I didn't think it was this bad...
 

Hi, I'm new here.

And I think I'm experiencing withdrawl. It's a huge shock to me, as I'd had myself convinced my drinking wasn't that bad, and that I wasn't an alcoholic.

But I stopped drinking after having too much at Thanksgiving, because my family was starting to express a lot of concerns. I wanted to prove to them all that I had no problem not drinking. But last night, about 48 hours after my last drink, I started feeling awful. My body felt sick, I couldn't sleep (which isn't like me), today I woke up from a very restless night now very nauseous and uncomfortable. My body aches and it hurts to touch anything...

Am I describing feelings of withdrawl?

My drinking habits, I'll now admit, were much worse than I wanted people to think. I only drank in the evenings, once my husband got home to watch my daughter. I could easily drink one or two bottles of wine. Recently I've found myself lying about my drinking, drinking in secret, stealing liquor from my family's cabinets, and wow now that I type this it sounds really bad.

I've always tolerated alcohol very well. I never get hang overs, and I come from a family with a history of alcoholism.

I'm glad I've stopped... this is day 3 without any alcohol. And I'm very driven to recover. I'm scared of how bad my habits had become. But I'm also fearful to open up to my family and husband. I don't want to be treated like a drunk.

Thanks for listening. This seemed like a safe place to finally open up.

Hi FleurdeLis

Welcome :)

It sounds like withdrawal, but whether it is or not, I always advise people to see a Dr if they feel unwell or worried in any way :)

This is a link to some of our member's experiences of detox and withdrawal - for many people it's simply uncomfortable, but for some of us it can get pretty hairy.

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

Congrats on getting to day 3 - what you typed sounds pretty normal round here - you're in the right place :)

Hope to see you around some more

D

Yes, it does sound like withdrawl, and as Dee says, you should talk to your dr.

I am glad that you have decided to live a sober life. And, please know that denial is a huge part of alcoholism. When I look back at the things I would tell myself, it's unbelievable.

Welcome to SR! If you're on day three sober then the worst of the withdrawal should be nearly over. But do see a doctor to be sure and safe. I'm glad you found us and joined the family. Sobriety rocks!

I have no experience on drinking. But I agree with the others. Talk to a Dr. Glad you are here and good job on 3 days. There is so much support and wisdom here. I hope you stick around.

Welcome to SR!

:wavey:
Welcome to our recovery community

According to the US Center for Disease Control
a moderate female drinker has no more than 1 daily drink.
For wine drinkers....that is 4 oz.
Obviously.....you are way past moderate.

Yes you have a lot of red flags ...alcoholic or not..there
are people who choose to not drink for various reasons.
For instance.....if your family asks questions
simplely say you are on a new health path.
And that is true....:)

Best to you and your family

Yes, you can open up here & that was a blessing for me. It's what saved my life - no one understood me outside of this community. Congratulations on wanting a new life for yourself.

I had the feelings you describe, as well as many other strange sensations & thoughts. It all went away eventually. Let us know how you're doing.

Welcome FleurdeLis...glad you're here. This is a great place for feedback and support! So you know...there's an 'Under 2 Weeks' thread in the 'Newcomer Support' section and a November 2009 group that you might find helpful, too! :) Hope you keep posting!

FleurdeLis -

Welcome to SR. Hope you will keep posting.

I too thought that I wasn't really drinking that much. But, once I started to be brutally honest with myself, I realized that I was undeniably an alcoholic.

As others have said, the label doesn't matter. What matters is that you have decided that you want something different ... something that many people on this site have.

You will find so many great new things as you stop drinking ... and if you can catch it early enough, you can avoid a lot of the pain that you will read about on this site.

Welcome! Keep posting.

Remember too, you can't do this alone. Recovery involves more than just abstinence. You need a program of recovery. My program is: AA + SR + helping others + daily application of the new life tools I've learned; but there are lots of other good programs too.

You've made a good decision and are in a good place. Keep coming back.

Hi Fleurdelis,
The insideousness of alcoholism is that one doesn't realize one is in its grasp until it is too late. I had the same experience of quitting drinking and then going into withdrawal. I began having nausea, headaches, sweats, insomnia, etc. a few days after I stopped. I didn't realize I was drinking that much. I completely understand your shock and surprise

I also had a very high tolerance to alcohol and suffered few, if any, after effects from my drinking. I did not get sick from drinking. I think that my high tolerance and lack of hangovers made it even more dangerous because I could drink excessively without any consequence whatsoever. It was like having a race car without having any brakes.

This gets to the next point: I too have a stong family history of alcoholism. My father died from his disease. I absolutely did not/do not want to follow that path.

Congratulations on your insights and on stopping drinking. That is just a beginning. It does sound bad writing it out -- the behaviors and the thinking -- the sneaking and the lying. It sounds bad because it is bad. And I would almost guarantee that your family already knows you have a problem. We are usually the last to know.
Susan Lauren

I am pretty much where you are, only a couple days ahead. This is day 5 for me. And I experienced withdrawal symptoms around day 2 and 3 very similar to what you have described. Actually, I was up until 4 in the morning on the first night, which really sucked. It seems like the withdrawal symptoms peaked around day 3 for me, but have decreased a little each day since. You have found a great place in SR. You will get a tremendous amount of support here. The support that I have received here has helped me reach 5 straight days of sobriety, and I am confident that I can keep it going. Hang in there. We can all do this together.

Welcome. Been there done that. And its not pleasant. I didn't know at the time how physically dangerous it was for me to withdraw without medical attention. I almost died. I am so glad you are here and posting. Please follow through with the advice given and get medical attention. We need to be monitored. Our blood and renal functions checked. Bless you.

if you have hesitation about being labeled a drunk, try a few AA meetings. Its such a trip, because pretty much every time someone says they are an alcoholic or a drunk, there are cheers, applauding, knowing smiles and the laughter born of brother/sisterhood.

you may even come to the point in time where you are grateful to be an alcoholic, as I have, because it opens up a whole new set of coping tools, people to meet, and experiences you never would have had otherwise.

welcome

Welcome to SR :wavey:

Wow, I want to thank you all for a warm welcome. It's truly a nice feeling to not be alone.

Susan, you stole the words out of my mouth on how the lack of repercussions really doesn't help. A hang over or two in the past would have probably done me some good.

I'm looking forward to reading more posts on here, so far I've read a lot of helpful & inspiring posts. As I'm sure a lot of you can relate, I'm still sort of in shock. I think I've known for a while I wasn't in a good situation, but the withdrawal symptoms really blindsided me.

Thank you all, again.

susanlauren ...:wave:
Welcome back to SR