Nearly 8 years. I have tried tapering multiple times and in a variety of ways and could never get by on less than 1mg a day and actually function due to anxiety.
1mg 3x a day.
Feel free to ask me any questions or PM me.
That's why I think the American health care system is so evil. You need to either work you ass off and pay premium for good insurance or be like a billionaire to afford it.
Here in the UK, a free in-hospital detox is available to everybody. Unless it's an emergency that requires immediate hospitalization, you're probably looking at an 8-12 week waiting list.
But I have been 3 times for alcohol (a fourth and the final also involved extreme physical illness and multiple organ failing , so is not a typical example. I'll use the first time I went as the others were all basically the same).
However, if you walk int the emergency room in visible withdrawal (sweating, shivery, shaking, nauseous/vomiting), they will treat you immediately.
I went 12 hours without alcohol (that's when you enter the seizure state so I wasn't gonna risk that). I did have about a 3 hour wait while people with bigger emergencies like heart attacks, severe bleeders, fitting, etc.
I was taken into a room by a very nice nurse who took my vitals and immediately brought me 10 chlordiazapoxide (librium) capsules. Then she took me to a bed where she told me the name of my doctor who'd see in the morning and this was my bed until I was better and to buzz her if I felt unwell.
20 minutes later I vomited and she was very sweet about it and she gave me 10 more chlordiazapoxide.
I was also provided with 3 (surprising varied and quality) meals a day, although I was too nauseous to eat ans s much water, milk, fruit juice and ensure you want.
The nurses would sponge-bath you agreed, but didn't insist is you weren't up to it
You get a doctor visit to check everything every day, plus the ward Sister (like, the head nurse in charge of the ward) at all times and a team of nurses 24/7
There's even TV!
There was a guy about 10 years older than me, 31 I think he said) who was in there for benzodiazapine addiction. His favourite was valium but he took crazy quantities of any of them. We both had very similar withdrawal symptoms.
The nurse checks on you every 4 hours by taking your blood press, heart rate, oxygen levels etc. She then scores any visible withdrawals (sweating, shaking clammy) from 0 to 4 and asks your levels of muscle aches and anxiety etc and based on the scores gives you the appropriate amount of chlordiazapoxide. You can also buzz for a nurse any time 24/7 if you feel unwell and she'll quickly assess you and give you the pills you need.
They are careful to watch out for people lying or exaggerating for extra drugs but they are also caring and although ONCE I was asked to wait an hour as mu symptoms weren't quite there enough, they never let you suffer.
Me and the guy next to me talked a lot, I read a lot, slept when I could.
Within 72 hours of admission both of us were home and completely detoxed; free of any physical addiction
Overall, it was a very easy and comfortable experience (well as comfortable as being in a hospital can get) and it was all free. NOT BRAGGING BTW. Just feeling bad for you, man. I hear they have the same in Canada if you could go to hospital there?
