GreatInquiry7

I've quit and I've quit before but the last "bender" was about 8 days and every day was probably 15-30 drinks per day. 1st and 2nd day off haven't been unbearable but very anxiety ridden.

I thought I should try tapering instead to stop the anxiety.

Would appreciate advice.

Thanks!

Anna

I'm glad you've decided to stop drinking. It's always a good idea to talk to your dr before stopping drinking because detoxing from alcohol can be dangerous and unpredictable. Tapering is all but impossible for us addicts. Stopping cold-turkey is actually easier.

doggonecarl

Best plan of action?

If your goal is sobriety, I don't think any plan that includes drinking, which tapering is, is going to further that goal.

least

Tapering is hard to do as it requires control - which we don't have - to limit our drinking. If you're afraid of withdrawal, why not see your doctor and get medical help to get thru the w/d.

KarltheheretiK

Honestly, I'd talk to my PCP first. I remember telling my PCP several months back that I'd quit for 4-5 days on several occasions and she was surprised I didn't suffer from DT's considering how much I drink. Quitting cold turkey can cause severe physical reactions that your Dr should know about and can warn you about. Also, if you have such high anxiety, your Dr may be able to prescribe something for that. And seeing a therapist may help you get to the root of why you have so much anxiety to begin with.

GreatInquiry7

I hear you on this and this is a great idea.

I've fought through DTs without any meds or help on two occassions, would just rather not do it again... it was awful

And i 100% agree on the therapist

Thank you so much

EDIT: I'm not discounting any advice i get here, I cant tell you much how I appreciate it. I'm just at kind of a collection of advice point to determine what is best.

KarltheheretiK

You're welcome.

And if it's not too difficult to recount your DT symptoms, I'd like to hear them. See, I'm a type 2 diabetic with hypertension and Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so I'm not actually sure I didn't have DT symptoms. This could be an issue you can help me with that my Dr couldn't due to sheer experience.

GreatInquiry7

Well... as you said its hard to say how much of a "real DT" experience it was, but:

I had serious convulsions that i couldn't control whatsoever i remember having two people next to me in bed holding me down (in a gentle a way) because i was shaking so much.

Secondly, everything around me was distorted in terms of vision.

Thirdly, I felt i had something crawling on my legs.

And lastly, I had extreme anxiety to boot.

P.S. I asked anyone who was near me during this if I could have a drink to just stop this, and they said no. Get one of those.

Thats about it that i can remember!

KarltheheretiK

Wow, that's nothing like what I experienced. I went to work and did my regular, 10-hour shifts, but I did feel kind of squirrely at times. Feeling out-of-sorts is nowhere near what you experienced.

Thanks for relating this to me. It definitely tells me that, in a physical sense, quitting cold turkey will probably not affect me so adversely. at least beyond the effects of what I deal with normally from my medical conditions.

Thank you!

GreatInquiry7

I'm not a dr. but it sounds like you underwent the normal bender hangover .

That being said... if you continue drinking, results may change. So just be aware of that.

MindfulMan

Withdrawal gets worse every time you do it. It's a real phenomenon called kindling.

A significant percentage of those who experience DTs die. They are nothing to "suffer through," and require medical intervention.

Please consult a doctor if there are serious concerns, and don't base your expectations on the severity of your symptoms on your last withdrawal.

I did inpatient medical detox with a supervised benzo taper. If I hadn't I was risking some serious withdrawal symptoms, including seizures and DTs. SO glad I did it that way.

GreatInquiry7

Thank you. If you don't mind, can i ask how heavy the drinking was before inpatient and medical intervention?