I fear the worst. Usually when one picks up after seven weeks or so the drinking turns to binge drinking.
I fear the worst. Usually when one picks up after seven weeks or so the drinking turns to binge drinking.
Thanks to the OP and all the many serious posters for sharing your stories. The stories shared on this thread are helpful for those of us who haven't been alcoholics as well--we can learn a lot from you guys, and not just about the dangers of drinking. Breaking free of the bottle is a feat of self-discipline, and your stories are just as applicable to people who are trying to quit smoking, lose unhealthy weight, or make other positive changes to their lifestyles.
Thanks again from a random runner.
Hey everyone, I'm the guy who started this thread and wanted to give a few updates.
I graduated from college last summer and things went well for a bit. I started a company, moved to California, and within the last few months the company was acquired! Now, I work for the company that bought mine. So that has been amazing, everything happened quickly.
But here's the bad part. I was only able to stay sober for 4 months. Once I got to California the drinking scene completely swept me up and I've been a mess since. I have been able to stay sober for a week or two at a time but then go right back at it and will be buzzed 24 hours a day. I'm ashamed, depressed, and EXTREMELY unhappy with my life. I attended an AA meeting and today I am trying to start fresh. I bought a membership to a gym and will left weights today for the first time in a while. I'm pretty screwed up right now, so I hope this works.
I'm in the Bay Area. Does anyone have group recommendations? I want to get fit again badly. I dream of pacing a fast 800m or mile because I'm a big dude and was a good 400m guy in college. At this point in my life though I have no motivation or goals. I'm struggling to motivate myself each day and I find little enjoyment in anything. I plan on getting my act together.
This was a great thread, really helped me out. Any update, OP?
blister in the run wrote:
This was a great thread, really helped me out. Any update, OP?
Haven't read the whole thread, but I love threads like this. As someone who has struggled with drug addictions and alcoholism, I love other people getting help and getting better, or even just being treated non-judgmentally.
Agreed with the first or second post: if you're a bad alcoholic, don't quite cold turkey. You can seizure and possibly die. Get medical attention.
Once you become a chronically relapsing alcoholic, you'll get withdrawal symptoms from small amounts of alcohol. Someone I know hadn't drank for months and he had minor withdraw symptoms a few hours after having 2 pints of beer.
jamin wrote:
Once you become a chronically relapsing alcoholic, you'll get withdrawal symptoms from small amounts of alcohol. Someone I know hadn't drank for months and he had minor withdraw symptoms a few hours after having 2 pints of beer.
I was never seriously physically addicted to alcohol, but I can't say I'm surprised about that. As an opiate addict, it took me YEARS of off-and-on abuse to get my first withdrawals, but once you've been hooked, you can get hooked again from three, two, or even one day's worth of use. It SUCKS. You're basically f-ed if you've been physically addicted to something from ever using it again.
GoldenMiles wrote:
jamin wrote:Once you become a chronically relapsing alcoholic, you'll get withdrawal symptoms from small amounts of alcohol. Someone I know hadn't drank for months and he had minor withdraw symptoms a few hours after having 2 pints of beer.
I was never seriously physically addicted to alcohol, but I can't say I'm surprised about that. As an opiate addict, it took me YEARS of off-and-on abuse to get my first withdrawals, but once you've been hooked, you can get hooked again from three, two, or even one day's worth of use. It SUCKS. You're basically f-ed if you've been physically addicted to something from ever using it again.
Yes, it sucks big time. This person I know, if he drinks on a night before work, will be shaky and sweaty at work the following day, will notice his heart beating faster and with more force, will have crazy nightmares when he goes to sleep. That in exchange for a couple hours of feeling really good. Not worth it.
I drink too much too and am having trouble giving it up . I've tried a few times. I usually have a bottle of wine each night - which is around 7.5 standard drinks. It is very relaxing. I seem okay the next day unless I have two bottles, then i feel hung over.
Those who think they drink too much - how much do you drink?
I admire the hell out of you.
I still run every day but I notice I've been drinking more the last 3 years. At least a beer or two a night and most nights I'll have 3 drinks. I realize there are some underlying emotional issues at play. I was using booze to kind of distance myself from that. Counseling helps.
IF you want an alternative to AA there is smart recovery. Less god talk.
awewwerwera wrote:
I drink too much too and am having trouble giving it up . I've tried a few times. I usually have a bottle of wine each night - which is around 7.5 standard drinks. It is very relaxing. I seem okay the next day unless I have two bottles, then i feel hung over.
Those who think they drink too much - how much do you drink?
To answer this question, when I was into heavy drinking, I drank either one or slightly less than one 750mL bottle of liquor a night after work. Would always give me a big hangover the next day. Sometimes a little more than that towards the end.
Drinking was never my biggest issue, as opiates and cocaine were, but there was a period after I had quite drugs in there where I got heavy into drinking about drank almost every day for 6 months or so.
I did Smart Recovery, as the poster above me mentioned, and it's good for people who aren't into the religious elements of AA. The thing that helped me most was going to a medical treatment thing, outpatient rehab specifically. It also helped me getting on Suboxone, as I was a heroin addict. But that's addictive as hell, too, and I'm currently in the process of tapering off the Suboxone four years later. But that's a different story for a different thread.
thanks for your reply
im a bottle a night too as i stated before. didn't have one last night though. i am not into drugs at all and never have been.
a bottle ofwine doesnt seem that much. i usually think of problem drinker as having a bottle of whisky a night.
The alcohol withdrawal symptoms can have a devastating effect on the health. Therefore, before matters worsen, seek medical attention at the earliest. With proper medical treatment, you stand a chance of many reductions in the risk of developing DTs or any type of withdrawal seizures.
It is necessary to consult a physician if you have earlier being associated with alcohol withdrawal symptoms or may have health issues like lung disease, heart diseases, infection, or seizure problems.
The process becomes slower if your stomach and intestine are filled with food. This also results in taking more time to develop a feel of intoxication.
You can read the article on "Alcohol Withdrawal"
http://www.addictionrehabcenters.com/withdrawal-detox/alcohol-withdrawal-detoxification/
Is your holiday soon and are you worried so that everything goes well? I have a great article for you.
https://proof.media/how-to-drink-but-not-get-drunk
Your holiday will be just amazing.
I have been sober in aa for a number of years. I have found that it wasn’t my drinking that caused my alcoholism it is my thinking. I couldn’t fix the problem with the mind that created the problem. I have found a solution in Alcoholics Anonymous. You can find a meeting by googling Alcoholics Anonymous meetings mytown, state. Go to several different meetings. Call aa crisis hotline https://addictionresource.com/alcohol/treatment/hotlines/ . Get some help if you can't stop on your own.
Is it possible to smoke weed after quitting drinking or will it bring you back down?
What are posters experiences?
Sorry Guys I know this thread is very old. But my thoughts on this, drinking occasionally is not bad but when you become addicted, then it becomes a matter of concern because it can harm your body which can’t expect. In order to quit alcoholism, the most thing I think required is your motivation, self-control and dedication on your decision. I am discussing these points because I have seen this attitude in my Father when they took the decision to quit alcohol without compromising anyone with their health. However, if someone is addicted then he/she can take the help of alcohol or drug addiction center also, but the above points are still necessary for all. For such people help, here I am sharing one useful link where you can contact/approach for more help.
taper is better, no? wrote:
Is the cold turkey approach really necessary? Wouldn't it be better to slowly taper over a period of say, eight weeks? Like this:
week 1 - reduce to 85% of your previous "normal"
week 2 - reduce to 70% of your previous "normal"
week 3 - reduce to 55% of your previous "normal"
week 4 - reduce to 40% of your previous "normal"
week 5 - reduce to 25% of your previous "normal"
week 6 - reduce to 10% of your previous "normal"
week 7 - reduce to 5% of your previous "normal"
week 8 - now go "cold turkey"
NO! Alcoholics, and this guy is one, have a physical issue with alcohol. He must stop cold turkey. He will not be successful if he tries your method. Just an infinitesimally small chance of success doing it your way.
I never saw this thread before. Just going to relate a story. My brother didn’t admit alcoholism to anybody, ever, but finally, at his wife’s urging, decided to stop - partly for economic reasons. He was dead a week later. Look up subdural hematoma.
What he didn’t know was that his liver was shot and was not producing chemicals his blood needed to produce clotting factor and platelets. As he was giving up alcohol - alone and without supervision- he had a seizure that caused him to fall and hit his head. He could talk and walk but was acting strangely later so his wife got him to the ER. There he had a major seizure because blood was leaking into his brain and could not be stopped. Surgery could not correct the problem. He lingered a few days and then was brain dead.
This was the first time many of us realized the extent of his drinking problem - which was hidden from us. This was also the first and only health problem of any kind he ever had.... and it was fatal!
Please: if you are an alcoholic and want to quit, then do it in a medical setting. Do not take chances.
All symptoms tend to decrease within 5-7 days. You are in the process of withdrawal alcohol. Physical symptoms and emotional side effects both are withdrawal symptoms. If you can't help yourself, take a professional help. Even after the physical effects of alcohol withdrawal are under control, protracted withdrawal, or the continuation of emotional symptoms and cravings, can continue and may lead to relapse without the right level of support and treatment.