ruserius247

I have not seen a post about this yet and thought it might be helpful for newcomers like myself.

I know that withdrawal is a medical issue and should be something that we should probably see a doctor about before attempting. Not everyone can afford to do that.

Personally, I am an alcoholic. For me, I had terrible withdrawals, cold sweats, tremors, dry heaving, the whole nine yards. I drank gatorade and ate soup for several days. I hardly left my bedroom. It sucked bad!

I was hoping to hear from others, how did you quit and how you coped with withdrawal. What did you do?

JamesAdams

Before I quit 13 days ago I reduced the quantity that I was drinking first. I was drinking 2 bottles of wine a night, so I cut down to 1 bottle a night for about a week I think it was.

I had actually planned to cut down further to 1/2 a bottle for a few days, but just the way things worked out I went cold turkey at 1 bottle.

You really should find a way to see a doctor though, withdrawal symptoms can be very dangerous.

Zee

Hi there... this is a sticky... hope it helps
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

vegibean

Cold turkey is no good for alcohol. If you have access to a medical doctor, hospital, or detox unit I encourage you to do that. We're not specialized in giving medical advice and doing so is against the rules here on SR.

Hope you're able to take care of yourself. Keep posting, we're here for you!!

Tetra

This takes me back to December 2011. I had been drinking on and off from the age of 18-31. By the end I was drinking almost two bottles of wine or 3/4 of a bottle of vodka a day. I was a complete mess. I had a seizure when I quit which was VERY VERY scary. I was so weak and underweight at this point. I spent the next 3-4 months in a complete mental fog. I was actually lucky in that I had no job, and I could spend time at home, recovering and getting my strength back. I spent a lot of this time at home, reading books and cooking healthy foods to build myself back up. It was like I needed time to get myself back on track. After about four months I started to take an interest in things again. I did a mountain climb for charity, and I started volunteering at a soup kitchen. It was like I needed that break to try to repair the damage I had done to myself, both physically and mentally. I am back in college, doing a postgraduate and hoping to travel when I graduate, and life has its ups and downs, but I'm so glad to be here.

Anna

I think that cold turkey, with your drs supervision, is the way to go. Always remember that detoxing from alcohol can be dangerous.

2granddaughters

I ended up in AA.

Drying out was crappy, withdrawls were horrible but the worst part was when I got detoxed I discovered I couldn't live sober.......

I discovered that the booze wasn't the problem at all. It had been the solution to my problem(s).

Then the work started.

All the best.

Bob R

Elisabeth888

I have done it both ways, and detox in a rehab place for 5 days sure beats the hell out of being at home freaking out.

If one has to do it without medical help, there should be someone with you and be ready to call 911 if in doubt.

My past few relapses did not get into physical withdrawal thank God, probably because I was so guilty and full of panic after just one night of drinking.

The mental part is TORTURE. All I could do was pray and try not to hyperventilate.

Coldfusion

I went to a detox program that was very inexpensive. It was kind of bare bones, but they were able to administer medication to control withdrawal symptoms. Just being in a completely different, but safe, setting is a good distraction, and I learned a lot.

Joe Nerv

I quit with a hospital detox, followed by a month of AA and then a rehab because I knew if I were going to stay stopped I needed a complete and total overhaul. An intensive education in living a different life than I was. I followed that with continued AA, the 12 steps, and outpatient treatment (for about a year). I believe all of that kept me from slipping and sliding all over the place. I really didn't want to take years to figure out how to get sober like I saw many others doing. Wanted to get it out of the way and be done with it. ALl that also gave me a pretty solid foundation to build upon, which I did, and still am building upon. Tis a great journey!

Elisabeth888

It has taken me 4 years to get sober and it PAINS me to see others struggling. A good friend keeps relapsing but at least he keeps coming back. That is what I did. Some of us "like" our licks, I guess.

AngelBabe

Check the area you live in for non profit groups that help those with addiction , mental health & abuse issues. We have a great one close to where I live and the fees are based of of income. I see a therapist once a week and a Psychiatrist who menages my medications every four weeks now. In the beginning I saw her every two weeks as I was on Xanax first in September but then relapsed a few weeks later. I went back in October and stopped the Xanax and switched to a librium taper for a few weeks and now I am on Zoloft and one other medication to help with my anxiety. She will not prescribe benzos at this point as the possibility it could cause me to relapse or become addicted.

I wish you luck in getting through this and highly encourage looking for any resource available for a safe and monitored withdrawal. It can be done alone and I have done it myself. I have also ended up in the ER on two occasions on my third day from withdrawal. I hope to never have to go through either again.