I'm new and looking for alcohol withdraw help
 

HI all,

I found this site and it looks loaded with info, but to make a long story short I am drinking way too much and way too often and want to quit, but I can tell I need to do this by weaning myself or something. Can anyone tell me how to go about that? I know I could ask my doctor for drugs, but I think I could wean myself effectively and not have that in my medical file. I am just wondering the amount of alcohol you would drink and when in order to just keep the really bad withdraw symptoms at bay. I did not drink in the morning or daytime, just evening. I need all the help I can get. Thanks

Hi Dawnmha

Welcome to SR :)

I know what you mean about not having on your medical file - but really, whats more important Dawn - that on your file, or getting the best care possible through a pretty rough time?

See your doctor - it's worth any discomfort or embarassment.

When I detoxed a couple of years ago I didn't seek help and I wish I had now.
Its the sensible way to go.

Here a link to other peoples experience with detox here - it's pretty full on reading but there are some useful things in it

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

D

Glad to know you are thinking about stopping drinking.
Alcohol is a toxic liquid...it damages drinkers brains and
bodies. That is true for all drinkers..not only alcoholics.


Welcome to our recovery community...:wave:

:welcome You've heard from a couple of the best. I just wanted to add my welcome to the family. This is a great place for help and support.

Hi Dawn: I drank every night, and all day any day I didn't have to work. I tried to quit many times and many ways. I was never successful. My inability to do it myself is what gave me the idea I was alcohol dependent. So, I went to a Dr. who explained that I was at risk for a seizure during detox. He advised me what to expect, gave me a med for sleep and vitamins. He told me to taper off. Voila - here I am 42 days sober. I was so motivated (I was done!!!) I tapered to nothing in 3 days. Withdrawals weren't as bad as I thought they would be and knowing I had medical support if it went badly was a big comfort. Go to a Dr. before you detox.

I may be a bit out of line here, but I have never known any alcoholic who "weened" themselves off the sauce. How many times have you gone somewhere and said "I am only going to have one drink tonight," and stuck with that lofty goal? Once I got that first drink in my belly, number two was close at hand (with three, four, and five sitting on the sidelines.) As an alcoholic, we have no control over alcohol, it controls us. I would take the suggestions of others and see your doctor. I think for the most part, you will feel better being honest to him/her and having the security of him/her aware of your situation, just in case you get a bit too jittery for comfort. And remember, just because you drink a lot, does not necessarily mean you will go through bad withdrawals. I drank for over 30 years and I had no DT's or ill effects, except post-partum from the bottle, which was in my hand practically every evening for that time. So make the move. See your doctor, and throw away that bottle and feel what it is to live again...free from addiction. My best to you.

Padraic

I wish I could help you ....I'm in the same boat...

Drinking my face off here just to remain stable...

It's a long night...i went 6 months sober and it was wonderful...

Now i'm back on the juice again with a vengence,...Kinda making up for lost time?..... and I really don't know what to do about it...?

Just quit??

Seems so easy to say but harder to put in practice...You know what im talking about I'm sure...

Just quitting drinking is the answer,,, and i know that.....It's just getting there... to that point that is holding me back....

I guess I'm ready to surrender...gigs up, hands down,,,face on the ground..don't know what else to do really...Things are not working presently....cant continue like this...

I can relate Dawn. ..

I'm so sick of everything..The confusion,.., the shakes, ..the compulsive behavior...on and on.....

Anyways, I'm up late tonight, and obviously drinking,,,but looking for a solution, ,,if you want to talk ...i need some help here too...

Or anybody else for that matter...you guys have sure helped me in the past..........

Stick around Dawn....nice to meet yah..!

Hi Dawn & Richard, I just wanted to wish you both all of the best in your recovery. Please get medical help to get you through the detox phase :ring

I can relate to this, Dawn
I too didn't want anything on my file originally but, in the end, I needed to get better.
In your position I would get to the doctor, start working on getting well and keep visiting this forum. It is a great place for help and support.
Welcome and good luck to you :c031:

Welcome, Dawn.

Withdrawals are a dangerous thing to play around with by yourself, I'd recommend the doctor too.

There might be fewer symptoms, there might be a whole lot of them--I've been through it a few times, and I've yet to see it go down the same way twice. Ever since the second time, I've done it under medical supervision.

But welcome :wavey:

-TB

Welcome to SR Dawnmha, , it is against the law for your medical records in the US to be released to anyone with out your permission, in other words you seeking help from your doctor is every bit as confedential as you talking to a lawyer.

In reality it could be a matter of life and death as far as detoxing from alcohol, lots of people die from not going to thier doctor for help in detoxing. I tried the "Weaning business and I am an alcoholic, weaning was out of the question for me, if I have one drink I am having more!

One more very important reason to let not only your doctor, but your dentist and phsychiatrist know is to help prevent relapse, you see there are many medications that are basically alcohol in pill form, if they know you are an alcoholic they will prescribe you some thing else that works just as well but will lessen your chance of relapse.

Please see your doctor, trust me you will not be the first nor the last person to tell them you have a drinking problem.

I have yet to know someone who was able to 'wean' off of alcohol.

Please see your doctor.. HIPPA laws prevent any info from being shared with anyone else in most any case.

Thanks for all the great advice!
 

Last night went pretty well and I did drink, but very little and I watered it down to keep just enough in my system to be able to sleep and not have so much discomfort. Now who knows what today will bring??

I am seeing a doctor tomorrow and what I was worried about the doctor for was do health insurance companies ever check for things like this? You know how insurance companies are today and I just had my concerns over those types of issues, but yes, I do realize how important it is to be very careful when withdrawing from alcohol.

And there are ways to wean yourself off alcohol with alcohol if you can do it without falling back into the old pattern, which is what I am wary of because I know I am an alcoholic, but I want to quit and I mean I really want to quit. Before there were the drugs that they use to wean you off, people had to just lessen their intake each day until they quit.

My goal is to be alcohol free and stay that way, I hate the symptoms of withdrawals and it is terrifying knowing that alcohol withdrawals is one of the deadliest out of all other drugs. After I get through this I do not ever want to go through this physical horror again and I hope to God I never forget that. Thanks for all the words of encouragement, especially since I am not exactly alcohol free yet, but I plan to be posting about my recovery ASAP.

Thanks

Well, good luck with that! If you ever find you want to try anything different, there's lots of ways to quit drinking without continuing to drink.

That's not what I meant at all, I am not "continuing to drink" I was trying to get through last night. I see a doctor tomorrow that leaves tonight also yet. Sorry you misunderstood.

Yes, I see the point of that and I am seeing my doctor tomorrow (soonest I can get in). so thanks for the input!

Dawnmha,
Forgive me if I come across a bit brash, but cutting down drinking IMHO is a dangerous method of quitting. You see, it still gives some satiation to the habit and it becomes an escape when things get rough. What happens down the line when a alcohol crave sets in on you and it is a very strong one? There is the possibility you will "ease" the the discomfort by having "just one" to take off the edge. I would be willing to bet at some point one drink would not do the job, so two probably would. The more times alcohol enters your system, the greater the chance your will to quit withers. I say this, dear one, because the taste of liquor has not fully faded from my mouth in 22 days. It was less than a month ago that I realized I had come from sobriety, to a couple of beers every other night, to finally 8 to 10 beers a night with a 1/2 pint to a pint of schnapps thrown in as starter fluid. This occurred within 3 months of sobriety.
At least try to find an alternative to the weaning process. I believe your chances of recovery will be a hundred fold better. This again is only my opinion and offered for your consideration. You are the one making the choices. I wish you the best.

Padraic

Yes, I see your point and the reason I am still drinking a little (believe me very little compared to what I was doing) is because I can tell my withdrawal symptoms are severe and I cannot see my doctor until tomorrow. I didn't want to take a chance of something fatal happening because I went "cold turkey". Anyway, I do believe a very strong and determined person could wean themselves, but I also believe (knowing the beast that is addiction) that it could so easily revert right back to where you started, if not worse. That is why I did make a doctor's appt. I had thought I could just stop without the use of drugs, but it doesn't look like that's the case. Anyway, I appreciate your input and I am listening and I hope tomorrow my doc. can put me on something to help withdrawals.

Dee74
 

Thanks Dee74 for the link, it is appreciated.

You can pay cash for medications rather than having your insurance pay or even your doctors services . I have met with my DR. before and asked that it be "cash for services" basis as i did not want that particular interaction with him to go on any insurance records. The Dr. thought my fears were unfounded but obliged my wishes (It was for a possible STD scare, if you must know)