Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

[dthalez]

This would be my 5th or 6th time detoxing this year. and I would like to know what other peoples experiences were like...

[paulywogg]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

im surprised more people didnt respond to this so here i go:this year i started my quit jan 3, on day 40 in feb i had a one day drink binge got back up,a couple of weeks later i had a week long binge,got back up,into march i had a binge once a week,in april i drank for 4 days,may i went on a two week bender and let me tell you getting off of it was hard! id have days when i said"no more"then drink that evening to "taper"yeah right,id end up drunk again,dinking in the morn to "feel better"try to go to work come home drink some more,i now know if youre gonna quit,its easier just to stay quit,the hard part for me is if im af for a bit then drink its so damn euphoric the first nite,i want that feeling to last,but it doesnt you just end up sick as a dog! so thats my experience with kindling

[Byrdlady]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

I tried to moderate for a year (almost to the day). Every time I tried to go AF and then drank it was harder to stop, not easier. You'd think that you knew what to expect and how to handle it'd get easier each time, but that's not what I experienced. The grip of AL got tighter and stronger every time. Quit and stay quit, is my best advice. I don't think I have another Day 1 in me. AF is easier in every way.

[Cinders]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

DT,

I do. In the last few years, I have had to come off many, many binges. My withdrawals got worse and worse.

This last year, without exception, I would suffer DTs, hallucinations, sweats and tremors. My doctor kept warning me I would end up having a seizure sooner rather than later. (I did have a seizure once out of town that ended me in a hospital, that was two years ago, none since.)

I take anti-seizure meds for another reason and I can only believe that those have helped me avoid more seizures.

AWS is very dangerous. We can suffer seizures, heart attacks and strokes. If you measure your bp when you are withdrawing you will usually find significantly high numbers.

Our best bet is to stop drinking and stop for good. Easier said than done. I know.

HTH,
Cindi

[Peanut]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

I must confess, I don't know the term "kindling" (except in the fire building sort of way!)

[kambob]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

I'd not heard of kindling either before finding this site. But I'm glad I did!

Think I posted something back when I started here about having a very cruisy ride through detox and the first couple of weeks, but too afraid (of my own resolve and the power of alcohol) to try it again. Basically, I meant that I might never get it so easy again....why waste all this AF time when I knew I could be back on my arse in a heartbeat?

And now reading about this 'kindling' phenomenon, I understand that my mind was actually giving me good advice for once! No way in hell am I going to risk everything for a lousy drink. Of course, it wouldn't be one drink....I only ever drank to the point of oblivion, and I don't want to go there, ever. It's easier to just not drink at all.

Thank you again to all the lovely folk here who, through their journeys and accumulated wisdom are shining a light ahead. Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds all soppy and Hallmark, but it works a treat for me! :H

kambob

[Unwasted]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

Peanut, the book I just recommended to you in the Nest (Unchain Your Brain by Smith and Amen) touches on the kindling concept, and I've read about it over the last couple of years.

My understanding is that each time we stop drinking and then start again, the next quit gets harder and harder. There is a much more detailed explanations on Wikipedia also. Here's a link:

Kindling (sedative-hypnotic withdrawal) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Tess-2]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

kambob;1516930 wrote: I'd not heard of kindling either before finding this site. But I'm glad I did!

Think I posted something back when I started here about having a very cruisy ride through detox and the first couple of weeks, but too afraid (of my own resolve and the power of alcohol) to try it again. Basically, I meant that I might never get it so easy again....why waste all this AF time when I knew I could be back on my arse in a heartbeat?

And now reading about this 'kindling' phenomenon, I understand that my mind was actually giving me good advice for once! No way in hell am I going to risk everything for a lousy drink. Of course, it wouldn't be one drink....I only ever drank to the point of oblivion, and I don't want to go there, ever. It's easier to just not drink at all.

Thank you again to all the lovely folk here who, through their journeys and accumulated wisdom are shining a light ahead. Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds all soppy and Hallmark, but it works a treat for me! :H

kambob

Hey kambob,

I'm "into" soppy and Hallmark. Yes, there are lots of lovely folk here who help us on this journey.

I had not heard of the term "kindling" in relation to addiction, either. So... we learn something new every day, yes?

All that I can say is Stop. And stay Stopped. There is such sweet joy (Hallmark) in sobriety. No reason to taper that I know of unless addiction is so strong that one is in the hospital. I'm not sure if the hospital tapers either. I don't know a lot about tapering. I only know that I was not able to taper, AT ALL. One drink and I'm onto the second drink. Second drink, and onto total intoxication with no limits.

So... no "kindling" for me. The result would be a wildfire full of destruction.

Love to All (soppy). ~

[thelaststraw]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

kindling, according to the highly technical articles I read about it, is way more involved than "just being more difficult"....It is biologically detrimental (did I spell that correctly?) to the human body to inflame it with alcohol even after a week or so off, a month or so off, a year or so off.

So, yes, kindling is bad, according to the articles I read. Look them up. You will see.

-S-

[YouKayBee]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

I didn't reply sooner because I'm not so sure I've had experience with it.

Did have some withdrawl symptoms after binges, but never DTs until many years and many detoxes down the line. Then I just got 'jelly legs', also had a seizure once during a withdrawl but subsequent detoxes did not involve seizure, or the shakes and it was another couple of years, another few detoxes before I got myself sorted. So yes it exists but my personal experience was that some detoxes can be easier, with less side effects than others.

From this I'd suggest it's a very personal, individual thing.

[YouKayBee]

Has anyone had any experience with kindling?

By the way I have heard others say they (a) got back to where they left off quicker, and I can vouch for this one (b) the withdrawls were worse each time they quit (for me sometimes they were, sometimes they weren't but my drinking did change, so perhaps that's it.