new to recovery
 

I'm at the point where i think i need some guidance. For the people who had moderated to severe withdrawals, how much did you drink every day? after losing my job I drank about 15 beers a day for 2 years, over the last year that has been cut down to about 1-3 drinks a day, but over the last 4 weeks I have slipped and have been anywhere between 6 -12 drinks a day. I need to finally give it up completely but i'm terrified. And yes this is my first post. but long time reader.

Welcome again :)

Number of drinks is only one factor. None of us know your clinical history or anything so it's really impossible for us to give you any medical advice guesstimates or guarantees.

Not everyone has problems, but yeah detox can be complicated sometimes.

if you're worried at all about withdrawal , please see a Dr first - it really is the safest way :)

D

yea most threads i read the advice is go to detox or see a dr., and i understand that. I'm more looking for peoples experience.

Moderation did not work for me- it was an excuse to keep drinking. I could say 'I was trying'. Alcohol literally killed me- science bought me back 3 times. I lost everything. Professional support, here and meetings work. For me.
Support to you.

Welcome! The thing is, withdrawals are unpredictable, so if you are concerned, it's always good to talk to your dr. And, it's normal to feel terrified at the point of stopping drinking. But, believe in yourself and that you can do it.

My experience is last time I detoxed I had a series of mini strokes.

I'm not saying that will happen to you but it is why I stress that no one here knows you or your clinical history, and if you're worried about withdrawal, why it's best to see a Dr.

D

i'm going to taper for a few days...and i know its not the best way or recommended here, but hopefully with support on here, and making a thread and being accountable, i will be able to do it.. I will start my thread tonight with my drinks today..and go down from there. Thank you for all you help, and future help. I will need it.

I am hesitant to give advice because of my history. If I admitted to 6-12 drinks a day, the actual amount was quite a bit more. I too was terrified to detox, because I knew something I wasn't telling, the actual amount was quite a bit more. I had a seizure.

Honesty is of the utmost importance to me for maintaining sobriety. I got a chance at being honest when detoxing. I didn't take it, luckily I didn't die as a result of my dishonesty.

Medical advice and supervision can very important when detoxing. A lot depends upon the actual amount of daily consumption.

Detox was pretty mild for me, but that's probably because I had a little pharmaceutical "help" to get me through it. A benzodiazepine like Valium or Ativan can really help; that's what they usually give you if you go into inpatient detox.

I know that when I quit drinking for short periods of time because I was just too sick to continue, I got some pretty bad shakes. Never got so far as hallucinations, thank god, I know I would have needed medical intervention had that been the case.

I was up to 15 ice type beers per day (5%+ alc). I switched to lite beer for the first week and kept the same consumption. Over the next several weeks, I reduced my consumption to 8, 6, and then 4 per day. I then had a few "off" days where I didn't drink at all, so I'd have 4, then 0, then 4, then 0. Eventually I was able to string together a few off days together, and soon after quit entirely for 2 years. By the time I was down to 4 or so beers per day I didn't even want them. I drank them to prevent any sudden withdrawals.

this is basically my plan. Hardest part will be not having that just one more.