Immediate effects of stopping

That's quite the experience. I am very glad you are doing better. Glad you sought medical help. Everyone is so different you are right. I have detoxed medically twice in the hospital. The last and my final time (thank God) I did do it at home and tapered off. I am certainly not a professional and can only tell my own experience; and let me tell you tapering was no ealk in the park either. The dreams I had or hallucinations, as they very well may have been, were brutal. I would wake up drenched in sweat and could not differentiate if I had just had a dream or it really happened. My last binge, and coming into sobriety, was so physically and psychologically painful that the memory actually deters any thoughts of drinking.

Congratulations on making it through. It's a tough one I know and it sounds like yours was just that. Glad you made it through and were smart enough to know you needed medical help. Good job.

There are varying degrees of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Starting with agitation and anxiety, moving on to nausea, shakiness and central nervous system issues (such as numbness or pins and needles in the fingers), shakiness, high blood pressure, high temperature and then DTs in the more severe cases.

Withdrawal symptoms can come on as soon as the body alcohol level drops below that which it is used to. However, it can be up to 36 hours after the last drink before the symptoms start. The progression from the initial symptoms to very severe life threatening symptoms can be very fast so no person should attempt to withdraw from alcohol when they are alone, in case of a medical emergency.

Ruby, you say your doc prescribed you with Diazepam. How much are you taking? I'm into my first 24 hours and other than feeling a bit hot I'm generally okay. I'm concerned though that everywhere I read about diazepam it states you should do it under supervision of professional healthcare workers for regular blood tests. My diazepam was prescribed for acute anxiety. I was an alcoholic but a couple of months ago started drinking again. I've taken my first day of diazepam after reading it could not only help with anxiety but also help me stop drinking which I thought I'd take this opportunity to do but now I'm worried about having horrific symptoms

Hi.

How is it going then Ruby? Have you had any cold turkey symptoms?

I did cold turkey last night. I was on 1-2 bottles of wine every night. I had started to cut down because I'm getting fed up and started listening to a hypnotism cd which is helping. I'm fed up of being fat and not being able to lose weight despite trying.

Plus my partner confronted me and said he'd found the bottles I was hiding!

Plus my kidney/ liver aches too.

Last night I couldn't sleep and had sweats but feel so much better today.

I'm really tired and can't wait to go to bed early.

I'm really excited about the possibly of quitting for a long time and feeling better. but didn't enjoy the cravings at dinner time.

Going to have to buy some nice soft drinks.

Hope you are ok.

Xx

Hi ,

I am on day 9 and it's ok.

My GP gave me vit B, Thiamin and diazepam- no withdrawal symptoms and I feel good but weird in the evening with no drink I feel a bit lost. Counting days to end of Feb. I so hope I will be able to control my drinking. At the mo is one day at the time... not easy but doable- weekend was very hard.

I was drinking so much and every day for so many years. I desperately want to control the beast but everyone around me is a social and regular drinker.

My hubby stoped with me and his commitment means everything to me.

Please let me know how are you getting on.

Ps

I crave sweets all the time but try to replace them with regular snacks.,,

Not always succeeding

Best wishes, good luck!!!

But whatever helps me to avoid falling into the spiral of shame, tiredness, puffy face, bad breath, kids worrying, falling asleep at parties...

I am full of hope but not there yet... all rather sad and scary.

Good luck to you and everyone else who takes the first step ... to beautiful life ahead of us..

with hope

Rubymirriam

Ruby, you say your doc prescribed you with Diazepam. How much are you taking? I'm into my first 24 hours and other than feeling a bit hot I'm generally okay. I'm concerned though that everywhere I read about diazepam it states you should do it under supervision of professional healthcare workers for regular blood tests. My diazepam was prescribed for acute anxiety. I was an alcoholic but a couple of months ago started drinking again. I've taken my first day of diazepam after reading it could not only help with anxiety but also help me stop drinking which I thought I'd take this opportunity to do but now I'm worried about having horrific symptoms

Very few people have seizures, but there is always the risk. The main problem for people stopping is the side effects are unpleasant and the way to stop them is to have a drink and the circle continues.

Yes, if you continue to drink 2+ bottles a night (wine) you will end up with physical problems.

The problem with giving up, is the brain becomes conditioned to having alcohol and does not feel comfortable or normal when it is withdrawn. This can lead to all sorts of feelings, such as anxiety.

Alcohol hits two parts of the brain, the GABA (brake) and NMDA (accelerator). When alcohol is consumed the GABA brake is put on (slows the mind), so the brain/body compensates and the NMDA steps in and whacks the accelerator down hard. Only problem is the NMDA becomes jammed for awhile, the GABA brake comes off when the alcohol stops, but now the brain is speeding with no brake and the accelerator jammed.

In this period of stopping alcohol before the NMDA accelerator actually lifts off, the brain will race, hence those that find they can't get to sleep at night without a couple of glasses of wine, because when their hits to pillow, the brain is still racing and will not rest (perhaps anxiety as well). In certain people who are long term daily heavy drinkers, the central nervous system (CNS) will also become over reactive through the NMDA accelerator being jammed. This is what causes some people to have the shakes in the morning or severe cases, seizures.

To understand the CNS it is best to think of it like this. The CNS is part of the brain, spinal cord and the nerves that run through your body (this is a layman's description before any pedants arrive). If I were to ask you right now, to reach out and touch the screen with your finger, you would just do it by thinking it. Your brain sends a signal to the CNS, which sends a signal through the nerves and you arm, hand and finger move in coordination and touch the screen. When the brain is altered through alcohol, it gets overloaded and starts sending random signals through the CNS, like making your hand shake, or worse, seizures.

On to the bit you want to know. The three ways to come off alcohol if you suffer withdrawals in descending order are:

Ask your GP for diazepam. This is the most pleasant way that counteracts the withdrawals, the disadvantage is that GPs often say no. You could of course say that you wanted it recorded on your recorded of the refusal and that if as a result you ended up in hospital from seizures, that would be mentioned nad perhaps they might want to rethink.

Taper off. Another good way, bottle and a half (need to buy one bottle and two miniatures) for a few days, then a bottle, then a couple of miniatures. Trouble with tapering off, once you've had the taste, it's hard to be objective and stick to your guns. My own experience has been, it's easiest to get to a level where you won't have withdrawal symptoms and then just stop, it is hard getting down to small amounts, because having a bit is worse than none at all.

Cold turkey. Take a couple of days off, and hope for the best, have no alcohol in the house and no way of buying any. Obviously I am not advising this, merely stating than it is an option, if not a pleasant and possibly risky one.

Usual disclaimer; I'm not medically qualified, none of the above is a recommendation, purely based on someone who has been detoxed in hospital, home detoxed myself twice, cold turkey twice (not pleasant) and tapered twice. If you manage to stop, you need to think about staying stopped, that is the hard part.

The medical profession doesn't see alcohol addiction as an illness, just people who lack willpower and that are lazy and feckless. The other thing is, alcohol addiction comes under mental health and that part of the budget is given to alcohol recovery centres, so GPs like to fob you off to them.

If you have referred yourself to alcohol recovery centre, don't get your hopes up too much, they are generally staffed by people with no understanding of alcohol addiction and how it affects people. They are also more interested in drug (heroin) users, which is their speciality (I speak from experience).

Your problem will always be, staying off the alcohol once you come off it. The two best routes are, a detox followed by Campral or to start Selincro now and let that take its course. Not doing that means you are virtually guaranteed to fall back into your old drinking ways, because your brain needs resetting from the alcohol.

Back to your GP, if you are up to it - many are to timid to confront their GP, you may try this.

Okay doc, I've tried tapering, but once I've had some alcohol, all my willpower goes out of the window. This is because alcohol has changed my brain. So only cold turkey or a detox with diazepam is open to me. Would you tell a heroin addicts to go cold turkey?

He/she will of course go,no way. At which point you mention that a person will not die from going cold turkey on heroin, but can from alcohol.

Google 'heroin vs alcohol cold turkey deaths' and print out some of the top results.

And then say, so you are recommending me to go cold turkey? That might focus them.

If you do end up going to an alcohol recovery centre, let me know. They do have doctors that can prescribe medication, but they never tell anyone. You have a right to see the doctor and ask for a prescription and unless there is a valid medical reason, he/she should prescribe.

I have tapered from 20  units (2 bottles wine) to 2 units Monday to either Friday or Saturday.  I am finding the less I drink, the less I need, which gives me a real kick.  I do know what you are saying  in that, the one bottle gets you in the mood.  I started making it later in the evening, just looking at it as a reward say about 7pm.  And defo get some dark chocolate in - it makes the wine taste awful.  Then bed and a read to calm the mind.  That has helped me after years of abuse.

Hi there

I wonder if you could offer me some advice please. I lost my job just over 2 years ago and live alone and have the willpower to just stop however, I'm still drinking during the day 2 bottles of red wine and I'm fed up feeling rubbish as I feel great when I don't drink. I had a scary seizure last year and ended up in hospital. I recently went to my doc to reveal all and got diazepam for a few days and no seizure. Called the doc yesterday as decided enough was enough this time and she said no and I need professional advice/her referral but as this takes some weeks and I want to stop now I've an appointment at a professional centre today I arranged yesterday. If I try the tapering method which is prefer not to as I feel shaky and awful. How much do I substitute daily to come off. Was thinking of beer but unsure what's best. Terrified of another seizure as I live alone.