First post and a question
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Toronto
Posts: 3,195
A good indicator that you may need a medical detox is if you experience withdrawal symptoms. At the height of my alcoholism, I was drinking a fifth of vodka daily for about a year. I would usually finish it by 11pm and pass out. By noon the next day, I would be sweating profusely and my hands would shake. I would sneak off at lunch to drain a couple pints of beer to ward off the symptoms until the end of the work day.
My withdrawal symptoms were probably somewhere between moderate and severe but no question I needed a medical detox in order to quit.
What happens if you don't drink at your usual time each day? try going a day without drinking. If you start to exhibit symptoms, you will need medical attention
My withdrawal symptoms were probably somewhere between moderate and severe but no question I needed a medical detox in order to quit.
What happens if you don't drink at your usual time each day? try going a day without drinking. If you start to exhibit symptoms, you will need medical attention
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 16
Good information. I don't normally skip days of drinking but it seems that I normally exhibit more psychological symptoms than physical. I get very irritable and snappy. Based on this I don't think I need a medical detox but if things start going south I will take action. I need to be very aware of my mood tonight when I get home and am drinking water on my Friday night. I need to remind myself that this is not my wife & kids' fault so I can't take it out on them.
I've been doing a lot of reading on here today and it's helping me to mentally gear up to do this. It is time.
I've been doing a lot of reading on here today and it's helping me to mentally gear up to do this. It is time.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Ny
Posts: 739
Hi running away and welcome!
I am a suburban woman in the same shoes.....been around the sober track a few times and starting over... Looking forward to connecting.
This is a greT sight with terrific support
Stay here and post!!!!
I am a suburban woman in the same shoes.....been around the sober track a few times and starting over... Looking forward to connecting.
This is a greT sight with terrific support
Stay here and post!!!!
SD 7/3/15 SRJD 7/14/15
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: The Jersey Shore
Posts: 316
Welcome to the light of SR, please stay with us and be safe, whatever you do. I was not bad enough for detox and just resolved myself to stop. I also wasn't drinking to blackout nightly so not sure what to add here.
15 days of abstinence here and 3 IOP for substance abuse (alcohol) sessions in the books as of today.
15 days of abstinence here and 3 IOP for substance abuse (alcohol) sessions in the books as of today.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,355
Its hard to really say what a taper schedule should look like. Im sure there is advice out there somewhere about it. I would suggest you get a whole punch of pedialyte or kids rehydration drink. Not gatorade as that has too much sugar IMO and always made me feel worse. Id say take it slow,, day by day and see where you are at. BUt if you start getting really sick, shakes bad etc go to the ER. They can help you more than any of us can medically.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Georgia
Posts: 188
You got this!
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/365306-my-story.html
This was my fisrt post and its been an uphill battle. I am on day 6 and I have not drank vodka right after work on a friday in years. Today I will walk thr dog and cook dinner and be soooonhappy in thr morning i did not black out. You got this. PM me if you need another middle age suburbs fellow to talk to.
Sleep and high BP are my issue but are disappearing with diet and exercise. Dont let these things let you hit the bottle again.
This was my fisrt post and its been an uphill battle. I am on day 6 and I have not drank vodka right after work on a friday in years. Today I will walk thr dog and cook dinner and be soooonhappy in thr morning i did not black out. You got this. PM me if you need another middle age suburbs fellow to talk to.
Sleep and high BP are my issue but are disappearing with diet and exercise. Dont let these things let you hit the bottle again.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,442
Welcome to SR RunningAway.
I had a very bad last home alone detox so I always recommend seeing a doctor.
If you find yourself unwell, uneasy or concerned do see a Dr even if it's not your usual MD
D
I had a very bad last home alone detox so I always recommend seeing a doctor.
If you find yourself unwell, uneasy or concerned do see a Dr even if it's not your usual MD
D
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 444
Hi Running Away,
We have a similar story and similar drink quantity. I am going to be very careful so I don't get my post deleted. This is not medical advice and I won't recommend tapering.... I am about a month sober and have seen a doctor for the issue. I saw the doctor, however, after dramatically cutting down on my drinking. I'm sorry that your doctor is out of town and that you will have to wait two weeks. With that said, would it be impossible to start a downward trend in your drinking? I'm not talking a full taper but just cutting back to the extent that you can? Psychologically, for me, it really helped to know that I drank less on one day than the day before even if it was just one drink. It felt like a small victory.
I did ultimately see my doctor, who was willing to prescribe benzos short term for me, and that was a relief. He put me through the full health check and left it up to me to monitor. It was a relief to have his support and I ultimately did not have to take the pills but it gave me comfort that somebody in the know, knew.
One month + after all of that and I am so thankful for where I am.
Best wishes to you. Your first sober day with your kids will leave you breathless with joy!
d
We have a similar story and similar drink quantity. I am going to be very careful so I don't get my post deleted. This is not medical advice and I won't recommend tapering.... I am about a month sober and have seen a doctor for the issue. I saw the doctor, however, after dramatically cutting down on my drinking. I'm sorry that your doctor is out of town and that you will have to wait two weeks. With that said, would it be impossible to start a downward trend in your drinking? I'm not talking a full taper but just cutting back to the extent that you can? Psychologically, for me, it really helped to know that I drank less on one day than the day before even if it was just one drink. It felt like a small victory.
I did ultimately see my doctor, who was willing to prescribe benzos short term for me, and that was a relief. He put me through the full health check and left it up to me to monitor. It was a relief to have his support and I ultimately did not have to take the pills but it gave me comfort that somebody in the know, knew.
One month + after all of that and I am so thankful for where I am.
Best wishes to you. Your first sober day with your kids will leave you breathless with joy!
d
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 16
Hi everyone. As I said, I wanted to report back and tell you how I did this weekend.
Well, I failed miserably.
Friday was good. I did not drink at all (which is the first sober Friday I can remember). I felt pretty good physically but was a little irritable and had a hard time sleeping.
Sat & Sun I drank (pretty heavily) both days. Really feeling pretty discouraged and disappointed now. I had every intention of not drinking and totally caved. This is really my first real attempt at this and I think this is going to be harder than I thought. Anyway, that's where I am.
Well, I failed miserably.
Friday was good. I did not drink at all (which is the first sober Friday I can remember). I felt pretty good physically but was a little irritable and had a hard time sleeping.
Sat & Sun I drank (pretty heavily) both days. Really feeling pretty discouraged and disappointed now. I had every intention of not drinking and totally caved. This is really my first real attempt at this and I think this is going to be harder than I thought. Anyway, that's where I am.
Re-Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: USA
Posts: 7,909
First off, welcome to SR, RunningAway. I'm sorry I somehow missed your introductory post a few days ago.
Don't beat yourself up about drinking this weekend. It's done, you can't do anything about it now. What you can do is change up your plan for what to do when that desire to drink hits. One thing that has worked for me is to build some accountability here. I come in here and post every single time that I get the slightest thought of wanting a drink. Sometimes just verbalizing that desire takes the power out of it. And of course I'll almost always get the advice/common sense I need from others here. This place is open 24/7. It's pretty amazing.
The other side of that equation is I try to be here to help others as much as I can. Even if all I'm doing is saying "Thanks for posting today" I am letting others know that they are being heard.
Wishing you the best today. There's a better way of life waiting for you, glad to see you taking these first steps toward it...
Don't beat yourself up about drinking this weekend. It's done, you can't do anything about it now. What you can do is change up your plan for what to do when that desire to drink hits. One thing that has worked for me is to build some accountability here. I come in here and post every single time that I get the slightest thought of wanting a drink. Sometimes just verbalizing that desire takes the power out of it. And of course I'll almost always get the advice/common sense I need from others here. This place is open 24/7. It's pretty amazing.
The other side of that equation is I try to be here to help others as much as I can. Even if all I'm doing is saying "Thanks for posting today" I am letting others know that they are being heard.
Wishing you the best today. There's a better way of life waiting for you, glad to see you taking these first steps toward it...
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Botswana
Posts: 384
Hello RunningAway,
Basically everything everyone else has said up there ^^^
But to add, I am exactly where you are, except I wrote my post on 6 June. I can sense from your words that you are just 'tired' of this and want to be free. Me too. I'm here to tell you that it can be be done, and with hindsight, not that much pain.
I check in here several times a day and post whenever I feel 'twitchy'. Sometimes it is a few lines, othertimes it is an essay I ever knew I was going to write. In every case, I have felt better after visiting SR than when I logged in.
The first few days are going to be tough, but you will get through with the help of the folks here. Then your AV starts turning nasty as it realises you are serious about destroying it. But. again, it is only a thought, and a thought cannot make you drink. If and when it gets overwhelming, check in here. It passes.
I have kids too. I have woken up later in life that I should have. But I feel I'm walking towards sobriety and an exciting new life. This is very different from 'giving up' drinking. I'm not giving up anything that was good.
I wish you every success with this journey.
Best wishes
Fradley
Basically everything everyone else has said up there ^^^
But to add, I am exactly where you are, except I wrote my post on 6 June. I can sense from your words that you are just 'tired' of this and want to be free. Me too. I'm here to tell you that it can be be done, and with hindsight, not that much pain.
I check in here several times a day and post whenever I feel 'twitchy'. Sometimes it is a few lines, othertimes it is an essay I ever knew I was going to write. In every case, I have felt better after visiting SR than when I logged in.
The first few days are going to be tough, but you will get through with the help of the folks here. Then your AV starts turning nasty as it realises you are serious about destroying it. But. again, it is only a thought, and a thought cannot make you drink. If and when it gets overwhelming, check in here. It passes.
I have kids too. I have woken up later in life that I should have. But I feel I'm walking towards sobriety and an exciting new life. This is very different from 'giving up' drinking. I'm not giving up anything that was good.
I wish you every success with this journey.
Best wishes
Fradley
Guest
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Botswana
Posts: 384
PS
You didn't 'fail miserably.'
You tried, then what happened, happened. Then you came back to post here, and announced you are ready to try again.
Failing miserably would be to drink, close your account and come back in a few years or never.
There is always someone here for you.
You didn't 'fail miserably.'
You tried, then what happened, happened. Then you came back to post here, and announced you are ready to try again.
Failing miserably would be to drink, close your account and come back in a few years or never.
There is always someone here for you.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 16
Thank you very much. I'm definitely not giving up and am just realizing that this is going to take a much more serious effort on my part. First and foremost, I need to be dead honest with myself. As an extension of that, I will be brutally honest with my posts here. As much as it sucks to strike out, I plan to keep coming up to bat until I am successful. The reassuring messages are very much appreciated when feeling down.
Hears The Voice
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Unshackled
Posts: 7,901
Irritability and increased anxiety are very common when coming off the sauce. Persistent alcohol use causes the brain to release increased levels of anxiety-producing chemicals. It's an evolution thing - apparently its bad for survival to sit around drunk all the time.Your brain takes action to defend you.
So, your brain is over-producing these chemicals to stimulate you and then you quit drinking. The result - increased anxiety and irritability. Some people even have panic attacks.
I never had a panic attack, but I quit drinking hundreds of times. I would pace my house like a caged animal (and sleep like crap) for a few days and then give up. Oh woe is me, this is TOO hard!
The trick is to wait it out. Your brain will recover and stop over producing the anxiety. It takes a couple of months, though, so be prepared. Have a plan to burn off that nervous energy. Sounds like you'll have some.
You can do this.
So, your brain is over-producing these chemicals to stimulate you and then you quit drinking. The result - increased anxiety and irritability. Some people even have panic attacks.
I never had a panic attack, but I quit drinking hundreds of times. I would pace my house like a caged animal (and sleep like crap) for a few days and then give up. Oh woe is me, this is TOO hard!
The trick is to wait it out. Your brain will recover and stop over producing the anxiety. It takes a couple of months, though, so be prepared. Have a plan to burn off that nervous energy. Sounds like you'll have some.
You can do this.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: SC
Posts: 19
RunningAway, your story sounds almost exactly like mine. I drank every day after work and drank all day on the weekends, neglecting my wife and daughter. I had some mild physical withdrawal symptoms like the sweats and a little shakiness in my hands, but my psychological symptoms were the hardest part to deal with.
Just before I got sober, I had a sober Friday (the first one in years), and then drank again the rest of the weekend and then the following week. At that point I was engaged in an all-out battle with myself because I didn't want to drink anymore, but deep inside I felt that I couldn't stop. Each day was the same: an intense internal struggle followed by giving in to the craving. I just didn't understand how I could live without alcohol playing a role in my life (turns out it did more than just play a role; it WAS my life).
What worked for me was finally admitting the extent of my problem and finding accountability and personal growth through AA. That may or may not work for you. Fortunately, there is no "one size fits all" solution, but maybe you should consider checking out a meeting.
You aren't alone. There is hope for you, and believe me, life is much better without alcohol. That might be hard to fully accept right now, but just trust me. Trust the sober folks on this board and listen to their advice. I've got 139 days of sobriety today, and if I can do that, anyone can, including you. You can be the sober husband and dad that you are meant to be.
Just before I got sober, I had a sober Friday (the first one in years), and then drank again the rest of the weekend and then the following week. At that point I was engaged in an all-out battle with myself because I didn't want to drink anymore, but deep inside I felt that I couldn't stop. Each day was the same: an intense internal struggle followed by giving in to the craving. I just didn't understand how I could live without alcohol playing a role in my life (turns out it did more than just play a role; it WAS my life).
What worked for me was finally admitting the extent of my problem and finding accountability and personal growth through AA. That may or may not work for you. Fortunately, there is no "one size fits all" solution, but maybe you should consider checking out a meeting.
You aren't alone. There is hope for you, and believe me, life is much better without alcohol. That might be hard to fully accept right now, but just trust me. Trust the sober folks on this board and listen to their advice. I've got 139 days of sobriety today, and if I can do that, anyone can, including you. You can be the sober husband and dad that you are meant to be.
aka Nesty
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Northern Vt.
Posts: 1,554
RunningAway , You made a Good choice already by joining here I just joined yest. but have 2 years sober . Was a hard core drinker of half a 30 pack of beer or more depending on the day. Would start soon as I got up at 5-6 am . Almost 10 years worth give or take . First time I signs myself in to rehab . The other few times I did it myself . At the end I was hospitalized - dehydrated - esophagus almost burnt out , liver was slowing down .
To tell you the truth drinking that much it was easier for me to get help, doing yourself is very very hard .
I too suggest you seek some kind of medical help ASP , before you change your mind . That's what I did and I my body paid the price , plus with your children in the mix . It could be difficult for them to see you go through it . Or at least something from the Dr to help ease you off .
I tried the easing off only to start getting deeper . The beer wasn't enough and turned to Rum . Even 2 years in I have anxiety over the things I have done to my family and children . Please don't talk yourself out of it , if you get scared . There's help out there reach for it
I just joined yest. but have 2 years sober . Was a hard core drinker of half a 30 pack of beer or more depending on the day. Would start soon as I got up at 5-6 am . Almost 10 years worth give or take . First time I signs myself in to rehab . The other few times I did it myself . At the end I was hospitalized - dehydrated - esophagus almost burnt out , liver was slowing down .To tell you the truth drinking that much it was easier for me to get help, doing yourself is very very hard .
I too suggest you seek some kind of medical help ASP , before you change your mind . That's what I did and I my body paid the price , plus with your children in the mix . It could be difficult for them to see you go through it . Or at least something from the Dr to help ease you off .
I tried the easing off only to start getting deeper . The beer wasn't enough and turned to Rum . Even 2 years in I have anxiety over the things I have done to my family and children . Please don't talk yourself out of it , if you get scared . There's help out there reach for it
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