a reply to:
DaisyRainbow
Twice. Well, I used to go through withdrawl every single morning- that's why I had to do two or three shots every morning. If I could get several
shots down, then the shaking would calm down enough for me to at least stand up. The problem was that I would be prone to puking them right back up.
It was hell.
I went cold turkey finally after too many stories to share here. My parents had come to stay for a few weeks and that's when I did it. It was hell.
Shaking, puking, no appetite. But the worst is the racing heart, racing mind, and anxiety. You have a constant and uncontrollable anxiety and racing
mind. It's horrendous.
Got through it and stayed sober for 7 years. Then for a year I was back to the same place, having to drink all day long.
When I went to quit that time, it was harder. So I spent a good three months trying to wean myself. Found some formulas online that help you figure
out how much to cut down each day, for how long, to safely get you off booze. Problem is, I'm a raging alcoholic, so I wasn't able to always keep it
to the reduced drinks. Finally, a friend knew what was going on and said one day, "Do you want to go to treatment?" and for whatever reason I Said
yes, and he called the county detox right then and got me in that day. If I hadn't gone that day, I would have changed my mind by nightfall.
That was hell too, but at least I was safe and monitored for DTs (the seizures are the dangerous part), and they gave me medication to sleep at night,
which was huge.
That was almost 7 years ago.
It's hell, but it doesn't last forever, and it is SO WORTH IT! To never wake up going into withdrawl, to no longer be a space and have to organize
your life around the booze. No more constant anxiety and no more "Will I be found out?". YOU CAN DO IT!
AA meetings are especially helpful when you're withdrawing, because every person there has been through what you're going through, and they uniquely
understand you. I'll be praying for you and Im happy for you that you're getting free!!!!
ETA: OP, I'm an idiot. I read as far as your paragraph starting "Three days in and in curled up in a ball" and immediately hitting the reply button,
wanting to give you encouragement by sharing my story right away and didn't even finish your OP. 😂😂😂
So actually, our stories confirm one another! For some people, the only way to quit is to be in a controlled environment like a detox or hospital,
where they cN be given meds to help if needed. I believe that many, MANY more drinks like myself would be sober if they had the opportunity to be
medically detoxed. The withdrawls, for the daily heavy alcoholic, can't even really be described adequately, and it's the anxiety that is the worst
part of it.
Please be careful! Now that you're free from that hellish master booze, STAY FREE! Please, please, don't convince yourself that you can drink
moderately now. You can't, and if you have a few drinks, maybe you will keep it down for a few days or a few weeks, but you WILL end up right back
where you were on the floor a few weeks ago. Only the withdrawls will be worse. They get worse with each attempt.
Get hard candy and keep it with you (your body wants the sugar it's used to, like your health team said), and eat well (good, well balanced meals,
esoecially with iron and protein), keep well hydrated, and DO NOT ISOLATE! Look into a few AA meetings. They may seem off-putting for a variety of
reasons when you're sitting there, but I can't tell you how valuable they are in the early days, to have a group of people who understand everything
you say.
Your friend who took you to the hospital is an angel! He/she gave you such a huge gift. If you'd gotten some booze, you'd be back to the old cycle
again right now.
Congrats and keep going!
edit on 6-10-2019 by KansasGirl because: (no reason given)