Alcohol withdrawals....how long do they last? A question about alcoholism

Today has been shockingly easy and my mood is great. I'm nervous it's so type of mood swing issues but hey I feel great. I was still fatigued in the morning but pumped out about 30 push ups and wanna workout tonight.

I have been drinking tons of soda, but maybe it's just because I crave a cold carbonated can drink and am just replacing

I've been through similar stuff OP. If you have a real problem, you can try AA. I couldn't stomach all the cult like ways of it but some people need it. I also found smoking a little weed every now and then helps with withdrawals immensely. Yes, its another drug but it doesn't damage your body like alcohol and its great for withdrawal if you don't have a problem with weed. If you're going cold turkey, weed is a great way to help you get through it. I went cold turkey after like 5 years of drinking everyday in various degrees of heaviness. Lots of water and a few bowls kept me sane. I found the 2nd week to be the roughest in withdrawal periods. Look forward to insomnia, lots of sweat in your sleep, and crazy dreams. It does get better though. Quitting gradually by percentage is also a more realistic approach for a truly heavy drinker.

I have 2 friends in AA who probably would not be alive had they continued on the path they were on. The support and consistency of going to meetings was/is crucial for them. Even after 5 years sober my friend goes to meeting most days and sometimes 2 a day. Both also met their fiancees at the meetings and have made many genuine friends as well.

Based on the history you described I would recommend checking out a meeting in your area.

I made it 12 1/2 years sober the first time, then decided I wasn't an alcoholic, that I could drink like everyone else--mainly because I quit going to AA meetings. I drank for 3 years as if I'd never stopped; in fact, my ability to drink copious amounts of whiskey and vodka increased dramatically. Af the end of that time I'd nearly lost my wife and had seriously risked the people I loved the most, so I went back. That was 8 years ago. It really does get better--all of those fears and insecurities and the physical and mental craving goes away.

To any that have replied. How much were/ are you drinking daily?

By the end, the minimum was a pint of 80*. Generally it was that plus at least another half pint or couple of big classes of wine or beer. Occasionally if I didn't have much time, i would down a half pint of 100* vodka or bourbon and ride that for a couple of hours.

I drank daily for 17 years , running daily as well through that period. I had several 1-3 month attempts to stop only to return to my 6 pack and vodka pint each night.Finally I just literally hit bottom on an afteroon run and stopped cold turkey. My family never new the volume of my drinking but were very supportive when for the first 2-3 months I was never in a pleasent mood.I only used asprin maybe for the first 3 weeks , and at the time believed "that you replenish your blood supply every 28 days" so real or not I thought I felt much better after the first month. This month marks 9 years sober and just under in 2 months it will be 44 years of distance running.

FYI I found my daily runs when I first stopped drinking to help my mood and resolve to feel better. I think setting a race goal 3 months after my last drink kept me focused.

Been sober since April ninth 1994

No AA quit cold turkey took many relapses before finally getting sober.

RUNNING IS A GREAT WAY TO KICK BOOZE

GOOD LUCK

Damn, a shit ton of alcoholics and recovering alcoholics on this board!

Alcohol is poison. Best of luck getting off (and staying off) of that.

I am the original poster

I am about to graduate college. I'd say for the last 1.5 years I've averaged 10 beers a night. Usually no less than 6, sometimes about 24 throughout the day. I was a NCAA sprinter. Quit the team. I look fit but I have a beer belly now. I use to be ripped.

I have been focusing on lifting weights. I feel too heavy to run. I'm sure I could jog but right now the lack of fitness may just bum me out.

I smelled alcohol on soneone today. I nearly puked.

Hey original poster, how's it going so far? Keep at it buddy! It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Tonight at midnight it will be officially one week...and also my birthday.

I told friends I am sober. They are being cool about it. They said they never thought it was a problem, but still being cool. I am really just telling everyone I just went hard for a little why and just trying to get my act together.

This board has been a huge help. I literally read it everyday. I feel a connection somehow.

I still have fatigue but I feel happier. My cravings are there but not bad. Tonight I went out to eat with buddies. They got drinks, I got coffee and a diet coke. I didn't go to the bar afterwards. It made me feel very good.

I am young and single...so I'm just trying to bang lots of girls and date a lot...to put it bluntly. Because of this, it scares me how I will meet women. I could easily bring home a girl from the bar in a drunken night and sleep with her. However the relationships always sucked and the girl was lame.

I'm excited to meet girls in the day time and try to develope some good relationships but scared on how I can possibly meet girls.

I don't want to rain on your parade, it sounds like you're approaching this seriously, but be very wary of the good feelings. Many alcoholics will get euphoric sensations shortly after quitting.

I remember one of the first times I tried quitting, I was cold turkey for three days and was walking home one night. I was overcome with joy and satisfaction. I felt on top of the world. But the next morning I reverted back to the type of crappy days you've been having: sleeping til noon, feeling purposeless.

I was a lot like you in that I didn't know my limits in college and then I didn't know my limits post college. Like many on this thread, I was drinking every night, drinking most mornings, and was mixing beer/wine/liquor.

I tried to quit on my birthday every year from 24-30 years old. The longest I made it was 3 weeks when I was 28.

I realized I needed a lot more help, went to church, didn't find god, but found a group of people who knew what I was experiencing and wanted to offer me support. I'll be 6 months sober July 4.

If this board is helping you, that is awesome and I encourage you to keep fighting the good battle. But don't be opposed to seeking other sources for help. AA is effective for a lot of people. You are lucky to have made the realization this early in your life. Stick to your convictions and get yourself right.

The very best Dj's do not drink. They have superior skills with women and and do not need alcohol to meet and date multiple women. Check out sosuave.net, join up, and learn. Pimp'n for Dummies is a pdf worth checking out. And subscribe to David DeAngelo's emails. Your eyes will be opened for the first time.

I quit cold turkey 2.5 years ago - thank God. Did it myself even though the doc and conselor suggested talk therapy, etc. It took me only about a week to start sleeping well and eating well. I had attempted to stop several times previously, and as many have stated, I felt like sh*t...could never understand why my eyeballs would hurt during the withdrawal, but that sucked...the paranoia, depression, convulsions, sleeplessness, sucked too...my blood pressure would be sky high during those days also.

I can tell you as did the other - hang in there, it gets progressively easier, and guess what? Nobody really cares that you don't drink...just don't preach to them.

Good luck!

I've been sober at least 12 years. I don't remember the exact date I quit drinking. I remember the circumstances -- a DUI. I was a problem drinker, maybe not an alcoholic, but probably on the way. It wasn't unusual for me to polish off 6-8 beers a night, or maybe a combination of beer and wine. Never much hard liquor.

One night after a full night of drinking, I decided to drive home from a party. About 10 minutes into a 30 minute drive, I realized I was too drunk to drive. I pulled over and went to sleep. I woke up with a cop knocking on the window. Keys were in the ignition. I failed a sobriety test and went to the drunk tank.

The lawyer told me I could probably get out of the arrest because the car was off and I was asleep, he wanted to argue that my BAC had risen while I was sleeping and the test results were invalid. I knew I was in the wrong, and decided to take the conviction, and have never had a drink since. The fallout of a DUI is damaging, but life moves on.

Quitting was easy, and I've never felt the need to take another drink. So perhaps I was never an alcoholic.

I can tell you that "problems" I had went away after I quit drinking. What I realized was that the problem WAS the drinking.

I'm lucky that my youthful irresponsibility harmed no one other than myself.

I forgot to add - those friggin night sweats were the worst...4 nights of soaking the sheets...wtf is that?

I also realized that any and all idiotic/embarrassing/hurtful things I had ever done or said were tied to booze. I'd sooner put a gun to my head than hit that poison again.

Original poster... wrote:

I have been drinking tons of soda, but maybe it's just because I crave a cold carbonated can drink and am just replacing

While you were drinking a tonne of booze, your body was processing it into sugars. Sweets (chocolate, desserts, candy, soda) were the last thing I wanted when I was boozing, but once I quit my body craved sugar.

It can quickly become a replacement drink if you're not careful, and the weight will pile on.

Good luck! Keep trying! It (quitting) might not work the first time, but I hope it does!