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Detoxing on your own......

Old 09-10-2016, 10:53 AM
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Detoxing on your own......

Hey there. So, I am an alcoholic. I am still drinking. I am a fairly successful professional. And havevbeen drinking for years, heavily, but not out of control, per se. Now, and for some time, it has gone beyond the bottle of wine or martinis at the end of the day. Now, I am drinking in the mornings just to be able to function because of intense anxiety.

I don't even like drinking anymore. I hate it in fact. But I need to function and without some alcohol I get so overwhelmed with anxiety I can hardly keep myself from crawling under the bed and hiding from the world.

So my dilemma is this. I simply do not have time to go out into inpatient detox/ rehab. But I read these horror stories of terrible withdrawal and seizures. Can I quit cold turkey safely on my own?

Thanks for your input.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:00 AM
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E,
I'm glad your looking for help but no one but your doctor can advise you about detox. You should make an appointment ASAP. I will say that I own my own business and did not "have time" either. In retrospect, getting sober was by far the most important and benificial thing I ever did. Do what ever you have to to get sober. Good luck my friend.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:11 AM
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I would see your GP asap as alcohol withdrawal can be very serious.
Good luck
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:13 AM
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Yes, do talk to your dr because detoxing from alcohol can be unpredictable and dangerous.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:16 AM
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glad youre here.
ive heard from doctors,nurses, a pharmacist,lawyers, politicians, and quite a few other people in different professions that said stopping the lie that they dont have time for rehab, putting getting sober 1st, and going to rehab was the greatest decision they ever made.
ive also heard from professionals that didnt. they had to seek new employment and even new occupations.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:21 AM
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It could be really dangerous for us to give out medical advice to you. One thing I can relate to though is that I too am a professional with a high profile job. The thing I came to realize in this process though is that no job or career or image is worth my life.
See your doctor for medical advice. Make sure you are completely honest ( you know how we like to minimize/justify or rationalize our use), without honesty your doc isnt going to be able to give proper diagnosis or advise proper treatment for you. Then follow direction, dont be a know it all like me

Thats the best advice I can think of. Welcome to SR and recovery!
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:34 AM
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getting a sobriety date is the best thing i ever did

God bless


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Old 09-10-2016, 11:35 AM
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I seriously have a horrific schedule the next month. My thought was to try and cut back and then in mid-October go into detox, when my schedule is more manageable.

In any event, thank u so much for your responses. I cannot tell u how alone I feel right now. No one knows how bad my addiction is but me. My wife, my children, my colleagues, My friends do not know the depths of this thing. I have been very successful at my deception. And therein lies the problem. I do not get smashed, I really don't. But I am drinking just to feel "normal". And when I am "there" I stop. But within hours normalcy is gone. And it's back o the treadmill.


But, after reading your responses I feel connected to people who know what you am going through. It is a terrible feeling of knowing that every time u lift that glass it is digging the hole deeper and deeper; but digging is all u can do to get through the day.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:51 AM
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And havevbeen drinking for years, heavily, but not out of control, per se.
You have to be able to reword that statement. Read that again.
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Old 09-10-2016, 11:55 AM
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E,
I was just like you. I never blacked out or did anything terrible. Went to work everyday. However I drank six to eight beers everyday, ate dinner, watched a little tv and went to bed every single day for a very very long time. It wouldn't hurt to see your doctor now and get a plan together. He or she may have alternatives that will work with your schedule. To be honest my friend I always found a reason to delay sobriety and fourteen years of my life vanished. I don't want that to happen to you. Telling my doctor and my wife was the biggest relief I have ever known. It's the first step in my opinion of being free.
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Old 09-10-2016, 12:11 PM
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Originally Posted by ERosey View Post
I simply do not have time to go out into inpatient detox/ rehab. But I read these horror stories of terrible withdrawal and seizures. Can I quit cold turkey safely on my own?
Do you have time to keep drinking? And have you read some of the horror stories of those who did keep drinking?

Pretty much all of us faced the same conundrum. Couldn't keep drinking but found lots if reasons ( aka excuses ) why we couldn't stop either. It is absolutely possible to stop though, for anyone. Take detox for example....medically supervised detox can happen in a matter of days , even over a long weekend sometimes. Do you never take vacation? Or a day off here and there? You absolutely could if you wanted to.

Some doctors will even work out a detox scheduled on an outpatient basis, but you really need to talk to one first. Is it really worth the risk to find out the hard way?
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Old 09-10-2016, 12:22 PM
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If you have the time to drink you have the time to get better. If you don't have the time to get better it is unlikely you will.

Alcoholism is a chronic, progressive, fatal disease. If you had cancer that could be cured by an operation would you make the time? Alcoholism will kill you every bit as dead so it is no different.

Make the time and seek professional medical treatment is my advice
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Old 09-10-2016, 12:40 PM
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I was you. I bit the bullet, and realized it had to stop, or my career would stop. I don't know your circumstances, but I doubt you would be fired if you had to take a few days to detox safely.

Drinking to feel normal is an awful place to be. You can move beyond it, but you have to realize that you have to step off the treadmill.
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Old 09-10-2016, 01:12 PM
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The detox is just the first small step. Thereafter the real battle begins. To never ever drink again.
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Old 09-10-2016, 01:47 PM
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By next summer your schedual could be sitting at home with the curtains shut drinking your self to death . Your tolerance will go up as your health goes down , this is what happens every single time , no exceptions .
I hope you can work something out to get help .
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Old 09-10-2016, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Thomas59 View Post
By next summer your schedual could be sitting at home with the curtains shut drinking your self to death . Your tolerance will go up as your health goes down , this is what happens every single time , no exceptions .
I hope you can work something out to get help .
Wow. Thank you. Thank all of you.
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Old 09-10-2016, 01:57 PM
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My last detox was horrible and I am beyond grateful it was medically supervised or else my kids may not have a mother on planet Earth.

Alcoholism is a serious disease.

Go to your doctor or ER!
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Old 09-10-2016, 02:37 PM
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Can I quit cold turkey safely on my own?

Who knows?

There is only one way to find out, but I don't recommend it.

Your story sounds familiar, a couple of beers in the morning to alleviate the nasty hangover became typical for me. I also was a successful professional with a ton of responsibility and people counting on me. Publically acknowledging my drinking problem by going to rehab would have been career suicide.

I got medical help with detox a couple of times (slow learner, here) by going to the local "urgent care" medical facility. I was in and out in a coupIe of hours. I was honest and told them I was trying to detox from alcohol, they checked me out, and gave me a prescription for valium which helped with the anxiety, and in my case, the shakes. Within 24 - 36 hours I felt normal.

However, the physical withdrawal is only part of it. Without changing your behavior and the mental/emotional side of things, you might find yourself drunk again in a few weeks.

For me, to get sober (and I'm coming up on 7 years) it took both AA and this website.
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Old 09-10-2016, 03:58 PM
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Welcome to SR. You may already know this, but that anxiety you feel that makes you want to crawl under the bed is exacerbated by alcohol. I hope you are able to get professional help, it makes it much easier. Your life, family and career are worth it.
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Old 09-10-2016, 04:47 PM
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Some awesome advice here. I can only add my last 'home alone' detox did not go well. Do see a Dr. - nothing is as important as good health.

Welcome Eroser
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