LSNP

Okay, so I've been drinking daily since December 2009, after eleven days of a non-eventful quit (other than the fact that I was sober and happier!!!).

After reading stories here, I'm nervous about detoxing. I drink about a half a fifth of vodka per day (sometimes less) and sometimes I add a few glasses of wine to help me sleep (sick, I know).

I have kids and a demanding job..... and I am a bit worried about the horror stories of detox I've read.

Seeing the doctor is not going to happen for reasons I'd rather not delve into right now.

Most say it takes about four days? Is this average?

I am a good mother (believe it or not) and do NOT want to be around my kids if it is going to be that bad.

Suggestions? Help? WTF? HOW ON EARTH DID I GET TO THIS POINT??????

LexieCat

This is NOT a recommendation, but here's what I did. Starting on a Tuesday (when my withdrawals were so bad I had to be driven home from work), I allowed myself ONE DRINK (that would be 1.5 ounces of alcohol) every four hours. I did that Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday I measured out what I needed for Thursday and planned for my last drink to be Thursday night. I poured out every drop of alcohol except for what I needed for Thursday. When I had my last drink, I switched to fresh, cold water and hot herbal teas. I also went to my first AA meeting on Friday.

I was quite uncomfortable (sweats, difficulty sleeping), felt like I had a low-grade virus for a couple of days. I took vitamins (especially B-complex) and drank lots of water and juice and tea. I ate comfort food and took care of myself like I was sick for a few days.

IF you can taper down that way, you MIGHT be able to avoid the worst of the withdrawals. If you get any scary symptoms (severe shortness of breath, hallucinations, severe tremors), you should call 911. If you have a friend who is willing to check in on you, that would be a good idea.

julez

I didnt have severe physical withdrawals but I didn't feel "great" for the 1st week. You're at least lucky that school is back in session, so your kids will be gone for most of the day. (?)
I don't know your work schedule, but if it were me, I'd lay around all day, just eating and drinking good, healthy, replenishing things. Save all your energy for when the kids come home, and try to be as normal as you can. Maybe say you have a little bug or something if you need to. I agree with Lexie about the B vitamins. I took them, and they seemed to help. I got a B Mega Complex.
Keep posting on here, so we can be sure that you're ok. Just relax, and let your body heal. xoxo

Dee74

I can't stress to you the importance of seeing a doctor ARB.
Whatever your reasons are - you're dealing with your life here.

My last detox was one of hundreds, so I never saw a doctor.
I ended up having not one, but several small strokes.

I'll always now carry the legacy of that decision back in 07.

You deserve to give yourself the best care you can - and your family deserves that too.
D

Anna

I agree whole-heartedly with Dee on this topic.

I tried tapering so many times and failed again and again. It just prolonged the agony of stopping drinking. And, no one can predict how each person will react in detoxing.

I also strongly recommend that you talk to your dr about what you are doing.

Mattcake

Every withdrawal is different, there's no way to predict how you'll feel or how long it'll last.

...why won't you see a doc? Supervised withdrawal is quite easy to carry out, and it may well save you from having horror stories of your own.

least

If you get too bad with the w/d you can always go to the local hospital's ER for treatment. Tell them you're in alcohol withdrawal and need help. You can be given meds to calm you down and will have your vital signs checked. I'd strongly recommend medical help if you start feeling 'really' awful. And yes, about three or four days is the usual length of w/d. Once you get past that, you can start on the REAL work of staying sober.

Get all the help you can get for the first few days. And if you have anyone you can call to watch your kids while you get medical help, all the better. I wish you the best. W/D is nasty and unpleasant, but you don't have to go thru it again if you stay sober.

ItWillBeWorthIt

W/Ds are horrible.. I do believe it is different for everyone. Like others have said, please go and see your doctor. I know that mine prescribed some intern anxiety medicine and a few sleeping pills. The medicine did help calm down the nervousness/anxiety/panic attacks... and the sleeping pills allowed me to sleep... if I didn't sleep, I would have been a total wreak.

I, too, have three kids, but the older ones 15 and 13 were told what was going on, so they helped with my little person who is 6... they were supportive, I have never really hid anything from them. I talked to them about detox and that I needed quiet time. I drank a ton of water with a bit of lemon in it, major vitamins, B Complex, epson salts and baking soda hot baths. The worst day for me was day 5... I did get some chest pains that came from no where and I think they scared me more than anything.

You mentioned how did you get where you are... well alcoholism is a progressive disease and it does that to a lot of people and we just have to be strong enough to fight it. We will win.

CarolD

Hmm...
as you seem determined to not get medical asistance
at least read this.....

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

Because of the large ammount of alcohol involved
doing withdrawals alone is very risky.
Plus scaring your kids is a factor.
JMO

The Salvation Army has free anonymous de tox facilties
in many areas. They are experts on this...and the
usual stay is 3 or 4 days.
It depends on how soon your blood pressure and heart
gets stable. De tox is a serious issue.

I hope you will find a way to be both safe and sober.

Blessings to you and your family

goodman

Is it important to drink a few days but less? I'm wanting to detox and can't go to the centers etc.

Balou

I agree with all of the above. Also, if you can get a few days off from the kids and work for detox, it would definitely help! When I detoxed I felt horrible for my daughter and the lack of attention she was receiving, however, I knew this was temporary, and the long term effects were the most important. You will have to soldier through the detox and get medical help if you need it, but you can do it. Good luck to you and I will pray for you!

wpainterw

I'm not a doctor but I understand that some of the risks of a non doctor supervised detox ("self detox") are heart attacks, strokes, convulsions, as well as DT's and a few other very nasty things. If you are alone there may be no one to summon help and you could die. Even with help summoned you could die anyway or be left physically or mentally impaired. In addition, without medication it could be very very unpleasant.
I can't think of any rational reason why one would not choose to see a doctor. Please reconsider.

W.