Should I force myself to eat?

[nycfella]

Hi,

I am going through a 2nd day of alcohol withdrawal (complicated by cocaine crash from a single use at the end of the 5 day binge) and it's really awful - first time I'm experiencing that level of discomfort. One particular concern I'm having is that I ate nothing for the last 3 days (maybe 4 even) and I just can't think of eating - even the thought of eating anything makes me nauseous. Should I be very concerned and try to force myself to eat?
Thanks in advance!

[on my way]

Should I force myself to eat?

Stay well hydrated and eat some toast, you will feel better shortly. The lack of food maybe complicating your detox. nat

[bloggy]

Should I force myself to eat?

Hi Nycfella and Welcome.

I am sorry to hear you are having such a bad time- well done for stopping though- it does pass. I have been where you are on a number of occasions, and I find it is better NOT to eat. I think at the moment your body has enough to cope with and is working really hard purging all those toxins- so to eat on top of it will just give it more overload.

However if you could manage to make a drink of water with some fresh lemon or orange juice mixed it, I do find that helps.

Stay close, and I hope you begin feeling better soon.

[Evie.Lou]

Should I force myself to eat?

I have found that a banana smoothie (just sipping it) is a good thing during withdrawls...blessings to you.You should feel better soon.

[Jewel]

Should I force myself to eat?

Can you at least get some chicken or veggie broth in you? I have been where you are and ate nothing for a total of 10 days once! Not even any water. Which is pretty crappy when it came to my nose bleeding all of the time!

Try to have some liquid food at first. The broth and also ENsure or some other nutritional supplement in liquid form will help you. Tea is also good.

I would try to stay away from solids until you feel comfortable enough to eat them. Jello is also good.

Nurture yourself back to healthy slowly. Liquids and then solids.

[nycfella]

Should I force myself to eat?

Thanks a lot to everyone for the advice and the kind words! It is so important to hear reassurance in a time like this! I know I have no one but myself to blame for this condition and I hope to make changes in my life. This is my first serious withdrawal, before I only had "hangovers" - usually gone without a trace by the next day. If this torture doesn't teach me a lesson, what will?!

I have no problems drinking water, been having herbal teas all day yesterday and today, so fortunately for me no risk of dehydration. Eating even broth is still unthinkable, so I'll wait for it to be at least conceivable in my mind before trying, otherwise I know I'll vomit immediately.

Thanks again for your support!

[bloggy]

Should I force myself to eat?

I guess listening to your body should do it- when you are ready for solids you will feel hungry or at least you will feel like nibbling on something.

At least you are getting lots of liquids in.

Take Care.

[nycfella]

Should I force myself to eat?

Still have no appetite - end of day 4 of liquid diet... Had two protein shakes (almost vomited, but managed to keep them in). God, when will this end? And anther night is coming - why is it so much worse at night - just restless shivering and counting panic attacks? It will be my 2nd sleepless night and during the binge I only had 3-4 hours of sleep each night (don't know for sure because of blackouts)

[Seacailin]

Should I force myself to eat?

Hang in there. I felt like crap for like 7 days. I did not sleep for two weeks. Stay hydrated and it will pass, and you never have to go back there. I find that calms forte helps with anxiety. Other things that you can try for sleep are: melatonin, valerian, GABA, 5-htp. You can find out more on the holistic healing thread. I could not eat right for quite awhile. It is just awful what we do to ourselves. You will feel better soon.

[veritas]

Should I force myself to eat?

Nycfella, hang in there.

[UKSean]

Should I force myself to eat?

some suggestions

A mixture of gatoraide and honey is also very good it will give you the natural sugars that your body will crave now that its not getting any sugar from alcohol. However I must tell you that detoxing from alcohol is very dangerous and I must warn you it can be deadly. If you have to do this alone I would have someone close by to check on you at times to make sure you are ok. I will include you in my prayers tonight. Try to see a Doctor in the near future and get medical advice. These are only my suggestions I would never in anyway tell you what you should or shouldnt do. Lets all just get through today and we will tackle tomorrow when it comes.
God bless,
Sean...

[Michaela]

Should I force myself to eat?

Warm wishes headed your way. Hope you feel better soon. Take what you are feeling and stick it in your memory box so when tempted to drink you can remember how you felt these past few days. Works wonders for me!

Best of luck to you.

Mich

[5thaday]

Should I force myself to eat?

Sometimes dehydration can cause nausea, so I would consume something with electrolytes in it.

[antabuser]

Should I force myself to eat?

re: withdrawl

hi, i've been where you are many times and feel for you. when withdrawing from both alcohal and coke, i found that the only thing i could choke down was a nice cold slice of juicy apple. it gives much needed sugar and helps with dehydration. forget trying to force food. hydration and keeping your blood sugar up is the MOST important thing for you right now.

remember, it's the alcohal withdrawl that is dangerous - winding down by minimizing is safest, rather than cold turkey. - gwen

[nycfella]

Should I force myself to eat?

Thanks again to everyone for the support. I'm getting somewhat better, looks like I'm returning from hell back to earth. Still not eating, but getting by on protein shakes and mix of gatorade+honey. Can't handle any solids, but drinking tons of fluids and it seems to help. Maybe I'll even get some sleep on this New Year's night...
I can't beleive I did this to myself and I'm so committed to never drink/do drugs again. It's hard to resist sometimes when you're feeling well and thinking of having good times or stressed out and want quick relief. Well, now I know how it may end. And I'm sure my case is quite mild and nothing compared to what some other people have gone through...
Happy New Year to everyone! Best wishes for 2009! This is an amazing forum with amazing people, I'm so glad I found it at this time of crisis for me.