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Day 3 of alcohol detox and some questions
Hello all,
I am a new member and am currently going through day 3 of the outpatient detox for alcohol abuse. I am currently taking a mild dosage of Librium to help with the anxiety and shakiness and am please to say that the symptoms are very minimal now. I will be taking the Librium for another couple days and I'm sure I'll be fine.
Let me give a little background on my road to this unfortunate but necessary treatment. Ever since I was 21 I would go have beer with buddies, or with my girlfriend, or at a bbque, and not want to drink again for another week when another social function took place. I would rarely get "drunk" because I hate hangovers.
About a year and a half ago (I am 32 now) my drinking consisted of one or two scotches (doubles) about once a week. Over the course of the past year (after I started a stressful job) I would usually have it nightly. For months I would never feel the need to drink in the morning, or before work, and was fine (as in feeling no withdrawal) even if I worked until 2 AM some nights without anything all day. I would usually come home from work, as a ritual, and consume 1 or 2 drinks wich gradually became 3-4 or sometimes more. I would still not feel any type of withdrawal the next day.
When it came to the past 2 weeks, I was on vacation and I would start having drinks at 12 or 2 in the afternoon and continue all day. This was the "hey im on vacation and what the hell lets have fun" mentality. Then I woke up on Monday morning. I was shaking and had a restless anxiety that I could not shake off. My heart rate was going nuts. It scared the hell out of me so I went to the doctor.
I was very up front with him and explained to him the above history. After all the tests showed I was otherwise healthy, he told me I was to stop cold turkey and prescribed me the medication. He said it didn't sound to him I was an "alcoholic" but I definately abused alcohol to the point to where I was on the brink of dependancy.
I truly believe that this detox is going to be successful, as I don't have any withdrawal effects as of now except for a little anxiety. I feel pretty darn good. I honestly don't feel like I need a drink, I think it was more social than dependancy, and as soon as I did feel that withdrawal for the first time last monday, I took care of it right then and there intead of letting it linger and get worse.
So here are a couple questions for those who have been through something similar:
1) Will I be able to get back to the old days where I can safely have an occasional drink with friends? (Of course I would have the fore-knowlege of what will happen if I drank heavily or chronically)
2) In my situation, is it absolutely neccesary to completely abstain for life?
3) Also in my situation, will my brain automatically and immediatley revert back to dependancy if I had 2 beers in like 3 months from now?
4) Will I constantly have the craving to drink after this experience, or will is fade?
I am very sorry for the long post but I am really needing some support and answers. This is a very new experience to me and I just want to know what to expect.
Thanks to you all and appreciate any help in advance.
Sincerely,
Rich
Answer:
Day 3 of alcohol detox and some questions
rich, i've been there myself.i was addicted to alcohol and drugs, mainly cocaine. back in 1989,i hit rock bottom.i was drinking in the morning and after getting drunk i used to like doing cocaine on top of that. i was sick, no question about it. i went thru a rehab where i too was given librium for about three days.after leaving rehab after 28 days, i was on a pink cloud and attended AA meetings left and right. soon i started work and something pissed me off and i went to the bar after about 5 months sobriety.
i drank all day and didnt feel the same way i did before i went thru rehab, it wasnt fun anymore , it just wasnt the same. since that day, jan 10 1990 i've been alcohol and drug free.i know now that it is useless to drink or get high because any problems i have will still be there.to answer your quest.
1.if you are a true alcoholic, which it sounds like yoiu are because you had the shakes,,,i dont think it is possible to be an occasional drinker "again".
alcoholics in aa meetings discuss that a lot, some of us have dreams that we're drinking and having a good time,like we used to.
as for abstaing for life, thats a scary way to think. recovering alcoholics take it "one day at a time" and the saying goes...its never easy, but it gets easier. and its true.
as far as cravings? of course you will, maybe not bad ones, but they might come.and if i were you, i would look into going to an AA meeting in your area. there is absolutly nothing to be ashamed of and you will be around other ppl who are battling the same thing you are, and they can help you much better than going to a doctor.
to sum it up rich: some ppl lost everything from drinking and some ppl are "functioning" alcoholics, where they work and pay bills but gotta have that drink after work,. some ppl,get addicted easy and fast, like me..for some it takes time but eventually they wind up in the same place, i dont know exactly where you fall, but only yoiu know that and i wish you luck.
today i dont have drinking and drug problems, just regular pain in the a**
life problems like everyone else. hope i helped
john
Answer:
Day 3 of alcohol detox and some questions
Hi richardc182,
Welcome to the forum. I can't answer your question about your drinking. I can't tell you if you will ever be able to be a social drinker. I certainly hope your are successful in your recovery but to what extent your drinking is a problem I can't predict.
My own opinion on drinking is I have know people who had a drinking problem and because of this problem or how it effects them they just quit without any help from meetings, or DR.s , they just didn't like how it effected them and were worried about it.
I do think a alcohol problem can pave the road for a alcohol addiction, at this point there is a physical, mental need to justify any means of alcohol consumption. The mere fact of asking or worrying about your drinking, or even future drinking may also show a problem. But you are the only one who can answer these questions.
I am a very minimal social drinker, I may have wine or say some beer with my seafood maybe 4 times a year, then I never think of drinking again. If someone told me I had to drink 32oz of beer a day I would be sick at the thought. I just couldn't because for me its just not that important.
There are alot of organizations for self help as painful1 suggested. I would suggests researching too for farther reading. I certainly wish you the best. a few links:
Purple98Lady:smile: