Can one wean off drinking alcohol successfully?
 

Hello! I just found this website when I was searching for solutions to curing my drinking problem. I have slowly, over the past four years, worked up to drinking every day. I drink Scotch, and at least 2 shots a day, but usually lately it's more like 3-4 shots a day. I try to make sure I drink with food, and with something like Perrier as a "chaser." I'd like to stop drinking, but I am afraid of getting the DT's if I just quit all of a sudden. Tomorrow I am just going to try cutting down my usual daily amount, and slowly keep on cutting down, over 3-4 months, until I am no longer drinking much, if at all. Has anyone else tried this successfully? I cannot tell my family, and I am ashamed to tell my doctor.
Would diazepam ease my withdrawal symptoms? I've read that it can, but I am worried about trying to buy diazepam without a prescription. Any advice any of you can give me would be highly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

--Owlover

Owlover:

Quitting alcohol effects each person differently so it is hard to say what, if any, problems you might have. I encourage you to tell your Dr., he/she shouldn't judge you for what you have been doing.

It has been my experience that after drinking for 16 years, almost daily, until I was completely in the tank that the only thing that was affected by stopping was that I was irritable for about a week. But, like I said, different people, different effects.

Can't tell you about diazepam, but I am sure that someone will be along later that knows more about that.

I wish you the best.

Scott

Hi there owlover welcome to SR :) Congrats on your decision to seek a solution.

my name is Lee and I am an Alcoholic. i drank for 37 years, and over that time , tried many different ways to "wean" off booze. Smaller glasses, different booze, different times, sometimes i achieved a couple of days dry, but it never worked for me in the long run, i still had that battle of the mind, would I drink? when would i drink? and the inevitable self hatered when i failed yet again.

Alcoholism is a progressive disease, and as such it only gets worse :(

For me , AA was the solution, and once i HAD stopped it helped me STAY stopped .

As for the Diazepam, I would not consider taking it if you are drinking at all, it can be very dangerous. I really think you do need to see youre doc and be very honest with him. He wont be surprised , he has heard it all before , and if you see him regularly, he probably suspects anyway

i wish you well, keep us posted cos we do care

HUGX
Lee

hey owlover
im laura --alkie--i know librium and lorazapam work well for withdrawals--make it very bearable--imo--this is only my experience--3-4 shots a day shouldnt be much withdrawal--if any--do you drink in the morning or all day?--just at night?--i drank 2 fifths of vodka a day or 24 beers morning, noon and nite--now those were withdrawls--ggod luck my friend
laura

Hi and Welcome!

I suggest you go to Alcoholism....look for
"Quitting...what to expect"

Seeing your doctor is a wise move.

Buying drugs illegally is not.

Take care...

I think your question can only be answered by you. I know for me it is an either or no proposition. I didn't like what AA had to say about never drinking again. I decided I could wean off and then moderate my drinking. For me it didn't work, I soon ended up back where I started, drinking 6-12 ounzes a day. You may be different, I thought I was, but for me, at least, I have a choice, drink or don't drink. I don't have a choice of drink heavily or moderately. Then again, I've never had that ability since the first time I drank.

re withdrawal:

I've looked at this diaz won't eliminate symptoms, will help sleep. But it is addictive.

What does work Kudzu (can find it in health stores and online) Vit B1 and L-Glutamine.

Want to really quit drinking and struggling with it, get anti=abuse... then if you drink get seriously dizzy, fall down, pounding headache, and feel generally very ill. Unlike hangovers, your body does not adapt to these symptoms. Relatively cheap too.

definately agree with the antabuse--saved my life!
Laura

I know how you feel, I dont know if weening yourself off will work, first, I was able to go 6 days without alcohol, than I drank some beer, then it was another 4 days, and today will be 2nd day-starting over again, it seems like I can go a few days or a week without and I have that urge to drink and I finally give in, but I guess it is better than the way I was drinking-about anywhere from 7-12 beers everyday, another thing for me-trying to quit cause of money problems, but also for myself. I also take xanax or clonezapam which help with withdrawals and diazepan might help too, the only problem is they are benzodiazepenes which are very addictive- so I would suggest talking to your doctor, maybe he has an alternative for you having withdrawals. Best of luck! :c009:

If the sole issue is the "urge" to drink, the chinese herb Kudzu has been used for 100's of years in china to deal with urges to drink and for long term treatment of alcoholism. It has been studied by western scientists and their studies confirm it does reduce the "urge" to drink.

Sites that sell it on the net state "The one step (kudzu) that you should take before the 'Twelve Steps'", I don't know about that but it has worked for me. T

This is because this isnt about willpower. A part of the brain chemestry is changed by excessive alcohol intake over time. This is the part of the brain which determines ability to reason (the part where we GET willpower). So willpowers gone,...out the window. Thats why we can go a few days,...but soon,...the brain starts telling us that we really werent that bad after all. Then we drink. And it gets REAL bad. Thats why its almost impossible to quit by yourself, with no support. Thats why weening is almost simply foolish. It just wont work for the vast majority of us. When we quit with no support,....we are STILL left with ourselves. We havent worked on the reasons we drank like we did. Those defects are still there. Its like trying to squeeze all the air out of a zip lock bag. We can get it pretty much all out, but given a little opening it rushes back in taking up the space we just cleared. As for you trying to ween, Owlover,...it really doesnt sound like you drink enough to suffer real bad withdrawal. I could be wrong. But self-medicating with drugs no prescribed for a specific use is not a safe answer. I tried that too. Doesnt work. Drug is a drug. Id atleast contact a doctor or better yet, a substance abuse doctor and ask. He may even tell you that you DONT drink enough to suffer withdrawal. Has there been any negative consequences in your life due to your drinking???

cutting down
 

I am currently trying to wean myself off alcohol and it seems to be working… slowly. I sipped on half a fifth all day and drank a few beers at night for the past few months. I noticed that I shake in the morning until I take a couple shots. I really don’t want to go to treatment or let anyone know about this. Does anybody think that cutting back slowly is a bad idea? I am actually doing it.

Owl Lover and Darlig,

If you can ween youself off alcohol I will be quite impressed. I tried that many times, I would cut back for awhile, but in the end to alcohol alcohol would win. For me it's all or nothing. Alcoholism is progressive so even if you are cutting back, if you are an alcoholic it it still progressing.

~~~~~~~~

A smile is a curve that set everything straight :)

darlig, I tried. And, like you, I had shakes and pukes and had to drink in the morning. Heck, if I didn't maintain a constant .2 or above I'd withdraw.

All that happened with me is the taper turned into another month long bender. I'm guessing you are facing the same fate. If you're alcoholic, the only method I've found is total abstinence.

Once you get over the de-tox, get into a recovery program. Throw yourself into it, actually. I use AA, it's the best thing that ever happened to me.

I tried several times cutting back slowly. Some were more successfull then others, however, none of the times worked for me. Eventually it would end up on a binger. I got 47 days now and I feel good. I just wish I would of quit when I was younger and healthier becuase now I have other ailments that afflict me and haven't allowed me to enjoy my sobriety as much as I want to. Anyways, cutting back did not work for me but everybody is different.

As far as medicine is concerned, I been taking clonazepan for the anxieties and has helped me a great deal. It was prescribed by a doctor by the way. I suggest before taking any medication talk to your doctor and be very honest with him!! Good luck Owlover!!

cutting back
 

I also take clonazapam but am suffering withdrawals from quitting that too. I don’t know what symptoms are even from what. What I do know is that I started substituting alcohol for the clonazapam, but I am trying to stop that. it sucks.

I tried to cut back many times-but it doesn't work for me.If I have one drink-I'll have 10-it's that simple.I simply can't afford to have 'just one'-or even 'just 5'.It may work for you-I just know it didn't for me.

What dosage of clonozepan are you taking darlig?

cutting back
 

I used to take 4 mg. I got down to a mg and a half then quit cold turkey but still feel withdrawal symptoms… for days now. It sucks, I can’t do much, I don’t even want my friends to see me like this.

My doctor prescribed me 1/2 pill (before bedtime) of .5 mg for two months. I've tried to quit several times but my anxieties return after a day or two. I've taken the pill for over two months and I've started cutting down to 1/4 pill on my own because I'm running out and my next doctor's apointment is schedule for later this month but I've been noticing that it is taking me longer to fall asleep and my quality of sleep is not as good. If this continues I will call my doctor and talk to him about what is happenning.

I distinctly remember him telling me that at those dosages it was not addictive, because I told him that I did not want to change one drug (alcohol) for another. I don't know if it is all in my mind or what but if it gets any worse I definitely call him before my appointment date comes up.

Hope you get better and good luck!!