Alcohol Serious withdrawals after only drinking every third night?

[Didgital]

Bro its your GABA system that is messed up. Benzos, alcohol, GHB all mess with it

 

[placebonaut]

Diazepam is a miracle but due to it's extremely long half life, it's one of the harder benzos to stop.

hmm, I thought that the longer half life was 1 of the reasons it was used in the Ashton Taper, the idea being that it gives smoother blood levels versus shorter acting benzos

If you think this is happening to you.. you may want to switch to a shorter acting benzo, just so you can use the valium to stop after a good taper. Just a thought, not advice.

or maybe even consider a taper off Diazepam as a next step once Alcohol is stable?

I think I am addicted to having SOME sedating substance in my system, so in effect I am at least somewhat addicted to all of them.

I feel for you, it's the same with me.

I have finally decided to quit alcohol.

That's a good positive decision

Bro its your GABA system that is messed up. Benzos, alcohol, GHB all mess with it

yeah, this is spot on.

might be worth thinking about your entire GABA system to figure out how you get it back to baseline overall.

@Troppo not sure if it's legal in AUS but I've just started to have a play with blue lotus, quite a nice relaxing evening chill from it, think it might have potential for me as 1 of the thing I'm using as substitutes for alcohol

 

[Didgital]

hmm, I thought that the longer half life was 1 of the reasons it was used in the Ashton Taper, the idea being that it gives smoother blood levels versus shorter acting benzos

or maybe even consider a taper off Diazepam as a next step once Alcohol is stable?

I feel for you, it's the same with me.

That's a good positive decision

yeah, this is spot on.

might be worth thinking about your entire GABA system to figure out how you get it back to baseline overall.

@Troppo not sure if it's legal in AUS but I've just started to have a play with blue lotus, quite a nice relaxing evening chill from it, think it might have potential for me as 1 of the thing I'm using as substitutes for alcohol

I just mean that the longer halflife benzos are useful for tapering. But if you've become entirelhy dependant on one, then you don't have many options.

 

[lyrica333]

yeah alcohol also has withdrawals

 

[Troppo]

Bro its your GABA system that is messed up. Benzos, alcohol, GHB all mess with it

Yes I've been thinking that too. Some time ago I was taking zopiclone every night and I ended up having extreme anxiety the next day as the drug wore off.

not sure if it's legal in AUS but I've just started to have a play with blue lotus, quite a nice relaxing evening chill from it, think it might have potential for me as 1 of the thing I'm using as substitutes for alcohol

Yes blue lotus is totally legal here in Australia. I have experimented with just the dry flowers, which didn't do much for me. Now I'm thinking of seeing if I can get blue lotus tincture, as it would be more concentrated. If I can't get any then I think I'll prepare a tincture myself, using blue lotus flowers and vodka.

 

[Troppo]

So I used to do the same thing sorta, I would try to use benzos not to kill alcohol wd but just to use less alcohol. There'd be plenty of night's I'd just take a benzo and not need alcohol, but then the next day I'd usually drink etc.

The problem with this was I ended up getting physically dependent on the benzos... which I suspect is happening to you. Diazepam is a miracle but due to it's extremely long half life, it's one of the harder benzos to stop.

If you've been taking Diazepam daily for more than a month, I would seriously consider that the is valium contributing to the WD's.

If you think this is happening to you.. you may want to switch to a shorter acting benzo, just so you can use the valium to stop after a good taper. Just a thought, not advice.

I'm now completely off benzos and hope to stay that way. I used some diazepam in coming off the other benzos, and carisoprodol. I've had benzo dependence on a few occasions, the first of which was with alprazolam. I'd been prescribed 4 mg per day but never took that much, as I knew it would be too hard to stop. Just to let you all know, 4 mg of alprazolam is equivalent to 80 mg of diazepam, and I would never have been able to get that much diazepam.

 

[Didgital]

hmm, I thought that the longer half life was 1 of the reasons it was used in the Ashton Taper

What I meant is there are some people who have been taking Diazepam 10+ years and because it has such a long half life, you are withdrawling for weeks if not months. Some people been taking it so long, that it's actually recommended by the doctors to never get off of it.

Its amazing for getting off shorter acting benzos though because of it's long half life keeps the acute withdrawls to a minimum.

 

[placebonaut]

Yes blue lotus is totally legal here in Australia. I have experimented with just the dry flowers, which didn't do much for me. Now I'm thinking of seeing if I can get blue lotus tincture, as it would be more concentrated. If I can't get any then I think I'll prepare a tincture myself, using blue lotus flowers and vodka.

just be aware that making your own might be a PITA, there's variability with the strength of alkaloids depending on when the flower are harvested and other factors. getting a pre-made tincture with known strength would be better, or maybe even try the 98% extract (though I've never had any and don't know how well or even IF it works, I'd also want to understand more about the 98% extract given the trends we've seen with Kratom it might not be a great idea, I have no idea!)

 

[Keif' Richards]

I know you will think I am a negative Nancy. I am not here to bullshit anyone though.

I know you have some years under your belt. As do I. I have been around addicts since birth. I was a Heroin addict and intermittent Alcoholic (I can drink 40 drinks in a day when I am on a binge).

You are an Alcoholic and there will be no peace or freedom or independence of any kind until you stop drinking. The idea of rationing Alcohol is so cliche that there are entire chapters in the AA literature about it.

Rationing will do nothing but slowly drive you insane. Period.

Be grateful man. We have Weed. Imagine how it would be if we didnt have weed? I had to have something.. when I had the primal urge to inject Heroin, I had something that could take the edge off and I owe a lot of my success to this plant.

What you are describing is the Kindling Effect and it is quite normal for Chronic, severe Alcoholics to end up with an experience like yours. I, myself would potentially have seizures if I were to binge for 3-4 days.

Every time you withdraw, go back, withdraw everything speeds up and becomes more intense. You will get sick quicker with less consumed Alcohol.

You need to find a way. You need to find a reason deep inside your soul to be alive instead of dead. Maybe it is family. Maybe it is someone you love. Maybe it is just because another soul free to live and experience happiness is a wonderful, beautiful thing in its own right.

You have to decide that your life matters. Whoever or whatever created you did not do it so you and I can poison ourselves and anesthetize our thoughts and feelings. We are not meant to die alone and alienated and that is where booze leaves you.

Judging by your withdrawal description, you are in deep. I see you have been to detox before. As shitty as it is, these journeys for people like you and me begin with a medical detox.

If you need any help or just need to talk I am happy to help.

 

[agoraphobe]

I don't see any way for me to drink any more, except maybe a beer or two.

From this thread and another of yours, you appear to be doing everything possible to have alcohol included in whatever substitute you try. The answer has to be zero. Not 1 beer and 5 other things. You have to fully remove alcohol from the equation.

 

[puke]

I've been using several substances to stop alcohol withdrawals - diazepam, carisoprodol, propranolol, and 2-methyl-2-butanol. While I'm not really addicted to any one of these, I think I am addicted to having SOME sedating substance in my system, so in effect I am at least somewhat addicted to all of them.

I have finally decided to quit alcohol. Last time I tried drinking, I waited a full week and then drank 8 standard drinks, and even doing this, I had severe anxiety and other wd symptoms for days afterwards. I don't see any way for me to drink any more, except maybe a beer or two. I am going to try scopolamine (hyoscine hydrobromide, in Kwells travel sickness tablets) every 4 nights with a beer or two (no more), as I tested doing this a while ago and I found that I was satisfied, without any alcohol cravings. The scopolamine (4 tablets, 1.2 mg) creates a bit of a buzz, sort of a dizzyish feeling, that may substitute for alcohol. I was only getting that dizzyish sort of feeling from alcohol in the end. I may try alcohol again after a few months, or maybe a year, but I suspect it is now always going to produce withdrawal symptoms.

Maybe it's time to accept you're allergic to drinking and should stop. Especially stop planning for when you're gonna drink next.

 

[placebonaut]

I have finally decided to quit alcohol.

OP has already said they've decided to quit.

The decision itself is a major step forward, well done for getting there!