rider

I am just curious as to how many people went through a medically supervised detox and how many didn't. How many had withdrawal symptoms and how many did not?

I have a friend who quit drinking and had terrible DT's for three or four days. Hallucinations and the whole nine yards. He was NOT medically supervised. I am on day eight (yay) and even though I drank for 25 years I didn't have any physical withdrawal symptoms at all.

Does the severity of the withdrawal indicate the severity of the disease?

Sweets79

Hey,

I was drinking almost every day for 5 yrs.

I didn't get any physical withdrawal symptoms when I stopped cold turkey, but everyone's different. I had more mental withdrawal symptoms than anything else.

I did however have really bad withdrawal symptoms sometimes when I drank alot the night before. The next day I would get shaky hands, dizziness, light headed, feeling hot. Sometimes I couldn't drive. But, when I just stopped, didn't get any of those.

CarolD

There are so many factors involved ....I don't think it is
possible to determine what will or will not happen to you.
The severity can also change with each withdrawal.

Please read this link for info and some of our experiences

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

SCRedhead

Hi,
I drank almost every day for aoubt 11 years--the last 3 years, I drank every single day. When I finally put "the plug in the jug" I had alot of withdrawal symptoms. Shaking, vomiting, insomnia, extreme anxiety, depression, major loss of appetite, and when I could sleep I had bad dreams. I think CarolD is absolutely right, everyone is different. I did not realize until weeks later that what I did (with no medical help) was dangerous. A lot of people later told me I should have gone to a detox center because it was safer and they thought it would have been easier on me. I simply didn't know enough about detoxing.

matt88

I got them a couple years ago after drinking heavily for about a week from the time I woke up till the time I went to bed. Probably the worst experience I've ever been through. I thought I would die. I need to do a detailed write up on that experience now in retrospect and put it in that thread because I actually enjoy telling the story now, lol. That first time lingered with me for about a year afterward, where when I would just binge drink one night, I"d get these flashbacks about them while hungover the following evening. That one experience with them really changed the whole face of drinking for me.

Sikkisirus

In my 20's I used to get terrible withdrawals, result of way too many super lagers for breakfast. Shaking, sweating, anxiety, blood puking, cramps, horrible. My rehab and hospital withdrawals were more 'comfortable' as i was put on meds but home withdrawal sucks big time. Lasted me the usual 3 - 5 days.
In fact its the stark reminders of those withdrawals which keep me moderated in my 30's. The Fear.

smacked

No. Not in the least. Do you mean liver disease? Or are you thinking of the disease model of alcoholism? To that I can't speak of. I don't personally believe that it's a disease. But that's another thread.

As for me, considering what I drank.. I was lucky. I did take tranxene for 2 days to prevent seizures, but otherwise did it on my own at home.. after coming home from the ER. They 'detoxed' me for about 3 hours with IV fluids and vitamins too. I was at work the next day.

Donald82

i swear as twisted as it might sound, they need to show kid's in school a video of somebody with sever DTs and see how cool binge drinking is after that. I know there are some videos on youtube but im scared to even look at them.

always kinda shake my head when I hear people talking about "how ****** up they were" last night. like "ok man keep it up, **** aint going to be fun" depending on my relationship I will usually try to give them a heads up on the way it can get. But as imagined in one ear out the other

rider

Thanks for the posts guys. I guess everyone IS different. I think I assumed that only those who drank, like 2 qts. of jack daniels a day for many years got the DT's and other withdrawal symptoms. Seems that is not the case at all.

And thanks for the link Carol, much appreciated.

Smacked, I referred to alcoholism as a disease as that is how most people refer to it. I do not think of it as a disease either, but that is another thread.

Gypsy Feet

I drank every night for 28ish years and had 0 withdrawals when I quit. I am grateful.

rider

I am grateful FOR you Gypsy. It's curious to me. I drank everyday for 25 years and had 0 withdrawals too. So I wonder what triggers them.