stick2it

I can never seem to get past a day or two without drinking. The shakes start and I just drink to relieve my anxiety. I'm thinking I may need to go to a rehab. I tried googling it to see what i could expect but everything I saw was for opiods. How can I get past the detox period at home? What is it like to go to detox? I have a good idea what rehab is like, but I never really see much about what happens in the beginning when you are first getting off alcohol. Any insite will be helpful

doggonecarl

I don't have insight, but I support your decision to detox under medical supervision and get a leg up on your sobriety by entering a substance abuse program.

You need to get the alcohol out of your system and you need the tools to keep it out.

Mizz

If you are physically addicted to alcohol then a detox and or rehab would be beneficial. Physical alcohol dependence does require a setting where you can be monitored.

My own anxiety increased when I quit alcohol and then the more time I was sober the less anxious I felt.
It took me a few months to get on even ground. To know what was what and to see exactly what I was dealing with in terms of mental and emotional health took time. Lots of time and lots of dedication to remaining sober.

VikingGF

If you you having symptoms, medical supervision is strongly recommended, in some cases you can show up to an ED and they will help you. It's pretty scary in the beginning sometimes and it's better to be safe. Wishing you all the best.

biminiblue

You can find info in the sidebar for some places. They look pretty fancy though. https://www.soberrecovery.com/links/detoxcenters.html

Sometimes people can detox at home with medical help, like a week's worth of medication to ease the symptoms. Start by calling your doctor.

I didn't use a detox, I just stopped drinking and went to AA meetings. The meetings helped me get out of my head and to know that I wasn't alone, have you tried that route? I rode it out. It was super uncomfortable and my anxiety was off the charts for quite a while...according to me.

It's not easy, but you can do it. At some point we all had to bite the bullet and stick to our decision - no matter what.

Polaroid

Consult your doctor, and please, be honest when telling them how much/for how long you've been drinking. Do not downplay it. That was a mistake I made for several years, was too timid.

D122y

The most important thing is that you want to quit. Without that desire, no method of support will save you. The suffering to pull out and stay out of active addiction is too much.

I never went to a supervised detox, so far. I managed to get to this stage of sobriety using SR 99%.

The rules of the site require us to not offer medical advice. In your, or anyone's case, unsupervised detox might cause extra damage or worse.

SR taught me, directly and indirectly, what I was dealing with. Specifically, what I was dealing with mentally. It is all about dopamine, endorphins, melatonin etc etc.

The bottom line is suffering and time. Then we get to see what is left of our sanity.

I am not convinced medical detox provides addicts with the knowledge they need to stay quit. I feel it is a combination of many things to include wanting to quit and continual communication (SR etc) with other addicts working to keep a sober lifestyle.

Obsessing over being clean is a big part of my continued sobriety. Just like drinking was a big part of me being a drunk.

Love always.

Thanks.

Obladi

Detox is a short term medical intervention to get you safely through acute withdrawal. There were a few ways that were available to me - detox center, detox inpatient at the hospital, or rehab.

The detox center I visited entailed spending a couple of days on medication under their supervision. I was able to go home at night. The detox unit at the hospital (not all hospitals have them) takes people by appointment or from the ER. That’s a three night stay. Going through the ER can be an ordeal because of the wait, but I’ve been that route a couple of times. And of course, you can go to rehab - in the states, that generally means a 28 day stay.

The detox I thought was most comfortable was the outpatient option. But I finally got sober after the least comfortable option, which was rehab.

O

Zebra1275

The shakes start and I just drink to relieve my anxiety.

That happened to me frequently at the end of my drinking career. The best thing to do is get medical help. On more than one occasion I went to a "Prompt care" clinic (or whatever they call them in your town) that treats walk in medical problems. I truthfully explained that I was trying to detox from alcohol and was struggling with the shakes. After they took my vital signs etc. I walked out with a prescription for valium (usually about 20 pills or so) which immediately helped with both the shakes and anxiety. After a day or two I felt normal and I would never even finish the prescription, because being an alcoholic I decided to save some "just in case" for the next time.

And there always was a next time. That's where rehab comes in, teaching you how to avoid the next time.

KAD65

Withdrawing from alcohol can be very dangerous or even deadly. If you are physically addicted, and it sounds like you are, I would advise seeing your doctor to get help through the withdrawals. I once detoxed by going to the ER, so hospitals can help, too. I've been to a detox facility as well. It lasted a week and I was given a regimen of medications to eliminate withdrawals and/or seizures and to make sure I was receiving adequate nutrition, as many of us neglect that when we are drinking heavily.

As others have said, it is important to get into some kind of program of recovery to prevent you from ending up in this position again. Wishing you all the best, and keep checking in here!

advbike

So true! One has to really want it enough to make the necessary changes.

LoveDD

A great first step would be speaking to your doctor. They can help point you in the right direction and if it is right for you assist you in a safe detox at home Good Luck and keep posting. It does help!

tornrealization

As others have said, start with your doctor, that is a good first step. You may even be able to do a virtual appointment where they can suggest your next move.

SouthernSober

Right step coming here and sharing. Dunno if this helps, but generally, if you go to a facility, it will go intake-detox-options for rehab/aftercare. Depends on where you are and, of course, your insurance and situation. I don't know how the scenario has changed since Covid...used to be, you went to the ER for AUD, they'd be motivated to get you to a detox. Some Urgent Cares would not handle alcohol cessation.

As is usually the case here, if withdrawal is a major concern, all the more reason to get your physician/FNP/PA involved.

The analogy often cited is - if your house is burning down, you don't discuss what you'll be doing after the fire. You put the fire out, then handle the rest.

Wish you the best. Keep coming back.

Evoo

Don't do what I did. Talk to a doctor.

I white-knuckled multiple rounds of DTs/withdrawals and relapses in a kind of private hell. Sometimes I'd get a week or two sober only to relapse into another anxious fit, or race to the liquor store to quiet the nightmares, paralyzing anxiety and hallucinations. After that, it took me another several years to actually get sober (after multiple attempts to moderate, some months more successful than others).

What you're describing is a chemical addiction to alcohol. I really don't recommend doing it w/o a doctor at least helping you through it or giving you a plan of action and follow-up tests. Good luck, it gets soooo much better after those first days and weeks of detox. You can do it.

stick2it

Thank you everyone for your input. I'm anxious about the detox part so I'm tyring to learn more...
Obladi, you say "The detox I thought was most comfortable was the outpatient option. But I finally got sober after the least comfortable option, which was rehab." I know there will be a lot of work to do after the initial detox and I suppose being in for 28 days gives you a longer time with no alcohol, but I'm not sure I can take that time from work.
Zebra, did they just give you pills and not admit you? Can a doctor just prescribe the medicine so I don't have to go to a detox center?
Kad65, when you were in the hospital and detox center, was it just staying in a bed? Do they run an IV, or just give you pills? What actually happens?
So Evoo, you detoxed without help, but wish you hadn't? you had hallucinations? It looks like you're almost a year without drinking, congratulations. Was the detox the hardest part?
Southern, it sounds like you had experience with detox? What will they do for me during detox? Can you explain what you mean by "you went to the ER for AUD, they'd be motivated to get you to a detox"
I'm scared but I think I have to do it.

Obladi

Well, eventually I ended up taking months off from work because that’s what it took. It wasn’t convenient and I didn’t want to do it, but I believed that I had absolutely no other option if I were going to continue existing on this planet.

You may say, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad for me,” and I would say that’s wonderful - it’s not that bad for you, yet. Because at one time, it wasn’t that bad for me either.

Addiction is not something to bargain with. It loves ambivalence. I’d recommend shutting the door on it, tight.

Sounds like you want to try the easiest road and I can’t blame you as I did the same. I truly hope that getting beyond your fear of withdrawals will launch you into sobriety. This works a bit differently for each of us, so it could happen for you even if it didn’t for me.

Either way, keep posting!