Hello Everyone British Expat Living in Germany starting mission today

[Eloise]

I was drinking for the same reasons as Brydie! We can joke about it now as we are free from Alcohol, but believe me I know how this is no laughing matter.

I can totally relate to your isolation wyldetymes.
I think if my husband was all of a sudden gone I would be out of here. Problem is, where to go? I am only here two years and the thought of being in the Netherlands alone terrifies me. Not because it is a terrible country, but because I just have no other links besides him.

This is really rough for you, very tricky indeed. I must add that I am so much happier now, 8 months down the road from drinking. This big step could transform your life as well. Just lifting the burden of drinking every day will open up your options to new opportunities.
I know you have to taper, but maybe 3-4 drinks over 24 hours might speed things up?
Just a thought...

[Mick]

morning wild thymes ..hows you today then?

[Lasha]

Hi Wyldetymes,
I drank too much after a double bereavement 4 years ago and had to taper down as this is the safest way to do it. I just think you may be going a bit quick though.
I was advised to taper down about a drink a week over 3 months and it worked.
Now I drink in moderation about 2 to 3 a day with breaks and after going through the shakes every morning before my first drink and the depression it leaves wont be going back.
Good luck we're all rooting for you.

[mama bear]

just lending a friendly shoulder for support Wylde.....

[wyldetymes]

Thanks every one - been a little bit out of kelter but many many thanks to mama bear . lasha Mick Eloise Byrdlady

I started out with 17 beers (As I could not sleep so I needed an extra ) and to be honest it was not too bad. But the I got a little over confident yesterday I though this is too easy lets make up for the extra 1 that made 17 so I dropped to 14 - it was very hard - mood swings and anxiety and flushes - I had to go back up by reducing the time to 16. Now Im not really a beer drinker so I started feeling a bit bloated. Can I say alternate with beer and a small wine ? and maybe take 2 days at say 15 the 2 days at 14 ?

Im getting down and my AWS is bearable if I go in the garden or go for a walk.

Anyway thanks for the moral support

Oh and if I go down very slowly will that work - at least I don't like this beer I bough the cheapest that tastes like horsepee strained through straw ..

@Mick you are right I need to move on - I need to be sober to do that so Im put my foot on the path now and I need to man up a bit
you are right - Thanks for the support.

@Eloise - thank you I suppose I could visit a Hausartz but mine retired and I don't like the new one - he is how can we say Teutonic ? Prussian not a caring sort of chap but all you friendly people are a better tonic

@Byrdlady - Im beginning to see the light - now I got my foot in the door Im going to spend a little more time to get to know people

@ Lasha - thanks that was very inspiring and i am sorry for your loss - I hope to be where you are one day. Does it matter how long one takes to taper ? and can I alternate beer / wine / beer / wine ?

Thank you mama bear

To all any tips on where to get going on the forum its quite big and a bit daunting :-)

[badger]

Do think getting clean at home will take longer or the same time as a hospital

hi wyldetymes,

it'll take you longer at home, if you mange it at all. in a medical detox it'll take 4-6 days using benzodiazapanes - librium, valium or similar - & be a damn sight safer & more comfortable than trying to do it yourself using AL. the taper schedule you mention from HAMS (which is perfectly valid) would take what, 8-10 days?

tapering down to a point where you can go cold turkey on AL *can* be done - I've done it myself many times - but it's properly hard. it requires a huge amount of motivation & self-control, not something us alkies are renowned for

if you do have the option of going through a medical detox, then please do take it up. it's nothing scary, just some pills a couple of times a day, & you'll probably feel a bit woozy (no change there!) but it'll get you through the danger zone much more safely than trying to do it yourself

best of luck & let us know how you get on

-badger

[Mick]

hi wild thymes...glad youve got your foot on the path...thats the first step....as far as a mdical detox goes...i know nothing about that..so cant possibly comment on it...for me..why dont you start getting af beer?and mixing the amount of bottles you drink?

[wyldetymes]

Hello Badger
Unfortunately not an option at the current time further down / up the thread I explain - waiting on my MI company to make up their minds - now that will take time here - they just love red tape ask Mick. So I taper until they make their minds up - and go in a program or I taper until they say no - so its not an option not to - if yes Im lower units and if no I am futher down the path
But thanks - your thoughts and experience well received - I don't like this you ar damn right its cr@p -- but needs must I have no choice
MIck Claushaller and AF weissbier :-)

[badger]

ok, sorry I missed that. hang in there, wanting to change is the important thing here & clearly you do

can you get to a GP or an A&E/ER & ask for a few days worth of Valium/Librium? that should be enough to get you over the hump to go cold turkey. could you get back to the UK for NHS treatment?

do be safe though - try to have a trusted person with you to keep an eye on you. drink plenty of fluids. eat, even if you don't feel like it

very best of luck

-badger

[lizker]

Are you able to exercise at all? A good aerobic exercise can help tremendously with the detox. You may even cut the amount you are using to taper in half. Withdrawing from hard liquor is. Most dangerous, if you have managed to go off scotch for a few days, just use beer . Remember you are no longer drinking for pleasure. Focus on the tapering and keep cutting the amount until the discomfort is manageable. Good luck and keep on posting with you progress.

[badger]

don't exercise!!

do your best to relax, do whatever you can not to raise your heart rate & blood pressure

once you're out of the physical dependence, exercise is great, but not right now ...

[Rahulthesweet]

Hello Wylde,

So sorry to hear about your wife and your current situation. Alcohol gives only a false sense of freedom from pain as you have seen and experienced now you are in much more and different kind of pain.

With AL and the extent you were drinking you can expect physical as well as mental dependence. Its hard to beat both but it is doable. I kicked AL PN my own with all the support from everyone here but I was drinking about 2 to 3 liter of beer daily.

Kicking physical dependece can be very dangerous so I have read and heard and medical advice is recommended for mental dependence and support we are all here.

Tapering is the highly recommended and good to see you are doing that but then after a while you have to stop completely and it may be a good idea to have someone in real life like a doctor or maybe an AA sponsor can support in that situation.

I went cold turkey but fortunately I didn't had tremors but had difficulty sleeping. But I ate a lot. Every day I would stuff myself with food to kill the desire for AL.

You will find lots of advice in tool box and in newbies nest.

Take care.

[Lasha]

Hi WT,
Wine is fine to use but no spirits/liquor, from my calculations you're on 40 British units a day. Bottle of wine has about 9 units and beer has 2.5 depending on their strengths. You must come down slowly as you can have a stroke or seizure but you cant stay on 40 as that will do the same.

Don't do any exercise as you're blood pressure will be very high!

Mix up the wine/beer so you have the equivalent of 37.5 units the first week then 35,32.5,30,27.5,25,22.5,20,17.5 then its mind over matter as you will be off the danger list but still a heavy drinker. Eventually you might end up drinking nothing as I've done but I still like to have the odd one as I enjoy sensible drinking.

Never buy more than your allocated units for the day. Good luck and fill up on carbohydrates.

[wyldetymes]

Hello Every one - just checking in Thank you Lasha Im going to get that recipe going so far Im feeling not so bad - i get a bit jittery at times normally the last half hour before the next schedule beer. i bought myself a liitle liquid measure so I can take a unit of wine if I am bloated . I am drinking gallons of Tea - one thing in Germany is millions of fruit teas herbal teas ginko teas so I have many different sorts - that way I never get bored with tea. Then I bought lots of mixed nuts and dried fruit so I can snack all day. And as its NY I treated myself to icecream. In the past I would have poured on Brandy and Cointreau but this year chocolate sauce - now that sound appetizing or what ?

I am not exercising per ser but I do like a good walk - get the blood moving :-).

I took a challenge this morning - I slept a little longer and normally I would be feeling not the best and start on a beer to relieve the symptoms. But gues what apart from being a little sweaty - i had mild burning sensations in my legs - so I thought lets try to wait a bit - Im in bed and the beer is there if I need it and I lasted another 30 mins just dozing and feeling the alcohol leaking out of body. I needed a pee so by the time i had my taper beer it was 45 mins . then of course I stuck to the schedule. the other thing Im doing is adding 10 mins to the schedule in the afternoon - I got to stretch a little bit - makes it less boring. Apart from the strange symptoms popping up now and then - it is really boring.

Going to surf the forum a little bit

Thanks everybody these ideas are more than helpful :goodjob:

[Mick]

hiya wildthymes...slowly ,slowly,but you will get there...believe in your self,dont put walls up...no such thing as I cant...just think ...ok how can I get round this...be creative,be inventive,also can I suggest you get a diary ...write EVERYTHING IN IT.......then you have a got a record of things ..what you did when you felt ...you can also use it as a reference...but be honest with yourself why not start the neu jahr with no /very little or af drinks?
..dont make it a promise ..make it a way of life!!!you can do it!!