i'm back - need reassurance

[letgolaughing]

dang it!! i am back here and feel the need to post instead of just read threads. i'm in the same ole situation i was years before. although when i first came here, i was drinking 2-3 glasses of wine a night, and had been for 5 years straight. now, i have had several AF days over the past few years, but never 2 in a row, never more than 4 a month, and since March, haven't had any. I feel i'm on the same path and I need to stop this now.

I am scared to stop cold turkey. I only weigh 90 lbs, and am a 49 year old woman. i'm not anorexic or anything, just a tad underweight at only 5' tall.

so, i have been having 3 glasses of wine a night since march. i am so scared of withdrawals, and i have OCD/General anxiety disorder/Hypochondria, so my thinking is somewhat distorted.
i drink starting usually at 7pm, and quit by 10 or 11pm. i don't have hangovers, but i do sweat at about 3am, every night. i don't sleep well, and my anxiety is really high in the morning. i feel depressed and even jittery(i don't know if this is AW or just anxiety, but my Health Anxiety convinces me that it must be AW and i will die if i stop cold turkey)
in order to make myself less anxious about stopping, i think i have to taper down instead of doing cold turkey, although i would prefer just doing that, i'm not brave enough.

i have posted this almost exact thread before, but i hope that this is the last time. please let me know if you think that as a 90lb woman, with 3 glasses of red wine a day, will have AW such as seizures if stopping cold turkey.
also, please tell me the safe tapering schedule you think i should follow if i do that again.
thanks -

[Orimus]

i'm back - need reassurance

Welcome letgo!

You will be fine though I do realize that your psych makes it difficult for you to believe. You might want to do some reading on alcohol withdrawal focusing specifically on how much those people drank. Have you discussed this/feel safe discussing this with your therapist? They would be the best person to tell you if there is any complications from your meds. How long have you been getting the night sweats for?

In the meantime check out the links below. Newbies Nest is full of some very supportive people at various stages of their quit including others who have/do experience anxiety issues.. The toolbox offers some suggestions on what you can do to avoid that next drink.

[satz123]

i'm back - need reassurance

Hi there
On 3 glasses of wine a night I severely doubt that seizures will happen - but to be on the safe side cut down one glass at a time.
I DO know how you feel - the fear of losing what you have come to depend on.
But believe me when I tell you - you will be so glad when those 3 am anxiety attacks go- when the morning depression goes.
I used to have the same at 4 am - now I sleep like a log and the palpitations have never re-appeared.

Give it a go this week ?

[paulywogg]

i'm back - need reassurance

I doubt you'll have seizures sweetie,of course i'm not a doctor,but that amount is pretty small,you will probly be "uncomfortable"for a few days but just don't overthink it

[Kradle123]

i'm back - need reassurance

Agree with everyone her Letgo,

It's the psychological hurdle you must conquer which is the toughest but glad you're back- that in itself is the biggest and best tool in your tool box!! :goodjob:


Stay close! :l

[K9Lover]

i'm back - need reassurance

Welcome back Letgo!

Your description of drinking is just so dead on, it always amazes me how most of us have the same "story"...the 3am sweats and anxiety, sometimes guilt and embarrassment, depression, the jitters...the good thing is that all of this goes away once you get some sober time racked up.

I'm no doctor, but I don't think you would experience bad withdrawals...just be aware of how you are feeling and try to do things to calm yourself: take a bath, go for a walk, eat a BIG meal...the physical part will pass fairly quickly...then you can buckle down and work on the mental part of this battle.

Stick close...we're glad you came back!

K9

[frances]

i'm back - need reassurance

I agree that it is extremely unlikely that you would have serious withdrawals. If you were so concerned that you cannot bring yourself to stop without tapering you could do 2 glasses one night, then 1 glass for one night, then none. (I've read that you should cut down by 2 drinks from your usual amount and then each day 1/2 of that so if you drink 6 drinks a day you could go to 4 (day 1) , then 2 (day 2), then 0. Yes, that quickly. Since you are at 3 a day now you could go to 2, 1, then 0.

But I don't think you need to taper - you should be able to go cold turkey and follow K9's advice. I'm so glad you are here and trying to beat this again!

[Pavati]

i'm back - need reassurance

Hi,

It seems the hard part will be the anxiety and jitters that come from missing a night of alcohol. That was tough, for sure, but it goes away pretty quickly. And life is SO GREAT without that 3am guilt/anxiety/sweats.

One question - is it 3 glasses (4 oz each) or 3 tumblers? How much wine is in the three glasses? If you are worried, try the taper - it might be better just for your own peace of mind. It is VERY hard to do, though, because with one glass in, the alcohol starts making some pretty convincing arguments about why you must have glass number two - and so on...

Pav

[letgolaughing]

i'm back - need reassurance

thank you all so much. these responses made me feel so much better and just reminded me of the reason i should have posted a long time ago. i'm feeling so encouraged.

the wine is 5oz(a standard US drink) - i know how much to fill my glass and if i use a different type of glass i sometimes will even measure it out. i can control it pretty well like that.

i am not on any meds but have discussed this with my therapist in the past. i know that 3 glasses of wine is not THAT much, but again, i'm a very petite woman(not sure if weight matters in this equation). the US says a standard glass a day for a woman is ok, and france even says 2 glasses, so my therapist and i have talked about how if you could have withdrawals on such a small amount, women would be "seizing all over europe"(that's how she put it! LOL). i have read about AW all over the web, which actually made things worse at the beginning, but i did read that a woman would have to drink 6 drinks a day for a month to have a 50% chance of minor withdrawals. but, then i wonder, how much does she weight? what about for longer, like years? etc. so, with the OCD it is very hard to convince myself sometimes. the What if's make it really hard. i also wonder if since i have the sweats at 3am and the jitters, then is that indicative of a seizure coming on later? anyway, coming here helps me put it into perspective, so thanks for that.

i had 2 glasses last night.

[frances]

i'm back - need reassurance

Great start - 2 glasses last night. If you have decided to taper you are good to go with 1 glass tonight (as everyone has said you could go straight to 0 as well but if you are really worried go with 1 tonight and 0 tomorrow). But if it was hard for you to stop at 2 last night you might want to try going straight to 0 tonight.

Keep us posted - you will be so glad you stopped once you do! You will start with day 1 and take it one day at a time. Get a plan in place for what you will do when the craving hits....the craving will pass, the days will add up, and soon you will have your new habit of not drinking - stick around here, go to the newbies nest, read read post post and stay nearby!

Frances

[Eloise]

i'm back - need reassurance

How about taking some supplements as well? L - glut, milk thistle... Check out the health store & tool box. I cannot express how they have helped me.
I am happy to tell you what I am taking, so feel free to pm me. In the beginning I felt I was taking too many, but comfortable with what I am taking now. Oh, and the powdered All in One vitamin is helpful too. I find. Wishing you strength...