charlzwinter

(wean now ween)
Greetings this is my first post. Cold turkey did not work with me I could not sleep for days due to such heavy consumption I would assume.

I have made a journal about weening myself off of 3.5L a week/ 500ml (16oz) daily.
- This process has been going on for approx 90 days.
- step one go to sleep with out drinking (check).
- step two never drink on consecutive days (check)
- step three reduce the volume in each session. (check).

So I am now under 1L per week (2/3 days of drinking) and becoming accustom to going days without a drink but am experiencing problems.

1) debilitating panic attacks while driving (have had to pull over a few times)
2) never sleep more than 4 hours
3) I took up spin class and passed out. They rushed me to emergency and all my tests indicated very healthy (heart rate, blood pressure "perfect" for a 43 year old Male). Doctor said it could be attributed to alcohol wean. Despite very unhealthy drinking over the years I go to gym and not over weight. Obviously this was very terrifying.

Never really drank until my 30's and started to do so heavily in mid 30's.

Can anyone relate to this? Thank you for reading all comments are welcome.

Anna

Welcome, The panic attacks and insomnia are classic withdrawal symptoms. You must be at a point in cutting down where your body is feeling the withdrawals. Most alcoholics find stopping completely to be far easier than cutting down on drinking because with cutting back you are increasing the length of time for withdrawals to affect you.

I'm glad you talked to the dr about passing out, and don't hesitate to talk to your dr about your withdrawal symptoms.

DesertDawg

charlz,
First, congratulations for realizing your problem and trying to quit. That can be the hardest part.

Your consumption pattern is somewhat similar to what mine used to be, so I can relate. It sounds like you are trying to taper down, which is said to be theoretically safer than quitting cold turkey. While we are neither qualified nor allowed to offer medical advice here, there are lot of very experienced alcoholics here, both sober and still struggling, who have been through what you are dealing with. Very few, if any, will recommend the taper method, as it has a very poor track record of success. My best advice to you is to seek medical supervision to detox. The withdrawal which you have already experienced is not just a bad hangover, but a serious medical condition that can be fatal. Beyond that, stick with us. Between everybody here, we've been everywhere, done everything, and got every t-shirt as it pertains to drinking and trying to quit. I wish you the best of luck.

ScottFromWI

Welcome Charlz, and congrats on your decision to get alcohol out of your life.

Regarding your tapering regimen, yes - what you are finding is very common in that it's very hard to do, and generally unsuccessful for its original intent. In a sense, even though you are drinking less alchohol/less frequently you are still drinking alcohol. And as Anna points out, at some point your body is going to react to the lack of alcohol, usually with withdrawal symptoms. Panic and insomnia are 2 very common ones. The doctor you saw was probably spot on in that the symptoms were from the lack of alcohol. Did he give you any suggestions on what you might do moving forward?

charlzwinter

Thank you for the speedy reply. I am at the point now where cold turkey seems reasonable. I can wake up in the morning and "decide" today is another dry day and stick to my guns without the naggy drinky voice in my head.

It had not occurred to me that this could be a *more* effective method than taper. Thank you for this insight - reading this forum for 30 minutes tells me operating in a bubble is a limited experience.

charlzwinter

Thank you for reading my post and offering such insights. This has already been very helpful. Are you at liberty to elaborate on the portion above quoted?

thank you

He said I need to taper down to zero as I am trending sooner the better. I don't want drugs to mitigate any symptoms. I suspected and have read on here that water and increasing activity levels help with the detox and returning to "normal".

Mystikaldawn

Congrats!

you drank the same amount as myself, When I was done at the end of the night there would probably be 1.5 inches left in the bottom of a 750ml bottle. If you can do the whole weening process and if you find it works for you then I wish you nothing but good things! Personally I represent the classic phrase "one is too many and 1000 is not enough" but everyone is different.

I'm no doctor but the fact you've cut back is a good thing. So keep up the good work and keep trying your best!

Horn95

I'll take a swing at this. It is a serious medical condition because over time, your brain becomes used to your consumption of alcohol and goes through changes as a result thereof. Most notably, repeated alcohol consumption inhibits your brains ability to produce neurotransmitters (chemicals) that help you relax, calm you down, and regulate your mood -- we're talking chemicals like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine. Ultimately, in many ways, Alcoholism becomes a neurological disease.

When you remove alcohol from the equation, there is nothing, i.e., alcohol or neurotransmitters, to counteract the excitability of your brain. It is akin to driving down the freeway (or highway) at 100 miles an hour with no brakes. That is why some people get the shakes, sweats, rapid heartbeat, and anxiety/panic when they quit. That is also why during med detox they give you anticonvulsants to prevent seizures (which are essentially manifestations of brain overactivity/electrical activity) and benzos to reduce brain activity.

I went though med detox -- had to. Began with a regimen of phenobarb and Ativan. They eventually ween you off of that. But it was pretty easy, honestly.

I would strongly recommend med detox. It is ALOT less painful. I have relapsed a few times, and thankfully have not had any withdrawals other than anxiety/depression, and mood swings. Currently just finished a week.

Anyway, sounds like you really need to bite the bullet and just give it up.

DesertDawg

What I meant was that, generally, a hangover happens where a normal drinker has "a few too many" and is uncomfortable the next morning. Typically it is over it in a day or two. Alcohol withdrawal is a different kettle of fish, and results from cutting off the supply of alcohol to someone who has become physically dependent, which can happen after a prolonged period of heavy drinking. My warning was simply that it is distinct from a garden variety hangover, and should be taken seriously, preferably with medical supervision.

A roundabout way of imploring you to please be careful and seek medical attention if you start to feel really bad. My withdrawal experience was terrible because I blew it off as just my "punishment' for drinking so much.

charlzwinter

Thank you again for your thoughtful response. I will head this advice - Based on what I am reading here "taper off" unsupervised and over exerting myself during detox are poor decisions.

I read your original post and see that you had seizures I wonder if this is common? did you ever have this happen before you tried to quit?

DesertDawg

I had them on two separate occasions. Had no history of seizures before then or since I've stopped drinking. They are apparently a severe, but not uncommon, symptom of alcohol withdrawal. On both occasions I was hitting the bottle hard over the weekend, and had to stop cold turkey. One happened as I was walking back to my hotel on Monday evening on a business trip, after a weekend bender. It was roughly 6pm, and I hadn't drank in roughly 22 hours, give or take, so I was starting to feel a bit better...then I woke up groggy in an ambulance. I don't recall much about the second one. But it was also the next day after I had been drinking hard for a few days prior. It is not recommended.

Dee74

welcome to SR Charlz

D

August252015

Glad you are here.

I am one of those around here who went cold turkey- from a VERY heavy habit. I was drinking a handle of vodka (biggest US size) every two days or less. Usually other drinks around that as well.

I don't understand why the UK/Aus has the common mentality/drs opinions that moderation is a good idea (except as some have said around here it is more about dr liability than the best patient advice, and I am not trying to start a country specific argument ).....I believe the taper and as Anna said continuing to put alcohol in your body post pones the inevitable (HOPEFULLY) of having zero alcohol in your body.

I vividly remember the fear of quitting and the agony I was certain would come. I finally chose an uncertain future and unknown amount of time of pain (and I had bad withdrawal and then PAWS for weeks- seizures were just part of it) that now seems very short compared to a lifetime of healthy sobriety, over certain death by drinking.

Best of luck for soon to come and complete sobriety. You CAN decide to have it- luck isn't actually involved.

charlzwinter

One of the early perks of being on here is the acknowledgement that other people also actually consumed what I would call huge sums (in out case as much as 20 shots a day)...and been able to move on.

Its weird going out with friends and drinking everyone under the table and having barely any high. Tolerance is terrible.

Yesterday I decided not to taper based on what I read here. I am on day 4 and feeling quite good. I assume there will be bigger temptation days down the road but surprisingly I am not even tempted - today is another dry day - no question.

2008-2016 was ~15- 20 shots a day every single day.
2017 3x a week 375 ml bottle
Apr 22 -> zero ... never thought I would even be here.

Thanks again for you help.

Plure

You've been stepping down over time which is great, going cold turkey at the levels you were drinking pre-taper would've been very serious medically. As I understand things, GABA is your nervous system's main inhibitory neurotransmitter...it calms you down. Alcohol increases GABA, then over time your body gets used to it and counters with more production of the stimulating neurotransmitters. When GABA levels fall when you stop or reduce drinking, that balance is upset and anxiety/panic can result. The rebalancing of the stimulating and inhibitory neurotransmitters takes time. That's why recovery can take a while and be frustrating.

Great news is you are on the right path to stopping!

Only suggestion I have is to make sure and consult with a doc during this transitionary time.

Forward12

That's great you've made it to day 4! Be sure to keep it up as drinking again will bring you right back to the insanity, and worse, as drinking gets nothing but worse over time, including the withdrawal.

Anna

Making it to Day 4 is terrific!

Ariesagain

Keep going! You're doing great!

Wait until you find out how much easier workouts are when your poor body isn't trying to process a massive load of toxin at the same time. It's amazing.