Vodka was my drink of choice and after an ultimatatum from my wife, I quite the hard stuff cold turkey. I went to counseling which helped, but I decided I could manage wine. That was something we both enjoyed and could go to winery tours around the region with friends and have a great time.
I'm someone who has good will power deep inside, but I am a master at justification. What started out as a glass or two of wine on ocassion, has blossomed dangerously into binge drinking on the weekends, and even worse, keeping it secret.
So here I am, quite ready to get off this train. I'm not sure what's consuming me more, the guilt or the evil anxiety/panic attacks and mild/moderate withdrawls I experience for days after a bender.
I honestly can't say I'm ready to abstain from wine for good. I just want to stop the binge drinking behaviour. Or maybe I'm simply fooling myself as I tend to be an all or nothing kind of person.
I'm taking Lorazapam for the anxiety. It definitely helps calm my nervous system. I don't tend to get the shakes, I do get night sweats on ocassion. I don't drink at all during the week, your typical Weekend Warrior. Problem is, instead of drinking one night over the weekend, I stretch it out Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then the week hits and the anxiety begins.
How does one know if they need to detox after a bender? I've never detoxed medically (other than my anxiety meds at home, lots of water, vitamins and waiting out the storm)...I don't seem to have any of the severe withdrawl symptoms. It always subsides after the third day of sobriety.
Well thank you for listening. I suspect I will be finding this community of tremendous help.
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