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No, not in my experience. I was a binge drinker as well and I've had a few stops and starts myself, but the withdrawal and hangovers were about the same in intensity each time. Or else I just wasn't aware they were worsening, which is feasible. |
It's terrifying thinking back on it huh Niamh? I live alone and I remember waking at 3 or 4 am after a binge still drunk. Then the hell starting to descend around 11am. I'd sit curled up on the couch watching show after show on Netflix trying to distract myself from the anguish I was feeling. It would usually be around 24hrs after that before I was finally able to get a couple hours sleep and I was lucky if I could stomach a single banana over the span of 2 two days. Yea so no matter how tempted I am on some days, depressed or anxious, I know that drinking would send be right back to that. I don't know if I have it in me to survive another one of those. I think I would break me for sure mentally at the very least. |
It certainly does give me chills to think of it, Hawk07. My own personal horror movie. I am hesitant to say this because I should have gone to hospital immediately, I have since learned I could have died. But going through that anguish was what it took to break my habit. I'm not thankful for such intense pain, but it changed me in a way that I am thankful for? That's not a very clear statement but most of my feelings are never clear anyway ;) |
I was a binge drinker as well. Same as you, I would drink all weekend and then spend 2-3 days trying to recover. What I had was alcohol poisoning. Overdose. It landed me in the hospital more than once. I always called it a hangover but really, I'm just lucky I'm alive. Thanks for this post. Nice to be reminded how horrible I felt and that I'm not alone. |
Definitely experienced here - my withdrawals got worse and worse and it took longer and longer for me to recover. It got progressively and exponentially worse - by the end the progression was full on. D |
Congratulations on 3 months, Hawk. Hangovers and difficulty quitting got worse for me every time. I really don't want to go through it again. |
I had 5.5 years of sobriety and relapsed 15 months ago. EVERYTHING is 1000% worse this time! I can't even put together 3 days and I'm starting to lose hope. If I were you, I would hang on to those 3 months for dear life! I would give anything to have 3 months! It's hell! |
I did the same thing serenidad...had 9 years and it took me forever to get a few months sober again. Took me years....now I'm holding on for dear life! One year next week. :) |
The last time I drank last spring after a sober stretch the hangover was 8 times worse than ever before because I drank almost the same quantity as before but my body was not used to it. I was "acutely" hungover for five days. Sick, sweaty, crawling out of my skin. Five days. Hypothetically, if I were to drink right now I would be hungover for five days and I think I would restart my six months of PAWS I just completed. My body was very damaged from alcohol. It couldn't process it anymore. It didn't even make me buzzed, just off balance and like I was outside of my body. |
Alcohol seems really strange compared to other drugs. The bizarre phenomenon of alcohol-related dreams is just one example. As I understand it, the other drugs don't have such a "kindling" effect, but i could be wrong. In either case, with regards to OP's post it is just too risky to experiment with such questions. I still remember the early weeks of getting off the bottle, it was NOT a pleasant experience at all. In other news, I am 400+ days clean :) it really does go to "auto pilot" after a while...... or at least that has been my experience. Just an occasional distant thought lately, also have not felt as much need to come around here as much - which is not necessarily a bad thing :) |
Absolutely. About a year ago I drank after a short period of abstinence and my hangover was much different than a non-alcoholic who drank ten beers. I was slightly shaky (felt like my insides were trembling. Not shaking, but trembling). I was filled with anxiety. Not the mental type but the physical paranoid type. The worst was the crippling depression. The hangover lasted about five days. The acute hangover feeling. Even a week later when I would do anything physical at work I would sweat profusely, like noticeably sweaty to people. I've been sober nine months. If I were to drink tonight, say 8-10 beers (less than I used to drink. I used to drink 12-14 a night) I would be hungover for a week. Kindling has a wonderful cure called abstinence. |
Originally Posted by Hawk07
(Post 5177470)
I'd sit curled up on the couch watching show after show on Netflix trying to distract myself from the anguish I was feeling. It would usually be around 24hrs after that before I was finally able to get a couple hours sleep and I was lucky if I could stomach a single banana over the span of 2 two days. |
Yes I have experienced this Hell on earth 3 months sober V |
Thank you for this great thread. I too have experienced kindling. Though this one will be the last time I ever will ! :) |
Kindling is real!! The living hell gets hotter each time! I surely don't want to self combust....sobriety is freedom from hell! |
I just want to thank everyone that contributed to this thread. I had never heard the term kindling, but I sure know the feeling. And I know for sure I never want to go through that again. Happy Friday, all! Have a great weekend! |
Hi all :) I was surprised to see my old thread revived. Kindling is a very real phenomenon with alcohol I had experienced without even knowing it. It's one of many reasons I choose to stay sober. A few hours of pleasure is not worth the days of misery I would experience afterwards. I'm at 5 months now! |
Thanks for the website and thread. I had issues with family and was doing a couple weeks on and a couple weeks off. It wasn’t working. Just miserable. I hadn’t heard about this kindling term before. I knew I was in big trouble. Still am. But kept saying well I love it so I don’t want to give it up. After 40 years. But it’s life or death. |
Welcome to SR Khorhey :) D |
Originally Posted by Hawk07
(Post 5176952)
I started binge drinking on the weekends around 7-8 years ago with the amount of alcohol progressively increasing and withdrawals progressively getting worse. Towards the end I had moved on to vodka and was experiencing shaking hands, crippling anxiety and panic attacks at the drop of a pin and they started lasting longer and longer after each binge. I couldn't even leave the house for around 2-3 days after a binge.. Then once that was over hello insomnia for a couple weeks. It was awful. So perhaps I was already experiencing kindling on some level. I have this feeling that if I picked up again I would be thrown back into that hell on a much worse level then ever before. All the more reason not to drink. Thanks for sharing everyone. Soberwolf, I'll read that, thank you. |
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