Dee74

The reason I recommend Drs is that detox can sometimes be troubling for some of us...

adding to that you're pregnant, I think it's your best interests to seek professional advice....but it's your call.

D

SSIL75

How much were you drinking? Going CT can be dangerous!

SSIL75

I knew I had a problem in my late teens. I joined here (lurked on occasion) in 2007 and quit 3 years later at the age of 35.

I wouldn't count on time alone.

Emmanem

Oh, no no - I'm definitely still going to see the Dr if that's what my midwife recommends to me - I think I'd better! I just meant I want to see how I get on in the coming days leading up to Tuesday.




I'm probably drinking at least 4 times what would be considered a safe amount for a normal person. Hmmm.... a 2 litre bottle of the cider I would normally drink contains 10 units of alcohol and the ABV is around 5%. On a bad day I have gotten through at least one of these 2 litre bottles, and then gone out and drunk maybe 2 or 3 more pints of cider on top of that. But I've managed a few days sober before and had no physical ill-effects... could it be dangerous??? Surely not as dangerous as continuing to drink so much?

Dee74

I'm not sure I've explained myself clearly before, so I'll try again

You might be ok...you might not.

Noone knows - thats the thing.

I detoxed on my one literally hundreds of times with no apparent ill effects - but the last time I did, I suffered a series of mini strokes.

I have to live with that legacy now for good.

I'm not a parent - but for me, adding a unborn child into the mix would make it even more imperative for me to seek a professional opinion, ASAP.

I'm not sure why you'd wait til Tuesday...and then just to see a midwife?
Maybe the NHS doesn't work like I assumed it did?

D

Emmanem

OK - I get you now. You're saying I might be OK, but that you don't think it's worth the risk? That's probably a good point.

If I was to call the surgery at 8am then I might get an appointment for later in the morning, however I may not as my surgery is extremely busy. If I do not get an appt later this morning, or a cancellation for during the day, then I'm going to have to wait til Monday anyways as they're closed over the weekend and make the 8am call again then and hope for a morning appt or a cancellation. But my midwife is based in the same surgery and I have to see her on Tuesday anyways and I have to keep that appointment - it's a routine check-up, not an appt I made to speak about my issues and I haven't seen her in like 6 weeks. I will *try* to see a Dr before Tuesday, but I have to take time off work to go to appointments, and it would just be easier if I could get an appointment for Tuesday when I'm going to the midwife in the same place on the same day, because then I would only need to take maybe half a day of the single day off work, rather than have to take 2 sets of time off work.

SSIL75

I think what we're saying, Emma is that this is a crisis situation. Can you stay sober until Tuesday? You don't seem so sure of that. And even if you can is going from 10+ units a day to none a wise choice in your second trimester?

Emmanem

I don't know. :/ It depends what you mean by sober. I think I can be not drunk between now and Tuesday, but having been a heavy drinker for so long I'm not drunk yet by the time I've had 2 pints, although obviously the alcohol has started to have certain effects by then. If by sober you mean not touching a single drop, that is the part I'm unsure of.

What if I can't see a doctor before Tuesday because I can't get an appointment? If I can get an appointment sharpish, then will the doctor be able to do anything for me right away? I have no idea - I've obviously never done any of this before. I wish I had.

newwings

Emmanem, the reason people are saying about going cold turkey is that it really CAN make you very sick indeed. I know a lot of people have problems with blood pressure going sky high when quitting, and this can lead to seizures/strokes. Obviously with a baby on board, anything that adversely affects your blood pressure is going to affect baby, too. It doesn't necessarily happen immediately either, some people can succumb to this even after 3 days.

I used to have a bottle of white wine a night, and when I quit, I had some really nasty withdrawal effects..sweating, insomnia, itching, nausea, headaches, tiredness, upset stomach. Lots of yukky feelings, and I was lucky (from what I've read about other's detox stories).

I don't want to give you medical advice as it's not permitted on here, but I hope I'm allowed to suggest that going cold turkey whilst pregnant is pretty risky for both of you, and that you see a doctor (even going to A&E - don't worry, they won't turn you away) before you go any further with your detox.

Good luck! You are doing this all for the right reasons.


P.S. I'm a Brit now living in California, and if my memory serves me right, if you push hard enough you can see a doctor at the end of surgery hours if you are prepared to wait in the surgery..most will have an emergency space for you. You will have to push, but I think you deserve the appointment.

CarolD

Welcome...

All my best as you move into a sober future...

Emmanem

Yes, I definitely don't want to endanger baby or myself any more than I have. I hadn't considered A&E, but I think I'd rather see my GP - you have no idea how much hospitals freak me out and I'm gonna have to spend a short time there when baby comes as it is - that's more than enough for me.

What do you think I will be told? I mean, if I can't go CT then what *can* I do that's going to be safe?

Dee74

we can't second guess what the Dr might say Emma - none of us are Dr's - but if you go, you'll at least have a professional opinion on what to do.

D

newwings

I'm not entirely sure, Emma (my name too ), but it's absolutely ESSENTIAL to be completely honest with the doctor/midwife about your consumption, because that will have a huge effect on what treatment/advice you will get from them.

It's utterly cringeworthy, I know, and I admire your bravery in sorting this out NOW..I shamefully took about 6 weeks to slowly quit smoking when pregnant with my second child, and it was a horrible time for me, knowing that I would have to be honest with the midwife at some point. I wanted to hide my head in the sand and cross my fingers that everything would be okay. Surprisingly for me, the midwife was very understanding and helped me quit without making me feel like cr*p about it. I'm glad I was honest with her, because the fear that I would have an ill baby kept me awake at night...

Anyhow, hope you get that appointment if you can.

SSIL75

Will you really be able to stop after 2? and then of course the absurdity of drinking 'only' 2 pints a night at 15 weeks pregnant (don't take that as a dig. Most all of us here speak fluent absurdity).

You'd need to tell your doctor the truth. That you've been drinking heavily and need help quitting. Let them take it from there.

Do call in the morning and I hope you'll stick around here, too.

Emmanem

I overslept this morning so missed the 8am call I should have made to the surgery, however I did call them as soon as I got up and they have no appointments at all until next Friday, a week today. No matter, I will call them again at 8am or just after on Monday morning and see if they can see me then - hopefully before I start work and then I won't have to ask for the time off.

I'm am kicking myself for oversleeping - If it hadn't been for that I could have had an appointment today and now I'm worried about how I'll be over the weekend. I still haven't had a drink and don't intend to, but what if I do start suffering from withdrawal? Perhaps I should make a visit to A&E after all, or maybe call NHS 24 and see if they can get a doctor to actually phone me back and speak to me?



Yes, I intend I to tell the doctor *everything* I have told you, and then do it all over again with the midwife on Tuesday. I know the midwife probably won't be able to offer the same advice as the doctor, but if she doesn't know the situation then she can't support me, so she'll have to know the score as well. It's gonna be a tough old few days but I got myself into this and enough's enough - time to get help to get myself out.

I really appreciate everyone's comments and advice - you've all been great, and I do intend to keep visiting so I will keep you updated.

ajangel

When I was 22, I was drinking every day. All of a sudden I started throwing up constantly. I found out that I was 3 months pregnant. I had no idea as I was still having my cycles. I was terrified that I hurt the baby. I prayed every day until she was born. She is 22, beautiful, smart, has a bachelors degree. Thank my father in heaven she is healthy. She was lucky. On the other hand. I had a neighbor that drank while she was pregnant. Her son was born premature. He is under developed, low weight, and slightly ********. I will not judge you. I know how much hold alcohol has on us. Addiction is horrible. Please, please do not pick up another drink. Please go get help NOW. Your baby may be ok. What if it isn't? The child deserves to have a chance in life. Pull whatever strength you have in yourself. As hard as it is. Close your eyes and imagine having your child born too early, born ********, or worse off, loosing it. Please.

SSIL75

I think calling the helpline is a great idea! Whatever it takes.

Emmanem

That must have been horrible, knowing that you'd been drinking while pregnant, and having to worry every day until your daughter came. However, you didn't know you were pregnant right away and actually it's actually quite a common thing - I've read that because it happens so often that medical experts advise staying away from alchohol comletely if you are trying to conceive as well, just in case. But not all pregnancies are planned are they and I'm assuming you stopped drinking immediately as soon as you found out you were pregnant - I very much respect you for that because it must have been so difficult and it's something that I myself have been unable to do, although at this point I have not had a drink in over 24 hours and I plan to seek help for my problem from a doctor this afternoon.



Yes, I think that's what I'm going to do. Unfortunately I can't call them until the surgery is closed because the phone number is only there for out-of hours problems. It's a bit silly since they do call themselves NHS24 as in 24 hours a day, but I suppose if they really did take calls during surgery opening hours they would be absolutely flooded with people calling for medical advice who couldn't get an appointment with their doctor. It's a great service, however - I've been very glad for it many times. I just need to wait until after 5.

ajangel

I am glad you are seeing your doctor today. If you feel the need to drink, take some deep breaths. Jump in the shower. I am on day 10. When I first quit, I had horrible, scary withdrawals. When it would get bad, I would lie down on the couch and tremble. Trying to clear my mind. Praying that God not let me die like that. It is worth it. I made it through. You can too. Stay strong.

nhmamaoftwo

I'm fairly new here and I'm not an addict myself, but I'm 7 months along with my second child and wanted to share my thoughts. I take painkillers every day - and likely always will - because of six failed surgeries (more in the future!). And while my body is addicted to them, my mind is not - this is the second pregnancy where I have gone almost completely off of my medications for the duration. I suffered a bit of physical withdrawal for the first few days and then I was fine - like I said, I maintain a tiny dose so that I can even use my arm at all.

Anyways, I know the attitude I get from people when they find out that I still take medication during pregnancy and I understand how hard it can be to talk about something with such a stigma attached. The way I thought about it was that maybe there wouldn't be any long-term effects (if I took my medication as normal, without lowering the dose significantly), but...what if there were? Who am I to make the decision for my child to be addicted to a substance? How could I look at my child and see them struggling through life because of the after effects of my poor decisions? To me, it is the equivalent of playing russian roulette - would you take a loaded gun to your child's head and pull the trigger to see what happens? Maybe there's a difference, maybe there isn't - but I wouldn't personally want to take that chance.

I hope you find help and try to look at websites showing what your baby looks like now, etc to keep you grounded in the pregnancy and what's going on with your body. Hopefully you have a good midwife who will support and help you, but if not I hope that you find the courage to go to AA. I wish you the best and the best for your family!