Alcohol Withdrawal Question

[SawRED]

Hey all I don't usually drink very excessive amounts (regularly) I'd say a night ranges from 2-6 beers or that equivalent in hard alcohol as well. And then occasionally, although less now on weekends or when I'm partying I'll get actually fucked up and drink a lot. I haven't gone more then a day (maybe two although usually only after doing opiates or something else the night before) without drinking something in a few months. I don't feel physically addicted yet I've claimed I was going to stop for a few days to find out multiple times and still "haven't gotten around to it". Anyways my question is do you think I will experience a physical withdrawal and I know you can only speculate but if so how serious do you think it would be? I just want to know what I'm in for and if I'd be doing any danger to my self by stopping immediately.

I assume I'm being paranoid but after spending a week being pretty much non-stop drunk morning to night on vacation (previous to current drinking issues) I experienced alcohol withdrawal which only lasted a night but was reasonably severe. This surprised the hell outta me and so since then I have been more nervous about the potential effects. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[n3ophy7e]

Hi SawRED, firstly welcome to Bluelight

So this week that you spent drinking all day every day and experienced withdrawals when you stopped, was that recently??

Also, when you say that you have been drinking 2-6 beers a night, or the equivalent in hard liquor as well, does that mean you're having 4-12 drinks a night, or only 2-6? Sorry for being pedantic but depending on what the actual amount you drink is could require a very different answer.

If you have been drinking 2-6 beers or the equivalent amount every day for a few months, even if you quit cold-turkey it seems unlikely that you will suffer any serious physical withdrawal symptoms. At worst you may experience shakey hands and/or some twitching. It is much more likely that you will only experience psychological withdrawals such as irritability, craving a drink, mood swings, and insomnia.

If you are really concerned about the amount you've been drinking you absolutely must speak to your doctor about this.

 

[SawRED]

Thank you, and sorry I meant that I only have 2-6 drinks a night. I figured I should be alright but thank you for confirming my suspicions. It's Day 1 now well see how it goes!

Oh and the week of drinking and withdrawal was over a year ago.

 

[Ego Death]

I've never had alcohol withdrawal, but 2-6 drinks every night is A LOT. When I get in the mood to drink, 4 quality ales (Sierra Nevada) gets me drunk and I will definitely feel it the next day if I don't drink a ton of water and eat before I go to bed. I imagine doing that every day and I would be a wreck both physically and mentally. Alcohol is such a damaging drug to your body I dont see how you could quit cold turkey and experience no ill effects.

 

[n3ophy7e]

^^ It depends mate. 2-6 standard drinks is not actually that much in the grand scheme of alcoholism. It definitely is NOT healthy to drink that much every day, I completely agree with that. But you're not going to form a physical dependence on alcohol by drinking that much, even every day for a few months.

So I would not expect the OP to experience any serious physical withdrawal symptoms going cold turkey. It will likely be a bit difficult having to deal with the psychological withdrawals, but it's not going to be dangerous, which I believe is the concern that the OP had.