biminiblue

You have an appointment Monday.

Your wife - I would tell her that withdrawal can be dangerous. She would be able to get you help in time if she knows.

I think you will have to use your best judgement here. If that means having a drink between now and your appointment then that's what you need to do. I just would only use it like medicine, not drink all day Saturday and Sunday. When I quit I went from long-term all day drinking (years of it) of rum, tequila and vodka and beer to a taper of 12/2/1/ 0.5 and then no more. 12 on my last real drinking day, 2 on Day one of the taper, 1 on Day two of the taper and 0.5 ounces of rum on Day three. I never drank again and didn't have any serious health consequences afterwards. Some people are not capable of tapering.

I didn't know it was dangerous. I was lucky. It could have gone the other way but I felt my symptoms were manageable.

Be careful.

cantsleep123

Yes using it like medicine is the plan. 6 drinks, one per hour until bedtime. I've gotten through today with that amount last night (it has sucked but I'm still alive and only have mild withdrawal symptoms).

Thank you for all the help. Now I just need to figure out how to move forward after the detox.

biminiblue

Well, I have to say, six is not a taper. Six is just drinking. What happened to your 4 tonight, 2, then sober plan?

Yes it is stupidly uncomfortable.

Once you have meds it won't be so hard.

cantsleep123

You make a good point. I'll do 4 tonight then 2 sat & 2 Sunday just to make sure I make it to the doctor before the 24 hr alcohol free mark. I'll be at the doctor's office before noon Monday so I should be all clear to start meds. I'm ready to do this.

On a side note my sister just called me with a story of her blacking out and driving home from a bar with my other sister. Yikes. She's not quite ready to completely give it up I think and still thinks she can control it. Her mother (my ex-step mother) is currently slowly dying from liver disease. She started like us.

Obladi

I've done the 6-4-2-0 thing successfully. My opinion is this is certainly superior to continuing to drink full out. Good thing you have people who can keep an eye out for you. (Medically supervised detox is the best way to go, hands down. But I hear you saying that's not really an option this weekend.)

You're right that the hard part is what's next after detoxing. Initially it's hard to get beyond "I feel just fine now; I can drink again, I just need to be careful." Unfortunately that's a lie. Fortunately, once you accept it's a lie, it's easy to ignore.

Glad you're here.

O

cantsleep123

Thank you for your input. I'm going to taper then medically detox (albeit unsupervised). I live very close to an emergency room so worst case scenario I could be quickly taken there. I'll have people with me for the detox the whole time. it's been about 18 hrs since my last drink and I don't feel too bad. Started getting a headache but that could be from lack of sleep.

Dee74

Hi cantsleep,

Spoke to you in another thread- I understand now why monday is the day.

I'm not a fan of tapering - could never do it - but the object is to stave off nasty withdrawal symptoms.

I can't give you a tapering schedule - not qualified to, not allowed under the rules here but I will say for a lot of us our tapering was barely distinguishable from our normal drinking - I think thats why it didn't work for me. I just drank all the alcohol I had in the house, then went and got some more...

If you're going to taper make sure you're tapering down.

D

cantsleep123

Last night I had 300ml, tonight I bought 200ml (and never ever drink and drive so getting more isnt happening). Tomorrow I'll do 100ml, then just 50 on Sunday. I'm going to do this 100%. My wife is completely on board and will help me stay on track.

Dee74

wishing you the best, for sure

D

Pouncer

I have done this in the past with the help of a person to monitor. It was helpful that I started reading about addiction while I was tapering and reaching out for support throughout the process.

Best wishes.

cantsleep123

Successfully had the 4 drinks tonight. On a side note my Google fit tracker just told me I achieved my fitness goals through sheer pacing alone

cantsleep123

Also I'm officially 1 day free of marijuana. I'll be giving my stash/paraphernalia to friends and letting my med card lapse when it comes time.

Dee74

getting rid of pot is a great idea. I was addicted to pot as much as I was alcohol.
D

cantsleep123

The only time it's fun is when I'm drunk. Sober it gives me terrible anxiety. Also I went in a trip to Germany recently and smoked a ton of hash with tobacco (7 years free from cigarettes). Bad idea. Last week I got drunk on my birthday and apparently smoked a cigarette while blacked out. I was mortified the next day when being told stories about how "fun" I was.

MagnumCat

It sounds like you are really serious about doing this. I like your plan. I hope you're also thinking about what you are going to do to stay sober. As mentioned earlier, you need to be very aware of the tendency to think all is well once you feel better and that one drink won't hurt. Trust us, it will!

I'm currently in an Intensive Outpatient Program and I'm really getting a lot out of it. I signed myself up for it as soon as I decided that I was done with alcohol. Before I felt better and started thinking that I wasn't really that bad and can do it by myself.

You can do this!!

Mags1

Hi cantsleep, I’m pleased you’ve decided to stop drinking. It will certainly be a bumpy ride for a while but with support and 100% dedication you will come through it.

Many here are a testament to this.

You can do it, with grit determination and a bit of stubbornness too maybe, especially against the AV(Addictive Voice)

We’re here to support you, lean on us, we can’t carry you but we can point out the bumps in the road.

cantsleep123

Got maybe 2 hrs of sleep last night after zero the night before. Miserable.

Obladi

Yeah, horrible sleep, restlessness, anxiety. It's miserable. But it ends!

Hang in there, man. By Monday, you'll likely be astounded by how much better you're feeling.

cantsleep123

Im starting cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in the next week or so. I'll lean on them and get a plan in place. I'm sure they've dealt with insomnia related alcoholism before and can point me in the right direction. In the mean time I'll continue to actively post here and read books on the subject. Also maybe look for a meeting that isn't all about God (religion just isn't for me).

biminiblue

Good morning, cantsleep.

I think you will find a world of difference in your anxiety and your sleep with a little sober Time. Time, though. I had many two-hour-sleep days, eventually I'd crash for 12 hours. The alcohol and the pot are both really bad for the nervous system. I had pretty serious sleep issues before I quit and for a while afterwards. Sometimes it's blood sugar too, so if I had a piece of toast and hot cocoa I could usually go back to sleep.

I'm glad you did the 4.

When I quit I treated myself as though I was recovering from a life-threatening illness, because I was. Lots of healthy food, protein and vegetables. Lots of water. I was already pretty much into nutrition (I know, I know) so my electrolytes didn't go wonky in early recovery but if you're not eating well maybe try an electrolyte drink like gatorade.

I also started a daily walk outdoors, preferably in the woods or some other Nature place. Huge for my recovery. Whatever kind of exercise, it's good.

Hang on, you're gonna be fine. You sound good, the symptoms will take time. Did I mention to give it a while?

Keep talking to us.