Questions from an alcoholic

[PallMall]

This is my first time posting here and I'm trying to see if I can get any advice that would help me with my problem. To make things short, I'm a raging alcoholic. I've cut done my drinking recently to a pint of vodka a day, but I lived several years while drinking well over a fifth a day.
I've done all the other drugs and I thought they were fun. I actually tried to quit drinking by smoking heroin. Heroin was great and all but it just didn't offer that extra oomph that alcohol does. I'm also a very anxious person, I suppose i should make that apparent.
I've been prescribed xanax before and it worked just as well as alcohol, the only problem is that I abused it just as much as alcohol. Now the xanax prescription is no more. Part of me fears that benzo's might be what I need to finally alleviate myself of these anxiety problems. It just sucks that I abused xanax when I had a legit reason to take benzos. Do any other alcohol oriented people have any advice when it comes to quitting the hooch. And are there any other drugs that reduce anxiety the way alcohol does?

 

[pallidamors]

not sure if troll BUT...

speaking as a heroin addict and alcoholic, who drinks on par with you,
there are plenty of other non benzo medications that will do the job. i'd look into gabapentin or pregabalin since those will let you detox without going into DTs, and they'll ease the transition to sobriety a bit. also maybe propranolol cuz i'm guessing you'll get panic attacks. alcohol is a particularly rough drug to get off of, in fact. you would almost be safter detoxing off heroin.

 

[PallMall]

I'm definitely not a troll. Gabapentin is nerountin correct? My psychiatrist mentioned that last time he spoke with me but he didn't prescribe it. Part of my really wants to go back on the benzo's just because they worked so well. I happened to abuse them at the time and in hindsight I think that was rather stupid, and I don't think i would do that again. But then again I'm most likely an addict so who knows?

 

[hobhead]

substituting benzodiazepines for ethanol is simply cross addicting as they not only hit the same neurotransmitters but are central nervous system depressants of approximately the same order.

if you intend to defer to instant gratification, then booze is a winner because of the price and the fact that benzos are controlled substances .

if i were in your shoes (and i have been in similar) I would not hesitate to keep sucking on the tit rather than expensive, illegal and otherwise - unwise transition to benzodiazepines .

I have spent a couple of uncomfortable nights in county jail while my central nervous system got back to steady state from a mild booze habit . you know jerking about and what not while waiting unsuccessfully to get 40 winks.

IMHO you are well and truly fucked if you substitute benzos - frying pan into the fire and all that metaphor nonsense .


detox !

 

[PallMall]

I've also spent some shaky nights in jail. Several weeks ago I woke up in a hospital with alcohol poisoning. I realize that substituting benzos for alcohol is a slippery slope but I feel like if I keep drinking i will die. Alcohol just relieves me of the anxiety that I experience all the time. The only problem is when i start drinking I can't stop.

 

[panic in paradise]

how long have you been at a pint?

if a month or more, i would not feel threatened physically by the w/d symptoms. alcohol and benzo w/d is best done in a medical environment, but depending on how long you have kept it to a pint, it should just be damn uncomfortable, and very anxious uneasy feeling, but id doubt there will be many tremors, or if there are they would be controllable for a day or twp.

gabapentin helps, benzos help, valerien is otc and helps, indica helps, sleep, omega 3, blue green algae, kumbacha, spicey food that makes you sweat.
the mental part is rough, and the first three months will be a harsh test, but it only gets easier.

you have to recognize relapse triggers, i after almost two years, went into a store i would fly off to trying to get their at the last, or first minute... but after entering the store and not buying alcohol many times... the clerk that worked most of those nights/mornings, was st the register and holy shit, it was very overwhelming, a flood of fresh memories and high anxiety & depression.

i waded through the thoughts and emotions, and forgot about it several hours later. that was a set up for me to cave in, all the typical extreme feelings where there, they weren't moments before, and they cary no cause to take action on.


there is a overwhelming sense of freedom that will come, once you really realize how much alcohol binds you from.

 

[PallMall]

I've been drinking a pint a day for about a month now. That's just an average calculation though, I've had a bit more than a pint today. Its rough though. I want to stop drinking, but I severely love the effects produced by alcohol. I've found that marijuana actually take away cravings to drink but it makes me ultra-anxious/paranoid and those are the feelings I'm trying to get away from.

 

[burn out]

alcohol can be hard to quit but benzos are not a good substitute. you build a tolerance to them, they stop helping with anxiety and then are nearly impossible to get off and make you miserable (they cause depression and anxiety). the way i quit alcohol was just by waiting until the cravings went away, which took about 8 months before i noticed any real progress but soon after that i felt like i had been freed from the addiction. another thing that helped me was readding allen carr's book "the easy way to stop drinking" which i read about 6 months after i quit. it helped me to realize alcohol was not so great and made me stop envying drinkers so much.

 

[pallidamors]

I've been drinking a pint a day for about a month now. That's just an average calculation though, I've had a bit more than a pint today. Its rough though. I want to stop drinking, but I severely love the effects produced by alcohol. I've found that marijuana actually take away cravings to drink but it makes me ultra-anxious/paranoid and those are the feelings I'm trying to get away from.

you'll also get anxious and paranoid when not drinking. i cant even tell you how many times i barricaded myself inside of a house because of gaba-ergic anxiety.

unfortunately, you'll probably just have to quit and find something else to do for fun. i'm guessing alcohol is the MOST fun that you have in a given day. you're going to have to unlearn that if you want to get clean and stay clean.

but what do i know, i'm an alcoholic.

 

[n3ophy7e]

PallMall, does your psychiatrist know about your drinking problem?? Do they know how much trouble you're having quitting, that the xanax didn't help you, or that you would like to quit? It sounds to me like you're in that almost desperate phase where you really do want to quit, but you need professional help to do that. A lot of people can't quit alcohol on their own. It can be a really tough one to crack so there's no shame in needing to seek proper help.

If you feel like your psychiatrist isn't taking an active enough approach to your situation, go back to your regular doctor and tell them the situation, and see if you can get a referral to a psychologist or specialised alcohol counsellor. Quitting alcohol isn't just about getting through the nasty physical withdrawals, but also the psychological withdrawals, and needing to re-train your brain to deal with life without having to rely on alcohol. You have a much better chance of quitting drinking if you get regular counselling and support while you're quitting.

Good luck man