First week withdrawal symptoms?
 

Day 1 went reasonably well for me. No physical symptoms just anxiety when it was "drinking time". I slept well and was beginning to think that I would avoid experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Today, Day 2, however, I developed a tough headache mid-morning which is beginning to ease. Maybe a coincidence. Maybe not.

Any heads up regarding common withdrawal symptoms the first week? I'm concerned as the week advances as I'll be at events where alcohol will be present on Thursday and Saturday evenings.

Thanks.

Normally it went like this for me.

Stop drinking.

8 hours later, headache, no ability to eat, maybe some throwing up, and could usually pass out one more time before...

Day 1-2 Same as before except strange sweating, shaking, weakness... easily confused.

day 3-4 Headaches, still a bit dehydrated, more sweating, nightmares during the night, weakness, easily confused.

Day 5-6 most things are gone by now except night terrors, sweating, and still taking in water. Can usually start eating well by now.

Days 7-10.... feel much better, hungry all the time, drinking lots of fluids, almost no symptoms remain.

People will recommend that you do not detox on your own.

Day 1 for me was yesterday and I had tons of physical withdrawal symptoms. Shaking, sweating, chills, nausea, worried feeling, dizzy, and more. Last night, I barely slept. I woke up every 20 minutes and had so many night mares.

Today's day 2 and I'm managing a bit better. I'm eating normal and drinking water more. Headache, mild shakes, and still feel hot.

It's quite different for everyone. One time when I "quit", I would feel like passing out every time I stood up. And I think I did a couple times. I am not sure if that was due to dehydration or the complete lack of nutrition. When I go on benders, I don't eat and just drink.

1st week: lots of overwhelming anxiety, some mild depression, night sweats, unable to focus eyes and brain, shaking hands (eating soup was a challenge) twitching, very little appetite, weight loss, insomnia, fever-like nightmares when I could sleep, feeling of impending doom, cold clammy hands and feet, uncoordinated movements, in an extreme brain fog, lots of pain where I've had injuries/problems (L3, L4, L5 - bulged discs, torn rotator cuff, torn posterior cruciate ligament, bursitis in the hip) plus abdominal pain and swelling, extreme fatigue... many of these symptoms slowly tapered off as the week went by, first 3 days were by far the worst. Surprisingly though, I wasn't craving alcohol as I was blaming it for what I was going through thereby psyching myself out.

How I attempted to mitigate: Lots of water, forced myself to eat - lots of carbs at first as it's easier on the liver, lots of vitamins including extra thiamine and folic acid, fresh fruits and vegetables, acetyl L-carnitine for brain function, milk thistle to aid in liver health, valerian root to help with sleep, ibuprofen for pain and ranitidine for indigestion, forced myself to become active little by little, got out of the house, became more and more productive, talked to friends and family, spent a lot time on SR and other resources to better educate myself on how this disease is truly affecting me...

Slowly but surely my mind and body started getting back to normal: put some weight back on, my appetite came back with a vengeance, my sleep got more normal (6-7 hours a night vs 2-3,) able to better focus both mentally and physically, shaking stopped completely, still getting headaches in the evening but all other pain ceased, brain fog is slowly abating and a lot more energy in the day time.

Was it the toughest thing I ever had to go through? By far. Would I do it again. Never as I plan on never getting to such a point again in my life. There is no benefit to drinking, none and I proved to myself why by probably almost dying. As long as I never forget that, then I will never put myself through that again. I'm sure you feel the same, or you will once you go through the hell known as alcohol withdrawals. See a doctor if at all possible as you can end your life very quickly by suddenly stopping the consumption of alcohol.

Good luck with everything, I hope this helped a bit.

we have a thread of members withdrawal experiences here:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

I think everyones different, WhoDey.

I think a headaches pretty usual tho - it's pretty common sense advice to make sure you're keeping your fluids up and maybe try and avoid excess diuretics like coffee etc

Of course, see a Dr if you're concerned :)

D

Have someone close to call if things get really bad. And they can be. But if it gets really bad, don't be afraid to go to the emergency room. Talking from experience here. Good luck. It is well worth it.

I experienced headaches for sure. check with your doctor.

The worst thing for me has been insomnia. Like a couple of people said, it's different for everyone. Best of luck to you!

I hope you feel better and get through the physical symptoms.

By the way, I would not be around alcohol for a very long time when I stopped drinking. It just didn't work for me.

whoops, I missed the events bit...I'd reconsider, WhoDey.

D

Thanks everyone. I felt some anxiety this afternoon and probably would have had a drink if one was available. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The headache has gotten better. So far, not nearly as bad as what others have experienced.

Family in Recovery
 

I chose this one because my sister recently went through with drawls and is now been clean for fifteen days today. I wanted to let her know what the first week of with drawls would be like for her. She is scared still, but she is doing a lot better with her disease of addiction not controlling her every thought and telling her to use again. I just want her to be alright in her own skin. It is only one day at a time.