BurningChrome

Felt fine yesterday, later in the evening my ever-tolerant wife made me a nice home cooked dinner and I was in the bathroom tossing it all back up less than 10-15 minutes later, hands visibly shaking. My poor wife was wildly concerned, have not told her I just stopped drinking, she'll see soon enough. Managed to hold down two glasses of Gatorade and went to bed early. Still alittle shakey and nauseas this morning so will stay away from food for abit and just drink fluids. I am not expecting these kinds of symptoms to last for more than 2-3 days. And I _Did_ want to lose a few lbs. :-)

..Mike

Anna

It's always a good idea to talk to your dr before detoxing from alcohol because it can be dangerous. I do hope you feel better.

Gatorade is a good choice!

least

The actual physical withdrawal doesn't last too long: a few days to a week or so. Stay strong and get thru the ugly part of detox. Then you should start feeling better. Please do get medical help if your withdrawals symptoms get worse! We don't want to lose ya!

Hevyn

Mike, just remember - you never have to go through this again. Here is where it can end. The hell we put ourselves through, thinking we're making ourselves feel better and enjoy life more - it's so sad.

Your body will heal and you'll be a new person with a new attitude. It's an exciting time, but I sure didn't think of it that way in early withdrawal! Congratulations on not picking up again even though you feel miserable right now. This too shall pass - you're on your way.

BurningChrome

Especially with your words of support on "not picking up again", as I know if I did, I would feel _SO_ much better, so much better in fact, that I would just drink the rest of this whole day and feel wonderful! Until tomorrow morning when I would wake with no memory of ever going to bed! Going to hang tough, no plans for the day, sit in my favorite chair, sip gatorade, watch some Olympics, etc. Work tomorrow is mentally taxing and will keep my mind on track thru out the day. Thanks again,
..Mike

Hevyn

That's it exactly - the vicious cycle I put myself through for 25 yrs. Armed with this knowledge & self-awareness, you can beat this thing. (I should've known I was in trouble when my hangover cure became beer, not alka seltzer.)

NEOMARXIST

I think that was the beginning of the end for me. When I started to 'cure' any hangover/comedown with getting drunk again.

There was no going back for me after I got into the habit of drinking as soon as I awoke. I remember lying in my bed at 5.30AM watching the sun come-up and nailing a can of lager. Waiting for the warm glow to arrive seconds later. Then no sooner as the euphoria hit it was gone again and an overwhelming desire to just want more, more, more had begun! Cue a few hours later staggering downstairs, slurring my words and swearing at 8.30 AM Sunday morning.

My alcoholic mind will try to trick me at times that they were 'good-times' but the brief hit of that indescribeable feeling was never wirth the carnage that followed.

I tried many times to control my drinking to one binge, but ultimately I just wanted to drink as soon as I woke up, as I knew getting drunk again would cure the hangover. Plus my hangovers got much more mental in nature rather than physical, so I would want to drink to pick my mood back up and calm my anxious thoughts or whatever down.

Writing that out here has reminded me why they really weren't 'good-times' really but the euphoric recall of the mind towards alcohol is very warped if you let it run wild.


peace

Fandy

you just brought the memory of last week flooding back.....on Monday i had finished the most available wine in the house....spent the day in bed as i had since that previous Saturday, alternating drinking and being sick with a virus (or being sick from drinkng while i had a virus)...Tuesday i HAD to go to work to meet a deadline, i looked terrible and several people commented on it...did not stop to buy wine that night on the way home...too tired, too nauseated.

found this website by google looking for icanteven remember....decided i wanted to quit and stop feeling depressed and physically like the walking dead... finally stopped heaving late Wed. PM...physical discomfort aches was there no doubt, but no shakes, just body aches, weird auditory hallucinations intermittently, but i think the worst is over and I am now on Day 6...my first Sober Sunday in a very long time. having trouble getting more than 4-5 hours of sleep.

chrome, through all of it, i managed to pull myself together enough to go to work everyday and be somewhat productive, (with a few extra bathroom runs)...i still have incredible thirst and am drinking about8-9 mugs of herbal tea every day and seltzer with juice...like everyone says, keep to a soft diet, broth, light food easy to digest, take your vitamins with food...it will get better every day.

BurningChrome

And one other oddity I've noticed, I've had several "drunk dreams", where I have a vivid dream that I am very drunk, can barely walk, finally wake up suddenly and realize it was only a dream, albeit, a very disturbing dream. The other variation is I am trying to gather and hide empty vodka bottles to keep my wife from seeing them, seems like everytime I find one and hide it, I see another behind my wife's line of sight and I go grab and hide that one, then there's another, an another, etc.... pretty weird!!

..Mike

Fandy

should i push my glasses down on my nose and stroke my chin a la Dr. Freud? my very amaturish guesstiamate is that is your subconscious still all revved up...you mentioned previously that you drink privately? not out in the open where the rest of the family is?

the best thing i can suggest is that you be kind to your body today, give it nutrition, vitamins and lots of liquids, something for the body-aches (i had terrible leg cramps 3rd day)and maybe some light physical activity like a short walk....for me, the fresh air made me feel less nauseated...if you can nap, great (wish i could)...

for me, every AM i felt this incredible sense of *accomplishment* by staying sober, just looking in the mirror to wash my face and not seeing puffy eyes, red skin and a bloated look makes me feel motivated to keep sober.