Alcoholics - Will I go through serious withdrawal if I quit?

One oz of liquor = one unit of alcohol. For refrence sake, most of my hard core alchoholic patients drink a liter or more of hard liquor per day, often w/ beer. I've had plenty who drink a gallon a day, and lots of dudes who put away a pint + a case of beer.
It's not really professionally cool to do a remote diagnosis, but you strike me as an alcoholic. Forget the label - point is you have a problem with alcohol. And most addictions are rooted in a need to self medicate problems like anxiety, depression, marital problems, etc. There's treatment for all this stuff, but it begins w/ you and accepting you've got an issue and need some help.
I'm not a huge proponent of AA or anything - whatever works for ya, great. Medication wise - naltrexone 50mg a day is best choice to cut down cravings and improve your chances of staying sober (works best in conjuction w/ some therapy). That drug is an opiate blocker, and clinical experience shows it seems to work better w/ the more binge drinking pattern. Antabuse is pretty shitty. And Campral (acamprosate) is brand name and pretty expensive - plus its 2 pills 3x a day.
Last thing - DON'T TAKE ANY TYLENOL for your eventual aches. NSAIDs like naproxen or ibuprofen are fine, but take 'em with food. Otherwise your naseua and stomach problems will be that much worse. Oh, reminds me - also go to the ER if you start puking up blood. That's esophogeal varices, which can be serious. Same thing if you have lots of blood in your stool (dark kind, not bright red), b/c that indicates a likely perforated ulcer - vary common in hard drinkers. For your gastritis symptoms (inflammation of the stomach), just take OTC ranitidine double dose - so 150 mg twice a day.
Ok. pager off. leaving hospital. Again, good luck, man. I'll log back in from home later tonight.
 
I think you will probably be fine. Depends how long (how many years) you have been drinking like that. Your liver will appreciate the break.
 
Terror Zone said:
My quitting alcohol thread that culminated in me getting a DUI. :redface:

I have been sober and training every day for more than 2 weeks now though, sucks it took a DUI to make that happen.
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I remember your thread about quitting but it was so damn long and I didn't get to read through most of it. Sorry to ask this but can you give me cliffs on what happened? I know you quit for a few weeks but that's all I know. How long did you quit for before drinking again and getting a DUI?
 
Polish Machine said:
I remember your thread about quitting but it was so damn long and I didn't get to read through most of it. Sorry to ask this but can you give me cliffs on what happened? I know you quit for a few weeks but that's all I know. How long did you quit for before drinking again and getting a DUI?
Click to expand...

It's all a haze now, I had put like 10 days together before I started drinking again. Then one night I got hammered and met some crackhead black chick in front of a liquor store when I was already fucked up, ended up spending several hundy smoking crack with her while getting shitfaced. Don't really remember the specifics, ran over a curb and popped a tire in front of a cop. Last clear memory is telling a guy in front of the phone at jail, "move, motherfucker" and getting thrown into a single small cell for disruptive inmates. Been sober for the last few weeks and training every day, I actually feel like I'm in better shape than I have been in over 3 years. Haven't even considered drinking since all that went down, although I did smoke crack twice more in the days following the arrest. I just ignore my phone at this point, seems to be working.
 
TheNinja said:
Those are the questions I have to answer and figure out I guess. I started drinking in college b/c it was fun. Me and my buddies have a ton of awesome stories, usually around booze....typically stupid college stuff. Then I drank in social situations b/c it loosened me up, made me more social, more confident, etc. Now it's more to escape stress, depression, boredom, complaining family members, etc. I still find it fun and I feel more confident when I have 3-4 drinks, but too often it turns into 8+ and times of blackouts. It's time to cut back and get under control again.
Click to expand...

Been there man. You likely havent identified what makes you happy. Youd be surprised how often people engage in hedonistic behaviour thinking it will fill the emptiness. So they go out and burn the candle at both ends.... and then the next day the feeling is back. Self awareness is a big part of of getting healthy and happy
 
Terror Zone said:
It's all a haze now, I had put like 10 days together before I started drinking again. Then one night I got hammered and met some crackhead black chick in front of a liquor store when I was already fucked up, ended up spending several hundy smoking crack with her while getting shitfaced. Don't really remember the specifics, ran over a curb and popped a tire in front of a cop. Last clear memory is telling a guy in front of the phone at jail, "move, motherfucker" and getting thrown into a single small cell for disruptive inmates. Been sober for the last few weeks and training every day, I actually feel like I'm in better shape than I have been in over 3 years. Haven't even considered drinking since all that went down, although I did smoke crack twice more in the days following the arrest. I just ignore my phone at this point, seems to be working.
Click to expand...

Jesus...

I'm going to have to read that thread
 
Yeahman u.dont.want.withdrawals with.ur. inlaws. Good luck!

Does ur wife know about ur Problem (if not, how could she not). As someone else said u really need.to.brief her on whats going on b4 the vacation so if something happens it can be handled appropriately and possibly privately
 
TheNinja said:
I am married and she doesn't like the sauce too much. And yes, I agree I should not be "binge drinking" and that this is a good start to cutting back. I fully intend to start cutting back after this vacation. My main and immediate concern is that I'll have medical issues and/or be miserable and ruin everyone else's time if I go through serious withdrawal on vacation.

It is hard to "sneak" drinks b/c I don't have my own car on vacation and any time I go to the store someone will either want to come along, or check my bags/receipts the minute I walk in the door.

Nobody in my family knows or would actually understand something like this...they are very judgmental overall on things like this, especially my wife and her family.


I drank last night (got a little case of the shakes this morn) and I'm not going to drink today or tomorrow as I fly out Saturday. I'll see how the next 2 days go...wish me luck! :)
Click to expand...

What you should really do is have three drinks tonight, and two tomorrow night. Then, you should be fine on Saturday. But, if you go and drink a bunch today and tomorrow, you will have a shitty Saturday and Sunday. Either way, you'll be fine by Monday.

Listen to me on this; once you get through this vacation without drinking, don't ever have another drink. Otherwise, you'll eventually wind up going through another binder and dealing with quitting again. You know this already.
 
Yes, you might get sick, the shakes, headaches and be in a terrible mood.
Might wanna toke a few and drink tons of water.
You can do it man.
 
Yardener said:
One oz of liquor = one unit of alcohol. For refrence sake, most of my hard core alchoholic patients drink a liter or more of hard liquor per day, often w/ beer. I've had plenty who drink a gallon a day, and lots of dudes who put away a pint + a case of beer.
It's not really professionally cool to do a remote diagnosis, but you strike me as an alcoholic. Forget the label - point is you have a problem with alcohol. And most addictions are rooted in a need to self medicate problems like anxiety, depression, marital problems, etc. There's treatment for all this stuff, but it begins w/ you and accepting you've got an issue and need some help.
I'm not a huge proponent of AA or anything - whatever works for ya, great. Medication wise - naltrexone 50mg a day is best choice to cut down cravings and improve your chances of staying sober (works best in conjuction w/ some therapy). That drug is an opiate blocker, and clinical experience shows it seems to work better w/ the more binge drinking pattern. Antabuse is pretty shitty. And Campral (acamprosate) is brand name and pretty expensive - plus its 2 pills 3x a day.
Last thing - DON'T TAKE ANY TYLENOL for your eventual aches. NSAIDs like naproxen or ibuprofen are fine, but take 'em with food. Otherwise your naseua and stomach problems will be that much worse. Oh, reminds me - also go to the ER if you start puking up blood. That's esophogeal varices, which can be serious. Same thing if you have lots of blood in your stool (dark kind, not bright red), b/c that indicates a likely perforated ulcer - vary common in hard drinkers. For your gastritis symptoms (inflammation of the stomach), just take OTC ranitidine double dose - so 150 mg twice a day.
Ok. pager off. leaving hospital. Again, good luck, man. I'll log back in from home later tonight.
Click to expand...

Thanks! And yes I probably am an alcoholic in that I can't always control it. I am going to have to monitor symptoms. The crappy thing is that I don't have a doctor at the moment b/c I switched insurances and haven't picked a new Primary Care yet. There is no real way for me to get the prescriptions unless some detox center or Urgent Care doc would prescibe Valium for me. I always avoid acetaminophen and stick with tylenol or naprox

SevenSamurai said:
Been there man. You likely havent identified what makes you happy. Youd be surprised how often people engage in hedonistic behaviour thinking it will fill the emptiness. So they go out and burn the candle at both ends.... and then the next day the feeling is back. Self awareness is a big part of of getting healthy and happy
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Blackdanger said:
Get your life together, OP.
Click to expand...

I know

lakersfan45 said:
Yeahman u.dont.want.withdrawals with.ur. inlaws. Good luck!

Does ur wife know about ur Problem (if not, how could she not). As someone else said u really need.to.brief her on whats going on b4 the vacation so if something happens it can be handled appropriately and possibly privately
Click to expand...

If I have to I'll find a way to get a few drinks. She knows I drink but not to what extent. She assumes I only drink at social occaiosions and that I over drink there. I think I'd rather go through withdrawal or sneak drinks than have to put up with the hellstorm that would happen if I briefed her on this ;)

Charles Brown said:
What you should really do is have three drinks tonight, and two tomorrow night. Then, you should be fine on Saturday. But, if you go and drink a bunch today and tomorrow, you will have a shitty Saturday and Sunday. Either way, you'll be fine by Monday.

Listen to me on this; once you get through this vacation without drinking, don't ever have another drink. Otherwise, you'll eventually wind up going through another binder and dealing with quitting again. You know this already.
Click to expand...

I thought about this. I'm not sure if this is good advice or not though. It might just be prolonging the process, or making it so I don't start the detox right away. I'd rather get my worst symptons over before Saturday.

KilledByDeath said:
Yes, you might get sick, the shakes, headaches and be in a terrible mood.
Might wanna toke a few and drink tons of water.
You can do it man.
Click to expand...

Thanks man! I have to fly on an airplane too, which will suck. I'll keep hydrated best I can though. I'll already be in a terrible mood flying on a plane :)
 
Think of it this way man, you're going to go on vacation and you're going to basically have the flu the entire time. It's going to suck and you're going to hate it. When you get back you're going to feel better and you aren't going to want to drink as much physically. At that point it's all mental. Do you have it in you to stop self medicating with alcohol and start self medicating with your brain instead? You don't sound like the kind of guy that can ever go back to drinking a few beers at a party with friends and then not drink again until another social situation calls for it. You're going to have to hang it up for good.
 
Dude, get help.
You're destroying yourself. You have more to worry about than a vacation.
 
RSmith47 said:
Think of it this way man, you're going to go on vacation and you're going to basically have the flu the entire time. It's going to suck and you're going to hate it. When you get back you're going to feel better and you aren't going to want to drink as much physically. At that point it's all mental. Do you have it in you to stop self medicating with alcohol and start self medicating with your brain instead? You don't sound like the kind of guy that can ever go back to drinking a few beers at a party with friends and then not drink again until another social situation calls for it. You're going to have to hang it up for good.
Click to expand...

I might have to indeed :( - Sucks if I'm going to have the flu the whole time. It's not going to be fair to the rest of my family and people I'm visiting.

Does anyone know if it's good or bad to have 1 drink during a detox? Will that help me avoid some of the major symptoms or does it just delay the process from starting? Like if I have 1 drink tonight and 1 tomorrow (I'm talking 1 shot of vodka) will my body still be detoxing somewhat but with lesser symptoms or will it just delay the start of the whole process?

Thanks also to everyone for keeping this thread on topic and very civil. I'm impressed Sherdoggers :)
 
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