direlyn

Hey guys, I'm not terribly new to the world of getting stuck on alcohol, binging for a couple weeks or even a month HARD (just nonstop blackouts where I lose weeks at a time), and then sitting with the full body ache, the stomach queasiness, the damned vivid nightmares, some heart palpitations and all those other symptoms. Oh yeah, panic.

My point in writing all this is that the last go around, I got stuck, and still am stuck. When I try to quit it seems especially bad this time, especially my racing heart which is what worries me the most. So I'm going to the doctor Monday to hopefully get some medicine (benzos) to wean back off this poison.

However, I'm drinking a 12 pack a day, and I CANNOT sleep. I'm sorry, I realize this is a recovery forum, but I thought my post was relevant as I intend to quit, I just can't do it without medication. But I'm stuck on this rollercoaster of drinking 12 beers a day minimum, and seemingly unlike other people I can't sleep. A little worried about the days to come and just wanted to express my feelings to you guys. Anyone else have alcohol basically act like amphetamines for them?

Dee74

I'm not sure what amphetamines do but I certainly used booze to sleep.

Quitting was hard - no sleep at all the first night, a little more the second and then the thirds...by the end of the week things were better.

Its a very very common part of withdrawal. I appreciate you're string out, but even with a drs help, chances are you're going to have to go through a little discomfort.

hope the doctor on monday can help.

D

least

I hope you can get the help you need to get sober for good.

Jjb2018

Im a beer drinker too just posted as well drank last week for 6days 70beers plus pills how the hell did i finish those pass out drunk repeat.i ussually buy at once prettending i have a party.i stop this tuesday not bad in first days second was terrible im 4days sober now i guess the feeling of withdrawal if u stop now or monday is just the same "worst feeling" but for sure it will get better..

direlyn

Hey Dee, thanks for the response. Also, I'm a musician and love playing the song that's in your image

Yeah I'm not looking forward to the discomfort, but again I'm not unfamiliar with it. Just not familiar with the skyhigh pulse I was getting.

Kachal

I had the worst insomnia when drinking. For years and years I couldn't sleep. I used alcohol to get to sleep (blackout more like) but the amount of time it could actually keep me there was getting shorter and shorter, and what I was getting was not good quality sleep anyway. I was scared to quit because I thought I'd never sleep again. Then I quit drinking and within a couple of days my sleep returned.

Jim1958

Beer drinker here as well. Usually 12 to 18 a day. Usual withdrawal was 3 days. Same, stomach, dry heaves, heart racing. No sleep. Had some lorazapam so used that the first day or so. It is hard, but you can do it. Give it a few days and you will feel better. Day 75 here.

Anna

I found it hard to sleep while drinking too. For me, I think it was the way all the sugar in the alcohol affected me.

I think it's good that you are going to the dr on Monday. It's normal to be worried about how things will go, but talking to your dr and coming here and posting are both good ideas.

Hevyn

It's so good to have you with us, direlyn. When I quit I spent a lot of time on here - reading & posting. It helped with the anxiety. Having people understand what I was going through meant so much. Sleep was a problem for me both when drinking & in the first weeks of recovery. It all settled down though.

Delilah1

Welcome to SR, looking forward to hearing how your appointment goes Monday.

least

I hope the doctor can help you get sober for good this time.

DontRemember

What are you going to tell the Doctor on Mon that you couldn't say/do today..hell...even tomorrow(for an extra few hours)?

Verdantia

Welcome, direlyn-I'm very glad you are here. I always drank beer, at least a 12-pack of as high-alcohol as I could find, and the cheapest--18-packs of Natty Ice did the horrible trick for me. When I quit full stop within 12 hours after 4 years of this routine I was in alcoholic hallucinosis--just the worst; bugs, spiders, birds, ants bearing tiny numerals, weird flashing lights and a hideous movie going on behind closed eyelids with a distorted, evil soundtrack--so I am delighted you are going to get medical supervision for your detox. I had seizures before the end of mine.
I hope you keep posting. SR has been a vital part of my sober plan; on the 23rd I will have 2 years, 9 months of sobriety. You can do this!

Fearlessat50

Hi Direlyn, glad you are seeing your doc Monday and planning to quit. I have not ever experienced meth, but I did try coke and speed back in my early college days. In the final days of my drinking, yes, alcohol did effect me like speed. I needed increasingly more alcohol to get the same buzzed effect. Except over time, it didn’t matter how much I drank. I could drink a bottle or two of wine, feel a very slight short term buzz, then anxiety hit, then I would black out and after that all those heart palpitations and terrible symptoms with worse anxiety depression and remorse. I am so happy to be sober and free of all substances! Good luck on your journey and hope to see more of you.

Itsover

I read somewhere that the comedown from booze does have the effects of amphetamines as the body releases a lot of stress and hype up chemicals to compensate for the depressive effects of alcohol on the nervous system and the sedative effects of booze wears off long before all the hype you up compensation chemicals released by the body

Delilah1

Hope your appointment goes well tomorrow, check in and let us know how you're doing. I know the first few days are tough but it is so worth it to stick them out. You can do this!

Aardvajk

Not being able to sleep was always a major trigger for me, back before I was more serious about stopping. I would drink because I was afraid of lying awake all night unable to drop off (or that's what my head told me was the reason anyway, I actually drank because I am an alcoholic ).

My personal experience has been that normal sleep does return after a while. The period has varied for me in the different times I have stopped after a period drinking.

I remember years ago reading in "Living Sober" that nobody ever died from lack of sleep. It is a little harsh but true. I found just lying in bed reading and trying to get the physical rest that sleep provides was a good idea so that it was just the mental rest I was missing rather than both the mental and physical.

Weirdly, I always found in these periods that I could sleep more easily in the afternoons than at night so, when my schedule made it possible, I'd catch up a little then. That is a double-edged sword though as it makes it even less likely I'd sleep that night.

Insomnia is a pain in the backside but it really does get better in time. But if your doctor is willing to give you short term prescription of drugs that help normalise your sleep pattern, great stuff.

Snowydelrico

Hope you can get an appointment today at the doctors.
Good luck

Hevyn

We're thinking of you, Direlyn. Let us know how it's going, we care.

DontRemember

**Medical detox is always best**
Benzos can help with the 'come down',but there's no medication/pill that will keep you from drinking without hard mental work and life changes that only you can provide. There's pills you can take that make you violently ill when ya drink,but what if you plan around it? I hid from life and **personal accountability** with my drinking/drugging, so it was a real 'slap in the face' to own up to those things when trying to get/getting sober,for myself. I had to leave the BS excuses at the door.

I hope you stuck with the DR plan for today..Rehab seems like a good fit for you by the 'tone' of your post though.