Harm Reduction Can I Drink Alcohol Tonight? Been Clear Of Benzos For 11 Months

[300THB]

Hi guys so I?m going to a singles party tonight and to be honest I would like to be able to have a few drinks. Probably 3-4 beers or the equivalent of 3-4 shots of whiskey. It?s been well over 12 months since I last drank alcohol.


Been clear of Ativan for 11 months now.


My benzo history is as follows.


It was always Ativan that was used.


Year 1 (my dosage varied in this year. Sometimes it was 1mg each night others 2-3mg daily if I had used stims)
Year 2 (1mg each night)
6 months (1.5mg each night)
6 months (0.5mg each night)


Then its been about 11 months since I last used any benzos.


1. Can I drink tonight?
2. Can alcohol affect me differently after not using GABA drugs for over a year? E.g will it likely be stronger or weaker than normal?
3. If drinking does bring back my withdrawal symptoms. How bad are they likely to be? E.g equivalent dosage of Ativan to remove the WD symptoms?
4. Is seizure risk a problem?

Appreciate any responses, thanks.

 

[candidsurprise]

Yes, as long as you have enough self-control to restrict it to this one night. Monitor your symptoms for the week following, if you notice an increase in symptoms then you know that you haven't recovered yet.

Having a drink of alcohol will NOT be equivalent to taking another ativan. The reason is that alcohol acts upon a different binding site to benzos, even if the two different binding sites are located on the same receptor for both alcohol and benzos. However, there is still some overlap. Even if you notice some withdrawal symptoms returning, they will be mild and will only last a few days, so long as you only drink once. The probability is that you'll have some rebound anxiety, but only to the extent that you would normally get from a hangover. There will be minimal seizure risk.

For peace of mind, even if you took one low-moderate dose of ativan now, it would be unlikely to set you back significantly in your benzo recovery. Obviously it's a different story if this escalates into any sort of regularity.

If you have an addictive personality and fear that you might drink more often, then the answer is do not drink tonight.

Alcohol is likely to feel slightly weaker than it would have done pre-benzos. It will feel weaker than when you were on benzos too, as benzos potentiate the effects of alcohol. It will feel slightly stronger than it would have done say 1-2 months off of benzos.

What you could do instead is to consider using a drug that hits GABA-B receptors instead of alcohol (which hits both GABA A and GABA B). The reason being that benzos only affect GABA A. This means that a GABA B drug won't interfere with your benzo recovery at all. GHB is a great option as it doesn't touch GABA A but still feels almost exactly like alcohol (with a bit more euphoria). Phenibut is also a great option. Alternatively you could use a drug that hits the voltage gated sodium channels. These drugs include gabapentin and pregabalin. These also feel similar to alcohol without touching the GABA receptors.

 

[300THB]

Yes, as long as you have enough self-control to restrict it to this one night. Monitor your symptoms for the week following, if you notice an increase in symptoms then you know that you haven't recovered yet.

Having a drink of alcohol will NOT be equivalent to taking another ativan. The reason is that alcohol acts upon a different binding site to benzos, even if the two different binding sites are located on the same receptor for both alcohol and benzos. However, there is still some overlap. Even if you notice some withdrawal symptoms returning, they will be mild and will only last a few days, so long as you only drink once. The probability is that you'll have some rebound anxiety, but only to the extent that you would normally get from a hangover. There will be minimal seizure risk.

For peace of mind, even if you took one low-moderate dose of ativan now, it would be unlikely to set you back significantly in your benzo recovery. Obviously it's a different story if this escalates into any sort of regularity.

If you have an addictive personality and fear that you might drink more often, then the answer is do not drink tonight.

Alcohol is likely to feel slightly weaker than it would have done pre-benzos. It will feel weaker than when you were on benzos too, as benzos potentiate the effects of alcohol. It will feel slightly stronger than it would have done say 1-2 months off of benzos.

What you could do instead is to consider using a drug that hits GABA-B receptors instead of alcohol (which hits both GABA A and GABA B). The reason being that benzos only affect GABA A. This means that a GABA B drug won't interfere with your benzo recovery at all. GHB is a great option as it doesn't touch GABA A but still feels almost exactly like alcohol (with a bit more euphoria). Phenibut is also a great option. Alternatively you could use a drug that hits the voltage gated sodium channels. These drugs include gabapentin and pregabalin. These also feel similar to alcohol without touching the GABA receptors.

I would just like to start by saying that i do not think my personality to be addictive. I don't like being drunk and any alcohol consumed is simply to enjoy being in a buzzed state (Not drunk, just buzzed) and for the social benefits. Over the years I never taken the benzos to get high it was for anxiety relief and to help me sleep over the years. Then after a while the physical addiction kicked in and that is why i got stuck on them.

On Friday evening i did go out to the party and ended up going to a few clubs afterwards. Overall i drank somewhere between 5 and 8 shots of whisky over the night. The next day i woke up and felt GREAT. Little if any anxiety and no noticeable withdrawal symptoms.

We are now on Tuesday and i still feel fine.

Does this mean i have likely fully healed from my Benzo usage?

How often would you say it is safe for me to consume alcohol?

Will my previous benzo addiction put me at a greater risk of getting "Physically" addicted to alcohol? I'm not worried about mental addiction as alcohol simply isn't something i enjoy to the point of getting mentally addicted.

Thanks for your thought-out post, it has been most helpful.

 

[Mycophile]

I guess it's probably not something I should say that I've been on about 2mgs of Klonopin a day for 15 years and gotten drunk on it...well....as many times as someone who likes to drink gets drunk in 15 years....and only ONCE did I black out.

That's NOT to say you shouldn't be heading advice and being careful because there is no question that benzos and alcohol CAN have bad interactions....but it is my belief from my experiences that drinking on low to moderate dosage of benzos (like 2mg Klonopin or lower), is Not particularly dangerous in terms of respiratory depression at least....not in the sense that drinking on Opiates would be...TOTALLY different story.

I mean I really don't mean to be "anti-harm reduction"...Cause I am TOTALLY for people using drugs responsibly, I love this site and what it does.

But I think it's important to know which drugs you really should NEVER EVER mix for risk of death....and which you probably can get away with if you are somewhat careful, and I don't believe this combo to be very dangerous.

Now if you said you were going out drinking on Vicodin or Percocet or Heroin I'd say you'd be lucky to wake up in the morning.

It's just my personal opinion that ONCE ONE IS TOLERANT TO BENZOS...and has started off slowly....seeing how they react to one or 2 drinks....SLOWLY titrating upwards....if things continue to be fine...the combo is often but not ALWAYS ok.


So yeah....if you've been off benzos for 11 months, this question is not necessary.

You are 110% safe, and you MIGHT have even been safe drinking on the benzos...but the smart advice from a doctor would always of course be to NOT drink on them...whether or not you have different results and disobey doctors orders....that's a different story, and surely not advised...


One other thing I would add....is that the biggest difference you'll probably notice, as I did when I was off Klonopin for 9 months (yes, I wish I didn't need it, and I was less groggy, but my anxiety came back and I had to get back on it...I REALLY hope someday I can get off them for good....)...

But....when I drink on benzos (like get DRUNK, not buzzed) I wake up with BAD rebound anxiety which happens if you mix GABA drugs, not just a hangover, but a panicky hangover (so I NEVER said mixing them isn't bad...it is...just IMO not necessarily ALWAYS LETHAL...)

But anyways....when off the benzos I never had that panic rebound anxiety when hungover which was great, and that of course is why you didn't feel so bad.

Mixing GABA drugs is a risk for sure, very unhealthy....I do not however believe that mixing moderate benzo use with alcohol is likely to kill most young healthy people....but that being said....don't do it.

 

[Mycophile]

That being said, I actually feel like I have to say how I DO think drinking on benzos can be really dangerous just to be clear, in my personal opinion of course, not that you'll just get respiratory depression and die...I don't think that's likely, but blacking out is a REAL issue to be aware of if you are not tolerate to benzos for any reason, whether you were never on them and just got put on them, or were off them and put back on, or your doctor has raised your dose and you are not tolerant to it yet...DO NOT get drunk then because your body isn't used to it.

That's the reason I blacked out the one time I did, and it was one of the most embarrassing nights ever...and I'm lucky that's all it was:

I'd been on 1.5--2.0mgs of Klonopin daily (like I still am)...for about 11 years, then got off it for 9 months, felt more clarity, better sleep, but my anxiety came back and I couldn't deal so I got put back on benzos, I THINK at the same dosage I'd been on before, probably 1.5mgs of Klonopin.

So I had not even had a drink since getting back on it, and about a week later with ZERO tolerance to my old dose, but thinking it would be fine cause Id' done it before, went out with some people and drank more than I barely ever even drink....like 6 shots in the first hour, who knows how many more.

I was fine one moment, next thing I know the night was gone and all I remember are bits and pieces.

I'm not going into all the details, lets just say, I thoroughly embarrassed myself, was trying to find my car to drive home thinking I could while staying with a new acquaintaince, and all I remember is in my zombie state realizing I'd made a mistake and couldn't drive so while outside my friend's apartment complex I was banging on doors trying to open them so I could go back to my friend's place and go to sleep like I knew I should...

...only I wasn't banging on my friend's door, but a complete stranger's, got the cops called on me, and was lucky my friend talked them out of arresting me by telling me he'd take me back to his place so I could sleep it off.

He saved my ass, and while we weren't really friends before, just friendly acquaintances, we COULD have been maybe...and now understandably he wants nothing to do with me, just as I wouldn't if I were him.

As for everyone else i was with, they are still cool with me though.

I guess it was a lesson I needed to learn:

IF you DO choose to drink on benzos:

1) If you have just been put on them, or just had your dose raised, DON'T get drunk and just drink SLOWLY a couple beers, and if you are going to do it, do it at home.

2) You should not actually GET DRUNK, beyond buzzed, for like maybe 2-3 months till you are tolerant to whatever dose you are on, and again, if you do it, do it in your own house with maybe a close friend so if anything bad happens that damage is likely to be limited due to not being around lots of people.

3) if your dose is raised, again, don't get drunk for a few months till you are tolerant to the dose, drink SLOWLY, and don't DARE to get drunk in public till you have already been on that dose for several months and have gotten drunk AT HOME and seen you can tolerate it.


That's my only fear: that I am going to try to cut down on Klonopin soon, and I think I can do it, but I have a big stash, and I need to remind myself to keep records of how much Klonopin I take, take note if old doses are now hitting me harder, and if I DO decide to go out and get drunk, make sure I am NOT on my old dose....and preferably...don't get drunk in public at all unless I've done it on that dose at home a couple times and been ok.


If your tolerance to benzos goes down, and you assume your old dose will feel the same and take it and go out and get shitfaced...THAT's when bad things happen...probably not respiratory depression, but god knows what you might do in that kind of zombie state, I mean, you could do anything.

I need to remind myself of that to be sure.