Could I suffer major alcohol withdrawal? (ex: DT's)

[curiousBrandon]

Hi I'm new here I am going on 23 years old and have been drinking for about 2 years. For the last couple months I have been drinking about every 3 nights however when I do drink I binge. Usually ranging at least 18 beers. I do not consider myself a heavy alcoholic as I can have nights where I drink a six pack and go to bed. I binge with my friends and I love it. Lol

The reason I ask is because about a week ago I had I night that I drank maybe 15 beers and afterwards had tremors for about a week. I thought serious alcohol withdrawal had to be caused by daily generous amounts of alcohol. I've never experienced alcohol withdrawal before this (other than anxiety) and am curious if my bingers with my friends every three days is actually putting my life in danger? Please help, thank you!

 

[T. Calderone]

Hi Brandon and welcome to Bluelight! I was thinking serious alcohol withdrawal would be from daily heavy drinking too. But everyone's different and 15 + beers is quite a bit. A six pack a day can cause dependence as well. I would slow it down because it sounds like you're heading towards drinking problem territory. It won't be so fun anymore when you wake up in the morning needing a drink to stave off the shakes. I've been in that place and never want to go there again. (moving to Basic Drug Discussion)

 

[curiousBrandon]

Thank you for the input. However I have no problem slowing it down. I just worry about serious withdrawal problems such as DT and seizures. For example: I have not drank in 4 days but last night I decided to have 8 beers. Is DT or seizures something I need to worry about? (And yes I'm aware that my current drinking habit could turn into that but I just want to speak on my current drinking as I have no intent to let it get worse. I have a lot of self control. Just like to have fun.) Lol

 

[deos68]

first off why you are kidding yourself? you're an alcoholic man lol
before it gets worse? not a matter of IF but WHEN itll get worse which it will
never under estimate what alcohol WD can do to you nor feel like you're invincible, alcohol can be fatal and a force not to be reckoned with
18 drinks in a single sitting? that's not your average glasses of wine or a beer or 2 for dinner for example
the tremors you felt is your body talking to you, telling you to slow it down or stop

if you binge every once in a while other than a crazy hangover really nothing to worry about
but you are at risk for some serious repercussions due to the time frame that you've drinking

you can prob go a couple of days without drinking but during the first 48 to 72 hours is when shit will hit the fan
DT's seizures it can manifest itself even after 72 hrs after your last drink 72 hrs is an average
when i went into detox for alcohol i met a guy in there for alcohol as well, he said the DT's and seizures came after a week when he stopped drinking

anxiety, shaking, fast heart rate, high blood pressure,tremors, the sweats and intense craving are all signs among other symptoms are signs of alcohol WD

you need to come to terms that youre an alcoholic and need to figure something out before you cause damage to yourself or hurt someone(i can bet money you've drank and drove before)
its not all about just alcohol WD that can cause issues damage to your gaba receptors, liver damage and list goes on

i know that youre young and trust me i lived that life bt i seriously doubt you wanna piss away your life to become a drunk

 

[Keif' Richards]

Alcoholic is not a clearly defined word. It really comes down to each individual case. There's not a true benchmark for alcoholism. It's the inability to resist the compulsion to drink alcohol, basically, even when the negative consequences begin to outweigh the positive. It's really up for you to decide OP, but you seem to be experiencing symptoms of alcoholism, so maybe it's time to evaluate yourself.

Just like alcoholism, the length of severity of withdrawal from alcohol doesn't seem to be linear from person to person. What I mean is that some people might take less alcohol by volume, but experience more severe withdrawal and vice versa.

I don't mean to patronize you, but are you being completely forthcoming with how much you drink? The "having tremors for a week" statement just seems a little excessive for your stated intake of alcohol. If you do experience withdrawal when you choose to cut back or quit, then the best bet is to just go to a detox. They will medicate you and make sure you're safe and usually there are opportunities to have 12 step meetings or attend other forms of counseling.

If detox is out of the question (and I would'nt blame you if it was, we all work and have lives), then you should cut back your alcohol intake from day to day. This is the safest way if you can handle it yourself. To answer your question, I don't think you're likely to experiece Delirium Tremens (DT's) given the volume of alcohol that you're consuming and considering the fact that you're basically binge drinking, not consuming on a daily basis.

Some people use the term DT's to refer to just general alcohol withdrawal. This is a misnomer though. DT has it's own unique set of symptoms and very often leads to outright death. Hallucinations, Paranoia, Fever, Wicked High Blood Pressure etc. which leads to a death rate of something like 30% who ever experience it.

 

[mjazz]

I didn't drink every night when I was younger, but when I did it seems I always overdid it.
When I started drinking a six pack every night is when I became hooked.
Do yourself a favor and try not to drink as much when you do drink, after all, it is a poison.
If you do get hooked, it's a bitch to get off of- especially since it's legal and it's everywhere.
I quit much too late in life but I guess it beats the alternative.