sobriiestote

I wake up every day at 4am feeling like I've been in a car crash, jolting into reality, horrid.

In the UK u can buy alcohol at 8am from supermarkets but I white knuckle it through the day on caffeine until I start drinking again at 6pm.

Seeing the Dr this afternoon to see about getting some Librium to help with detox, then some tablets to stop cravings.

Get help, it's there if you need it : )))

DitzyDandelion

I know your probably aware of this but the only way to break that cycle is not drinking. I agree that seeing your Dr may be a good idea if your needing to drink to start the day the withdrawals may be pretty bad and you may need help with them.

This probably won't help at this stage but further down the line it may do. The feelings of anxiety won't go away right off and the first week or so you may still wake up feeling anxious or stressed. The good news is it will be less so each day and it is at this stage what I tried this morning may help.

I had my alarm set and I had a ten min snooze set on it. I set it reasonably early so I would still be slightly dozy and not hit wide awake panic too easy. This part is why it may not work too early on for you. First time I woke up I wanted to cry and felt terrible, I hit snooze closed my eyes and picked one good thing I either had or wanted for the future to focus on. Really think about in a positive way. In ten mins when my alarm went I still felt uneasy and kind of worthless so I hit snooze again, I picked a new thing to focus on. I did this until the point the alarm went off and I was feeling less ikky and more positive. Took me just over an hour of snoozes but I eventually got up feeling a little better than I have done. I had got so sick of starting every day crying over my morning coffee or stressing my life was one huge wreck.

Not sure if that will help you or anyone else but I hope so.

notgonnastoptry

Heck, I couldn't even have coffee 10 days sober. I never tried it with drinking. It was bound to have a horrid reaction.

My anxiety started when the birds began to chirp. It was horrible. I'd take a few nips to go back to sleep. Anything to avoid the day. That was not a good way to live.

Marcher13

Patricia, do you eat dinner? Do you eat breakfast? Do you drink a glass of water when you get up?

Change the way you are doing mornings.

If you can walk to the liquor store you can do some breathing exercises instead.
If you can do some breathing exercises you can drink a glass of water.
If you can drink a glass of water you can turn on the radio to some music you enjoy.
With the music on you can eat some toast.
Now... can you post at SR...the morning has begun.

SarahB60

Alcohol was the primary cause of my anxiety. I drank or popped xanax to keep the daily withdrawals from alcohol at bay. My anxiety only got worse over time. I was on a crazy train from hell barely hanging on.

Once you get through the initial detox period, you'll feel 1000% better! Trust me on this one. I'm 9 months sober and my anxiety issues are pretty much gone. I haven't had a panic attack in several months.

Please stick around SR. There's a lot of help from people here. I don't know how I got this far without SR (I'm not a frequent poster- I just come here daily to read).

patricia68

Good morning. I had a rough night, sweating, waking up every 2 hours, bad dreams...at 4am I took anxiety medication, it helped a little bit with the pounding heart and shaking hands.

Now it's 7am. Queasy stomach, wobbly legs...I feel restless and exhausted at the same time, does it make sense?

I just finished a glass of juice, I think a little sugar might help, I don't know...

I know I'm also dependant on anxiety medication, but today I will only focus on not drinking. I can't tackle both addictions at once...today I just want to get the anxiety and panic under control so I can stay away from the liquor store...

Thank you so much for all your support...

ScottFromWI

It does make sense...it's part of withdrawals. Your body has a physical dependance to it and it's not happy when you don't have it inside you. It's only a temporary thing though...physical withdrawals are relatively short in relation to your overall recovery.

Please remember that it can be potentially dangerous though....I'd highly recommend you consult with your DR, especially since you've been taking other drugs along with your binge drinking. At bare minimum make sure someone near you is aware of what you are doing so they can get you to assistance quickly if necessary.

ArtFriend

Oh dear...Patricia I know you have been dealing with this for at least a year, or more. I remember similar threads when I first started SR. The anxiety medication is not going to be too helpful if you are still drinking. It will just be an endless cycle. Maybe rehab is the way to go. Sounds like you need medical supervision to get all this sorted out.

patricia68

Thank you Scott. I guess the physical withdrawals mean my body is trying to adjust to not having alcohol in it? Trying to go back to normal? Or are these symptoms cravings for more alcohol? I've always been confused as to what withdrawals actually mean?

rednails

From what I understand, they are cravings for more alcohol. I am no expert, but I think you should see a doctor to get through this. Do you have the availability in your schedule to check yourself into a rehab facility? I believe this could be dangerous for you to go through the withdrawals without medical supervision. For now, try to hold off from the drink.

ccam1973

Patricia, your body is craving what it has become accustomed to; alcohol. You've got to break the cycle and give your body time to adjust.

There is a lot of good advise in this thread. You can do this.

-You have to break the cycle. Do what ever it takes to not drink today.
-Change your routine / mornings up to help you through the early days
-See your doctor or at a minimum let someone know so they can check on you every so often. Withdrawals are nothing to take lightly.

Be safe. You've got to make it through today before you can make tomorrow better. Break the cycle.

You can get your life back. Lean on us as much as you need.

patricia68

I can't afford rehab right now. But I am seeing my counselor on Monday.

patricia68

It's 9 am now and I'm starting to feel the cravings coming...I can't stop thinking that "just one" drink will make me feel "normal"...

I need to stay strong...

ccam1973

Stay strong Patricia. You have got to break the cycle, otherwise tomorrow will be the same as today.

You are strong enough to do this. Trust me, you are not alone. You deserve to do this for you.

Can you do something to take your mid off of your cravings? Go for a walk, read a book, anything to let these cravings pass... And they will pass.

Stay strong Patricia.

patricia68

You are right, it will be another night of no sleep and panic...I need to keep remembering that...

PennyLane76

Absolutely it makes sense, I am with you on all of this. Yes, not drinking has to be #1 priority. When we stop that we will see less need for anti anxiety meds I believe. Tackle not drinking today. Eat what you need to. Rehydrate. Detoxing is body's adjustment to no alcohol, shaky, sweaty, all that you describe. I love CaseyW advice, post here every minute if you have to, just dont drink today.

SarahB60

Your Dr should be able to help you manage detox from home. He/she will prescribe a finite amount of medication with a taper schedule. Detoxing on your own is dangerous. Please check with your Dr and try and do it under medical supervision.

sobriiestote

Phone your Dr, they will be able to help you with a medicated detox.

I saw mine today, I'm booked in for detox on 7th Sep, getting medication to help negate all physical side effects from withdrawal, getting an injection in my bum (?!) to prevent seizures, then getting medication to help with cravings, I was so happy for these 2 complete strangers to be offering me a safe, medical, way out of this mess, I am so grateful, so grateful.... I see the Dr every day for the 5 days I take the Librium, dates booked, dated in diary, bring on the detox!!

sobriiestote

I just couldn't do it on my own, reaching out makes it feel so much more definite, planned, booked, solid....

patricia68

Thank you so much Foreverfuzzy, my Dr is not in the office today. I'll have to wait until Monday to see her.