Starting Soon

[stpaul704]

I have been a heavy drinker for the last year. Downing about half a bottle of Captain Morgan a night, much more on the weekends. Over the last week and half I have cut way back but get shaky, sweaty and anxious if I try and go without anything. Down to about 2 or 3 drinks a night even on weekends and have a meeting with a DR on Monday. With my Dr's help I plan on going AF next week. I'm wondering what to expect? I'm know I'm going to have to break some habits, but have the full support of my boss and girlfriend. Any advice is appreciated.

jaime

[Riker]

Starting Soon

Welcome

:welcome:

Just wanted to welcome you to this great place. There is a lot of information here for sure but it's the people that make this an indespensible tool to help in moderating or abstaining whatever you goal might be.

The support is nothing short of amazing.

Welcome,

Riker

[universal]

Starting Soon

Good for you Jaime for joining us and Welcome aboard! The only advice I can give you is to drink lots of water, read and check the boards often. There is a lot of information and support here and it sounds like you have your head on straight with this.

Good luck and keep us all posted on your journey towards sobriety!

[wonderworld]

Starting Soon

hi stpaul-
And welcome. You sound determined and prepared. That's fantastic.

When i went to the doc, he gave me a script for a few days worth of librium, which REALLY cuts the withdrawal symptoms. He also gave me Campral to take on an ongoing basis for cravings (naltrexone is another anti-craving med). And some people start a regimen of topomax.

As far as what to expect, everyone is a little different, but I think you'll hear across the board that teh first few days - especially 3 and 4 - can be really challenging. If you are doing the full MWO program, supplements are recommended as well to cut cravings and start to restore your system. And drink lots of water. And eat regular meals, as healthy as possible. Don't get too hungry or dehydrated. When you're up to it, some light exercise can really help too. Some people experience irritability, tiredness, sleeplessnes at night. The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is come here to this board and talk about it. No matter what. And distract yourself with anything you can! Movies are good. Dumb TV. Magazines. Hot baths or showers.

As far as habits, yeah, they need to be broken and it takes time. There's an adjustment period for sure. If you feel yourself getting antsy and wanting to drink - come here and talk about it. For me, the first Friday night was really hard. That's prime drinking time. So, I guess it's about becoming aware of those triggers and finding alternatives.

Anyway - you'll feel a MILLION times better as the days go by. It doesn't take too long to feel a major difference. Just hang in there . It's so great that your boss and girlfriend are supportive. But the folks here really know how it is and can help 24/7 with support and suggestions.

That's all I can think of for now. Read the MWO book if you haven't already - you can download it from this site.

Good luck - and let us know how you're doing!

wonder

[stpaul704]

Starting Soon

Thanks for the support

I'm planning on having my last drink next Thursday then going AF Starting Friday. My GF is already set for me to be irritable and has lined up a bunch of dvds to watch and card games to play. I'm going to just take it an hour at a time but I'm committed to doing this and luckily have a good support group. Just worried about withdrawal symptoms. Hoping my DR will dive me something to help.