hello
 

Hey guys.
Been drinking pretty much daily for the past 20 years or so (I'm in my low 40s).
Nothing too crazy - couple of drinks after work then few more before/with dinner on weekdays, then at least a 6-pack and some shots on Saturdays and Sundays.
Out to catch the game at the bar once a week or so - few beers + shots.
Going "heavier" 3-4 times a month when getting together with my drinking buddies - beers, shots and so on.
So again, not getting drunk every day but getting some buzz on a daily basis and then getting loaded 3-4 times a month.
Decided to taper it down about a week ago. Down to 1-2 shots of whisky or 2 beers per day with dinner for a few days now. It's going surprisingly well in terms of me craving booze and so on (I mean I do want more but I can control the craving).
What did surprise me is the withdrawal symptoms which is how I found this site. Sleep cycle is definitely affected as I'm going to bed without as much as a slightest buzz. Getting up to go the bathroom at night at least once. Feeling dizzy after my daily walk. Cold/slightly shaky hands. Etc.
So I figured I'll share my story with all you ladies and gentlemen since I came across this place and read some good info on here :)

Hi... Nice to meet you!

Welcome!

I'm glad you're doing well. Are you planning to stop drinking?

I'm at 22 hours after drinking pretty much every day for 2 and a half years-before that, it was at least twice a week for 27 years. This summer it was becoming more and more common for me to drink 2 bottles in a night. I started to get scared about my progression so I am quitting NOW. I have too much to live for to destroy myself and waste my life. I tried the road you are on but I found that if I started, I just didn't want to stop. I think I have to take the dry road. Good luck

Welcome to SR!

Cutting down for me personally never worked. I always slipped back to my original quantities or more. It became more exhausting to try to control myself then just quit completely.

Glad you found us, be well

Welcome dude. Your system has grown accustomed to its dose of alcohol. Change it and your body responds. This is the response of an addicted organism. Whether or not you are psychologically dependent on alcohol, who knows. But you are physically dependent on it from my unprofessional opinion.

Not sure actually. For now I'll see if I can manage to stick to a "1-2 drinks per day" routine. After a couple of weeks I'll reassess where I stand and hopefully will be able to cut down to having a drink occasionally.

LBrain is right on. Physical dependency signs are def there, pretty sure psychological as well since the idea of a booze-free living makes me uncomfortable right now.

Good for you recognizing you have an issue which needs to be addressed. Good luck. I too tried to cut back for about 20 years and am on a program to cut it back and finally give it up. In the past I never had the intention to quit, only cut, this time I am working the process to be alcohol free. There is a focus on this site about not having the first one. That was something I never understood until reading a lot about it on the site. A lot of these people are warriors in this battle and I think they are up to snuff on what really works. Good luck to you.
BTW I did not have too many physical associations other than I lost my balance when I gave it up for a few weeks. Thought I would have gained balance, but not the case. My battle is the mental part, terrified to never drink again, so my goal is to not drink for 50 years.

Welcome :)

Welcome dude1! I'm a believer in moderation in that it's practice will let one know for sure if they need to quit or not--most of us here are abstainers- tried that already. Let us know how it goes. Seriously, I'd love to see a moderation success as it may be an option for early-stagers. Keep us posted and best wishes!

That was my drinking pattern for quite a while. What you have to watch for, is you develop a tolerance, and you increase you amount of drinks to get the same buzz. Happens very gradually.

Just as an experiment, you might try going 2 days in a row without drinking. See how your body reacts. You might be surprised at how dependent your brain has become on alcohol. Especially the sleep part.

In my experience I certainly developed a tolerance and it took more, then it all changed and it took less, lots less. Used to be able to drink way too much and speak normally and think normally albeit a drunk brain. In the last year, I have been drinking less quantity more often, about 1/2 as much and would lose my ability to speak without slurring, and then get the crazy thoughts. Obviously that is a sign of dependence, and where it is not "working for me" anymore.
You needs to see where you are and if you can "nip in the bud" problems a lot of people have faced it would be considered an excellent investment.

About 10 days into tapering down.
Had a few drinks (5 shots and 2 beers to be exact) on a Sat night - had a huge fancy 3 course dinner, couldn't bring myself to washing it down with water :)
Other than that was sticking to 1-3 beers or 1-2 shots per day last week. Haven't had any alcohol since Sunday this week so far.
Initial withdrawal symptoms I mentioned in the original post lasted 4-5 days, started taking melatonin before bed to help with the sleep cycle issue. Helped quite a bit.

Sounds like you're making progress!! :)

What's your projected final day of alcohol?!!

Hi Dude :)

10 days is a pretty protracted taper. Are you near the end yet?
Are you doing this with a Dr?

D

TBH I'm not sure if I have one planned. If I manage to stick to having an "occasional" drink - say a beer after work couple of times a week or a couple of shots with dinner on a weekend etc I think I'll be content with that. I'd only go completely dry if I have to either for health reasons or if I can't control the cravings (been doing OK craving wise so far).

No Dr. Might go see my family doc to get the blood work done to see where I stand with the enzymes etc. Since I started tapering off "felt" my liver when laying down a couple of times, if that continues will definitely go see the doc.

dude, good luck with the moderation thing. For me, I tried to moderate literally for years ... nope, didn't work. It is either an all or none thing for me and now I choose none.

I agree with the other posts, that since you have recognized the problem early, you might be able to get away with moderation. Guess you will find out.

I am happy to be sober today and realize that I am truly an alcoholic and that first drink is the one that makes me drunk.

Good luck to you.

OK - that never worked for me, but good luck with it- hope it works out.
If not, you know where we are :)

D

Moderation worked for me until it most definitely DID NOT. I hope you find the solution that's best for you. :-)