Withdrawal, detox, improving health

[dexterhead]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

thanks for all this great advice. I ordered the MWO kudzu, L-Glut and amino stuff. waiting for it all to arrive!! I think I'll get some other vitamins too (I already take a multi-vitamin and D) . And I am going to join the Y (exercise!). I also posted on another thread that I saw a psychiatrist not long ago for the first time and he had some very interesting insights. In the US at least our regular doctors seem to know little about brain chemistry and stuff like that. Anyway, he said that after quitting drinking, it takes about six months for the body to totally readjust itself. He also said that the worst thing about daily drinking is that you never get a real night's sleep. He actually said that it is in a way better to binge once a week than to drink 2-3 drinks a day .. that you really need several AF days each week.
And yes, whoever posted about booze taking its toll on one's looks ... yes, I look like hell ... flushed skin ( I used to have beautiful skin!!!), bloated, and have gained tons of weight from the booze .. I am looking forward to losing a bit of weight and bloat and just looking healthier. I used to be kind of vain and I truly avoid seeing people I knew years ago .. sad but true. !!

[Skid Row]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Oh this place is brilliant, thank you all so much, my cup is half full, usually my glass but now its my cup, and it isn't full of the deamon. Day 11 (yucky mouth still - yawn) I went to try and get some of the vits you mention, live quite rural, and the shop didn't have anything I was after, hey ho, have to wait till I go to town. I know what you mean about avoiding people dexterhead, particularly in the morning before my face wakes up. Looking forward to feeling good, just need to keep on walking forward (in a straight line) for a change. Its all good. Thanks all.

[satori]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hiya Skid - only me again!

If your wee is dark - you STILL are not getting enough fluid.

We get a good amount of our fluids from our food as well as from what we drink - ie a lot of water in fruit and veggies etc.

If you have no appetite - are you SURE you are eating enough - and -enough of the right things?

Chocolate bars etc do not have much water in them - so if you are snacking on sugary things instead of fruit / veggies etc - you may have to drink even more to stay properly hydrated!

Also - 10 days is still quite early days - It WILL get much better quite soon.


Love :l

Satori

xxx

[Skid Row]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hey Lifelines, struggling at "work" hmmm, have just come into the office to check who I have next and couldn't stop myself just popping in, better hurry as can't be late for client, I am a tad concerned that satori has a web cam in my home, yep, choccy choccy and just for good measure a little more choccy, am drinking gallons, shall pop to supermarche and buy more fruit, not just bananas, hmm grapes, but pre bottled ones of course. Thanks everyone, this is all so encouraging, hope others are getting help from this and not just selfish wee me. Don't mean to sound like a me person if I do, I can assure you I am not, just trying to stay truly focused and claw may way back into real life.

[beatle]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hey Skid,

I'm sure this thread is helping others (me, for one-- I'll get back to that), but even if it wasn't, that doesn't matter. We're all here for each other and for ourselves and many people post about their particular problems to get specifically help for themselves. Although usually plenty of others have similar problems, the point is to help that person with their problem then and there. That's what we're all here for. (Oh yeh, we can have some fun, too, sometimes.)

As for me, I can offer a lot of help on detox/withdrawal because of my extensive experience in this area (not something to brag about, is it!). However, I am far from where I want to be and I have also picked up a lot of good advice and motivation from this thread.

I keep coming back to this place (MWO) because I get so much from it. I am still much more on the receiving end, but when I do have something to offer, I am more than glad to give it. There are a lot members here who are much more on the giving end. I hope someday to be one and I hope to be able to help others as much as those veterans have helped me.

Skid, you seem to be well on your way to becoming one of those that helps others. I say, keep up the good work, keep your eye on the goal-- and don't worry about being selfish.

Any questions?

[Long Road]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Welcome my darling,

New research seems to show that detox and doesn't last for what is considered the traditional five days. Rather
there seems to be a step by step drop down effect. In the first five days of AB we'd soon to encounter the notorious symptoms of alcohol withdrawal:

Shakes -involuntary muscular micro spasm
Sweats -the hyperactive hypothalamus activity
Elevated blood pressure -increased heart rate, constructive vascular flow, increased neurointensive activity
Mood swings -anxiety (fear, panic, racing thinking); depression (remorse, feelings of failure, abject sorrow)
Clarity shock -never mentioned as far as I can see. But it seems to involve the problem of realizing how badly you've screwed up your life, which of course will lead to all the above; which is why we alcoholics end up in a perpetual behavioural loop. From what I understand, reprogramming your brain requires that you deal with this last symptom of withdrawal above all others.

Withdrawal from alcohol lasts from 3 to 5 days. After the fifth day you are not going to get any more sober.

The drug has left your system and it's good riddance to old rubbish! But during those five days I do have some pointers:

• Physically isolate yourself as much as possible: in Australia, Britain and Canada most hospitals provide a free detox service. They are all non smoking but you will be given nicotine patches at no charge. In The US you'll probably have to pay for these services.
• After 24 hours of abstinence, take 10 mg of diazepam three times a day. Important: do not exceed the three day limit on diazepam. Its only effect is to reduce the psychological and physiological shock of withdrawal.
• After day three, diazepam is of no further use! Continued usage will only undermine your recovery.
• Drink as much water as you can possibly tolerate.
• Insist on a LFT blood sample, and to establish a baseline for your liver enzyme levels.After day three, insist on a blood glucose tolerance test: this will assess the damage you have done to your pancreas.Ensure that you are given a full broad spectrum intramuscular vitamin B.x shot.At day five you will be clear of alcohol physically. Mentally you will be enslaved to this disease for life.Accepting this is the hardest part beating this disease. Have a support system: never get bored, if you get lonely take up bowling/arm wrestling/whatever, try AA, be completely honest with at least one person in your life (priest, rabbi, doctor, husband/wife).

After this it's you're life to make of it what you will.

[beatle]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Very informative post, Long Road. I've been through detox enough times to know that what you say is more or less true (for me and many others, but not for everyone).

However, most people can accomplish detox without drugs, but the drugs -- diazepam, as you mention, though other benzos are used, such as lorazepam and valium -- do help withdrawal, depending on how bad the symptoms are. These drugs do knock you out though-- if you are in a detox unit, that's fine; If you are trying to detox alone and still function at some level in the real world, they will probably be too strong.

One important thing I have learned is that super supplementation can take the place of drugs. (Look at "Seven Weeks to Sobriety"-- supplementation is used instead of drugs for all but the most severe cases of detoxing.) I have extensive experience in both kinds of detoxing and can attest to the supplementation working as well as, or better than, drugs, and with far less side effects.

I'm not knocking the drugs-- actually, I love 'em (but they are highly addictive and work on the same part of the brain as alcohol -- of course I love 'em!-- so really are a crutch to replace the crutch). Anyway, I'm just trying to give the full picture, having BTDT.

Another thing, as you mention, is that although actual withdrawal symptoms should stop after a few days (they can last up to 2 weeks), your body has in no way recovered. It's free of alcohol, but not of the ravages it has wreaked, so physical withdrawal-like symptoms can persisit up to 6 months or more. And, as you say, the true battle will last a lifetime.

The MOST IMPORTANT point you make I think is to have a plan for what you do AFTER you are "clean and sober". This is where I have failed over and over again. It doesn't help to just get sober. That is, in fact, the easy part. You have to have a plan on how you will STAY sober, especially in the hardest weeks after getting there.

It takes motivation and will power and suffering to get sober. That's peanuts compared to the rest of the game. But the rewards of a sober life are high, as many here can attest to-- much higher than the alternative.

[Long Road]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

So true Mr. Beatle (funny one,Cute one,Deep one or smart one?),

I've been through a couple of detox cycles myself, and I don't know which country you're from, but thank god it's free here.

I tried to put a very strong caveat on the use of diazepam. Like its fellow benzo's it induces high tolerance extremely quickly, collapses in efficacy for that reason and therefore promotes addictive responses. As I suggested nobody should stays on diazepam for more than three days; after this you are simply masking and another problem. May as well drink.

My real name is Davros,

Long Road

[Bessie]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Skid being selfish!!

Hi Skid

I did laugh at your post. So very English! (I am too!) This is one time where you absolutely MUST be selfish and make it all about YOU! It is only YOU who can do this so to succeed and if you need to be what you consider to be selfish - then so be it!!

Put yourself first, be kind to yourself, look after yourself. Take what you can from this forum, the advice, the support, the help, the kindness. You will be able to give back by posting your own thoughts and advice - that's not selfish! For example, your post has immediately made me go to the kitchen for a pint of water!! So it has helped me already!!

I would say pile in those supplements, wash them down well and get out there and get your blood moving about your body and your lungs filling with fresh air. I eat healthily most of the time but I have been really impressed with how much better the supps make me feel. Buying the from the US with the pound/dollar rate being what it is makes them pretty good value for us in the UK.

Bessie. xxx

PS Just remember to throw a towel over Satori's webcam when you do want to do chocolate!! We have to have our treats!

[satori]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hey - watch where you hang that towel!

Ratz - I've been rumbled!

You guys are spoiling ALL my fun! :upset:


Love

Satori

xxx

[Islandgirl719]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hello, I'm new here

Good morning everyone, I was just reading all of your posts and they seem very helpful. I've bought the supps locally but not sure if the Kudzu is as potent as what is on this site. Just forced myself to have a banana and more water. I have actually just started and am not alcohol free. My big problem is that it's the first thing I do when I get home from work and haven't figured out what to replace it with. Any suggestions? I use to smoke and when I quit that, it was replaced with alcohol, seems to be a pattern here. I've had a couple of really bad days with excess and I know my husband has about had it. I'm going to start with the tapes after Thanksgiving and see if that helps. I look forward to learning more on this board. Thanks for listening.

[Skid Row]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Thanks for that Bessie, and I've turned the lights out so satori can't see, besides the way I look it could drive a person to drink, and we really wouldn't want that. I have never drank so much clear fluid in my life (that wasn't booze), I am truly awash. You'd think it would have the decency to plump out a few wrinkles, but no, just ensuring that I trash my new jeans belt as I am constantly going wee wee. Looking forward to feeling better, with all this advice as shall be the picture of health before long, might even put a wee side light on to toy with satori. Thanks for understanding how I feel, people here are well cool, as my daughter would say.

[Skid Row]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Hi Island girl, if your fond of bananas already - stock up, I really am becoming addicted, please no-one tell me they are bad to get addicted to. You go for it Island girl, it comes highly recommended.

[Islandgirl719]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

Thanks

Thanks Skid, I read an article once about all the things bananas are good for and was really shocked. It's almost like it is the perfect fruit. I will try and find the article and post it. This is a great forum with what seems to be a lot of support. I'm glad I found it.

[Bessie]

Withdrawal, detox, improving health

I'm sure bananas can only do you good..... just take a check on them if you feel an urge to swing from things and pick through other people's hair...!