Buttery

if anyone replies I would appreciate not offering scary advice re what alcohol does to your eyes, brain, etc... I already know and not trying to add to the anxiety just wondering if it just me who has experienced this.

I’m so great full for what is nearly a year of sobriety (next week). I never thought I would come this far and managing well. I haven’t been on here in a while as alcohol has become something of the past that I will never forget or let my guard down. my life has become so much better in this last year, very challenging but I have survived and will keep on doing so as I have got too much to lose.

One thing is still bothering me though, and it was the withdrawal symptoms. I’m was checked by multiple doctors and detox specialist all of which said most likely something rare but hadn’t come across it before so thought I would ask on here if anyone has experienced it.

during the very worst of withdrawal I suffered body jerks and at one point had black flashes in my eyes like everything went black for a split second.this scared terribly and for some reason is still haunting me. Has anyone else ever experienced this? The conclusion at the time is that it was some sort of fully awake seizure or just my nervous system going nuts from stopping (I had pushed my drinking to a scary limit days prior)
. I’m not sure why but this keeps coming back and giving me bad anxiety now and have spent so long asking google and found nothing. I have found cases of people but nothing connected to alcohol withdrawal and nothing to say it will happen again as long as I remain sober.
I’m hating that it is still bothering and upsetting me but I’m trying to look at is a positive that along with everything else that is going well I’m still remembering the scary times and not glamourising drinking. I have no desire to miss another second of my life.

Sober45

I have not had that symptom but just wanted to say congratulations on your sober time!

suki44883

It sounds like what many refer to as "brain zaps." I had them occasionally in early recovery. If it continues, you might want to see your doctor or an ophthalmologist just to put your mind at ease.

Congratulations on your sober time!

anxiousrock

I agree it does sound like brain zaps. I got them super bad when I stopped an addictive anti-anxiety med a couple years ago. It was the absolute worst thing I've gone through. So glad my new doctor got me off it when she did!!
sounds like a common withdrawal symptom.

Dee74

Hi Buttery

No horror stories here - but I've no experience to share to help you know what it is.

I hope you'll keep on at your doctors, or finding new ones to help you work out what this is.
Congrats on your near year tho - thats great

trailmix

Hi Buttery,

I'm not an alcoholic but I just googled your symptoms and they are in the Diagnostic Criteria for Alcohol Withdrawal. I'm also not a doctor, but perhaps this is something you can run by him or her?

The documentation is here: (brown box, second page) https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publicati...22-1/61-66.pdf

psychomotor agitation and Transient visual, tactile, auditory hallucinations or illusions.

Hope this helps and congratulations on your sobriety.

least

Yeah, keep in touch with your doctor and/or get referred to a specialist. Congrats on nearly one year sober!

Buttery

thank you for that. I have read that before but didn’t read the brown box. My guess is that my nervous system was in so much shock that it was a response from that. Not so much worried now as just anxious as why as in this last year I haven’t ever found the answer. So glad I’m not doing that anymore. Most likely have a bad anxiety problem now more than anything else and shifting my focus onto past problems.

Auchieshuggle

Buttery, I too had awful withdrawal symptoms. I'm a few weeks ahead of you, but still worried about the damage I might have done. As you know alcohol does hellish things to one's body, so just be thankful you have stopped and vigilant so that you don't start again.

Unfortunately, due to lockdown I am unable to get the fibre scan I was promised, so still don't know how damaged my liver is. I can only think it is in much better condition, though - although my diet's not great. I'm now working on improving my diet. Best wishes to you, and congratulations.

D122y

The way it works here is we can offer our experience. No medical advice.

In my experience booze caused me permanent brain damage. I can't prove it, but I know how I feel.

If I went to a Dr. 5 years ago I may have gotten treated with counseling or drugs. In my case, I decided that was not needed.

I just stuck it out, suffered, did all kinds of stuff folks here and there recommended and now I am better.

That was me and so far I made it this far.

But, if you do what I did, it might not work for you. Bad things might happen.

So that is why we have to say, see a Dr.

Hope this helps in some way.

I had hellish symptoms, some similar to yours, some arguably worse.

What I can tell you for sure is drinking more booze will only make things worse.

I don't know if seeing a Dr. would help me, but it might help you.

I am still working a job that doesn't allow mental health issues caused by booze. It disqualifies you.

So I had to get clean on my own. But, I didn't. I got clean because of SR. This place saved my life.

I appreciated all the advice and I took the advice that helped me. The rest I kept to pass on to help folks as best I could.

Thanks.

Buttery

Thanks for replying anyway.

Luckily that was actually over a year ago and only happened during withdrawal with some other weird stuff that a detox nurse and a doctor couldn’t really explain and just said it may just be a rare reaction.

it’s been a good (and very nearly) year though. And so glad it still scares the life out of me!

Buttery

thanks for the reply. If you re read the post I think you may have misinterpreted but apréciate the feedback anyway.

I was simply asking if anyone else had experienced the symptoms as I did see multiple specialists at the time who couldn’t give me an answer. I have always been one who would prefer to suffer the consecuences of having stuff on my medical record as I’m brutally honest than not seek help and would always encourage others to do so.

and I agree this place can be a life saver. I actually do a lot of lurking in the background and not a lot of posting but apréciate all that are here just trying to better themselves.

D122y

There is a great chance I misunderstood your post. Sorry.

I flip through websites off and on all day with SR being a routine stop. Sometimes I post reply's.

I appreciate your patience if I was offensive. I try to be a good person, but sometimes things go wrong.

Love love love.

Thanks.

Dee74

Glad to realise now this is past tense for you

D

Buttery

no offence was taken at all. Was just clarifying. Misunderstanding a post doesn’t make you a bad person in my books. You bothered to offer a reply based on your own experience and always appreciated which is the whole point of this forum I believe. Even if not aplicable to me someone else may have taken the time to read it and got something useful 😊

Buttery

Sorry, I should have made it clearer. This was actually over a year ago as well even though next week marks the year my last drink wasn’t as bad as some previous ones. I asked my new GP today after confessing all of my sins and also didn’t get a clear answer, just another possibility and again he wasn’t concerned. Main thing was that was just told again unless it happens sober it may just have been a very rare symptom and to stop worrying. I really pushed the limits the last few times and now just feel great full that it came to an end and I’m healthy now. I truely reached a turning point where I had to decide as it was make it or break it.