Weaning off alcohol
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,412
I gave it a shot.
I followed a program in which I would measure the amount of alcohol and consume every 2hours to "maintain".
I managed it for a couple days. It was tough. I wasn't able to get it done. I eventually stopped measuring and drank "just to keep WD's at bay."
Which led to me drinking out of control again.
It was at this point they I posted day 1 here and went cold turkey. I HAD to quit one way or another. Tapering didn't work, so plan B was put in place.
That worked. 4months clean.
Plan C was Doctor for meds and AA meetings
Plan D was rehab.
I followed a program in which I would measure the amount of alcohol and consume every 2hours to "maintain".
I managed it for a couple days. It was tough. I wasn't able to get it done. I eventually stopped measuring and drank "just to keep WD's at bay."
Which led to me drinking out of control again.
It was at this point they I posted day 1 here and went cold turkey. I HAD to quit one way or another. Tapering didn't work, so plan B was put in place.
That worked. 4months clean.
Plan C was Doctor for meds and AA meetings
Plan D was rehab.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,251
Kbeen, with all due respect, get yourself to a doctor. Seizures, vomiting, shaking so bad you are spilling your drink? Unless you are a doctor, actually scratch that, even IF you are a doctor, you are in a condition where you need to supervision of an outside medical professional.
Wishing you luck and hoping you will check back in, your post was very worrying.
Wishing you luck and hoping you will check back in, your post was very worrying.
Originally Posted by kbeen 
Just a note about weening, and a warning.
I have weened twice successfully, with a plan that I only drink if I start to feel some sort of elevated symptom . (by successfully, I mean that I successfully managed the process without significant withdrawal, but obviously I didn't successfully stay sober for more than a year at a time)
Right now I am in the process of third weening. I keep track of what time it was in the day when I finished a certain amount, and push it a bit further the next day. It was going so well for the past four days, that today I started to push it further. I had quit drinking earlier last night, and went to bed early because I know that if I am sleeping I am not drinking, so I stayed in bed. Obviously waking up several times in the night, but I listened to "lucent dreaming" youtube videos and boring documentaries on youtube that keep me from thinking about other things. I pushed it way passed the previous "time without a drink".
This morning I woke up and actually was not feeling anything. I set an acceptable time for the first drink that would keep me on schedule to considerably reduce my daily intake for the fourth day in a row.
Just about the time I was scheduled to potentially have my first drink, my wife confronted me (she did not know that I had been drinking) and told me I looked like the last time I had a seizure (from trying to go cold turkey)
I excused my way out of it and by the time (within ten minutes) I could get to my "medicine" (drink) my hands were shaking so hard I was spilling it all over myself. I do have an anxiety medicine (I forget the english name) that is used to prevent seizures in rehab and epileptics, and also for anxiety issues, but I hear terrible things about taking it with alcohol, and I do not trust that the drug alone will be enough to prevent seizure at this stage, so I take it only in the later stage of weening, when I am comfortably on one or two drink / day.
I had my drink (or rather drinks, I was scared so I took two instead of one), and it was about five-ten minutes before the symptoms subsided) and I am still on schedule to drink less than yesterday (maybe halfway through the weening process) but given the progression of the shakes, if I had not had that drink at that exact time, I would probably be in the hospital an hour later after a seizure.
I have had seizures twice. Both times cold turkey. First time I went cold turkey I got through a few days of vomiting and the shakes and the sweats and felt really good, then BAM! the seizure.
The second time, within one day, my body skipped the vomiting and sweats and went right to the shakes and one hour later, BAM the seizure.
The next two times when I weened, I did it when I was alone, so I could feel free to just lay in bed, and not have to face anyone. It went smoothly. (one of them only took three days)
This time, I can not be alone and have to act normal all day, even though I am trying to push the limit on the shakes/daily intake.
I guess what I want to say is, be careful how you push the limits. Make a plan and stick to it. In my case the shakes progressed so quickly and would have been followed by seizure.
While it goes contradictory to some advice, which says that if the drink is there you will drink it, I always keep extra on hand for the reason mentioned above. I also keep a bottle with me when I go someplace because I would hate to be stuck someplace without access when the symptoms strike. Of course, you have to remember that it is medicine, in this case, and not for fun.
I have weened twice successfully, with a plan that I only drink if I start to feel some sort of elevated symptom . (by successfully, I mean that I successfully managed the process without significant withdrawal, but obviously I didn't successfully stay sober for more than a year at a time)
Right now I am in the process of third weening. I keep track of what time it was in the day when I finished a certain amount, and push it a bit further the next day. It was going so well for the past four days, that today I started to push it further. I had quit drinking earlier last night, and went to bed early because I know that if I am sleeping I am not drinking, so I stayed in bed. Obviously waking up several times in the night, but I listened to "lucent dreaming" youtube videos and boring documentaries on youtube that keep me from thinking about other things. I pushed it way passed the previous "time without a drink".
This morning I woke up and actually was not feeling anything. I set an acceptable time for the first drink that would keep me on schedule to considerably reduce my daily intake for the fourth day in a row.
Just about the time I was scheduled to potentially have my first drink, my wife confronted me (she did not know that I had been drinking) and told me I looked like the last time I had a seizure (from trying to go cold turkey)
I excused my way out of it and by the time (within ten minutes) I could get to my "medicine" (drink) my hands were shaking so hard I was spilling it all over myself. I do have an anxiety medicine (I forget the english name) that is used to prevent seizures in rehab and epileptics, and also for anxiety issues, but I hear terrible things about taking it with alcohol, and I do not trust that the drug alone will be enough to prevent seizure at this stage, so I take it only in the later stage of weening, when I am comfortably on one or two drink / day.
I had my drink (or rather drinks, I was scared so I took two instead of one), and it was about five-ten minutes before the symptoms subsided) and I am still on schedule to drink less than yesterday (maybe halfway through the weening process) but given the progression of the shakes, if I had not had that drink at that exact time, I would probably be in the hospital an hour later after a seizure.
I have had seizures twice. Both times cold turkey. First time I went cold turkey I got through a few days of vomiting and the shakes and the sweats and felt really good, then BAM! the seizure.
The second time, within one day, my body skipped the vomiting and sweats and went right to the shakes and one hour later, BAM the seizure.
The next two times when I weened, I did it when I was alone, so I could feel free to just lay in bed, and not have to face anyone. It went smoothly. (one of them only took three days)
This time, I can not be alone and have to act normal all day, even though I am trying to push the limit on the shakes/daily intake.
I guess what I want to say is, be careful how you push the limits. Make a plan and stick to it. In my case the shakes progressed so quickly and would have been followed by seizure.
While it goes contradictory to some advice, which says that if the drink is there you will drink it, I always keep extra on hand for the reason mentioned above. I also keep a bottle with me when I go someplace because I would hate to be stuck someplace without access when the symptoms strike. Of course, you have to remember that it is medicine, in this case, and not for fun.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 205
Bill W. and Dr. Bob didn't bring benzos when visiting drunks who'd hit bottom (because they hadn't been invented yet); they brought liquor.
So, yes, many people have used alcohol to deal with the withdrawal from it, including me.
That said, there are other options these days and, as the question is a life-and-death one, seeking medical advice is certainly prudent.
So, yes, many people have used alcohol to deal with the withdrawal from it, including me.
That said, there are other options these days and, as the question is a life-and-death one, seeking medical advice is certainly prudent.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: MN
Posts: 8,704
I was able to successfully taper, but I guess I'm the exception and not the rule. It was a few years ago. It takes extreme discipline, and you will still experience periods of being uncomfortable. But its possible. I believe the largest hurdle is that alcohol impairs our judgement and reduces inhibitions, so if you drink too much, you lose the discipline of the taper and end up drunk again.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 24
Actually, the first seizure was because I had no idea. It was the first time I ever tried to stop, and had never seen this website at that point.
The second seizure was not while I was trying to ween, it was just because I could not get access to alcohol when I was drinking regularly.
The three times I have weened it works well.
I also found a really great app that is helping tremendously.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...lcodroid&hl=en
Instead of keeping track on a pad and paper, I know that one mouthful for me is 22ml. So I can schedule my taper and keep track of it on this app, how my progress over the days, as well as telling my an estimated current BAC, which is helpful because it just gives me another goal - how many times to drink each day until I get to zero, and a BAC to keep under. Can then go back and compare chart to previous days for more motivation to show that I'm making progress.
The app also tells you how long it has been since your BAC hit 0.00%, so you can get a guage on how long before you start feeling the withdrawl.
Today I am down to nursing 1.5 standard drink for the day, which it doesn't feel like I need, but I feel safer sticking to the plan, and within two days I will be at zero.
The second seizure was not while I was trying to ween, it was just because I could not get access to alcohol when I was drinking regularly.
The three times I have weened it works well.
I also found a really great app that is helping tremendously.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...lcodroid&hl=en
Instead of keeping track on a pad and paper, I know that one mouthful for me is 22ml. So I can schedule my taper and keep track of it on this app, how my progress over the days, as well as telling my an estimated current BAC, which is helpful because it just gives me another goal - how many times to drink each day until I get to zero, and a BAC to keep under. Can then go back and compare chart to previous days for more motivation to show that I'm making progress.
The app also tells you how long it has been since your BAC hit 0.00%, so you can get a guage on how long before you start feeling the withdrawl.
Today I am down to nursing 1.5 standard drink for the day, which it doesn't feel like I need, but I feel safer sticking to the plan, and within two days I will be at zero.
D♭7♭9♯9♯11♭13
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 336
I kept track (measured) how much I was drinking to track calories; you know, so I could eat appropriate amounts of food.
Anyway, I was mostly a night drinker, so I cut my vodka intake by 20ml each night until I got down to one 20ml serving.
Since I used to drink vodka combined with one or two 8-12% craft beers, I failed many times trying to use less vodka and beer, so I used a different technique that made me better able to only consume what I poured for the night and be done with it each night.
Worked well for me by cutting 20ml each night. I did have headaches during the whole process, but I think that was because I cut my intake by nearly half the first night in my eagerness to quit, but every night after that it was 20ml less. I just felt cold turkey would not be safe this time around and didn't want to get benzos from a doc.
I think if you don't know how much you're currently drinking and/or drinking day and night, it will be a much harder process to figure out how much you should be taking in for a taper. Drinking based on curbing symptoms seems like a poor way to taper (as does mouthful measurements).
Any way you quit it's going to require discipline, but safety needs to be the first concern whether it's a taper, benzos etc.
For me it felt great coming off slowly with no anxiety, shakes, high blood pressure etc. and with each night (after I got past the heavy buzz amounts) I felt less and less desire to drink (which I attribute to my body physiologically becoming less dependent) until the day 0ml was the amount due to drink and that was the amount I desired to drink.
Anyway, I was mostly a night drinker, so I cut my vodka intake by 20ml each night until I got down to one 20ml serving.
Since I used to drink vodka combined with one or two 8-12% craft beers, I failed many times trying to use less vodka and beer, so I used a different technique that made me better able to only consume what I poured for the night and be done with it each night.
Worked well for me by cutting 20ml each night. I did have headaches during the whole process, but I think that was because I cut my intake by nearly half the first night in my eagerness to quit, but every night after that it was 20ml less. I just felt cold turkey would not be safe this time around and didn't want to get benzos from a doc.
I think if you don't know how much you're currently drinking and/or drinking day and night, it will be a much harder process to figure out how much you should be taking in for a taper. Drinking based on curbing symptoms seems like a poor way to taper (as does mouthful measurements).
Any way you quit it's going to require discipline, but safety needs to be the first concern whether it's a taper, benzos etc.
For me it felt great coming off slowly with no anxiety, shakes, high blood pressure etc. and with each night (after I got past the heavy buzz amounts) I felt less and less desire to drink (which I attribute to my body physiologically becoming less dependent) until the day 0ml was the amount due to drink and that was the amount I desired to drink.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,355
Originally Posted by Boleo
I tried it many times. I did get some short-term results with it. In the long run, I just ended up drinking more than ever afterwards. It was as if I were making up for lost time.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 24
Maraviglioso,
"Kbeen, with all due respect, get yourself to a doctor. Seizures, vomiting, shaking so bad you are spilling your drink? Unless you are a doctor, actually scratch that, even IF you are a doctor, you are in a condition where you need to supervision of an outside medical professional.
Wishing you luck and hoping you will check back in, your post was very worrying. "
No, actually it is all gone over smooth (and has several times) The only time I had seizures was when I went cold turkey - once on purpose, once because I had no choice.
Following the plan works. The problem with shaking this time was I thought I was stronger than the plan. I decided to stop following the plan because I was not feeling any WD symptoms and I thought I was stronger than my body. It did not work. I needed to taper. You can't just give up and go cold turkey in the middle. You have to taper all the way to the end. Now I am able to not drink (still slightly ahead of schedule) and no WD symptoms.
With all due respect, a doctor is not an option for everyone, and my post was a warning to make a plan and stick to it instead of gaining too much confidence just because you are not feeling the effects one day.
I think it is valid.
Stick to the plan. Don't be macho and go cold turkey.
"Kbeen, with all due respect, get yourself to a doctor. Seizures, vomiting, shaking so bad you are spilling your drink? Unless you are a doctor, actually scratch that, even IF you are a doctor, you are in a condition where you need to supervision of an outside medical professional.
Wishing you luck and hoping you will check back in, your post was very worrying. "
No, actually it is all gone over smooth (and has several times) The only time I had seizures was when I went cold turkey - once on purpose, once because I had no choice.
Following the plan works. The problem with shaking this time was I thought I was stronger than the plan. I decided to stop following the plan because I was not feeling any WD symptoms and I thought I was stronger than my body. It did not work. I needed to taper. You can't just give up and go cold turkey in the middle. You have to taper all the way to the end. Now I am able to not drink (still slightly ahead of schedule) and no WD symptoms.
With all due respect, a doctor is not an option for everyone, and my post was a warning to make a plan and stick to it instead of gaining too much confidence just because you are not feeling the effects one day.
I think it is valid.
Stick to the plan. Don't be macho and go cold turkey.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 24
Originally Posted by Meraviglioso
"Kbeen, with all due respect, get yourself to a doctor. Seizures, vomiting, shaking so bad you are spilling your drink? Unless you are a doctor, actually scratch that, even IF you are a doctor, you are in a condition where you need to supervision of an outside medical professional.
Wishing you luck and hoping you will check back in, your post was very worrying. "
Following the plan works. The problem with shaking this time was I thought I was stronger than the plan. I decided to stop following the plan because I was not feeling any WD symptoms and I thought I was stronger than my body. It did not work. I needed to taper. You can't just give up and go cold turkey in the middle. You have to taper all the way to the end. Now I am able to not drink (still slightly ahead of schedule) and no WD symptoms.
With all due respect, a doctor is not an option for everyone, and my post was a warning to make a plan and stick to it instead of gaining too much confidence just because you are not feeling the effects one day.
I think it is valid.
Stick to the plan. Don't be macho and go cold turkey.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,456
A Dr really should be an option for everyone Kbeen - there are things more important than money or pride or whatever.
I suffered several mini strokes in my last detox. I have to deal woth the after effects of that for the rest of my life.
Had I seen a Dr I might be a whole lot better off now.
I thought that having detoxed hundreds of times before I'd be ok. I was wrong. I knew nothing of alcoholic kindling then.
This is serious stuff - it can be, literally, life and death - and the best option - no ifs ands or buts - is always going to be seek professional advice.
D
I suffered several mini strokes in my last detox. I have to deal woth the after effects of that for the rest of my life.
Had I seen a Dr I might be a whole lot better off now.
I thought that having detoxed hundreds of times before I'd be ok. I was wrong. I knew nothing of alcoholic kindling then.
This is serious stuff - it can be, literally, life and death - and the best option - no ifs ands or buts - is always going to be seek professional advice.
D
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