'm in this situation. When I told my dr I had a drinking problem and asked if she could subscribe antabuse she said no, that I needed to go to counseling. The problem is I have been to counseling for many years and I still drink. She didn't seem to care. Have any of you guys tried antabuse? Sorry I might be spelling that wrong.

thomas11

I think you need to take the initiative to explore more options. Doctors are human beings and a second opinion never hurts. I'm really glad you are taking action to find sobriety. That is the first step.

Forward12

Most general doctors have little to no knowledge on alcoholism. I would go to an addiction specialist and they will be able to help you out much better.

Dee74

Antabuse is not suitable for everyone - maybe there's something in your clinical history or other meds you're on that preclude antabuse?

or..maybe your doctor thinks counselling would work better for you than a medication solution - who knows?

D

Delilah1

Does your insurance have an addiction medicine number? Often they have teams of counsellors and doctors trained to help people with exactly what you are looking for help with.

Andante

Has it been more than a few days since your last binge?

If so, then you probably don't need to worry about a medically supervised detox, as you've detoxed already. Just don't drink again. I know, easier said than done, right?

No, there's nothing in AA about "spacing out" your drinking more. What they'll give you is a step-by-step program to learn a new way of approaching life in which drinking is no longer necessary.

Even if you choose not to try AA, you'll likely have better results with some kind of recovery plan or program. Stopping drinking by itself is a good beginning, but most of us alchies need to make some fundamental changes in order to re-program our brains not to crave alcohol or obsess over it anymore.

For some people, Antabuse can be helpful in the early going, but there's no magic bullet medicine or treatment that will cure you of alcohol addiction. Recovery requires effort and action on your part.

Good luck!

sugarbear1

What is binge drinking for you? I binged nightly.......some do it once a week or even once a month....

Always seek medical advice when stopping drinking. Ask the doctor what they know about alcohol detoxing and seek several opinions.

Again, no, that is NOT AA. AA is about working the 12 steps to have a spiritual awakening or spiritual experience, after we detox safely!!!

HeadingtoChange

I would look to seek out the help of a trained medical professional, preferably someone who had to study for 7 years plus and ask them about going cold turkey. From what I understand quitting cold turkey from alcohol dependence can be very dangerous and needs a supervised detox; i can't see how non-daily binge drinking can be classified as alcohol dependence and require tapering. Let us know what the doctor says, then after getting the physiology side sorted you could get some professional help for the psychological effects of leaving alcohol behind and looking at the reasons you drank in the first place in this way.

endlesspatience

If you are not using a programme to stop drinking completely, I strongly suggest you do not take antabuse. If you drink even a small amount of alcohol when you are taking it you will become very violently ill. That's why your doctor didn't want to prescribe it to you, I think. There's no medicine that you can take that cures alcholism and lets you go back to normal. You need to take action like we have and that varies from person to person.

But this forum is part of that action so do come and share here as often as you like. We're always happy to listen and share.