Misc How long does it take to start getting Withdrawals from Alcohol?

[SpunkySkunk347]

How many consecutive days of drinking does it take to start becoming physically addicted to alcohol?

I'm not talking about a hangover; I'm not talking about psychologically being an "alcoholic" or emotional "withdrawals".
I'm talking about withdrawals such as Delerium Tremens and Seizures

I've been drinking for about 2 weeks straight, every day all day. And I was drinking before that for another week (but I had a few day long break between my 1 week binge and my 2 week binge). Before that, I'd only drink maybe once or twice a week. I was averaging about 15 beers a day, but about 3 days ago I started drinking almost 30 beers a day. I haven't had any alcohol today, and don't notice any withdrawals, but I do feel depressed and a little bit on edge, and I'm maybe experiencing a prolonged hangover - however, I've heard that alcohol withdrawals can take a day or two after the last drink to manifest.

Am I going to get withdrawals? Do I need to taper?
Can my withdrawals really be that bad as to cause delerium tremens? I know some people who have been drinking every day for years and even their withdrawals aren't too terrible.

I am quitting drinking for a long time after this, unless I start getting withdrawals, then I plan to taper.

Wouldn't alcohol need to be in your bloodstream 24/7 for quite a while in order for withdrawals to start after quitting? I obviously didn't drink when I went to sleep, and I usually wouldn't drink in the morning for a few hours, and alcohol's half life is pretty short, so do I even need to worry?

 

[tricomb]

You should be fine, 2 weeks is a very short time for an addiction, but by no means do I mean "Oh you'll be fine". However, the whole you've dug yourself is not as deep as others. You may not even experience withdrawals, but I think you will experience at least some minor discomfort, as well as other symptoms like sweating, cravings, etc.

I HIGHLY recommend you monitor proper diet and even more important, exercise. Sweat out those toxins, being active will help you get over this faster.

If I were you, I would contact my doctor, or ask a nurse, or otherwise seek professional advice.

how long has it been since your last drink? What was your drink of choice? (Alcohol % and how much of it) Are you taking any other medications?

 

[SpunkySkunk347]

how long has it been since your last drink? What was your drink of choice? (Alcohol % and how much of it) Are you taking any other medications?

Since 5 am this morning (its now 8 pm here).
My drink of choice was just beer; hard liquor gave me too bad of hangovers, and I'd be sick to my stomach the next day so I just stuck with beer.

There were periods of short sobriety these past 2 weeks; sometimes 8+ hours or so inbetween drinking sprees. I also sleep for 10-12 hours a day, so I think the long period I sleep might have saved me from withdrawals (possibly). But still, when I actually thought about the fact that I was starting to drink upwards of 20-30 beers a day, I got very scared about the possibility of withdrawals, so I immediately started cutting back.

Basically, what I'd do was, each day when I didn't feel that hungover anymore and felt like drinking again, I'd slam 3-6 beers as fast as I could (within 20 minutes to an hour), then just coast on that buzz with 1-2 beers an hour. At the end of it, I sometimes couldn't tell if I was drunk or sober until some sort of nuance in the way I acted indicated to me that I was still sort of drunk.

I'm prescribed adderall but I don't take it very often because of the side effects (haven't taken it since around the beginning of April)

I am also just very stressed with life right now, and have a lot of anxiety (to the point that I almost feel dissociated), so it might be hard for me to distinguish anxiety from withdrawals.

 

[tricomb]

Usually, if acute withdrawals are severe enough, it will cause insomnia, or wake you up if you're already sleeping.

Withdrawals are one big reason to cut back, but even better reasons to quit, AND STAY CLEAN increased risks of: Cirrhosis, Hepatitis, Cancer, etc.

Disclaimer: I am not a qualified medical professional, nor do I claim to be, so any advice I give you is based on previous knowledge/experience, and you should consult a medical professional regardless of anything you read on bluelight.

 

[Jabberwocky]

if using beer, you should be fine frankly. the low alcohol content will be enough to deter you from frequent use, and even if used frequently for two weeks, it should not be enough to cause withdrawal symptoms in such a short period of time as GABA receptors are not as active when alcohol is used at such a low level for such an extended period of time . if it were hard liquor i could suggest otherwise, but the most you will experience is anxiety and panic, which can be controlled used a low ( I MEAN LOW - 5MG) of valium every night for the next week or so, if you don't have access to this drug, look up l-theanine. if possible try and use a non gaba sensitive drug such as promethazine if you are finding it difficult to sleep, and you should restore bak to normal in no time, give it about a week or so. you haven't abused alcohol enough to cause seizures at withdrawal level so i believe you can live it through and work it out using a healthy diet and abstinence.

 

[SpunkySkunk347]

I've heard (but this might just be a myth) that once severe withdrawals have fully manifested, drinking alcohol won't stop or postpone them. Is that true, or just a myth?

 

[Jabberwocky]

I've heard (but this might just be a myth) that once severe withdrawals have fully manifested, drinking alcohol won't stop or postpone them. Is that true, or just a myth?

this is a myth, as alcohol wil always activate the same receptors with usage of it, gaba being the dominant receptor.

 

[SpunkySkunk347]

this is a myth, as alcohol wil always activate the same receptors with usage of it, gaba being the dominant receptor.

alright good, I'm going to keep a 40 oz in my closet only to be used in case of emergency (e.g. imminent seizures)