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Alchemica

How long before alcohol withdrawals become a serious concern?

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I've been trying to stop drinking. I've been doing really well having a long period of abstinence but recently relapsed and now I'm at day five of HEAVY drinking. Beyond 15 standards a day. I saw my GP today about trying to make the substitution for some diazepam while I became a bit more steady headed and comfortable in dealing with my tics which are really getting to me (and coming off the pregabalin has destabilised my mood) but unfortunately he wasn't on board making that temporary substitution. I was talking to a few Drs (including those in training) and one thinks I'm heading into withdrawal territory, the other thinks I'll be OK abruptly stopping. I'm wondering how long I have to get off the alcohol before I risk withdrawal symptoms? I'm already struggling mood wise and don't want to go through a withdrawal but I tried wholeheartedly to stop on day four and just relapsed badly. I see my psychiatrist Monday but I'm hoping to get on top of this ASAP. Any advice is appreciated :)

 

 

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Fuck man, that sounds tough. 

 

What have your withdrawal symptoms been like in the past? 

 

Also, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that repeated withdrawal from alcohol can be bad - kindling - the symptoms can sometimes get worse each time (from what I've read).

 

I'm not qualified, but having had someone close to me go through serious alcohol withdrawal (DT's - the whole deal) I'd want a sitter and/or medical help on speed dial.

 

Take care, and if you need anything, let us know - and feel free to PM me for a private vent. 

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Thanks @Yeti101 Yeah, I'm quite cautious of any kindling but I've had quite a long break from constant drinking (compared to years ago when it was alcohols and exotic ones to boot) so I think I have a reasonably clean slate to deal with. Withdrawal symptoms have been generally just tachycardia and slight visual hallucinations before getting on solid doses of diazepam but with my 2-methyl-2-butanol use they were quite intense. Definitely wouldn't do any withdrawals without diazepam on board when I'm already suffering reality issues, if there's a chance I'm in withdrawal territory.

The onslaught of alcohol is not what my struggling brain needs so I definitely need to address this, just really hard to get through stopping when everything I'm trying to ease comes back rampantly. Mood is already too low so I want to do any changes carefully and with assistance. Dulling the pain of existence is just too tempting. I'll try tomorrow without a drink, I've removed all my access and see how that goes. Thankfully it's only Monday before I get to see my psychiatrist, hoping she can help me before I slide too far down this abyss.

Kind of speaks volumes about where I'm at that I've let myself get back into daily heavy drinking. Not a good sign. Do have a Drug and Alcohol psychologist in use but I'm still struggling to keep on track.

Very much appreciate your kind offer of support and a chat :)

Edited by Alchemica
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Hey Alchemica 

Its sucks to read your not doing well, I hope things turn around for you real soon 

Please take care of yourself

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Thanks @Change Doing well today, no drinks at all just have to keep it that way. Feeling OK :) and optimistic

Surprised how hard it is to find out how long before physical dependence typically sets in, kindling aside, best answer I've found is  "14+ days straight of heavy usage is the point at which they start to worry about withdrawal effects of stopping."

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Taper slowly, it will save you from so much pain. Not everybody is capable of enduring a fast-paced taper! Especially with GABA-ergic drugs. I just say why bother?

The Diazepam is a good idea. Very long half-life. My suggestion is do be prepared for some time where you may find it difficult to fine much satisfaction in things that you enjoy. But, I believe this won't be as severe as it would be with an aggressive taper. I don't even mention cold-turkey because of the obvious risks involved. 

I would also use the Diazepam as needed, perhaps rather than a strict routine especially towards the end of the taper. As in, wait until you are shaking in bed before taking the smallest amount that will relief such (along with a warm shower). I always emphasize that people must be functional to maintain their jobs and responsibilities, which is extremely difficult with an aggressive taper. Again, no taper feels good, but it if done slowly one is more likely to succeed and avoid relapse. 

One thing that I know is that the brain primes itself for addiction and tolerance. Say you develop an addiction to opiates... this typically will take a year or so for tolerance to get high enough for withdrawal symptom to manifest upon cessation. Then, the user endures these withdrawals and eventually is set free- they live sober for a year. Well, if that person decides to use again then tolerance will redevelop at a rapid rate... it's not unusual to reach previous tolerance levels (and subsequent withdrawals) within days or weeks! This should be considered. 
 

 

So five days is probably nothing, but I believe it's highly possible that you may endure withdrawals, especially with the magnitude of use.

 

Please ignore most of my post if you don't experience much in the ways of heavy WD... I'm really tired and (I apologize for) skimming the post lead me to respond to how long the taper/withdrawal will last, rather than how long of use it will take for tolerance/addiction/withdrawl to set back in. Regardless, I feel some of it may hold worth.  

 

I wish you luck man. Addiction has surrounded me for quite sometime (family, friends... myself even though I'm still a teenager, having begun at age 12 before I could maturely asses my decisions)... it's quite a beast to be reckoned with. Nonetheless, it's one that you can beat if you are determined and equipped with the proper knowledge, awareness, and SUPPORT.

 

And saving the sentimentalism for the end: imagine yourself as a sailor... even when the waters mellow, you must be prepared to fight and navigate through he storms. 

Then even once you are past this intense discomfort... some degree of this tends to linger, but I don't say this to discourage you! I believe the remedy is just 'finding yourself' once again. Any addict MUST build a new character, learn healthy coping mechanism, and accept that life is, for many of us, just as much of a bitch as it is beautiful. I see one addiction replaced with another so often, a lot of the time in the wrong direction too. It takes a very long time to get to a baseline that is good (rather than just tolerable), but after you get through the bad it only gets better, and at the 1-year mark its hard to imagine how great a sober life can feel. 

 

Don't ignore little things like aerobic exercise, green tea, and generally healthy eating like Broccoli :). The rewards are cumulatively huge. Low dose Ashwaghanda is helpful for many including myself, but higher doses seem to aggravate apathy/blunting oddly enough in my somewhat limited experience. 

Edited by Derkshaman
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Cheers @Derkshaman Only one day in and the cravings are intense but I seem to be traveling OK, had to remove the methylated spirits from access :rolleyes: Think this will mainly be a battle of willpower.

 

Think I got in early enough to not have too much to worry about withdrawal wise, thankfully. Not too much in the way of anxiety or agitation so far which is nice, I'll see how I go day 2 onward.

 

I'm kind of struggling with the whole abstinence thing and sort of wonder if I'll ever break free totally, even my psychologist thinks I might want to look into prescribed medications that will stop me self-medicating but it's more that my addictions initially serve my need for constant novelty and make up for poor social contact. I'm not really one who wants to settle for being prescribed just one substance to keep me out of trouble. Really looking for things (including exercise, healthy diet and brain training etc) that improve my cognition and functionality, hopefully without the addictive potential. Have a support worker that is trying to help me out with the social stuff.

 

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You sound like you're very well educated, conscious and aware on these matters. You're headed in the right direction. I relate to the whole doubt of ever being 'able' to live without any sort of chemical help... I won't lie, I do believe there are many people out there like that. Not that they aren't able to sustain abstinence, rather they continue an endless struggle just to enjoy life. But I emphasize the difference of 1 month and 1 year of a different lifestyle. A year of lameness might be worth it. 

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Well I relapsed. I did try but there's something going on in my brain that just isn't sitting right with me, the temptation to return to a drink was too tempting to resist. Hoping my psychiatrist can prescribe a mood stabiliser or something anxiolytic wise or point me towards something for not continuing down the alcohol route, otherwise I'll just be sticking with self-medication... Haven't relapsed in a bad way but still, it's not a great sign. I've got SERIOUS issues I'm self-medicating and for some reason my cost-benefit analysis of the situation says returning to some alcohol is a better option than none. Maybe I'm delusional?

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Ive never ever heard of anybody as smart as you proclaiming alcohol to be beneficial, although youre a unique case.

 

Stick to moderate use if you feel that sobriety is unbearable and search for a way out.  

Edited by ThunderIdeal
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Yeah, I'm not claiming it to be beneficial in the long run and I have doubts about my intellect these days - I keep finding myself detrimentally addicted to stuff :P Just seems after coming off the pregabalin my mood has been all over the place, something anxiolytic and mood stabilising would seriously be a good direction to look at. Or something that makes me less impulsive. Scary thing is that alcohol takes me back to places I don't want to exactly go but I still return there for reasons beyond my understanding. I can't control my swearing these days, maybe I'm just pissed off at losing control and need a trip to sort me out... or I'm subconsciously wanting to hurry up this insidious decline of my brain and enjoy what I have left...

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15 standards a day isn't that much on the spectrum of alcoholism.  There are people who will do forty a day for years .  Those are the ones who will need supervised detoxification or die.

 

Having said that drink 15 standards daily for long enough and you'll also run into trouble.  

 

Whatever you're feeling now it will pale by how miserable you'll feel if you head down that path.  

Dont know if SA has the caliber of mental health professionals to help you out.  If you are turning to drink it's not working properly.

 

Syd, Melb or even bris would greatly increase the pool of professionals you can work with to get on top of it...

 

 

 

 

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Thanks @stonewolf Yeah to be honest I'm struggling with issues that make me really wonder if I want to be alive. I stay alive for others as I don't want to inflict them harm but personally wonder if I want to be alive... crazy as it sounds. I have a really experienced drug and alcohol counselor so I'll see how that goes.

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Something to consider:  you wont find out what life has in store for you unless you play on.  it will finish soon enough one way or the other, may as well hang tight and see what might be.

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Hi all, just letting you all know I'm traveling well. Got a doctor to do a week of diazepam so I can safely break free from this. To be honest, my statement of '15 standards a day+' was conservative, if not a flat out lie. Definitely got myself into withdrawal territory with the amount I was drinking so it's nice to be back on track. Cheers for your support.

Well aside from having a day of general discomfort, hypertension and a being a bit shaky, things are going well. Even got a good sleep. Haven't craved any alcohol, the diazepam is working well. Just have to keep clear of self-medicating with it once I'm off the diazepam in a week.... that's the hard part. I had been able to keep it to sensible drinking (socially every fortnight or month or so) for a couple of years but lately things just got to me, anxiety included and I slipped back into bad habits. See my psychologist about this soon.

My conclusion is that yes, just a week of drinking STRONG ethanol into countless numbers of standards is enough to get into withdrawal territory. Following standard dietary interventions of keeping my magnesium intake high, likewise taurine, zinc and B1/folate/all the B-groups. Feel the magnesium has been quite beneficial

Edited by Alchemica
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I have a friend who has travelled a similar path Alchemica the booze binges ended in a suicide attempt when the doctors took tests he was completely devoid of B vitamns in his body.Definately Magnesium for the win i've been doing the same myself.Chlorophyll is also good as it helps flush the residual toxins,I feel my state of mind improve usually about half an hour after taking it every morning.Stay strong brother....

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