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Question about alcohol withdrawal

KraziKat

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 30, 2013
Messages
458
Maybe someone can enlighten, as this is the first time I am trying to quit drinking (without being on oxy or benzos -- on pills, it was breeze!)

This is day four of my quit with booze. Ramping up to the point of my "moment of clarity," I was up to a half a bottle of vodka a night... buying a handle every third or 4th day. I began to fear I'd have severe withdrawal symptoms.

Day one and two I was hopelessly depressed and anxious. Day 3 a little better, and today I'm on BL all day obsessing over my addictions and recovery.

My question, will withdrawal from alcohol suddenly sneak up on me? Kratom is helping with the daily anxiety and achiness, but I am not sure if it's just opiod WD that the K is addressing.... Oy! the life of a poly-drug addict!
 
i drank half a liter of vodka for a year and didn't get any withdrawal symptoms when i quit. i doubt that the alcohol withdrawal is going to get any worse.
 
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Maybe someone can enlighten, as this is the first time I am trying to quit drinking (without being on oxy or benzos -- on pills, it was breeze!)

This is day four of my quit with booze. Ramping up to the point of my "moment of clarity," I was up to a half a bottle of vodka a night... buying a handle every third or 4th day. I began to fear I'd have severe withdrawal symptoms.

Day one and two I was hopelessly depressed and anxious. Day 3 a little better, and today I'm on BL all day obsessing over my addictions and recovery.

My question, will withdrawal from alcohol suddenly sneak up on me? Kratom is helping with the daily anxiety and achiness, but I am not sure if it's just opiod WD that the K is addressing.... Oy! the life of a poly-drug addict!

So you're saying that you struggle to go more than three or four days before the cravings become too much for you to manage and you end up drinking?
 
It's possible you may not have alcohol withdrawals this time. How long had you been drinking?
 
So you're saying that you struggle to go more than three or four days before the cravings become too much for you to manage and you end up drinking?

Not saying that. I'm saying that I'm still feeling very much not myself, despite now stringing 4 days together of no drinking. I am not craving alcohol, but I'm wondering if my physical discomfort is alcohol-related, or it's simply part of my recovery from oxy and then sub and now kratom. I've never remotely tried to quit drinking before, but I used booze heavily during opiate withdrawal. Big mistake.
 
It's possible you may not have alcohol withdrawals this time. How long had you been drinking?

I'm 41 years old. As part of my "moment of clarity," I faced the fact that I have been drinking nightly since I was about 18 or so. Of course there were breaks here and there, and I was never a day drinker, but alcohol has been a part of nightly routine for 2 decades now. I wasn't getting drunk every night, but drinking. However, for the last month or so, while detoxing from my opiate addiction, I was going to bed after having a third or half a bottle of vodka.

I was/am not ever a morning or day drinker, but I saw myself starting to do that the two weeks before my "quit." I was also hiding bottles, stashing bottles, etc. I don't want to die.
 
Not saying that. I'm saying that I'm still feeling very much not myself, despite now stringing 4 days together of no drinking. I am not craving alcohol, but I'm wondering if my physical discomfort is alcohol-related, or it's simply part of my recovery from oxy and then sub and now kratom. I've never remotely tried to quit drinking before, but I used booze heavily during opiate withdrawal. Big mistake.

Gotcha. It sounds like, and this probably already makes sense to you, your alcohol use is probably exacerbating the lingering symptoms of acute withdrawal to the point you would be more comfortable either cutting down or abstaining from it for at least a short period of time while the rest of your body to continue reacclimatize to a new homeostasis and continue to heal.
 
No one's mentioned post-acute withdrawal yet?
Once you get past the vomiting, shaking sweating insomnia, and those horror-dreams, start eating and moving around, you're mostly good, at least for me, and if you don't start doing those things in 24 hours, sing a song and don't risk it again.

But depending on everything, you get the emotional/psychological punch(es) at any time between never and years from now, but like five days for me. That stuff can feel just as physical, but with less retching, so keep that in mind. And I bet the routine physical weakness and malnutrition of chronic drinking feels a lot worse if you didn't just go through a hard withdrawal ordeal.

It's interesting, because I still have a five/year drunk evening, so with no tolerance, and I'll swear I go straight to withdrawal symptoms the next day, skip the regular hangover headache and mild nausea, off to sweats and insomnia, intense anxiety.
 
With that amount I wouldn't even get any withdraws. Maybe some shakes, anxiety, and brain fog.


That's about it.

I used to drink half a handle in a night fairly easy, days on end and wake up and go to work fine. I'm a tall big dude though, probably has a lot to do with it.


What forced me to stop is my liver and kidneys were failing, plus my blood pressure was through the roof and my heart was in the early stages of failure.(in my mid 20s)




Alcohol is a helluva drug.. probably the worst out there.
 
Thanks everybody for the replies. I think I'm good to go now in terms of not having any more acute alcohol related WD symptoms. I guess it was more like a 3 day hangover. The brain fog and depression is still there though, but I think I'm going to attribute that to simply being exhausted. With all that's going on and my brain feeling so foggy for almost a week, I have not gotten a good night's sleep. Not even close. Maybe 4-5 hours a night, tops, and interrupted.

I wish I had a good sleeping pill and the luxury of having no kids to look after, marriage to save, or job to report to. SIGH.
 
Is crippling anxiety and insomnia a common side effect for a nightly drinker (going to bed buzzed every night for a long time) who suddenly stops?
 
With that amount I wouldn't even get any withdraws. Maybe some shakes, anxiety, and brain fog.


That's about it.

I used to drink half a handle in a night fairly easy, days on end and wake up and go to work fine. I'm a tall big dude though, probably has a lot to do with it.


What forced me to stop is my liver and kidneys were failing, plus my blood pressure was through the roof and my heart was in the early stages of failure.(in my mid 20s)




Alcohol is a helluva drug.. probably the worst out there.

Did you stop drinking? If so, how?
 
No one's mentioned post-acute withdrawal yet?
Once you get past the vomiting, shaking sweating insomnia, and those horror-dreams, start eating and moving around, you're mostly good, at least for me, and if you don't start doing those things in 24 hours, sing a song and don't risk it again.

But depending on everything, you get the emotional/psychological punch(es) at any time between never and years from now, but like five days for me. That stuff can feel just as physical, but with less retching, so keep that in mind. And I bet the routine physical weakness and malnutrition of chronic drinking feels a lot worse if you didn't just go through a hard withdrawal ordeal.

It's interesting, because I still have a five/year drunk evening, so with no tolerance, and I'll swear I go straight to withdrawal symptoms the next day, skip the regular hangover headache and mild nausea, off to sweats and insomnia, intense anxiety.

Do you drink moderately between those 5 drunk nights a year? I swear, I have never felt this kind of anxiety and insomnia before. I'm starting to think I may need SSRI's or something. My brain chemistry feels so fucked up! Is it not drinking? Using willpower? Other substances?
 
Is crippling anxiety and insomnia a common side effect for a nightly drinker (going to bed buzzed every night for a long time) who suddenly stops?


Absolutely normal. Also another negative is the BOREDOM. Takes a while to get back to normal activities without the use of alcohol.

Did you stop drinking? If so, how?

I stopped drinking that much. Now I limit myself to once a week if that. It's still a problem, but at least I can limit myself now. I just knew it was wreaking havoc on my health so either tone it down/stop or eventually die.
 
Absolutely normal. Also another negative is the BOREDOM. Takes a while to get back to normal activities without the use of alcohol.



I stopped drinking that much. Now I limit myself to once a week if that. It's still a problem, but at least I can limit myself now. I just knew it was wreaking havoc on my health so either tone it down/stop or eventually die.

Good – So it can be done!! I had a therapy session with my wife and I couldn't help but feel that I was being ganged up on and given demands that I MUST abstain, and attend meetings, etc. I'm not ruling it out, and maybe that's where I'll end up one day, but today I feel like I can one day soon find moderation. Or maybe I can succeed in making "rules" for myself, such as "no hard liquor" in the house, or "no more than 2 or 3 beers during the week" and not drinking EVERY night.

This thing about abstinence is driving me crazy. Yes, it's wrecking havoc on my health. The blackouts and hangovers have to stop. But I don't want to be a miserable "dry drunk" forcing myself to abstain from a substance that I enjoy, but admittedly got out of hand in recent months, partially due to coming off a 150 mg/ day oxy habit and the relieving the anxiety I felt from that detox.
 
Good – So it can be done!! I had a therapy session with my wife and I couldn't help but feel that I was being ganged up on and given demands that I MUST abstain, and attend meetings, etc. I'm not ruling it out, and maybe that's where I'll end up one day, but today I feel like I can one day soon find moderation. Or maybe I can succeed in making "rules" for myself, such as "no hard liquor" in the house, or "no more than 2 or 3 beers during the week" and not drinking EVERY night.

This thing about abstinence is driving me crazy. Yes, it's wrecking havoc on my health. The blackouts and hangovers have to stop. But I don't want to be a miserable "dry drunk" forcing myself to abstain from a substance that I enjoy, but admittedly got out of hand in recent months, partially due to coming off a 150 mg/ day oxy habit and the relieving the anxiety I felt from that detox.


I highly suggest help though and abstaining from it. I just have a severe problem and the ONLY thing keeping me from drinking daily is my health, but I am an alcoholic and very addicted to it. In my head I can justify drinking every so often, but when is it going to lead to a bender and more health/relationship issues for me? I need to stay away entirely to be honest. But it's tough.


Sounds like you have an addictive personality though, same as me.
 
I highly suggest help though and abstaining from it. I just have a severe problem and the ONLY thing keeping me from drinking daily is my health, but I am an alcoholic and very addicted to it. In my head I can justify drinking every so often, but when is it going to lead to a bender and more health/relationship issues for me? I need to stay away entirely to be honest. But it's tough.


Sounds like you have an addictive personality though, same as me.

Indeed I do. Having an addictive personality is one of my defining characteristics, be it gambling, drink, drugs, sex, etc. I have so many vices, how can I go from 100 mph to 0? I am not kidding myself, I know I have a problem with alcohol, and with two little kids at home, I saw the light, had my moment of clarity and decided I need and want to live. But I'm suffering here and now.

For now, I'm going to continue to abstain. I'd like to vape a little weed, but don't want to be judged or vilified for it. I mean, of course the addiction experts who have never been addicts themselves will tell I CANNOT!
 
Is crippling anxiety and insomnia a common side effect for a nightly drinker (going to bed buzzed every night for a long time) who suddenly stops?

I don't think the anxiety would be "crippling" but yeah. Insomnia for sure, no question, at least for a week.
(And half of America gets those every night without numbing it with hooch.)
It might not be withdrawal-level, awake all night seeing your worst fears animated on the ceiling, but it'll be a drag for a while.

I'll tell you though, if you can get through the need for a nightcap, or even sub with Benadryl, your sleep will improve a lot. Help with unchecked apnea, heartburn, waking up in the middle of the night . . .
 
I don't think the anxiety would be "crippling" but yeah. Insomnia for sure, no question, at least for a week.
(And half of America gets those every night without numbing it with hooch.)
It might not be withdrawal-level, awake all night seeing your worst fears animated on the ceiling, but it'll be a drag for a while.

I'll tell you though, if you can get through the need for a nightcap, or even sub with Benadryl, your sleep will improve a lot. Help with unchecked apnea, heartburn, waking up in the middle of the night . . .

Can't wait for the anxiety to go away. Just craving normalcy and homeostasis. I do not want to go on SSRIs. I've been suffering from GERD and heartburn for years, excited to finally beat that. Good to know this horrible insomnia is kinda normal. Tomorrow, assuming I can stave off tonight's cravings, will be one week "dry."

Any OTC recs for sleep? I have pretty much tried them all this week. Last night, both NyQuil and Unisom failed to work, as well as Valerian root. A toke on some indica vape helped a little, I suppose.
 
Any OTC recs for sleep? I have pretty much tried them all this week. Last night, both NyQuil and Unisom failed to work, as well as Valerian root. A toke on some indica vape helped a little, I suppose.

If I had that, I'd be so rich I could hire people to cradle my head while I slept.

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) works for me eventually in all cases but full alcohol withdrawal (don't go past 50mg long-term, 100mg short-term). But you tried antihistamines. I've never had any success with herbs or roots or tinctures or teas, other than of the Cannabis species, but it can knock my intolerant ass out anytime. I think melatonin might work for shift workers, not for insomnia, does nothing for me. Oh wait, some retails sell Kava extracts, and some of them seem to have actual Kava, which may help slightly. Worth it to spend more for the eye-dropper extracts there.

One option that's not possible for everyone, but very effective: get physical. For me and mental issues-related insomnia, that's an epic walk or hill climb, pref in full sun on a hot day. At least six miles out, brisk pace. Sweat a lot and sunburn. You want painful blisters, shin splits, foxtails in your socks, a run-in with some hoodlums, enter an entirely new neighborhood Kwik-E-Mart for water, at least three sets of train tracks, a bridge, a vicious dog, and share tobacco with at least two separate groups of hobos, ask their names. Noon to after dusk, unless you favor adventure, depending on your neighborhood.

You'll be exhausted and can think about hobos instead.

Also, sex helps.
 
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