‘I’m not an addict’

[aihfl]

Alcohol sucks. Even with me drinking low carb beers which aren't full strength I still can't stop drinking daily. I smash 12 beers (cans) in a 2 - 3 hour period then head to the local pub to polish off 5 - 7 schooners. I do this because it is so damn expensive just too drink at the pub.

I don't know what my options are, I haven't ever had a seizure but am afraid if I quit I will get one.

The government's response to alcohol addiction in Australia is to just jack up the prices which does very little for the addict but instead forces them to steal off family etc to fund their booze.

IME kicking alcohol is second only to kicking benzos when it comes to shitiness. If a medical detox is off the table for whatever reason, you can always detox yourself by setting up a taper. There's no point in giving you my taper schedule because everyone's is different. And you'll still feel like utter shit, but it mitigates the medical dangers of going cold turkey. It's difficult as a motherfucker though. Depending on your confidence in your own willpower, you might want someone dosing you so you just don't end up getting hammered all over again. Basically whenever you feel withdrawal symptoms, drink only enough alcohol to make the wds go away. And stick to the lowest ABV beer that's available. I usually used Bud Lite to taper. Don't exceed 355ml in any single hour and try to stretch out the time between drinks as long as possible.

 

[Scrofula]

Alcohol sucks. Even with me drinking low carb beers which aren't full strength I still can't stop drinking daily. I smash 12 beers (cans) in a 2 - 3 hour period then head to the local pub to polish off 5 - 7 schooners. I do this because it is so damn expensive just too drink at the pub.

I don't know what my options are, I haven't ever had a seizure but am afraid if I quit I will get one.

The government's response to alcohol addiction in Australia is to just jack up the prices which does very little for the addict but instead forces them to steal off family etc to fund their booze.

I don't know your options either, but that's gonna catch up, like in your GI tract, pretty soon (speaking from experience).

I can say, also from experience: don't let fear of a seizure keep you from anything. I was terrified too until I had one. Yeah, they're dangerous, and scare the ever-loving shit out of anyone nearby, but for you: sweet oblivion.

(Coming around is actually a bizarre experience. It's like taking forever to come out of a dream. I had the feeling of popping my head up out of the water, briefly, sinking back down into comfy dream-deep, then up again and longer, down and up till I was finally "awake". About half an hour of that, then some sweet IV ativan, CT and a hospital bed, sleep like a fucking baby. A hard reboot of my brain, and I felt honestly better.)

SO really, don't let the physical act of seizing scare you from anything. You don't feel a thing. There's no warning.

 

[poledriver]

noonoo, yeah man you obviously have to cut down, tapper down and then stop the drinking altogether. Get to a point where you feel you can be confident with other non alcoholic drinks and stop buying alcohol and smash the other type of drink instead, i drink loads of water and sometimes juices or lemonade. Then you'd probably have to avoid licensed venues and do other shit, exercise, watch tv, work, whatever.

I'm the sort of person who either drinks or stops altogether. There's no in between for me, i've worked out I have to stop for my health and to save money. My doc told me so after I'd put on so much weight (like 20 kilos over a few years, i was bloated af) My doc told me he sees so many middle aged and older people who are very very ill from alcohol. It really shook me up to get my mind right to slow down and quit. I've relapsed a few times but am now sober again since last night of June. I've nearly lost all the 20 kilos and am back to a decent weight.

My motivation and energy goes up loads higher when I dont drink for extended periods. I got thru dry July (last drink was on the last night of June) and I am still going.

Good luck, if you know you have an issue at least you are thinking about it, and if you try hard enough, over time I really hope you can change things, or as you know you wont be good.

If you have a good GP chat to them about it if you haven't already.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I did the AA many times. Every time I went it made me feel depressed and I've already been battling with that my whole life.

I found what worked last time when I quit was seeing a psych once a week and training 6 times a week. But 5 years ago was put on antidepressants and since then haven't given much shit bout much. The meds have helped though but in different ways.

Tapering off SSRI's at the moment is a no no. I need to taper off booze go cold turkey then quit SSRI's. As the side effects of them are fucked.

Having had mental health issues my whole life. The last few years I have given up. Couldn't care much for doing better or the right things as every time I do my mind tells me to go the other way.

I got my Masters in business. It''s like as if I never got it. I could be doing so much with some of the knowledge I have but I much prefer to be at a park left alone on my own drinking away.

It still baffles me. I'm the only one in my family who is an alcho and smokes, gambles and has used pills and speed before. At least I quit the hard stuff 6 years ago. With the knowledge I now have from Bluelight I would never go back. Booze different story

I cut off from bad friends and am now off to see the old psych again next week. I told myself whatever she says I'll commit to as am keen to try one last time to get better. If it fails then I'll get a parachute and fail to open the chute.

 

[DoctorMolecule]

Alcohol was a nasty drug to come off of, no withdrawals or anything (granted I got some Valium for the first couple of days), it's so socially acceptable and it's advertised everywhere. My whole family drinks, but with my history of wrecked cars and relationships they don't ask if I want any. Haven't had a drink for over a year, but I still think about it now and again. Smoking marijuana has replaced drinking for me, I'd much rather spend money on something that isn't straight up poison, but marijuana is becoming a crutch as well. At least I keep my tolerance low and just take two or three good tokes, which I could never just drink two or three shots

 

['medicine cabinet']

Seriously. Makes it seem like holding your Driver's License and/or Passport and refusing to return it is a normal thing medical facilities do..

Fuck rehabs and their spokespeople. I knew at least 6 people who IV'd drugs for the first time because of the bullshit 12-step policies which rehab facilities use as the structure of their abuse. Many of them would have had a safe space to spend that night if they hadn't been kicked out of the rehab for 24 hours (to help you change your ways... somehow?) while also refusing to give your License or Credit cards. Fucking criminal. If I met the owner of that rehab in a dark alley I'd turn him into a cripple without a second thought.

I'll also mention that that rehab helped destroy my relationship with my parents. I'm a chameleon who believes in lying to get what's right, so I was able to make it through their program and build a more adult relationship with my parents... BUT it's made me basically say "Fuck em" about my parents and our overall relationship. Despite normally being very understanding people, they would never accept that that rehab was abusive, and most rehabs are trash and a waste of money. So if they can't trust me on that, why should I give a shit what they think/want/do in any other aspect of life? It's what helped me move across the country so I never see them, and it's what helps me not give a shit about not going to visit.

I feel you...my last rehab experience during check in I had to strip down to my boxers while the motherfucker went through every single thread of my clothes.

I tried telling him I wouldn't sneak shit in, I want to get clean. but since this kid, and I do mean kid didn't know shit, couldn't grasp the severity of the beast that was on my back that I desperately wanted to rip off and crucify

then I was asked to drop my boxers and basically lift my balls and spread em. Fuck no I said, then two heavies came in and he said this is for everyone's safety. Didn't drop my boxers but I gave my balls a shake and said if you want more you better get out your checkbook. I wanted to beat him to death....oh yeah and it only happened to a few other guys. I left early bc I couldn't take the shabby treatment, being under medicated g5, SHIT "food" too not to mention I was violated and no one cared. Just as long as my insurance paid it all....

I think a lot of rehabs just want to rape the insurance company...and what better way to have a bunch of addicts who have nothing...there are def some people trying the help, but there are just as many if not more that see a dollar sign an addicts...it's really sad.

 

[Scrofula]

It is weird. Awful lot of money to be made telling people they can't be cured.

Not to mention a helpless labor force. If you have a felony for a drug crime, you don't have a lot of other employment opportunities. I'm sure they're paid like shit.

Although damn, I'd been patted down, never needed a cavity search.

 

[Jabberwocky]

I think a lot of rehabs just want to rape the insurance company...and what better way to have a bunch of addicts who have nothing...there are def some people trying the help, but there are just as many if not more that see a dollar sign an addicts...it's really sad.

Pretty much... a lot of places like raping private pay patients even more so.

 

[DoctorMolecule]

I got a lot more out of intensive out patient with a CBT focus than a residential rehab.

 

[aihfl]

I probably got the most out of a ratty used copy of "Rational Recovery" I bought for around five bucks. In the end, I did hardly anything treatment professionals told me to do after inpatient (skipped PHP, IOP and MOST DEFINITELY did not move into sober living) and instead of ending up broke, homeless, in prison or dead like most of them predicted, I'm a happily divorced homeowner who lives only with an old dachshund. I continue to see the therapist every few weeks and the psychiatrist every few months and once in a while if I have something I need to vent about or want to see friends I've made in the program, I'll go to a 12 step meeting. Otherwise, I'm pretty content. Rather than being "recovery focused," (fuck sponsors and fuck working steps) I'd like to think that I've become what's presented as the ideal in RR, a regular person that just doesn't drink or use drugs.

 

[cj]

Reads like a LOT like self promotion for the recovery industry. I'm looking forward to finding more out about the author.

My thought exactly. Just remember 95 percent will relapse before one year and that's not counting the people who relapse an hour off the plane. It only counts the people who complete the aftercare program. AA and inpatient rehab is a failure. Anyone who goes and is halfway intelligent sees it strait away when so many clients are on there 5th trip in 2 years.