Scary withdrawals this morning

[Iwantout]

Hi All,
My name is Siobhan and I have dealt with my alcohol addiction for quite some time now. I'm 38 and have used alcohol off and on for 20 years. The only times I was able to quit was when I got pregnant...Now, I have been drinking again for over a year. After drinking a lot of beer last night, I woke up with withdrawals this morning. My hands were shaking. The only way to make this go away was to buy a beer. It has all become such a vicious cycle but I'm too afraid to quit cold turkey. I'm looking into gradually reducing the amout of beer I drink. I currently drink anywhere from 8-16 beers all day, every day...I want to try to go down to 6, then 5, then 4, then 3 and eventually 2 over the next few days.
Has anybody else here had success in avoiding scary withdrawal symptoms by gradually reducing?
Thank you all!

[CAPRICORN1]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Hi Iwantout!:welcome:

You will find many people here that are going through the same thing as you are in different stages. Withdrawal is not fun...in fact it is horrible and very unpleasant....but what is the alternative?

If you are concerned check with your doctor first to see if there are any other underlying health conditions....

Have you downloaded the book yet? That is a great place to start and it also explains the many supplements you can take to ease withdrawals and also hypnotherepy cd'd...altogether they do work great with reducing and/or illiminating alchohol intake.

Glad you found us!...cap

[beatle]

Scary withdrawals this morning

If you can taper down, great. Many cannot do it. Supplements will help tremendously. Read the book, and anything else you can get your hands on. We are here for you.

[Iwantout]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Is there anybody who tapered down successfully? How many drinks did you start out with and what are you down to?

[Accountable for Me]

Scary withdrawals this morning

iwantout, if you are withdrawling and needed to buy another beer, then I would suggest seeing your doctor for help with it. It can be very dangerous to go cold turkey and most cannot wean themselves down without a LOT of willpower!!!! Please go and see your doctor for a safe to withdrawal.

And by the way..... Welcome!!!

[Guest]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Hi Iwantout,
Am sorry you`re having such a rough time.

I went through withdrawal last Mon. night and was very distressed. However, I knew that I wasn`t PHYSICALLY dependent on alcohol (this past year, I was drinking a btl./wine a night, although before this last year, I drank a whole lot more every night)...........sounds very much to me that you are physically dependent, since you "need" a drink to stop you shaking.Your safest bet is to do as accountable says and seek medical advice........you are puting yourself in grave danger to go cold turkey, and to wean yourself off the alcohol would be best done by reducing a little at a time.

If I were you, I would seek my doc.`s help in tackling my alcohol problem.
Other members who were once physically dependent will be better able to advise you on your withdrawal.

Wishing you love and luck.

Starlight Impress x

[magic]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Welcome iwantout

I completely agree with Accountable and Star.

Please see your doctor for a plan for a safe withdrawal and management after that.

Both cold turkey and withdrawal can be dangerous, and trying to wean yourself down too often results in failure and despair. And drinking.

Best of luck, glad you're here.

magic xx :schmokin:

[Iwantout]

Scary withdrawals this morning

I'm still nervous to seek medical help because I don't want to lose my insurance or get huge premiums, etc...I have not had many beers today (3). I'm hoping to only have one more with my hubby after he comes home from work and try to get some sleep (since I didn't get any last night). I'm "proud" to have "only" drunk 3 beers despite the horrible shakes this morning. I'm feeling a lot better, although not completely like myself yet. If I can make through today with only 4 beers and depending on how I feel tomorrow morning, I think I can do it alone...
My dad had a similar incidence in his mid-thirties, which scared him enough to permanently cut down to 2 beers for the last 40 years. I'm hoping to become as disciplined as him...

[paula]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Hi and welcome,I wantout,
If you are really scared of seeing your dr.You must be really careful, as everyone else
has said alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous. In the UK we have advice lines, where
you can ring up anonymously for advice, or AA they could advise you how to do it safely.
If you drink so much every day you must be physically as well as psychologically dependent. I would advise you to seek medical help, even anonymously.
Do take care. Paula.

[Doggygirl]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Hi Iwantout and welcome. I won't recommend cold turkey cuz I'm not in your shoes. Have you at least read the book? And also the links with information about withdrawls?

I am 30 Days AF today. Up until I finished my last drink on July 11 at 4PM CST, I was up to drinking an average of 16 oz. per day of Vodka, which is a lot. I had not had an AF day in a VERY very long time - not even one. I have insurance concerns too, and decided to go it alone TAKING THE RISK, which there is a risk. Here's what I did to mitigate the risk as much as possible.

1) I started taking all of the recommended supplements from the MWO book, and also the update here on the site.

2) I read every thread I could find using the search feature about withdrawl.

3) I printed out one of the linked articles (there is one at the top of the new Need Help Now section - not the exact title) and reviewed it WITH MY HUSBAND. I had my hubby keep a very close eye on me for that first week.

4) I drank water like it was going out of style - still do.

Again, I am NOT encouraging anyone to go this alone. But since I chose to do it that way at my own risk, I figured I'd share what I did. Mr. Doggy's role was very important IMO.

Best wishes to you. It is SO WORTH IT to get off the booze - whatever it takes.

DG
Day 30 AF ******************************

[Determinator]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Iwantout. Please heed the great advice posted above. Just wanted to add that these can help in withdrawals:

-Magnesium (2 or 3X more than the daily dose). it will give you the runs but it really helps
-Oil of evening primrose (take a lot of them as they don't contain much of the needed GLA)
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 300 mg per day or more

take care!

[beatle]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Doggygirl as usual has all the right info. I just want to add from my extensive -- and I mean extensive-- experience that you don't sound terribly physically dependent. If you take lots of supps and have someone close to you around, you can probably quit it pretty fast by yourself. If you can taper down, by all means, that is the best way.

[beatle]

Scary withdrawals this morning

ok, just saw determinator's advice-- very spot-on. I would just add a lot of vitamin C (like megadoses, constantly) and melatonin at night to help with sleep. And all the other MWO stuff of course.

[Determinator]

Scary withdrawals this morning

yes! Vit C is very often overlooked but critical during this process. thanks Beatle!

and lots and lots of water!

[Iwantout]

Scary withdrawals this morning

Thank you all for your great advice. I am feeling better and I'm grateful for that. I am drinking a beer with my hubby but it will be the 4th and last today (don't want any withdrawal symptoms in the middle of the night). Tomorrow, I might be ready to cut the consumption down to 3, provided I stil feel better than I did this morning. From there, I'm hoping to keep it at 2 beers a day max without any excuses to drink more...Wish me luck (and sleep)!