I'm 46 and have been drinking nightly for about 20 years. Wasn't until a year ago that I first experienced withdrawal symptoms. I had always managed to just drink a few at night before bed. Only ever binged when at parties or other events.
Now, I'm plagued by cravings as soon as I wake up. I can only hold off until early afternoon. Then, I have my first drink and feel a whole lot better. Yup, it sucks.
Anyway, I've been consciously cutting back. And, normally, I drink very slowly. Maintaining a slight buzz to feel better without getting drunk enough to do anything really stupid. In a day I commonly drink 1/2L of 60 proof brandy over 12 hours. Unfortunately, becoming AF is difficult to achieve. I get anxious and fidgety and hate that feeling so much I need to address it.
No one around me considers me to have a problem. With a slight buzz I'm still pretty smart, lol. But, damn, I've drunk myself into the hole of dependency. No other way to explain the symptoms. Plus, the doc noticed I have a fatty liver when I was getting an ultrasound for something else. Oooops. And my appetite sucks, so I don't eat well, anymore. Time for a change.
I maintain pretty strong will power when drinking so I'm going to try to reduce alcohol by 2oz. per day until I can break the cycle. Has anyone ever tried this? Hope it works.
Anyway, these forums are awesome. In just a few hours reading I'm totally psyched to make the change.
Thanks to everyone!
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