Currently tapering
 

Hi everyone,
I made the decision that I needed to quit drinking a few days ago and initially tried to quit cold turkey. I started drinking heavily everyday about 2 years ago and over the last year moved from 1.5 litres of wine a night up to 3-4 litres. When I decided to quit I went 24 hours without a drink but then felt so paranoid and anxious that I could not handle it so I've decided to taper instead. I've worked my way down to 1 litre now and hope to be completely done by Monday. As I did most of my drinking in secret at home I haven't had any incidents that weren't self inflicted but I have often woken up with severe bruises that I had no recollection of getting. I have been reading posts on boards like this over the past few days and found the support so helpful that I decided to join and post my own story. The main withdrawal symptoms I've had have been anxiety based but I am also experiencing lower back twinges. Even though I'm not there yet I feel confident that I can do this. I will continue to post on my progress and am grateful for forums such as this that provide such an opportunity.:tyou

Hi Kizmett - welcome :)

I always recommend see their Dr if they're worried about withdrawal. It's simply the best way to go, in my opinion & in my experience.

Of course everyone's free to do whatever they like, but if you do find yourself getting concerned - or like me you find you can't taper - do seek out professional medical opinion.

D

Welcome Kizmett!!

I'm now a day and a half ahead of my schedule. I had 1 drink about 3 hours ago because I was starting to feel slightly anxious (much less than when I first tried to stop.) I'm actually now starting to feel drowsy which is great because I've had trouble sleeping the last few nights. I think I might have had my last drink. When I wake up tomorrow the rest of the bottle is going down the drain. I've made lots of plans to keep me busy over the weekend (all activities that keep me far away from any opportunity for failure and I feel really excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

Hi Kizmett...just wanted to leave a friendly message saying I'm pulling for you and wish you great success in your sobriety. :c015:

Welcome Kizmett-glad you're going to share your journey with us here on SR. It's a great place to recover :)

Yes Kizmett- this is such a supportive community. All best to you!

You will feel so good when you pour that bottle out!! I poured out the remaining wine I had somewhere between October 11th and 12th, and haven't had a drop since!

Welcome to SR & congrats on making some healthy positive changes to your life.
Lots of support here for you.
Keep posting.

I have had bruises that just happened on their own. I didn't bump into anything. I went for a physical and the Dr. said, "you bruise really easily." Well, duh! It's not due to old age, just thin blood.

I bumped into things laughing and saying to myself, "I'll never remember bumping into that," and I didn't, at least not for a few days, at times.

Welcome to the family and to a better sober life.:ghug3

hi kizmett, just like you iam tapering ,i was at 2 maybe 3 bottles of wine a day + beer at weekends last year, well as the my story goes it made me ill and i mean really ill' so to cut it short my friend i joined SR last sept and never looked back since, i am down to 1 bottle a day starting at 6/7 in the evening, but stupid me went crazy over xmas (it was so easy, i thought as well i mastered the tapering) so now my aim is too quit completely cus iam just fooling my self with this tapering business, i personally beleive it cant be done , ive tried doing it now for months kizmett. i so feel your desperation, cus iam desperate too, but fear and confidence holds me back,
i wish one day i could post on here " hey i did it , such and such day's sober" i long for that day x

sorry what i meant was i started tapering last sept , i joined SR nov 2012 .
see what i mean the poison frazzle's your brain.................!!

Welcome Kizmett!

Congratulations on making a great decision for yourself! I hope you're able to taper and then quit. Just know that it's pretty difficult for most of us. I was able to do it for a few days once I made the decision to stop drinking, but then ended up justifying a "last hurrah" and erased all my progress. Don't hesitate to get medical help if you need it.

You sound determine and positive, which is great! Keep posting and reading - you can do this!:banana:

Hi kizmet. You'll feel so good having it out of your system. You never have to go back to that miserable place again.

I agree that keeping busy is key. Belonging to SR really helped me in the early days when I was jittery and anxious. Posting and reading here kept me out of trouble. Glad to be with you on your journey to a sober life.

Tapering is difficult. At least it was for me, I would have 1 bottle of wine and then would be tipsy and go and get more.

Just keep your plan.

gigi

Tapering helped me stop smoking, but it didn't really work with drinking for me. Like gigi, I just can't stop on a regular enough basis for it to be effective.
I believe it's possible though, but requires a lot of willpower. Just don't get to some amount that you feel "might be OK to keep drinking if its just that much."
Good luck!

I did it guys! It has now been almost 48 hours and no booze. I don't have any of the nervousness that stopped me from quitting cold turkey. I have probably had the most productive weekend in a long time and it feels great. I can't say the craving isn't there and there is definitely a little devil on my shoulder telling me that just 1 wont hurt. The boards here are an inspiration when the urge comes on. First steps on what I hope is a successful journey to long term sobriety.