Many people don’t take alcohol detox seriously enough for several reasons. It’s a legal substance that is commonly used and the withdrawal dangers aren’t widely known. Detoxing from alcohol is a two-phase process. The first phase begins within 6-24 hours of the last drink of alcohol and can last up to 5-7 days. It’s during this period that the person could experience some dangerous withdrawal symptoms that may require medical attention and should be monitored very closely should you decide to do this at home. The second, and longer, phase of alcohol detox occurs over many months as the brain slowly begins to resume normal functioning. This is when sleep patterns are re-established and emotions are regulated.
Preparation for Alcohol Detox at Home
The Environment
One of the reasons that you are likely choosing to do this at home instead of in an institution is “comfort”. If so, be sure to have everything on hand to make your stay as comfortable, and safe, as possible. The alcohol withdrawal and detox doesn’t last long but don’t expect to be going out on the town during the process. You will be home for the duration so have something to keep yourself busy, whether it be books, movies, games, etc. Also, get rid of all the alcohol in your home. No joke. There is no “saving some for a special occasion” or “just in case”. Just get rid of it – toss it or give it away immediately. Trust me – you will not be able to resist the temptation once the withdrawal symptoms set in.
Support
Did you line up a family member or friend to come and stay with you? If not, do so now. This needs to happen from Day 1, particularly when it comes to alcohol detox. Probably after Day 3, you will be in the clear and they can just check on you, but this will vary on a case by case basis.
Home remedies for alcohol detox
1. Dietary Changes
While there may be periods of time where you have no appetite or are unable to keep anything down, diet is critical and having the right foods and beverages on hand is very important. You’ll want to pick up lots of fruits and vegetables, whether they are your favorites or not. This is about replacing the toxins that are leaving your body with good things that are going to make you feel better, and Cheetos or Moon Pies aren’t going to cut it. Berries are an excellent snack that contains natural sugar, which is something that ex-drinkers tend to crave. Oats are also good for controlling blood sugar and serve as a relaxant. Bananas are great for lifting mood and a great source of energy, fiber and potassium. Also pick up some food that is high in protein, like chicken, fish or even peanut butter. When you do eat, it’s ok to only eat in small portions. Don’t force yourself to eat large meals as this isn’t necessary.
Avoid junk foods and include nutrient rich foods in your diet if you want to get the maximum benefit out of the detox. Junk foods with main ingredient as refined sugar or carbohydrate should be avoided to get effective results. The main motive of detox is to flush out the toxins from the body, so, you may also want to stay away from caffeine as it promotes chemical build-up. Eat fresh and natural food during the detox regimen. The fresh food will provide essential nutrients to your body and help in the internal healing process.
2. Drink enough water
It’s crucial that you drink moderate to large amounts of water. Do not consume more than 2 quarts in an hour, however. It is fine to mix in a few sports drinks for flavor but try to stick primarily to water for fluid intake. Drinking enough water will ease the withdrawal symptoms and allow the body to flush the toxins out of your body more easily. Avoid caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee as much as possible. Your sleep patterns will already be very disturbed. These drinks only exacerbate that and will not help calm yourself.
It is very important for you to drink around 100 ounces of water every day to wash off the chemicals, toxins and alcohol from your body (it’s where cleanse products for detox come in handy). Drinking water at regular intervals will also help you to combat dehydration caused by alcohol consumption.
3. Have enough vitamin B
Alcohol consumption on daily basis causes the deficiency of vitamin B. In order to heal the body from within, it becomes very important to replenish and restore this vitamin in the body. In addition, the restoration of magnesium and vitamin C is also imperative to ensure smooth body functions.]
4. Use Milk Thistle & Kudzu
Milk thistle extract acts as a natural cure to remove the toxins from the body. It not only blocks the absorption of alcohol in the liver but also reduces the severity of side effects of alcohol consumption. These milk thistle capsules not only promote liver health, but boosted immune response in clinical trials.
Kudzu has been used since times immemorial to cure several ailments and treat alcohol addiction. The powerful medicinal virtues and antioxidant properties of this herb reduces the damage and regenerates the damaged liver tissues. To curb the craving for alcohol, take ten grams of kudzu powder every day.
5. Use Angelica Extract
Angelica reduces the craving and withdrawal symptoms of alcohol. It is an anti-inflammatory herb that curbs the desire of having alcohol. This herb can cause sickness and nausea if you go back to drinking at all. The recommended dosage is three to five drops per day. You just have to add the extract to a glass of water and have it. This herb will also relieve headaches and bloating symptoms caused due to abstinence from alcohol.
6. Add Cayenne Pepper to Food
Cayenne pepper reduces the craving and increases your appetite. Adding pepper to food can ease the most common withdrawal symptoms such as nausea and decreased appetite you must be facing after quitting alcohol.
7. Drink Passion Flower Tea
Since many people suffer from insomnia and delirium after giving up alcohol, drinking passion flower tea can help them to alleviate these symptoms to a great extent.
8. Basil
Basil’s potent medicinal value induces spiritual healing. Basil is one of the most effective herbs to curb alcohol craving. It is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This helps to free the body from harmful free radicals and detoxifies the body properly. You need to pluck some soft basil twigs and soak these overnight with twenty peppercorns in a glass of water. Regular intake of this water can easily curb your desire for alcohol.
9. Bitter Gourd Leaves
The leaves of bitter gourd help to restore the damaged liver. These leaves are full of valuable compounds that can cure alcoholism to great extent by flushing out the toxins from the system. You need to grind soft bitter gourd leaves and extract its juice. The juice should be consumed fresh with a glass of buttermilk.
10. Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha is an ancient herb and has powerful medicinal value. This herb is known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This is an excellent way to improve the brain function and detox your whole body. This herb alleviates alcoholism related tension and stress and induces a sense of well-being. One teaspoon of ashwagandha with a glass of milk should be taken twice a day. Alternatively, ashwagandha supplement capsules could be used as well.
11. Gotu Kola
Gotu kola is a supplement which improves the function of nervous system and brain. While acting as a blood purifier, it also helps to decrease the stress and anxiety related to alcoholism. The recommended intake is about 50 grams that is to be taken three times daily.
The above mentioned home remedies can stimulate your stamina to combat alcohol addiction and help you overcome the withdrawal symptoms. Before you decide to fight the addiction, consult your doctor for more information on herbs and other supplements. You should also consult a physician to know if you are healthy enough to fight the addiction on your own and do not need any medical assistance. Fighting an alcohol addiction might seem to be difficult, but the right treatment can make it possible for you to win this battle.
Other Activities
Other things you’ll want to do during detox to ease symptoms include taking frequent baths, or sitting in a pool if you have one available. The water temperature should really be to your comfort – whatever is going to make you feel better and more comfortable at that moment. It could be the complete opposite just a little while later. Mild exercise, such as stretching and going for a short walk, may also help with blood circulation and anxiety through the release of endorphins. Rest when you are able to and keep your mind busy when you aren’t. Don’t worry about what time it is or isn’t. Your body clock isn’t going to be right for quite some time so sleep when you can. When you can’t sleep, keep your mind occupied with those books or movies that you have on hand and planning that wonderful new life free from alcohol.
Dealing With Cravings
Dealing With CravingsCravings are a normal part of any addiction and are common-place during withdrawal. They can also pop up months or even years after you stop using drugs or drinking. . Here are some important things to remember about alcohol cravings and some ways to deal with them.
What You Should Know About Cravings:
- They are not caused by a lack of willpower or motivation. However, that doesn’t mean that you are doing something wrong or failing to do something right.
- Cravings don’t mean that your detox and withdrawal aren’t working.
- Cravings are never constant and their severity lasts for a very short period.
- Psychological or physical discomfort can trigger the cravings. Managing this discomfort can reduce the cravings to a significant extent.
Things You Can Do to Manage Cravings:
- Identify cues or “triggers” that may have brought on the cravings. They could be people, places or things that remind you of alcohol. Re-direct your mental energy towards ways in which you can avoid these same triggers in the future.
- Remind yourself of why you stopped consuming alcohol in the first place. This would be the time to re-list the negative effects that the alcohol use had on your life and also list the positive things that you stand to gain by staying clean.
- Call on others for help. This is where a Support Network comes in, family members and friends that support your recovery.
- For those that are spiritual, meditation and prayers can play a significant role in keeping the mind calm and helping you focus on things that are important.
After Alcohol Detox
After about 36 hours, you will be generally uncomfortable and mostly irritable for the rest of the week. Continue with your detox routine, healthy diet, vitamins, supplements, moderate exercise and intermittent sleep. In less than a week, you should be ready to resume some “normal” activities provided they are not too stressful. What’s most important to note here is that you’ve simply detoxed from alcohol, nothing else. You have successfully gotten the toxins out of your system but, unless you make some other changes in your life, you will more than likely end up right back where you were a week ago – or worse. To prevent this
from happening requires several things:
- Coming to the understanding that Alcoholism is a disease
- Considering getting additional help or treatment
- Finding a good support network
With alcohol detox, generally your appetite will increase. This is great because chances are you’ve been starving yourself and are massively undernourished right now. However, make the right choice and put some good things in your body for once. On the flip side, if you’re not feeling well, it’s fine to eat in small amounts but when you do eat something, eat the right things.
If this is your first go around with a detox experience, be glad that it’s over. Don’t stop keeping yourself updated as things change quite quickly. If you’ve been through this before, the alcohol detox will likely not come as much of a surprise to you, yet the new developments in this field may do you some good and, hopefully, keep you moving in the right direction.
Tacono conner
Its hard but I’m going to get thru this I’m a strong person I’ve been drinking for 5 years and really do want to stop
love
Tacono Connor, I am with you, you are not alone! I started christmas eve detoxing because of a bad headache. Checked my blood pressure and it was very high and my bp is always normal. Spent xmas in the er scared, and now I am taking bp meds to control it. I had been drinking the numb juice since my mom passed away june 21st 2013. I was hurting so bad, and I knew what I was dojng but I needed to numb the pain of my beautiful girl taking her last breath right in front of me. I miss her so much, but she would be motified that I was self medicating my emotional pain. I just wanted you to know that I am detoxing too at the same time, and if you need to chat it through I am here…..
Todd
I admit that I have a drinking, smoking, drug problem. My wife left me today and they want to put me back into detox. I am drinking and smoking now. I am taking Klonopin, smoking, and have panic disorder. I was in two different detox centers in the past 36 hours. I would like to do it from home. Suggestions?
Chris
How did your detox go? I have been drinking heavily for several years and can’t afford treatment.
lonley girl
Love the last comment…I always apparently come up with an excuse to start drinking again although I really haven’t stopped for years and now I’m living with my mother taking care of her who has Alzheimers and I’m struggling..had really bad detox since the middle of the night and I just acted like I had the flu but I don’t know what to do right now
John Baer
I have been detoxing for 48 hours now. Its been very hard no sleep ,anxiety attacks.Butt I will stick with it I want my life back. I will pray for both of you.
jay hughes
Wow and I thought pain killer addiction and withdrawal was bad well alcohol is no joke I’ve never gone crazy like this and I’ve only been drinking for two months!
Pauly
I’ve been drinking for 34 years, and hate withdrawal! It’s so tuff! Done this a hundred times, and still haven’t learned my lesson! Good luck everyone
Andi
Starting detox today again…..been drinking for 13 years and longest Ive stopped for is 3 months. I want a better life than this.
Paula Keefer
Hi all I am not the one with a drinking problem. However my boyfriend is an alcoholic and we have decided to detox him at home. I have been reading up on how to do this safely. Have a list of foods.itamins and natural herbs and stuff. I know it is goin gto be rough but does anyone have and advice for me???
Ant
im on my seventh day and it’s been hell I’m still having panic attacks and when ever I get a problem I still feel like I need a drink even to answer the phone I carnt get used to dealing with life without drink because iv been drinking 20 yrs it trying to do normal things without drink inside me that’s hard
BIG TREE
What’s up people? Ok I’ve been drinking for about 5 months now straight…. And it needs to stop. I work side jobs as I’m a carpenter but don’t have a full 40. Something I’m use to. Drinking made my family look at me different something I’m not use too… I’m a daddy of a 12 yo girl who is in Florida and that’s killing me …. Long story .. But it’s time. Please give a dude advice on a natural way of getting my life back bc this is so not me…. I Get the shakes sometimes when I don’t drink. And I wake up thinking about 10am when the liquor store opens. I know again this is so not like me … But then again is me grrrrrrrr. Any advice?????
Kaichica
I am choosing to detox at home. I’ve made it a few hours so far. I’m having anxiety and insomnia. I don’t have an appetite but managed to keep a small amount of water and half a banana down. I’ve taken white willow and kava kava (lateral root) which is helping me relax a little. Reading and listening to music is making it a little better.
badger
Hi paula. I’m hoping we can connect and support each other. my boyfriend is an alcoholic, im a nurse and ive seen the horrible consequences first hand. We are trying home detox starting tonight. i’m headed to store to stock up. how did yours turn out?
badger
keep up the good work kaichica
Brittany
Hi my name is Brittany, my dads been drinking for 37/years , I need to help him but he Wont listen to me, what can I do, I’m desperate to help him 🙁
scorpio
Hey big tree…….im a carpenter too and have a ten year old girl that lives in another state also. Life was easy and good til i hit 35. The past 7 years has been literal hell on earth. I dont know much, but i know if us heavy drinkers dont stop……it will kill us…..good luck to you dude. I walk a lot. I mean miles…..lots of water, vitamins and i have the best wife on earth. Hang tough man.
MerryGoRoun
Probably the best thing you can do is go to Al-Anon, for family members of alcoholics. They can give you support and perspective.
Unfortunately, I’ve learned the hard way, you can’t make anybody stop drinking. You can offer resources and encouragement to quit, but there comes a point where the best thing is to realize that you are not able to make them stop (SO hard, when you’re watching a loved one harm themselves). I’ve spent years trying to help my husband and have finally come to the realization myself; not an easy thing to accept that your love and support aren’t enough to pull them out of it. So, I’d say try your best–present him with information, find a good facility that would take him (make it easy for him to get the help since it’s an overwhelming process), and let him know the toll his drinking takes on you–and then know that you’ve done all that you can. And if you choose to not see him because of his drinking, let him know that whenever he wants to stop, you will support and help him with that choice, but that you have to do what is healthy and best for you, if he can’t do that for himself. My heart goes out to you; do try Al-Anon, I think you’ll find it helpful.
Dday
Good article. However, there is was one thing that it did not mention when it comes to detoxing if you are not under some kind of supervision or care. It can kill you. I woke up one morning telling myself that today was the day I quit drinking FOR REAL THIS TIME. I was already feeling bad (sick) that morning. Someone had knocked on my door that morning and I really didn’t want to be bothered but I let them in anyway. Next thing I know I was in an ambulance counting someones fingers and on the way to the hospital. I had an alcoholic seizure. I spent 4 days in the hospital and the only day I remember is the day I went home. Mind you, this incident took place 10 months after I got out of treatment. I guess I thought that I was fine but in reality I wasn’t ready to quit after all. I continued to drink for another 4 years creating more problems for myself and alienating myself from everyone around me until I got sick and tired of being sick and tired. Today I celebrate 3 years of sobriety. I had been drinking for about 24 years. People don’t realize that when you quit drinking for a certain amount of time then begin to drink again you drink twice as much. Your tolerance NEVER GOES DOWN. It only increases. There is no cure for alcoholism just treatment ie. treatment facilities, meetings, abstinence, healthy eating etc. So if you are seriously thinking about quitting drinking just remember that IT IS FOREVER. I wish you all the best of luck and take it “One Day At A Time”.
Alkie
I’m trying again after 20 years of heavy drinking. I’ve quit before and now again after basically bring drunk the past 6 years. On day 2 right now and ok, just little irritable.
Christina
Lonely Girl……..I’m going thru the same rhing..I’m also taking care of my “Mom” Grandmother who has Alzheimer’s. Im a alcoholic. Been to the hospital many times..I don’t have time ta go 2 rehab..I can’t leave my Grandmother. At the same time …..how can I detox at home when I have 2 take care of her…? Im here for you if you need ta talk..
hatman
i am on day 44 alcohol free my doctor has me on ativan 1 mg three times a day i still get depressed and cry i hope i fell better soon
l'il bert
pauly please keep going. the things you will lose are of much more value than the next drink. If you flip the coin to the person who doesn’t drink and what you will get back, the value of the drink is much less. Its just your pre frontal lobe lying to you. You can retrain it to appraise other things higher than the next glass of champagne.
l'il bert
This man’s journey has spoken the hope of recovery for anyone to me. I hope someone will get some inspiration from this man. Worth the watch peeps.
jeremy
man i wish i had some Ativan… im dting so bad. i got some pepto and trying to keep water down. is canned fruit okay as far as what the article says about detox snacks??
Kayray
I’m currently withdrawing. Can’t sleep, slight fever and sweats plus my stomach feels messed up. I’ve been drinking liquor pretty heavily for about a year and a half. My last drink was almost 10 hours ago. I just wish I could sleep.
sunrise
Thank you! I keep asking myself, how in my late 50’s did I become much more than a social drinker? Now I have a better understanding of how alcohol “grew” and took over. Dr. Marc used the example of Ivy..I think mine is more like the weeds that take over and kill your grass, garden, everything, if you do not stop them. Gonna watch this again. Good information. Wishing us all the best.
Genan
It’s hard and I am not able to focus on my job. Help me Please.
leah
I speak from experience when I say that it is very dangerous to detox yourself without medical supervision and the appropriate medication to deal with the anxiety and nasty withdrawals ie shakes sweats, nausea, insomnia and in extreme cases seizures and DTs. If you are drinking dependently you should seek specialist advice do not put yourself at risk. There is a service Abstain in Hull that you could ask advice and discuss safe treatment don’t take risk
Griff
Try reading Seven Weeks to Sobriety by Joan Mathews Larson. Her success rate is the best there is (besides God). She says alcoholism is caused by neuro-chemical imbalances and shortages in the brain. She treats people with B-vitamins that are LOADS higher in potency than the RDA recommends. There is a brand I used by Emerald Labs called CoEnzymated Complete Multi Vitamin. It has helped me so much with withdrawal, and actually started taking my cravings away to where I could live with or without alcohol. Load up on Vitamin C too, a good organic brand. High doses of Niacin B3 have worked wonders too. Dr. Larson also has a few videos on Youtube. Stay hydrated with pure water, NOT TAP. Keep your blood sugar stable with ripe fruits. A pound or two of red grapes a day helps a lot while detoxing, preferably organic with the seeds in them, if not look up how to wash grapes to get the pesticides off them. Above all God loves you and has a plan for your life! Just call on Him! Peace and Blessings always.
Nat
Hi, I have been drinking for years and fessed up to realising it was out of control about a year and a half ago, I finally think I have a handle on it over the last 6 months, I still drink (I don’t want to stop completely) but have a good number of days and weeks sober. The problem I have is withdrawal symptoms, feelings of creeping flesh and muscle tension which keep me awake and are driving me crazy with their persistence, for example I didn’t drink for 2 weeks (they never went) drank 2 days over the Easter Holiday, then both days this weekend, I drank a fair bit, but didn’t binge. And yesterday symptoms were so strong I felt like I’d been on a 3 all day binge, whereas is fact I’d drank 4 days out of 23. The longest I abstained is 3 weeks, and I still had the feelings, I don’t have any other symptoms. Can anyone help or make any suggestions? This doesn’t seem like a common problem.
MJ
Hi Nat….how old are you? What you’re experiencing IS what can happen. I now know I HAVE to stop. I’ll try to give you some info if you want.
nicky
How did any of u get fever down
texan chick
Hubby is on day two of detox.. Im so thankful I DON’T work so I can support him on this new journey..you all are so awesome and you all can do this…in in this for the long run with. My love..I cried because of the pain he was in…I pray hard for his recovery…it’s a day by day step
KellyAnn
I put myself in rehab for 30 days in 2002. I quit drinking for 11 years. In August of 2013 I guess I got curious and started again. First, I used to drink socially, then weekends, then it just picked up after that. I’m not at the point of blackouts or missing work. I do not drink in the morning. I do not go to the bar rooms. I drink approximately 4-6 beer a day. Each day I say I’m not going to drink but I feel like I need to just to take the edge off. I thought it’s time to do something before it does get out of control like it was in 2002. I’ve been calling about detox but my deductible is over $2500. Is there a safe way that my doctor can help me get through this at home. There is a time coming up soon that I have 6 days off of work. Thanks for your time.
KellyAnn
I don’t agree with “drink again, drink twice as much”….I’ve been sober from 2002 til 2013. 11 years and I was so curious if I could drink socially, silly me!!!! I had a relapse and after about a year and half I’m looking to quit. This time I haven’t drank to the point of blacking out, throwing up, missing work or going to bar rooms. But, before it gets out of hand I know it will eventually get worse. It just depends on the person and how far they let it go. I do believe your tolerance increases. I hit rock bottom last time and “hopefully” I’m smart enough not to do it again. Going to see my family Dr and try to detox at home. Say a prayer! And Best of luck to you!
KellyAnn
How is he doing on day 2? Prayers to you!
jflan
Scared. Experiencing extreme tetany in face/upper body, sweats, tachycardia, dizziness and of course anxiety (which could explain the symptoms) when I don’t drink every day. Waking up anxious after sleeping no more than 6 interrupted hours. I can’t afford treatment or even a short hospital stay. I am so embarrassed to tell my family but can’t do it unsupervised. I think I can try it at home, but have a child and don’t want him to see things if they go wrong. Ugghhh. Can’t believe I let myself get this way.
Bart
im attempting to detox for the millionth time. The thought of a detox center scares the hell out of me. Worst 5 days of my life. I do better with weening myself but this is still a scary process. The last time my doctor prescribed me clonidine and it significantly helped with tremors and nausea. It lowers bp and that seems to be a factor in how severe the tremors are. Good luck everyone. Ive also bought pAssion flower extrCt from an herbal store And will see how that helps.
Nuttan
So, it’s a disease is it? Is it? Every looser on the planet claimes it’s not their fault.
No one is in control of their life anymore. “We are all deceased” as George Carlen would say.
Alcoholics are worthless humans. So needy. So hurt. So not their fault….lol….
Heather
I am going to give this a try. I am sick physically and tired mentally. i hate being alone doing this but i can’t stop my life to do an in or out patient. I am scared, worried and ready for life without dependance on booze. yet doing this alone I don’t know what to expect…
Denzy TheDestinyson
I have started my home detox since last 3 days. First day i had worst of all withdrawal symptoms: shivering, joints pain and bady ache, restlessness, Vomitting, loss of appetite, sweating, cravings, irritability insomnia, hallucination etc.
Second day continued with same sort of symptoms.
Today i felt little better and had lots of water and little food without vomitting. Still other symptoms is there but quite better than last two days.
Can any one help me what types of vegetables and food items to adopt and avoid in order to recover liver damage. I am in great tense. Plz help me.
I was detox in hospital 3 times before but never at home. So i am really worried.
maria
how to stop the shakes due to drinking too much?
slickchic
Alcoholism is no laughing matter & I pray God have mercy on you for your ill timed humor & insensitivity. As the Bible states, ALL have fallen short of the glory of God & ALL need Jesus to save them. May you find your way.
slickchic
After reading this entire thread, I feel sad yet encouraged in some small way that none of us are really alone in this. God is with us. He wants to help us break free & live a life of purpose with joy & peace through it all. I pray now for all of us fighting alcoholism & every other struggle we come up against.
I started drinking not long after I was baptized in 1978 my 8th grade summer before entering high school & once I got to high school there was no turning back from drinking. My home life was a sort of hell on earth because of a mean wife beating drunkard dad & a complaining, never satisfied, bipolar sad sack mum. I quit drinking for the entire year in 2011 somehow & remember my first year of the Air Force from 1985 to 1986 being sober as well. Other than that, I have been a binge drinker unable to hold down a job for longer than a year & half basically with the exception of the military which was 3 1/2 years under contract.
I personally believe that the enemy of our soul, satan, introduced us to alcohol & tempted us all to become addicts. The Bible tells us who the true enemy is in Ephesians 6 if you want to look it up. God shows us that our flesh is ugly & sinful & that is why Jesus came to take all our sins away. I believe the only way I am going to get clean & stay clean is to surrender to Christ’s will in my life.
Sure, people have quit drinking for various reasons. My husband went to prison for 30 days due to his drinking problem when he almost sent a man to the grave getting in a bar fight. For him, that was the last straw. He hates alcohol. I hate it that I have put him through so much because of drinking. He is wonderful but people can only take so much. If I don’t quit drinking, I am going to lose everything including my husband & my teenage son. I am grateful that I have not lost my life yet because of alcohol.
I have an honorable discharge from the Air Force & a bachelors degree in Finance, yet cannot get a job. Let my life be a lesson to someone to lay down the drinking so they won’t have regrets later like I do now. I will be 50 in October if I live to see it & I have made way too many bad choices in my life & placed blame on anyone I could. I choose now to take responsibility for my life. Satan might be the tempter, but we have been given free choice to take the bait. He cannot control us. We have been given power over him if only we will choose to work with God’s Holy Spirit & not against Him. God wants us to succeed. He wants us to live abundantly. He wants a relationship with us because He loves us. We should also love Him for He is definitely worthy. He gives us our very breath & everything else good.
I pray for all of us here that we will know the Lord & the power of His might to overcome alcohol & every other evil in our lives. I pray for our families & our friends. I pray all of us will have the peace that passes all understanding & His Name is Jesus. God bless!
p.s. I am grateful I found this site to help detox to clean my physical body. But we are more than just physical bodies. This outer shell is going to be destroyed. It is the permanent soul/spirit in us that we should be more concerned with because it lives forever. Let us all choose to be sober as long as it is called today & let us give God praise!
Chloe
I am so tired of drinking. Now I am in the first hours of detoxing and I am miserable. I hate feeling like this. I really want to stop drinking. I want to feel better. Any suggestions?
Karina
today my first day start not to drink alcohol heavily is been two years with anger management drink. This was my excuse to drink story :-((((( One day I come from the work yearly to home found that my husband having sex with my Pilipino maid and she’s try to poison me afterwords not giving up from my husband to stay comfortable life radar done been going maid but eventually I managed to deport to her country and now am trying to fox on my 5years old child and hard but am still trying to forgive my selfish husband
Hope God will give me strange to get over this situation
I wish you all the best and quick recovery fm alcohol sorry my English is not that good
Cate
I am beginning today my journey living without alcohol. So much time and great things have been lost, I am so depressed. I really need help, finances are awful so I am doing this alone I WISH I could beat this terrible addiction. I lost family, friends and so much more. I wish someone could help me.
yolanda
I was an alcoholic for 26 yrs I’ve been sober for 5 months I did it on my own I ait lots of vegetables drank lots of water with a few drops of Limon I walk more then b4 I take vitamins I’ve lost 30 pounds in a month an I’m still loosening but I don’t have the cravings,I thank god for that,,,I wish you all luck in your recovery
yolanda
You can try berry carrots Apple’s peaches an drink water with a few drops of Limon,,hope that helps you,,good luck
Britney
The idea to stop drinking – Forever- is difficult for many of us alcholics. We think eventually we can handle it. That’s been my issue. Thank you for
Kat
Wow…this comment was completely inappropriate and I don’t know why it hasn’t been deleted. This is a page for people trying to help themselves, not for ignorant comments. I’ve been an alcoholic for 10 years on and off. At one point, I was sober for years. Maybe if you knew the struggle of not being able to socially drink or feeling like you can’t partake in certain functions, you would have a little sympathy. It’s not a choice to be an alcoholic, it is a choice to put yourself in a healthy environment and change. I hope to God that no one around you is an alcoholic because you will trigger them. This comment was heartless and if you don’t want to be supportive then stay out of their lives. Love and compassion are stronger than hate or addiction, so who is the real looser!? (It’s also “loser” by the way)
Kat
You won’t for awhile. What helps me is someone right by my side who knows when to hug and comfort me and when to just leave me alone and let me be. I hope you’re starting to feel better. If you ever want to contact me, let me know.
Sarah Renea
First I want to congratulate each and everyone of you for taking the step to detox. This is not fast and it is not easy but there is a lot of support out there. Second to the ignorant jerk off that posted such a rude comment you have no idea what these people are going through so how dare you pass judgement. I have been in their shoes and as a nurse alcoholism is a diease and it has also been linked to being Hereditary if there is someone in the family that faced the same problem. I know exactly how each one of you all feel I went down that road and geez I am still walking it. Has it been easy no not at all. There have been times I have walked in a gas station and coul dhave easily went and grabbed 6 pk. Instead I went with Gatorade and a protein bar. Please do not do this alone. Find a support group have that one person to lean on. Remember you may not be able to see him but God is always there and he has been the one who has really helped me. God bless you all and I am praying for you.
For the rude person may God have mercy on your soul.
Yea, I walk through the valey of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 23:4 KJV
Sarah Renea
Cate you can do this I know you can. It takes a strong person to admit they have a problem. I am still walking in your path. my email is [email protected] is you ever need to talk
Mark
Yeah. Troll. Somebody delete this comment because this is one of the best articles with positive comments around (and to someone’s earlier comment, yeah, have supervision in case seizures happen)
brian h
I ended up in the ER for acute pancreatitus January this year. I was in severe pain and the doctor told me my organs were swollen and I’ve done damage to my gallbladder. That the damge done is unfixable but I would be fine so long as I quit drinking. It scared the shit out of me. I made it on my own until st pattys day. I’d been drinking non alcoholic beer when I went to social events ect. I never did AA or followed up with any of the support groups from the info the doctor gave me. I blame my relapse on over conference. After making it a month, the longest time I’d been sober since starting drinking, I felt a feeling of success. Well after relapse march 17 it was a downward spiral. I hid my use from friends and family because I didnt want to admit I failed or to let them down. Progressively my drinking got worse more often until I finally broke down and admitted to it. I started AA and made it 2 weeks until fully giving into my adiction. Drinking anywhere from a pint to a 5th of vodka daily. I live with my parents to help take care of my dad and because after my gf broke up with me I’ve not been able to hold down a job due to my adiction. That’s about the time my drinking really got out of control. I drank a 5th monday blacked out. I’m a terrible person when I drink and I got into a fight while blacked out so I don’t even know what happened. When I get like that its very hurtful to my parents because they are scared of me and for me. It seems my actions have only gotten worse than they were prior to quitting for those couple months. I crashed my car drunk and before would never drive drunk. The rehabs in my area don’t take my shitty insurance and the cost for any of them is between 15k-30k. I don’t know if any of you have a suggestion as to how to permanent stop without rehab. I am on day two of detox and as soon as I can physically get out of the house I will start AA meetings again. I don’t have a dime to my name and lost most all of my friends. I’m tired of living such a shitty life. I was Mr. Popular in school and came from a good family. I was adopted so I assume my birth parents were alcoholics. Also if anyone has a suggestion on what my mom can do to help. She feels she is too close, but she is all I have for support. She isn’t an adict so she doesn’t understand why I can’t merely stop. Even my sister-in-law yelled at me recently saying its just a choice so make the right choice. It was very hurtful. Lastly this has been the worst detox I’ve gone through and I cant afford ati-seizure meds and there isn’t a medical detox thats free here. I’ve read and was told by my clinic doctor to ween myself off because its safest. I told her if I could ween myself off I dont think I’d be an adict. She laughed and said it was my best bet. I guess what im getting at is should I have my mom regulate giving me alcohol to ween off? Or am I safe because I’ve made it 36 hours without alcohol. I called a detox place and asked them, but they were not helpful. Their answer was to pay to go to their facility or got to the ER if I’m that scared. I’ve found most facilties that claim to want to help stop adiction are not very helpful over the phone, just come pay us or there is nothing we can offer you. I’d think if a person truely wanted to work on their adiction there would be resources then just AA. I’m feeling very discouraged that I would need twenty thousand dollars to get proper help. As if anyone just has that lying around especially an adict. Well there is my life story. Hope I can find some answers and best of luck to all of you. I’ve never fought so hard for something, the struggle is real. God bless
sucks
going to detox, thank you for these tips.
finally “going to” pull it together and actually do this. hope i can, have no money for this. or safe space. but if i dont i’ll kill myself anyday now. i thin about it all the time. and if you’re reading this and concerned and christian, or in some alcohol is a disease cult, please leave me alone. I have enough BS (beleif systems) , i make the shit! responsibility is hard, i think what we can all say is alcohol was a powerful teacher.
Jajy
Check this out. It’s a blog that will give more info about their free awesome podcast. This will help in the arduous journey to become alcohol-free.
http://recoveredcast.blogspot.com/p/the-official-recovered-podcast-app.html
Jajy
If you go to your App Store, look for the podcast called “Recovered”. Great info, insight, and information on alcoholism and recovery. Godspeed to all.
tia..Marisol
hi everyone I need help and encourament I’m a sober now and I want to detox… I want to live without alcohol… and live a normal life I have so much to do and I desire to serve others by persuing a career in nursing already a nurse assistant but this alcoholism is destroying me and those around me….. Sigh
Still Tryin'
Back to it again … last drink was about 9 hrs. ago … I have tried and tried and tried … Can’t go back to in patient again as was just released three months ago; such failure on my part. Hitting a meeting at noon and plan to find others throughout the day; other suggestions?
brian h
Today is day 4. been having pretty bad headaches but last night I finally got some sleep. I found a county based out patient rehab im going to go to monday. Hope everyone is doing well in their detox and recovery. Its painful. Its hard. But focus on the future of being sober and getting your life back. I wrote down all the reasons I don’t want to drink during a painful day. I put the letter into my wallet. Everytime I feel like drinking I read it. It helps me to remeber why I’m sober. I almost drank a couple times making the excuse I should ween myself off. Then read the letter called a friend then turned on the tv. Next thing I knew I wasn’t craving anymore and had forgotten I even wanted to drink. Hope that helps you too. God bless
brian h
Just thought of a couple other things that really helped during detox. When I wasn’t really able to hold down solid food but could hold down liquids I would mix my protein powder with water and drink that every few hours. I have muscle milk vanilla one scoop is only 16g of protein so it wont over load you with protein. Another thing was Tulsi Moringa tea. Its soothing and has B vitamins calcium and magnesium in it. Drinking deplete the B vitamins in your body. I also take thiamin B6 vitamin to help replenish. Folic acid to help liver recovery. And a multi V because all vitamins are depleted during detox. Blueberries are my new snack food. Taste good and full of antioxidants and not acidic. Prilosec first thing in the morning saves me from acidic stomach. Really hope this helps someone during their tough times. It isn’t easy detoxing. My throat is all messed up so couldn’t smoke marijuana this time but it helps a lot and there have been many studies proving marijuana stops cravings. I know from personal experience that when I smoke I don’t want to drink and that was during the time I was drinking. I’m lucky I live in an area with prop 215 medical marijuana. Again I hope my experiences can help someone and I will check back on occasion so feel free to ask any questions. Love you all, God bless.
Carl
Hi Marisol,
Perhaps we can encourage one another. I just started this journey myself. I work very closely with a college nursing program so I understand.
patty
getting a lot of useful information from this thread. I’ve been drinking on and off for many years. white wine is my ‘poison’ of choice. even though I almost gag at the smell of it, I still will force it down in order to get to that ‘point’ – and you all know what that means. been quite sick the past 2 days, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating – have not had a drink in those 2 days because I know in my spirit that the cause of this distress is caused by alcohol, and nothing else. going on a bland diet today and have destroyed all the alcohol in the house. didn’t sleep last night, but eventually I will so I watched old sitcoms during the night to distract myself – it will get better, I’m encouraged by success stories.
Dave
Just a few simple things to start.
1. If you can detox in a facility, do it. My first detox was after my first son passed away. I had been drinking heavily for years, but I was 25. What could possibly happen? I worked as a pc coder from home, so I essentially believed I had no accountability. Like I said, I was a 25 year old athletic man?
I put off detoxing as my former room mate and best friend was murdered the week after my son. He was actually my ride there, and I realize now I should have skipped the wake and funeral, and taken my FREE BED. I chose to drink for an additional week, detoxed at my previous girlfriend’s, and could very possibly have killed her child as on day 5 of not drinking, she was late for work (she was.a school teacher) and asked me to watch her son.
I had no idea about holistic treatments, or essentially anything. I just knew I had been up for the previous 5 days/nights, and was still shaking like a leaf (I also was not eating and all the water I drank came up quickly).
Thank god I had a massive gm seizure while I was trying to explain that watching Jake was a bad idea. I don’t recall the next 45 minutes or so. She told me what happened. The paramedics told me what they saw when they arrived. For me, that hour or whatever is gone. How could this possibly happen? I didn’t use other drugs save cigarettes. I was young, borderline MENSA depending on how much liquor I consumed, an athlete…
This leads me to point 2
2. Don’t detox at home if you have a choice. If you have no other option study this site and as much related material as possible. I thought my dog being hit by a car (my fault, I was drunk and lazy, my house phone rang, I zipped in to get it leaving the dog in the front yard), my son passing (I was out of state, but his mom drank, popped a bunch of pills, and fell asleep on him. If I was not drinking I would have been there but I post-poned my flight) and my friend dieing as my reason.
Nonsense. If I didn’t seize we could possibly add one more tragedy to the list, but this one could have been 100% my fault. And it would have been someone else’s child.
3. If you are helping someone else who HAS to detox at home, grab so vitamin c, b, d, and a ton of pedialyte. You don’t want them flopping like a fish after 2-5 days of both of you going through all that pain. And never, no matter what they say, let them talk you out getting them medical treatment if you KNOW they are that sick. It is not worth the chance. I almost died, could have inadvertently put a child’s life in danger. It is deplorable, but the brain does not work correctly while detoxing. It is miserable, painful, guilt-ridden, and can take quite some time before the person feels ok.
I can relate to almost every post here. I hope some of my long-winded response helps someone.
Take care
Dave
Dave
I say leave the post up. It just shows the ignorance regarding alcoholism. It’s something we will all have to face in real life.
You are an alcoholic; your choice idiot.
Oh, something bad happened when you were a kid (or grown up), get over it.
My favorite: Just quit
I will lol at that one. That’s like me telling someone overweight who hates exercising to go on a ketogenic diet, then bulk up 45lbs, then go back on a 3500+ calorie deficit diet per day while exercising 5 hours a day…
I could say it, but A. Most people would not understand to begin with (not because they can’t, they just never learned it. I can’t speak Latin. Not bc I’m unintelligent, I just never learned it. So I am ignorant in that respect).
So the poster is either ignorant to the basics of brain receptors, epinephrine and serotonin production and reduction in certain people, and alcohol seeming to be a cure all (Initially it is for most of us), or he is; just not a nice person.
I’m going to guess, no matter the addiction, 99% of the people here have a gift for something that poster will never have. I hope he gets it someday, and if he chooses to read about brain chemistry, he might. I also hope he never goes through addiction, as I would not wish it on anyone, even if they choose to remain ignorant.
Dave
Not the healthiest, but the first few days, chances are we just want to hold food down and not have it burn too much if we throw it up.
Your peach suggestion is great. I’d even recommend them in heavy or lite syrup the first 48 hours. Detox nutrition is a bit different initially than recovery /P.A.W.S./ real life healthy. Your body will be starving for sugars since the booze is removed. Normally, you will be sick for at least 2 days. The syrup in those cheap canned peaches along with the absurd amount of high fructose corn syrup make it far gentler on the stomach, and also on the esophagus if you toss it up.
Btw, I’ve made a few posts. I’m not a science nerd (I wish I knew far more), but I am a firm believer in many of the religious things mentioned on this site.
I am a little opinionated though. We have science for a reason. We are here for a reason. Whatever belief you hold, even science, leads back to a higher power.
I do not believe anyone gets “punished” for not believing in whatever; whatever is there (I believe in JC myself but that is just my belief) knows whether you tried to live well and help others. You may have f’d up horribly, but if you are contrite, well I believe redemption is there without burning in hell or pergatory for a millenia. God knows if you are a good person, regardless of the name, or even acknowledgement. If someone believes differently than you, so be it. Don’t let anyone, including myself, hinder your recovery because of what we choose to believe.
Take care
Dave
Maggie
It is a LIE that you can’t detox safely at home. And regardless of whether or not you believe that alcoholism is a disease, do NOT let that DEFINE you!
Some VERY BASIC Starting points (I will add to this post in phases):
1. Magnesium – pick up oral supplemental Magnesium (i.e. ‘Natural Calm’ brand), AND Magnesium Oil (Magnesium Chloride). Transdermal Magnesium supplementation is the MOST absorbed and effective means of supplementing with Magnesium. This will help with symptoms of all kinds, including withdrawal (anxiety, ticks, tension, headaches, heart palpitations, muscle cramps, sweats, chills, hallucinations, OCD, feelings of rage, etc. ).
2. B-Complex – preferably WHOLE FOOD BASED. Load up!
3. Milk Thistle – helps with withdrawal, liver detox and liver regeneration.
4. L-Glutamine – reduces cravings for alcohol and soothes digestive distress.
5. Walk, sweat, jump, play, re-bound (mini trampoline jumping), etc. This gets the lymph flowing and helps to flush the system of toxins (ALCOHOL!).
6. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate – with water! Add some Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (WITH “The Mother” – Bragg’s is a good brand, but Trader Joe’s also carries their own) to it for the enzymes, pre- and pro-biotics to help digestion, metabolism and elimination of toxins.
7. Vitamin C – Dose yourself 1,000 MG once per hour until you get a round of loose stools. You have reached saturation at that point. Back off, then start again.
8. MAGNESIUM – yes you read that right! This is a duplicate but STILL important. Soak your feet in a Magnesium bath at least once per day, add Epsom salts to a bath, drench yourself in Magnesium Oil before bed and brew hot water and add a pinch of Magnesium to the hot water and sip before bed. The more Magnesium the better!
9. Golden Milk/Turmeric tea – Boil hot water (and/or coconut milk) and steep your favorite herbal tea (or green tea if it’s early enough in the day). Add the following: Fresh or ground turmeric; fresh or ground ginger; dash of ground black pepper; Cinnamon to taste; any other herbs that might appeal to you (i.e. coriander, curry, cumin, red pepper, ginger, oregano, mint, etc.). To this blend add 1-2 tablespoons of Coconut Oil (very nourishing for the liver and loaded with healthy medium-chain fatty acids).
To be continued . . .
Dave
If you are currently still sober you have it made. It may not seem like it but if your hands are steady enough to type, you are getting moderate rest, and four days have passed you have gotten through the physical part (In my opinion the most physically difficult).
Soon (maybe a few more days) you will really start to feel the physical change. You may feel (you may even be) healthier than you have ever felt.
Now the mental part. That lasts forever. I’ve picked up after a miserable week (ei. as soon as my physical detox was done), and after years of sobriety. It happens.
Some silly ideas that may or may not help with relapsing. Keep a picture of someone you love in plain view at all times. Your bedroom, your dashboard in your car if you drive, your wallet and cell phone; everywhere you can. When you want to pick up, look at it. When you are in the liquor store parking lot think about what will happen if you drink.
If you choose to go in and buy whatever, let yourself feel all the guilt. Then think about everything that could happen. D.U.I.’s, hurting yourself, or even worse someone else.
The someone else may be inadvertent, but no matter what they say, everyone who cares about you wants you better and feels the pain, even if they no longer seem supportive. Their pain is different, you cannot expect them to “Get It”. You can’t always expect their support. People can only love you so much before they have to let go as like I said, the pain is different, but it is still real.
It may be a few days, it may be a few years, but they always forgive. Look at it this way. If you die they may forgive you but you won’t be there to enjoy it. If you are in jail, they may forgive you, but how long before you can enjoy it? I think we have all done enough damage, so look at that picture, cry in the parking lot, and no matter how bad things seem, leave.
How many “It hasn’t happened yet” do we need to put ourselves through? I never believed in the “yets”. For example, I would never lose a girlfriend… that obviously happens to us all. No big deal.
I’ll never get arrested for drinking. I drive better drunk anyway (I actually believed that).
I’ll never lose a job because of drinking.
I’ll never hurt anyone else because of drinking. Little did I know every sip or gulp I took hurt someone.
I will never neglect my children because of drinking. That was even more ludicrous than thinking I drove better under the influence.
I’ll always be there for my friends… Nonsense, it’s difficult to be there if you are throwing up while going number 2. By the way, your friends who are not recovered/recovering/trying to get better will never pick you or anyone else over themselves. It is awful but true.
I will never be homeless.
I will never sleep with a girl for money.
I will never drink again…
The cool part of this novelette? Well most of the things I said will happen in time, but the last part will avoid almost all of them.
brian h
Update, my last drink was 6-8-15 I’m past detox and feeling great! Been going to the gym and back on a healthy diet. Looking for work as I lost my last one due to drinking. My throat healed so I can burn again. That is the only thing, besides time, that kills my cravings. I have medical for other reasons too, but during my first 30 days being sober from alcohol I find this to be key. Plus I refuse to take any pills unless absolutely necessary. I take vitamins tho. I’ve been doing a lot of online reading about sobriety and addiction. Obviusly there is A.A. meetings, but there are other meeting styles too. http://www.smartrecovery.org/community/calendar.php?styleid=29#.SV34jxPzzMI this is one and its online meetings as well as in person. All I’m saying is if one doesn’t work or feel right then try a different one/kind. Here is something else you can read if you like http://www.hamsnetwork.org/ten/ I like taking in different thoghts and aproaches at things to better solve or understand them. Lastly I am Christian was baptized and raised that way. A friend of mine gave me a book Dharma Punx while I was still detoxing and hurting. Well while reading that I began also looking more into Buddhism, without punkrock, and really enjoy the message. Maybe look into that, its not a religion and if you are religious you can still follow your religion while studying Buddhism. Its a philosophy, a way of life, a study guide. Im not saying I’m super knowledgeable about it because I only recently began lokking into it. It helps me mentally and gives me something to focus on. It takes me awhile without alcohol to get past my super irritability and find that any things through out the day frustrate me. Now instead of just being frustrated I tell myself, in my head, compassion. Will repeat saying it until I’m over it. I hope you all the best! Getting past detox is the hardest part and once you’re sober and feeling better just remember how bad detox was and that if you drink you WILL have to go through that again. God bless.
Dave
I swear I don’t mean to sound unhelpful, but what type n alcoholic can afford these vitamins over alcohol? I live in Massachusetts, so I just say “Doc, can you write me a script for …” and it’s free (as are detoxes in Ma, RI, New Hampshire and Connecticut, though they are often straight ghetto), nothing akin to what you see on Dr. Phil. You are there with murderers, rapists, spin cycle users who take a narcotic before going so they can get Methadone. I hate to admit it but I’m jealous. I’d give an alcohol detox for an opiate one in a second. Anyone that has ever dealt with both on an equal level will agree. Any doctor would rather treat a heroin habit to 2 grams or so daily to a 35oz. Of hard liquor. Alcohol itself does more damage to your body than any other abused substance in the world (feel free and say tobacco and we can discuss statistics over time ( [email protected] ) and you will see most of us are correct, even if only partially.
Still, the help is there. At home or in a facility. A type n alcoholic should find in-patient after a few days relapse or slip, they can probably get it and be out in 3 nights.
A normal heavy drinker can possibly go months of stopping and starting before they start seeing sparkly things when they stop. Once it happens, it never goes away if you pick up.
I stated previously, it is not a matter of if, but when.
Denzy TheDestinyson
Thanks yolanda. It is 44 days of my soberiety this time.
Denzy TheDestinyson
Thanks yolanda. It is 48 days of my soberiety this time.
Love & Hugs!
Denzy TheDestinyson
Thanks Dave. It is 48 days of my soberiety this time. I am recovering well.
Love & Hugs!
Maggie
@ Dave – Hi, Dave, you make good points and my post wasn’t meant to be dismissive or directed to you personally if that’s the way it was interpreted. ;0). That being said, and for what it’s worth to anyone reading, in terms of cost, the supplements I listed above are all very inexpensive – much less expensive than alcohol – and can actually be implemented even when someone is actively drinking. There are certainly cases where outside intervention is the right choice for many, but for those who are looking for an alternative (and/or adjunct) or are feeling hopeless within the system, I just want to encourage them and let them know that there are some very basic options that can facilitate the process of recovery from a nutritional stand-point. I wish you the best of success in your health and life. ~ Maggie
Jess
I feel the same way, I did detox at home with my husband watching I seriously thought I was dying the first two days(I think my pancreatitis came back) he was afraid I would have a seizure. I’ve been drinking heavily for 10’years. A box of wine every 2 days. I’m on my 5th day and I get so anxious, irritable and have no patience. I did a liver cleansing but i feel it’s still in my system. I wish everyone the best and be safe. Eat tons of fruits and vegetables and stay hydrated. This is my third time detoxing in 10 years and I know it gets better after a few weeks. It’s the worse pain I have ever been thru. I wish they had a special miracle pill over the counter to help. :0(
Jess
It’s not needy it’s not wanting it’s something that developed as a disease or whatever u want to call it mr. Whoever left that negative comment. And now we are all trying to help ourselves and get better. You have some nerve to post anything negative when u have no idea how painful it is. And not for nothing, you should have better things to do if you are so much better.
Jess
I have to say I appreciate this forum so much. I wish I knew of this years ago. Everyone is in the same boat and understand each other and gives great advice. Thank you everyone for being open and honest and helping us all out! I wanted to have a few sips tonight to get the frustration and anxiety to calm down but you all gave me strength . Thank you.
Maggie
Congratulations, Brian!!
abhishek
Dear frnds
i stopped drinking but again started pls help me to get rid of it. motivate me. so that i can stop i destroyed all my money, household goods even food materials for alcohol. pls help me
Wallis
Try Bone Broth.
I am so glad I discovered this forum! It’s exactly what I have been looking for. Was considering a medical detox when I discovered that my insurance has been canceled. Hope to have active again shortly but that’s another story… I have been researching Bone Broth lately and have made a few variations before deciding to detox this week. I have gotten to the point that I can’t seem to make it past 1:00 pm before I have to have a little vodka to stop the shakes etc. I will have a couple of pulls just to feel better and then I’m off again.. Another day of the same thing. It’s a vicious cycle. 2 days ago I managed to not drink too much, just enough to start tapering off and actually felt pretty decent yesterday. I think the Bone Broth calmed me and helped me get started on detoxing. I have been drinking Bone Broth and taking vitamins and drinking lots of water. Feeling like there my be chance of detoxing without meds but I will see. One way or the other, the research I was doing on bone broth was very helpful in helping me decide to get serious about getting healthy. The reason I am not feeling healthy is because I have a drinking problem. Vodka and wine are stealing my youth and my life. I am going to focus on nourishing my body and Bone Broth is where I’m starting. Google it to see all the things being said about it lately. Good for upset stomach and healing the liver are just a couple. If nothing else, it is helping me hydrate and occupy some of my time that would otherwise been spent on drinking. And I can look my kids in the eye with a cup of Broth in my cup and not feel like a total loser wondering if they know how much I drink. I still have to figure out my next steps but for now I don’t have to drink booze just to stop the pain I cased by drinking in the first place.
tinatina
How’s recovery going for you Brian?
tinatina
Well I have been drinking pretty heavy the past maybe 6 years or so. I don’t even remember. I just know drinking more started when I moved with a boyfriend about 10 years ago. It wasn’t so social. Then maybe 6 years or 7 years ago I started to spiral out of control. I became homeless about a year and a half ago and my kids and I moved with my brother and luckily I was able to work about 4 months and save. But I was still drinking. I was sneaking it most times. I moved back into my own place last year and met a great man, and things were looking up. 7 months ago I quit drinking all together. I got rid of my drinking buddies, which basically was all of my “friends” except my boyfriend. I prayed to meet a man who is a non drinker/smoker, healthy, into God and working out and that’s what I got. I started working more and paying my bills on time the past 7 months. Then recently a “friend” that I use to drink with started coming around and bringing alcohol, of course. I don’t know why I gave in. I didn’t really crave alcohol that much anymore. I was perfectly fine drinking tea and water. I even cut out my coffee addiction. I broke my candy addiction that I developed after I quit. But for some reason I let the devil come back and got drunk about 4 times now in the past 2 months. Not too drunk the first few times. But this past weekend I downed one of those big boxes of wine, a little box, a big bottle and a 6 pack of beer.. Suddenly I am getting these old feelings back. The craving alcohol really bad. I couldn’t shake the feeling. I knew if I kept it up I would be back to where I was over a year ago. Not working, missing days at a time, not paying bills and getting kicked on the street with my kids by the cops. Well, I poured out the rest of the alcohol, and slept most of yesterday, and drink lots of water and forced myself to eat, and just prayed and I begged God to please not let me get to that dark place again. I can tell you all this. After being sober for 7 months, and thinking you (I) can drink again, do not fool yourself. If you have a problem I don’t believe that even 10 years of sobriety will fix the problem. And I know it’s easier said than done. I know it’s very difficult to just quit, but pray if you believe in God, and find a way. I can’t say for sure that I learned from this set back. Because I am a smart woman and was smart enough to know I had a major problem, yet this weekend I was drinking like a fish in the ocean lol. And it’s not funny. Trust me, I was crying and have tears in my eyes now. This is not how God wants life to be. And for those of you without jobs, living with family and no friends…I can tell you that the last 7 months of me being sober were great. I use to drink so bad that I was hearing voices. That only started towards the last year of me drinking, and stopped about a week after I quit. It was horrible and embarrassing because I was not born that way and didn’t know who to tell. I am not experiencing the more serious withdrawal that I experienced the first time I quit for 7 months. But I feel a little weak, and sad. It’s not fun to ffeel like a failure and sad. Especially when you so badly want to live a happy healthy life. Oh and by the way, I have 2 jobs from home. I logged into one I’m training for and realized I got fired form it. Why? because I was suppose to spend the weekend working and training to pass the test to work. Apparantly I was too drunk to remember it. And my rent will be paid late because I took time off my other job. Once I realized what road I was back on yesterday, I forced myself to pour out the rest. Reading all the stories here is very scary, but I need to read these stories to know that If I let temptation into my life again, I am not even sure if I will live long enough to enjoy a happy future. I am just here because I was researching what I can do to detox my body from drinking the past 5 days. I don’t have insurance so I just have to tough it out. I do have a detox tea that I bought for dieting purposes a few weeks ago, and hibiscus tea which naturally lowers blood pressure. I also grow basil on my back patio and read making a natural basil tea or water can help inflammation and mental health. So I pray for the best. Anyone needs to talk or offer advice I’d love to talk. What helped me the last time was talking to other people who are alcoholics who had great stories of recovery and hope.
Old Man
I am 63 and have been drinking off and on since I was 16. Over the years my drink of choice has become Guinness stout. I can easily finish a 6 pack, and I am known to drink a 12-pack fairly regular. I play Irish music and it goes so well with it. It doesnt affect me the next day. I dont have an urge during the day to drink but I get my trigger on the way home from work. Some days I dont even feel like drinking and I dont. When I play in front of a crowd on St Paddys Day, I dont feel an urge to drink. Generally when I go on vacation, I rarely drink and when I do it is usually an after dinner drink.
But I am tired of feeling fat and old, knees and back hurting cos of the extra beer lard I am lugging about.
I had quit before: 3 times for over a year; twice without any issue because I had removed certain stress factors (the opposite sex), and once with a lot of angst.
I spent the past 2 weeks getting my head wrapped around quitting and have stocked up on the above for a 10-day at-home detox. There will be a physical withdrawal I am sure, and it will be a hard habit to break when I play music.
So today is day 1 and I am doing my best to stay absolutely calm with life.
George
My first day sober in 1 month SCARED
George
Is anyone there ?
Old Man
Take it a moment at a time. Try to relax and stay relaxed. Do relaxing things, watch your favorite comedies, eat healthy, drink water and remember why you quit. I am on day 4.
George
Thank you my friend
George
Mr. Old Man,
Thanks.I originally got sober on Saturday March 1,1980 until may 2007
Having had cancer twice I went into denial.I thought by drinking it would flush
The cancer away.The only thing it flushed was my respect to my self.when I got
Back from my tour overseas back in the 70’s I was stationed at Camp Lejune
For 6 months.A month ago I found out through the V.A.that Camp Lejune had
Contaminated water from 1957 to 1987 which effected over 150,000 MARINES
Took me for the biggest tail spin of my life.im a d.v. And feel betrayed from
My Governments secret to cover that up.I was one of the few the proud
UNITED STATES MARINE.Now we’re considered,the few the proud,THE FORGOTTEN
Just go to GOOGLE and type In Contaminaded water at Camp Lejune.Today I can
See that a drink won’t help the damage that we face for the Future.Theres a new
Test that we have to take.Its called the camp Lejune protal.THANK YOU for your
Response.
Lake
I just came across this website…..I am 48 hours into detoxing myself at home after years of drinking….and I am honestly looking for some advice on how to explain to my family what I am going through. I did an in-patient detox 6 months ago, but I was not mentally ready. My body is so messed up right now…I think I have pancreatitis, and if I don’t do this….I will likely lose everything and possibly die. The problem is that I live with my parents, they are both also alcoholics, and there is liquor everywhere in the house. I don’t even have a craving for alcohol anymore.
I am doing ok…going through the general detox process…having trouble eating, sleeping….bad headaches, anxiety. If anyone has any words for my family that I can pass along to….I would really like their support but they think I am just being lazy.
Marie
I want my life back too! I hate my life right now
Marie
Day of home detox. It has been rough.
Marie
This website is great. So much helpful information.
Fallen Angel69
I just read the entire post. I am an alcoholic; alcohol dependent. I started drinking daily (red wine) in 2009. I know what triggered me to drink daily and it took about two years to become alcohol dependent. My first experience with detox was a joke, because I was sectioned by my two younger sisters and I was not alcohol dependent at that time, so I did not experience any withdrawals. When I got out, I was so pissed off and that’s when my drinking really took off. I continued to drink the wine and then began drinking vodka, mostly straight up. I went through most of 2011 smashed. I did home detox several times that year, sometimes cold turkey, which absolutely sucked and also ended up in the ER several times as I was so out of control. I went to inpatient detox several times. In January of 2012, I thought I’d finally had enough and got sober. I went to AA (per court order), but I started drinking again, just a little here and there at first. In September of 2012, my drinking picked up a little more and needless to say that I now need to drink a pint of vodka daily just to be barely functional. I am exhausted all the time and I know I have to stop. I just tried tapering, but it’s not working for me. My plan is to detox at home starting this Saturday (I have a contractor coming over tomorrow, so I have to drink, plus I need to get groceries to see me through). I really don’t want to live like this anymore. I know that was a rather long intro, but the advice at the top of this page is really true. You need to take the supplements, eat healthy and drink lots of water. I also have Ativan to ease the withdrawals. I am fortunate as I have insurance and can afford to buy the supplements. If you are not in this position and cannot even get a prescription for a benzo like Ativan, Valium, Klonapin, I honestly would not attempt to detox at home, it is too dangerous. Addiction is a terrible disease and unless you or someone you know is an addict, most people just don’t get it. We addicts never asked for this. I don’t know of anyone who ever said “when I grow up I want to be an addict”. I am a highly educated woman. I own a beautiful house in the country, an acre and a half of land, an in ground pool, central air, sprinkler system, etc.. I have a beautiful daughter, a dog, and a terrific job, but I am an alcoholic. Believe me when I say nobody knows I drink. Everyone thinks I’ve been sober since early 2012. Aren’t we clever at hiding our addiction? I can’t do inpatient detox for obvious reasons, yet if I don’t stop drinking I know I will lose everything I’ve worked so hard for. I will die of this disease. The only other thing I need to say and maybe all of this is for me as I have never put this in writing and I pray this will give me strength to stop is that we have the ability to halt this disease, unlike someone with, say, terminal cancer. Many of those with such a diagnosis will go to any length to prolong their lives. Why is it that even knowing we have the chance to live, regain our health, reclaim our lives, we continue to slowly kill ourselves?
ScaredAsHell
Day 1 of my detox. Been drinking 10 shots of hard liquor for over 10 years every night. Killing myself is not a good look on me. I’ve been able to hide it the whole time and am not proud of that. My kids need their mom. I pray its not to late, I don’t want to die in my 30’s 🙁 God help me
ScaredAsHell
Going to look into Bone Broth Wallis, I feel a little better after reading all of your stories. We are NOT losers, we are all just trying to get through this life and not burden our families. I care about each of you and hope you all come back to update. Good or bad, no judgments.-Joy D.
ScaredAsHell
This helped me alot, ty
ScaredAsHell
Hope the best for you, I’m in the same boat. We can do this, we must.
ScaredAsHell
Right there with you. I’ve hidden it for 10 years. If my family knew how much I drank they would flip out. I’m Guna have to go it alone. My husband still drinks so that’s Guna be shitty. He only drinks 2 beers so I guess it doesn’t matter. I’m fixin to go dump out the rest of my stupid captain Morgans. What a waste of life 🙁
Ivan Yakinoff
Trying again!!!!
Ivan Yakinoff
Fallenangel69
Speaking for myself,this is cunning baffling and powerful.We are the last to
Know.We wil lower our standards faster than we can void them.Trying this again!
Ivan Yakinoff
I’m in my 60s now.never thought the respect for myself would stoop so low
But it did.
Cristina s
Hi Dave I’m very sorry to hear all that but im glad you got help. My name is Cristina and im 22 yrs. old and can’t believe at this age my body feels like its dying. Last night i couldnt sleep and the few times that i did I had terrible nightmares. Right now im trying to decide whether i should try the ER. Ive been drinking for the last 3 yrs. probably every other day if not every. Today i don’t feel like myself, shaking seeing things and im really tired of drinking. Do you suggest going to the ER or just trying it at home. Im so lost. Thank you and im glad i read your comment.
Cristina s
i know how you feel, ive tried stopping and going to AA but the longest time that has worked is 9 days! today im trying again these withdraws are terrible and i cant seem to do anything right! but have hope your not alone so many people are going through this hell. My mom is also an alcoholic but has been sober for 9 years now and trust me she was the worst!! lol hang in there! i know im trying ! no one deserves this much pain we go through but too bad we have to be strong and get through it! 🙂 PS. i loose all my money when i drink, really sucks!
Cristina s
Burden our families? dam that really hurts. Thats all i feel i do these days and for my own selfish reasons. Its a terrible thing and makes you feel so guilty right? well im trying this detox today and god i really hope i stay on track and i really hope you are as well. And yeah reading these stories are great It makes me feel better that we are not alone and some one who was in this same place is all better now. Best of luck to you!
fallenangel69
Well, needless to say that my attempt to detox at home failed miserably. I just bought the book “Herbal Remedies” by As a Hershoff and Andrea To tell I first published in 2001. Under the alcohol detox section the authors recommend several herbal remedies, but the one that really got my attention was Kudzu, also known as Pueraria lobata. According to the book, this remedyhas been used in China for a very long time to sober a drunk person and for various side effects of alcohol. The book also states that recent research shows that Kudzu can dramatically reduce cravings for alcohol. I did some of my own research on the topic and found many research articles validating the use of Kudzu for alcohol abuse and addiction. I ordered 2 bottles of Kudzu Recovery (750 mg., 120 tabs) made by Planetary Herbals on pureformulas.com for $20.96. I used a discount code sn720, there are other discount codes, see savings.com. Online reports say that Kudzu, in the right standardized doses (2 caps, 3x day) can cut your alcohol consumption in half with no withdrawals. I haven’t received my shipment yet, but I will post again once I have tried it. You may want to do your own research on this, but, if anyone has tried it, I’d really like to hear about your experience. My addiction is getting worse and I have to do something about it, but I just can’t stop. I am beyond that point. I feel so helpless. I know if I were to do another inpatient detox and follow up with therapy and AA, I would still relapse. All my best to all of you. We all deserve to get our lives back. This is what happens when life has chewed you up and spit you out too many times. It is said that God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, and although I believe in God, I don’t think I believe anymore that he\she doesn’t give us more than we can handle; otherwise, all addicts would be able to overcome their addictions. I pray that I will eat these words and become an inspiration to others; what else is there to do in this life besides helping others? In order to do so, you have to be right with self. And I was – happy, healthy, stable, good mother, a teacher as was my calling – until my addiction took me on this downward spiral 5 years ago. I am 54 years old. I want out of this addiction and I want my life back. God bless.
fallenangel69
Here is another very interesting link I found and would like to share: http://wp.rxisk.org/driven-to-drink-antidepressants-and-cravings-for-alcohol/
It only took me about three hours to figure out how to cut and paste from my trio axs 4g android tablet, and this from a former webmaster! I have to say that after reading this, there may very well be a correlation between taking SSRI antidepressants and alcohol cravings, given my own experience. To Ivan , I agree with you completely and my alcoholism has taken me into some deep dark places I never want to go again. This is a small post so I would ask those who still read to please respond, not just to me, but each other as well. It seems to me that we all have a common problem, namely the inability to stop drinking. In my last post I said I had ordered Kudzu (see above for link). Well, I got it in the mail yesterday and tried it. I can’t say that it helped me to reduce my drinking on day1, but I can say that I felt much better this morning (I always thought that alcoholics didn’t get hangovers!) I felt better today than I have in a long time. I am still drinking my standard pint of Stoli Raspberry straight up, but I feel better. The Kudzu seems to have no side effects and my cravings are diminished. I had much less withdrawal symptoms today. If any of my typing is misspelled, it is because this tablet changes my typing. I would like the moderator of this thread to increase the comment window size. You have a great thing going on here! I agree with everything in the article at the top. I’ve never posted anywhere, but I have installed and moderated chat servers . I thank you for providing this thread. I feel safe here and I will continue to research and post if that’s OK with you. You have access to my email address. There is much research being conducted on alcoholism. Genetics, natural remedies and drugs derived from these. The statistics of those who can successfully stop or moderate are dismal. I refuse to let this kill me, but I know, and I have only been struggling with this for the past 5 years, that I have to find another way. Traditional methods don’t work for me . God bless.
fallenangel69
Hello slickchick! How are you doing today? I’ve read your post several times and I feel your pain. I just wanted to say to you that I don’t believe in satan or the devil. I believe in God, Jesus and the holy spirit as we are also triune beings living in 3 dimensional space. God does love us and is only capable of love. If you believe God loves us and only wants what is best for us then why would you believe that God would allow another being to tempt and hurt us? I agree that we ought to discover and submit our lives to His will. Not easy, is it? Please consider the possibility that God’s will was for you and maybe even your husband, to experience everything that you have experienced and that all is perfect just the way it is. God is perfect and because we were created by God, we are also perfect. Ifyou overcome your addiction, and I pray you have or will, you will serve as a messenger of hope to all of those you can. If you do not overcome your addiction, you will still be a messenger of hope. There is no Satan, there is no eternal punishment in hell. Think on this deeply, you would never condemn another to eternal hell, neither would our loving God. Please let me know how you are.
fallenangel69
Hello webmaster! Seems like folks are not posting/reading. This post has great potential to become a place for those struggling with addiction, given the expert, extensive advice on natural remedies at top of page. I know I’m doing better, and I know I’m taking better care of my body by using some of the natural remedies posted above. I think it might be helpful to get this info/post “out there”. With all due respect.
fallenangel69
Dear scared, you are not alone. Stay with us in this post and we will all get through this. Just the fact that you want to live tells me you WILL. You are young and have so much to live for. I too, drink like you and nobody knows as I don’t get high from drinking anymore, I actually get more functional. I am Dependant on alcohol and it sucks. I hate AA, because I feel like I just can’t relate to people who say they knew they were alcoholics from the time they took their first drink and the things they did in order to get their booze. I don’t like the clicks and I don’t feel supported. Many of the men in AA will try to take advantage of you when you are at your most vulnerable. I am looking for a place where I feel supported. This is, I think a very small post with a lot of good advice, so please stay with me/us. Even if you pick up the drink, please understand that relapse is part of recovery. You are trying and, God willing, you will succeed, as will we all who earnestly trying. I will pray for you, God will listen. All my best, FallenAngel69.
fallenangel69
Hey Dave, where have you been? You offer so much good advice and a message of hope. I too live in MA, just found this post and want to keep it going. I’ve never posted before, but for some reason, I just had to get involved – I want out of my addiction, but I see no way out via traditional methods. I am trying. Help me. Help us. Help keep this post alive. I know you are special, do you not know this? I can sence this, don’t ask me why. There are people who need you.
fallenangel69
Tinatina, are you still here?
fallenangel69
Is anyone still here? If you are, then please read and post. We need each other. Even if you are actively drinking, check in, daily. How else are we ever going to get through this? Wouldn’t it be awesome if one day, we could all post that we have beaten our addictions and could serve as messengers to others by telling our stories? Don’ t give up, ever! I promise to be here for you, please be there for me too!
Meredith.
im here. im3 days off a very bad binge. 5 bottles of 700 ml vodka in 4 days. I still feel sick. can’t keep much down with bad nausea. shaky and anxiety out of control. on/ off sleeping. can’t stay asleep. just want to get healthy again. any suggestions. I’m drinking lots off water but any foods that would help. thankyou. I did have 6 years sobriety then fell off wagon a year ago. have been bingeing like this monthly.
fallenangel69
Hi Meridith, I am so happy to hear from you. It sounds like you have had some real success, 6 years something to very proud of. Have you tried any of the suggestions at the top of this post? Fruit, all fruit, berries, watermelon is great for dehydration and green apples help with cravings. There are also many natural supplements you can buy and they are not expensive. You can often get buy one, get one free at your local drugstores. I take Milk thistle which minimizes damage to the liver and will heal it upon abstinence. I take B-vitamins, B1, B12 and B multi as they help with the central nervous system. I take a daily women’s multi. I get all of these at BJ’s and with coupons are inexpensive.I take curcumin/tumeric and grape seed extract, both very powerful antioxidants which also combat the free radicals that alcohol produces in the body. I recently have added Oatstraw extract (aveena sativa) for energy and also help to reduce cravings and Cayenne extract (capsicum frutescens) which helpsvtovreduce cravings, helps with morning sickness, promotes appetite, reduces anxiety and tremor, induces calm sleep and helps with exhaustion. These were expensive, about $30 per bottle for 4 oz., but they will last a long time. Finally, I also just started taking Kudzu (see my post above for a good brand as most others do not have the ingredients to be effective). I ordered two bottles of 120 tabs for about $20. Kudzu has been used, according to the book I bought, for thousands of years to sober a drunk person and is also helpful for hangovers (but only if taken as directed when drinking, not the next day). Kudzu helps with thirst, loss of appetite, gastric bleeding, but most importantly recent research shows it can dramatically reduce cravings for alcohol by as much as 50%. I hope this helps. Please stay in touch. FallenAngel69, by the way the 69 is my birthday!
Baha
I need help.
Michelle
I’m fortunate to have found this forum. I want to make a change. I’ve been drinking for nearly !6 years. At night, after I put my family to bed, it’s like I’m living a double life. Wine, liquor, beer, anything. I look and feel like hell. I’ve been blacking out lately, which is new. I’ll wake up the next morning, having no memory of the night before. (not that I’m out doing anything, I’m just drinking in my livingroom) I know I’m slowly killing myself. I need to stop! It’s so comforting to know I’m not alone in this.
nomojo
I have been drinking hard core since my mothers death in 2005, I’m talking every single day a 12 pack of beer plus on some days, I know if I don’t stop I won’t make it much longer. I did hold down a job for a couple of years here and there. I guess I’m the functioning alcoholic. I’m not proud at all. I simply have had enough. I have been thinking a lot lately about quitting. I think the longest, I have been sober combined is maybe 5 months in 10 years. I have children which I have raised by myself, now teens, luckily, they are good children and very respectful, despite my alcoholism, It’s time to stop, I’m miserable with my life. So yesterday, I ran errands all day long and by the time I stopped I looked at the clock it was already 9 pm, I had picked my oldest son up from our fishing spot, I was like wow, I haven’t had a drink, so why buy some now, he said good mom, don’t get any. So, I didn’t. I couldn’t sleep cause obviously I was starting the wonderful withdrawal process, so my son laid next to me and we watched Netflix till 4 am, he doesn’t like to leave my side when I’m not well, he wanted to make sure I was ok. I have detoxed at home before being on Klonopin, I take that, and also my blood pressure medicine. I’m taking super b complex, vitamin c and drinking a lot of fluids, so far I’m surprised of how much alcohol I have consumed over the years, I’m just now after 48 hrs starting to feel sluggish, a little sweaty here and there, Im just praying that the next 2 days it doesn’t hit me like a ton of bricks. I am currently irritated easily,other than that I’m going to keep pushing on. I want to get better, sick of living my life in a lie. I know I have done damage to my kidneys and liver, after I detox that’s my next step going back to the GI doctor to find out what else I have done to myself. I owe this to my children, I know my lifestyle has put stress on their lives, that would be a lie if they said different, I do love them, I have always tried to make them number 1 but alcohol apparently was number 1 and I’m sick of being selfish, I really wish I had someone to talk to right now but I don’t. Thank you for letting me vent. Lisa
nomojo
Hi, Michelle, if you would like to talk just let me know. I’m a single mother of 3 and I have been hardcore drinking for 10 yrs straight. I understand how you feel. Lisa
Birdygirl
Bless us each and every one of us. Two days ago I decided that my nightly bottle wine was ruining my life. I am doing fIrly well but last night sweats nearly drove me over the cliff. At first I did not equate them with alcohol since I am also going through menopause. I do not want to drink anymore. I tried AA several months ago and felt threatened not welcomed. I am also looking for a new career and worried about someone seeing me at a meeting. I am a very private person. We all deserve a better life outside of the prison of addiction. I did not sleep last night am lying on the couch with an ice pack on my head to keep my temp down. I can’t afford to do in house rehab since I am a graphic designer and have a project I need to work on at home. This is awful. I am seeing my regular physician tomorrow about menopause issues and I think I will confess to her what I am trying to do. I really want my life back. I wish the same for everyone else here.
Birdygirl
I do too. I don’t know how active this board is but wanted you to know that someone else cares.
fallenangel69
Hi Michelle, sorry I haven’t posted in a couple of days. I ended up inthe ER with pancreatitis and just got out. I am sober for now; shaky and exhausted. Alcoholism is a progressive disease as you know. You may be able to still moderate your drinking. Read the HAMS network page and any other info you can find. I wish someone had told me to about this or about anything so I might have been able to prevent this. Instead , I was excommunicated, shunned, by everyone I knew and loved. I urge you, do it NOW!!! Don’t wait. This site is hard to post on from an an android. Read the entire post and god bless before I lose you again.
fallenangel69
Hello Baba, how may I be of help to you?
fallenangel69
I am sorry Baba, but my android keeps changing you’re name . I know it it it’s not baba.
Liz
My boyfriend has started to show withdrawal symptoms. Hopefully all goes well.
Lushlady
going t start tomorrow! I hope everyone is doing well!
fallenangel69
Please listen, all of you who read and post to this thread. . . if you post once and never come back, how are you going to the support and encouragement you need to succeed? Come back, support each other, learn from each other, reply to each other. What good is it if you post once or maybe twice and never come back to see if maybe, just maybe, there is something here for you that might change your life. I just got out of the hospital from my second bout of acute pancreatitis. Maybe it was a blessing as I got sober in the hospital. I had my lorazepam with me. I’m barely a few days sober and I feel like shit, but I am sober. I continue to take the ssupplements and, of course, I run a major risk for relapse, but today I am sober and so grateful for that. Stay in touch. I pray for all of us who suffer from the disease of addiction.
fallenangel69
Birdygirl, if you’ve made it this far without inpatient or meds, you should start feeling better within another day or two. I would never recommend going cold turkey as it could be life threatening. I was where you are now several years ago. I literally had no withdrawals, but I was sectioned by my two younger sisters. I won’t go through all the awful details of that event, but I will tell you that I got out after an unprecedented 21days. At that time, I could have stopped my alcohol abuse from turning into full blown alcohol dependence, but I was so pissed off I started drinking like a fish from the day I got home and I did turn alcoholic. So, if you read this, know you still have the chance to quit or moderate your drinking. Get help. Read the H.A.M.S. website before you end up like me and so many others. I wish someone had told me, but did not know anyone in my situation, had never gone to AA (which I dislike too), my family abandoned me as did my fiancee. I was utterly alone, living in this big house, all by myself. I got my puppy back after a few weeks (my sisters surrendered her to the shelter where she was adopted from). Thank God she was micro chipped and the woman who adopted her agreed to give her back to me (for $800). I didn’t care. I still have my pooch, cost me over $30K to keep my house and get my ex off the deed. I have my daughter back in my life and my mom too. Enough for now. You are on the brink, think of it as a fence. Which side of it do YOU choose to live?
pink flamingo
Hiya Maggie I find your information very very useful, I have found myself drinking quite a lot of red wine, I don’t wake up and drink and I don’t drink through the day but I find myself drinking a bottle of wine every night however fortunately for myself I am very educated on my vitamins, healthy eating, juicing and I take lots of magnesium, B12 etc etc so I do believe this has helped me and slowed down the side affects of the wind however I do feel my moods are changing and I am becoming very depressed and angry I am also in the menopause and I know alcohol doesn’t help and also I am living with a complete arsehole who is very abusive towards me however due to my circumstances I cant move so I am making the best out of a bad situation I feel the wine helps me get through but I feel that it is controlling me and I need to take control back and get my confidence back I am going to try and detox at home I am going reduce to half a bottle for a week and then half it again for a week I am going carry on with all the vitamins and all you nice people out there take Maggies information and use it, because the vitamins do help I am going make my smoothies which I incorporate all the green powders and berries and I make my own almond milk anyway I am going to get my mojo back good luck to all you nice people out there and all your comments have been so inspiring to me
nick
I’m so sry to hear about your husband did everything work out and are you ok
April
Good evening everyone,
I have been drinking since I was 13 yrs. old I am now 54. It has been a very long journal of life.
I am own my 4th day of being sober. It’s some scary stuff dealing with headaches,feeling like throwing up, hot sweats, etc…
What I did was I rented a bunch of DVDs from the library for free.
Stocked up on already made food, incl. meat, fruit and veggies, a powdered drink called Emergen C,
I keep reminding myself that I am going to ride the waves when they come. The waves are inevitable.
I sleep when I feel tired. When I have a moment where I feel ok I will get up and do something I enjoy, even if it is so for a couple minutes.
I am a morning person. It is when I have the most energy, but not while I am feeling sick. I still will try my best to rock and roll off the bed and make something small, whether it’s oatmeal or some eggs, or toast. I got one of those daily pill box to put all my vitamins. this makes it one less thing to fuss with.
I have been setting boundaries with family, etc… Told them I am doing some much needed important self care, and they need to respect my space.
I have a therapist which is very important to me in getting better. I am doing my homework. I understand if I don’t do all the hard work then I won’t get the results I want. I am trying to learn Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I am trying to address /redirect my triggers with different positive attitudes. I find even changing some of my vocabulary helps. I am aware this all takes practice and will not happen overnight. I know I no longer want to feel helpless and hopeless. I am trying to learn to accept who I am even with all my flaws.
When I really was sick yesterday, what helped me was making some ginger tea and added some honey and lemon.
Like a lot of people, I can’t afford going to a rehab, so, I need to try to weather this storm alone at home. Of course if I felt REALLY dangerously bad I would make a quick 911 call.
I have read all the postings and thank you for everyones’ tips. I am open to try different approaches because who knows, it might be just be the thing that might work for me. I need to remind myself not to be too hard on myself, because I tend to do that.
I think I will start a journal tonight to do some reflecting.
You know I wake up in the middle of the night with high anxiety, it’s scary! My heart is pounding and no one is around. I find doing some self talk telling myself I am safe and I will be ok. I even have to pat myself gently to calm down and eventually cry myself to sleep.
The last few nights I have been trying to listen to some soothing sounds. I like the sound of rain. My psychiatrist referred a podcast and audiobook to listen to, her name Pena Chodron.
Okay, those are just a few things I am trying to do. See what happens.
To everyone on here, all my good wishes for you through this hard journey. I have tried so many times to quit drinking. I will not give up. Remember all of us are worth being happy.
Best
April
lushlady
I got 1 day in… I left the house having a headache and upset stomach. Cam home with something to drink. Im very upset with my self. I need to get this Bozo off my back. Good luck April!
alone and struggling
fallenangel69, thank you for all of your posts – I am alone and trying to fight this, again, but always fail. Our stories are very similar and reading yours was helpful to me.
I have been drinking for over thirty years, almost daily. I lost my dogs, whom I loved, my spouse, whom I resent, and millions of dollars in a divorce. I am also alone in a house that is too large for me to maintain. I am so disappointed that I intentionally and consistently harm myself in front of my parents.
I start an extremely demanding new job soon and am trying to detox so I can think more clearly, function move effectively and try to build a new life. I want to find a way to be happy but have never succeeding in doing and always chose alcohol to escape loneliness and unhappiness. This is day one, again.
fallenangel69
April, I can so relate to your story. I sometimes imagine when laying in my bed that I am laying in the palm of God and that brings me comfort. I have been sober for a few days now, take my supplements. I am also 54 and do not want to live like this anymore. If it is of any consolation, I have been in detox several times, only to pick it up within days or weeks of returning home. AA, detox just does not work for me which is why I started looking for natural remedies and came upon this website. I haven’t tried everything listed above, but I am taking vitamins, extra B12, milk thistle, kudzu, oat straw extract – avena sativa, curcumin/tumeric, try to add cayenne pepper or black pepper to my meals. I also eat more fruits and veggies, would, salads. I have no appetite. I also do best in the morning, try to get something done everyday and I can’t tell you how much needs to be done. I am stressed to the max, cry several times a day as I feel so overwhelmed. I own this huge house, with 2 acres of land, a built-in pool, winter storm damage, and the list goes on. If you return to this site, perhaps we could support each other. My family, namely my two sisters and my once two best friends whom I’ve known even longer than my sisters all drink heavily so I really don’t have a support network. My mother and daughter who live with me don’t even know that I drink and I’m not kidding, such a clever alcoholic that I am! I’ve got a couple of days under my belt, I’d really like to keep it that way. It seems like people post once or twice and then they’re gone. If you get back to this site, let’s stay in touch.
Ugh
Hi,
This has been the most helpful site I have run across. I thought I was alone. My habit over the past year is so bad I hide bottles of alcohol around the house and garage so that while my family knows I drink, they have no idea how much. I measured it over a week ago, and on a bad day it can be as much as 20 ounces of 80proof gin. I don’t drink less than 12 ounces of it. Almost every day. Once every 2-3 months I have to do a youth event which requires no drinking, and I don’t cheat, but I have been using the fact I can get through that day with no symptoms as proof I am not addicted. I also ask for yearly liver checks, and so far nothing – again proof that I am above the people who get sick, right?
The problem is….I WANT to stop. I have gained at least 20 pounds of flesh due to alcohol, and I’ve started to reduce my food intake to compensate, so I doubt my liver is going to fair so well at my next testing. I now have severe lapses of memory where people insist they have told me something, and I have no memory. I have even experienced blackouts where I must be functioning because my friends say nothing(and they don’t know what is going on as I hide it from them as well), but I have no memory of an evening. I am also finding that I get much more snappy with my family when drinking. My patience goes to nothing. Up until this past January I would have characterized myself as a social alcoholic, but it is NOT social to hide bottles of booze around the house to sneak it.
I come from a family of addicts. I started drinking as a young teen, albeit lightly (a couple of ounces of brandy when I could not sleep at night with permission from my parents). As an older teen 2-3 wine coolers were sufficient. When I drank more, I got sick to my stomach. A couple of times of that was sufficient to end any hardcore drinking. It got worse in my early 20 when I failed one marriage and then entered another – the second time around as an adult allowed to completely purchase alcohol. When I look back, by my early 30’s I was drinking 8 ounces of hard liquor per day.
Anyways, after looking through what people wrote…..I bought today or already owned quite a lot of the supplements from previous attempts to control my cravings and anxiety.
I am going to slowly cut down. I have a feeling if I went cold turkey beyond one day I would actually be in a world of hurt. The first thing is to get myself down to 12 ounces consistently and then go down from there.
So far today….6pm….4 ounces…across one hour. I feel NO buzz, and I have an INTENSE craving to quickly drink another 4 ounces to get that first kick, but I am reminding myself that this is no longer the point – I am only feeding enough alcohol to my body to control a severe reaction. I use alcohol to stop hating myself and to stop the anxiety. So, I am going to have to let myself feel some pain tonight, but I plan on using the distracting techniques other people have used. Push off thoughts about how badly I have fucked up onto some future point where I can actually handle them.
Ugh
That should say 40 proof. 80%.
April
Hi Fallen Angel 🙂
Thanks for the response! I hope today is a better day for you.
I had a hiccup and did some drinking yesterday. Sucks that I did, but I know I’m human and try not to beat myself up too much, as long as I get back up. I fell and I am dusting myself off and is slowly getting back up and will be stronger little at a time. I haven’t did 1 whole week in staying sober for over 10 years. I realize it’s a long process.
I have some learning disabilities, and let my low self esteem stop me from going back to school. I felt like a real loser, but when I had my children 29yrs ago, I told myself I will not let my fears stop me from learning. I did everything in my power day and night,in between being a single parent of two, taking care of my mother with Parkinson’s, taking care of my disable sister with a severe mental illness, work, go to school to move forward. I go to tutors in school every chance I get and learn new learning strategies so I can understand what I am reading, and to retain the material. Now I love learning. I have to work extra hard and multi task but it’s ok. I constantly made mistakes, but as long as I keep trying then there is no way in hell I am a loser.
My therapist said I have always been a caretaker and she is trying to work with me, to take care of MEEEEE 🙂 I don’t know about you but shouldn’t it be easy? Heck no! I am like a stranger to myself. I am trying to learn who am I and work on self care. I know when I figure me out and feel better my food and alcohol addiction cravings won’t have so much a hold on me.
It’s nice that you are active to try to help others on here and to always direct them to the sites’ vital suggestions to help with the withdrawals, etc…. I feel when you help others you are helping yourself 🙂
Have a good evening to you and everyone else online. You are not alone.
Bless
April
April
Hi Lushlady
Thanks for your response and wishes.
How are you doing today? Sorry, you didn’t feel well. It’s not easy.
If you scroll up and read Fallen Angel’s suggestions directing people to read the website’s article on getting herbs, etc… I, myself have been reading some parts first thing in the mornings. It gives me support and reminds me that I want to get better, because I am good at putting myself at the end. Something I really need to continue to work on.
Try not to be too hard on yourself. Try to use some of that energy to dust yourself up and try again.
I am going to send all of you good vibes >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> YOU!!!!!
fallenangel69
Hi April, sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, my WiFi was on the blitz. I’m really glad you replied and no, you are not a loser at all. You sound like a really strong woman to me and I think that as long as we keep trying, sooner or later we will succeed. Most of us alcoholics have have had a hard life and although we may have managed to overcome many obstacles, we end with an addiction. We don’t even realize what’s happening until it’s too late. I am only trying to share what I have found. Many of those posting seem to be much stronger than me. I just can’t seem able to make the permanent change. In the past five years since I became alcoholic, the longest period of sobriety I’v had is a day short of three months. I’d like to be able to have a drink or two once in a while, but I don’t think I can. The idea of total abstinence is something I’m not ready for, which is stupid because one or two just makes me very tired and then I need more just to function. I hate myself for this when knowing I have a disease. There is much research going on in this area and so I try in vain to find an easier way. I too am a caretaker, but if I don’t get better with myself I know I can’t possibly help others. Please keep posting, you are a strong woman and I admire you for this. Have a good day. FallenAngel.
fallenangel69
Dear Alone, you are not alone, I am here. You just brought tears to my eyes as our stories are similar. My sisters took my puppy when they sectioned me and surrendered her to the shelter from where I adopted her. They would not put in the kennel just up the street until I got home. It was only by the grace of God that I was able to get her back from her new owner as she was microchipped. I paid her $700.00 to get her back after paying $500.00 to adopt her. I drove to Rhode Island to pick her up. She was living in a 30 story high rise apartment. Her name was changed and she had grown in the six weeks since I last saw her. My friend came with me and said it was the most human moment she had ever experienced. When I got her home, she immediately jumped up on my overstuffed couch like she had never left. She just turned five this past July. She sleeps with me and she has been traumatized. She cries out in her sleep. My sister told me “you fucking deserved it”. I wasn’t even alcoholic at that time! My ex stole her several times, cost me tens of thousands to get rid of him. If you made through all of that, you’re going to be OK. I have my daughter, my Mom, my house, my pooch, and my job. I just had my 10 car driveway sealed this morning and a contractor is replacing the roof on my 3-season porch as I write this. Most of the house will be painted, re-wallpapered,etc within the next few weeks. My two acres of land and the beautiful plantings will be manicured as they were once ago. I just found out that I have an illegal cesspool on my property and that no permits were pulled for the 1st floor master bedroom, bathroom and 3 season porch additions, and the the roofing on all of these areas are defective. I have to file a lawsuit against the previous owners. We’ve handled all of these things and we just need to handle our addictions. We are strong even in our weakened states. Have you tried any of the natural remedies listed at the top of this website? Hang in there. Write back. I can’t give up. I won’t give up. Yours truly, FallenAngel.
April
Hi Fallen Angel and everyone else,
I came really close to have a drink today because I was triggered pretty bad earlier.
Ummm… I just continued cooking and stumbled to my bed feeling so sick and just curled into a ball and went to sleep. I woke up and so so glad I didn’t run out to get a bottle. I feel humbled and thankful. The truth is I am and will be pretty fragile in this very early part of trying to stay sober.
Going to put on my shoes and take my dog for a walk to the library soon. I need some fresh air! Wheewh!!!!
By the way, I stumbled on another website I thought I’d share it with you. It is Hellosundaymorning.org
Oh! Someone from that website referred a book name High Sobriety.
Bless
April
fallenangel69
Hi April, are you still here? If so, how’s it going?
April
Hi Fallen Angel
How have you been?
I made it through another day! Did you check out Hellosundaymorning.org ?
People there are nice. plenty of people to chat with. I think you will like it.
I only come on this site to see how you doing.
Ironman
Hey guys,
Day one of sobriety 36 hours in I use to travel for work and we would party every night 20 beers or a bottle of whiskey every night by myself. I have drank every day for ten years since I was 18. I left that job behind me but my drinking continued I would drink all day at work I would drink fifteen or so of those little mini bottles vodka whiskey whatever was in stock. I got a big promotion at work and started today. My last drink was at 800 Sunday night I recived my first OUI in April and realized it needs to stop. Well three months later here I am no license is a burden. Aside from being very successful in life I realized I failed my self and worse i failed my family hid my drinking from my family drinking from 8 am to 8 pm I’m tired of it and kicking it to the curb. I am doing this on my own at home as my fiancee doesn’t know the extent of my habits I actually feel awesome right now aside from not being Abel to sleep don’t think I slept a bit tonight but other than that I feel fine I’m sure everybody experiences different withdrawl symptoms reading this page was helpful and encouraging thank you all and good luck to everybody we got this!
fallenangel69
Hi April, I’m doing OK and thank you for asking. I’m pretty stressed out right now. I did try to check out Sunday morning.org, but I could’t get onto the site. I think you have to have a Facebook account, which I have but have not used in a long time. I will try again as you say it is good support resource. Please keep in touch. I am so happy to hear you are doing well! If I can get into that site, maybe I can connect with you there. FallenAngel
fallenangel69
Hi Ironman, glad to hear from you. I can’t believe you are not experiencing severe withdrawals given your drinking history. I hope you don’t experience withdrawal as it can be pretty bad. Please take your detox seriously and if needed, try some of the remedies posted above or be prepared to get medical help should things go bad. Insomnia is one mild form of withdrawal and if that is all you are experiencing you might try Melatonin which will greatly help you to sleep, however I would not recommend taking Melatonin if you are also experiencing anxiety. If you are experiencing anxiety, you might try Kava Kava and/or Valerian root. Do some research before taking any natural supplements as they can still interfere with any prescription meds you may be taking. Best of luck to you and please keep us posted. FallenAngel
carol
My sister drank herself to death, my brother who fought cancer drank himself to death, and I myself drink way to much but I do stop and I don’t crave and I can live without alcohol. But my best friend is not so lucky and he has to fight seizures every time he quits and I have to watch over him so he don’t die. You are the weak one who throws false accusations into the ones who are in need. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE PERSON YOU HAVE BECOME THINKING YOU ARE HIGH AND MIGHTY, SOMEDAY YOU TOO WILL FALL AND NO ONE WILL CATCH YOU!!!!
April
Hi Fallen Angel
Yeah! I think the Hellosunday morning was down for awhile then came back up later. My screen name is 515sunrise.
I have been drinking here and, not feeling the urge everyday. I am more mindful and trying to make better choices etc
I sure can tell the difference when I do drink and when I don’t. I have more energy, I sleep better, less anxiety and my relationship with my family is better. I have a lot to be thankful. Sure I still go through my hell but I know I’m moving towards getting better.
Hang in there
April
Bubblyjls
Good morning to all of you and thank god for this blog. I am wide awake with insomnia and am freaking out….my stomach is in knots and this is less than 12 hours from my last drink ( which was this morning for breakfast) I have been riding the up and down train ride with abstinence for over a yr but my drinking career is well over 10. I am a single mom in the the military and spend 2 weeks a month on a remote island with little to no medical help the irony behind it all is I am medical…needless to say it scares me shitless and I stay up worrying about DT’s and seizures and all the other bad possible medical outcomes. I have been taking the majority of the supplements recommended in here for awhile now so I could convince myself that drinking wasn’t as bad but it’s bad and it’s consumed my life. I don’t even like the taste of it anymore let alone the “buzz” I tried going to AA when I am not on Gilligans island but I didn’t feel connected to anyone. I went before last yr and loved it, managed to stay sober for almost three months. Does anyone else on here have anxiety because they worry about their health? So I drink to stop worrying but then so goes the cycle…I can’t go to detox because the military is not a forgiving job but I need to quit before I lose my son, job and sanity…..I need to hear more stories so the lonely feeling slowly evaporates because I know I am not alone but it feels like it 🙁
fallenangel69
Hi April, I can’t tell you how nice it is to have someone to talk to and how grateful I am that you still post here. I will try the hellosundaymorning website again, but I have to tell you that I drank yesterday and I’m drinking now. I’m cryinging as I write this as I am so angry, frustrated and disgusted with myself. I just can’t seem to stay sober for any significant period of time. It’s like I go on auto-pilot and the next thing I know I’m in the liquor store buying a bottle. On a more positive note I found another website today called sober mommies.com. I haven’t really gone through the site, but at first glance it looks pretty good. I’m still hanging in there and I’m glad you are too. We both have so much to be grateful for and so much to live for. This is one disease that we can actually halt, but maybe not cure. We are so fortunate in this respect, but can we really halt it. Many others have done so, so why can’t i? It is said that it isn’t a matter of willpower, because if it was I know many more of us would be able to exert our will against this disease. Maybe we have to hit bottom which I thought I had done several years ago. I don’t have the answer and it seems to me like nobody does. I feel that I know that the answer is inside of me. Perhaps the answer lies in healing the traumas of the past which I also can’t seem to come to grips with. But I think that then and only then will I be able to overcome my addiction with the help of some of the natural remedies and/or medications as well as having a support network. Stay in touch. FallenAngel
fallenangel69
Bubbly, hang in there. Try to get your doctor to prescribe some ativan or Valium for anxiety. You can use it to detox, but not while drinking. The natural remedies help alot, but it seems that you could be in danger of having seizures. If your withdrawals get bad, please seek medical attention. Your job is not worth your life. FallenAngel
CM
you might want to take a look at the HAMS website it has really good advice for situations like yours (and many of us)
I got a lot of help there
not sure if this place allows links but I will try http://www.hamsnetwork.org
good luck
Kat
Hi everyone, yesterday I decided to detox from alcohol. I have been a binge drinker (on the weekends)for 4+ years but recently (within the past 5 months) I drink almost every night & binging 3-4 times a week. I’m a nursing student with so much to look forward to, but the stress of school really gets to me at times. Two nights ago I downed a bottle of absolute and apparently repeated to my friends “I can’t believe I made a 70 on that test”. So I definitely know what some of my triggers are. I have only admitted my problem to two people & im so scared of telling my family. They know i drink, but they dont know how bad it has gotten. Back to the detox…. my first day I slept all day, which seems to be the opposite of what most people go through. I have a few detox teas…. one with spear mint to help with the nausea. My main concern is that I will not be able to miss class this week… Espically not my 12 hour clinical. Any advice friends? Everyone’s story is so touching. It is comforting to know I’m not alone.
Also, I am going to my first AA meeting today at 12…. i need all the support I can get. Good luck everyone
Terri Williams
I am so happy to find this website. After 13+yrs of seeing my brother who migrated here I realise he is a alcoholic. His life and features have changed so much. My husband and I have accepted him in our home and will help me through this process as he realise what he has lost and want a better life for him and relationship with his daughter. We cannot afford to send him to detox center locally and identified and organizations that would take him on sponsorship for the program 3+ months and he refuses. 72hrs after not drinking and could not drink in our home I heard a thump in the kitchen to find him shaken for over 5+ mins which felt like eternity and being the only one home I could not call anyone because I could not move while holding his head in my arms calling out to Jesus. He came out of it and did not realise where or who I was for 20mins. It is the most scary feeling and experience when I don’t know what to expect during detox. We did not even plan to do this on our own, we only to him there would me no drinking in the home and remove all alcohol. It’s been 1 week and he is eating like crazy(since he wasn’t while drinking), we gave him multivitamins and he drinks water and we gave him smoothies. He walks the dog and does sit up in his room. However without a job, no insurance we can not get him in a program until a doctor signs off completing detoxing. While he is job hunting we have to be so careful of where he applies that the temptation for a drink(restaurants, grocery store) since we plan to take him to and from work. He is 45yrs old with a master’s degree a daughter had a good life in the Caribbean, but an alcoholic. I asked what made you go so to he extreme and he stated street from work, stress of life and you stop and have 1 drink before going home and you leave because you know no one in the bar. You head home again and you see another bar and you stop and someone you know walks in or the courage from the first drink make you buy someone a drink and then they return the favor and you don’t realise you consume 4 drinks before dinner. He progressed to having a drink before going to the office to deal with stress and the cycle starts again. Also, in my research folks who witness their parents drinking is predispose to drink especially male children. As his sister I too was in the home and witness our father drinking and hated it but I decided not to, how come he did not have the strength also. My husband God bless him says he will work with my brother to get him through this to sobriety but I need to let go and not interfere. But his actions his moods the fact that he is here in the USA and unable to progress with his experience and qualifications is so mind boggling to me. Every day I pray for him and pray for my strength in the Lord to come to an understanding but it is difficult. So for those who are struggling with this addiction I believe you first must admit that you have a weakness for alcohol. My brother compares and says I am not at the stage where I have a bottle in my pocket and stink with urine. Oh, that made me boil, with no uncertain terms I let him have it that, that extreme is no different from 4+ drinks a day and cannot hold a job and daughter despises you. Yeah I went there. The next step is to seek spiritual guidance in conjunction with mental counseling because without God the flesh is weak and will continue to be tempted and one need for the crave and the urge to be removed and die from the roots. My brother tells me there is not a day since he decided to stop that the urge is not there and he could handle 1 beer. Mental counseling will help one to find alternative ways to deal with life stressors which is daily coupled with Paul’s saying to Think all things joy, hungry or full rich or poor I am content. Prayerfully, he will find his way and that I need to Let Go and Let God. For those who are caregivers, I have found myself telling my brother when a plane is going down you have to take the air mask and put on yourself before you can help anyone. Bless you all.
Mark S.
Jajy… Thanks for the shout out. If anyone has questions, feel free to leave a message and we will respond on our next podcast. Just call 1-734-288-7510, we would love to hear from you.
Mwenda
Admitting that one has a problem is the first step towards healing. Am beginning my journey now and coming upon this article was the best thing.
fallenangel69
Hi Kat, I’m really happy to hear that you’ve decided to give up the drink. You are never alone, God is always with you and there are many who will support you in whatever forum you choose – don’t ever forget that. You may or may not be a full blown alcoholic, but you know you are definitely abusing alcohol. I think you are still at the point, based upon your post, where you can moderate orcstop drinking completely, but you will need to get professional help NOW. I wish someone had given me this advice when I was at your point in this insideous, progressive disease. Please, PLEASE, take my advice. There are other ways to cope with stress and anxiety that are not addictive. If you continue in this vein, you will surely be facing much, much worse problems in your near future. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you, a promisingcareer. You don’t,trust me, want to be spending your life battling alcoholism. All my best, Fallen Angel
Tamam
That is great advice to Pauly. My brother has been drinking for about 16 years after his wife left him. He was such a great guy. Alcohol addiction has almost destroyed him. I don’t know how his body is able to withstand it. His demeanor is deplorable and when he has a couple of hours or a day or soberness he complains often about anything. My mother is an enabler and he treats her horribly most of the time. She had to leave her home. Any advice for me. I really want to help him.
DJ
This is what is called the kindling effect that repeated alcohol withdrawal has. The more times you go through withdrawal the less you need to drink in order to go through withdrawal. If I have 1 night of drinking I am groggy for two days. If I have two days drinking I have withdrawal symptoms for a week! There’s nothing that can be done for this except complete abstinence. The kindling effect does not get better with time so even abstaining for a year the problem effect will still be there. It is quite common with people who have repeated withdrawals and is well known to science.
Lalaloopsy
Thank you all so much for your honesty and advice on here .. I have drunk alcohol almost daily and sometimes heavily since my brother died 6 years ago and its time to stop .. I feel positive but a little scared tbh but its time!
Vonnie
Jess – how did your detox go? You’re one of the most recent posts so I am hoping you find this. thanks
lost my way 90
I’m 25 with two young children. I bindge drink so much and the withdrawels are terrible. I have been getting sick all day and are unable to eat. my family and partner are aware mydrinking is out of control. I feel so embarrassed hurt ashamed that I ended up like this and burdening the people I love so much that I’m hurting them. They try understand but they just don’t get it. Mmy two youngboys looking at their mammy drunk and out of control. The mental pressure I feel over my drinking the worries and anxiety is so scary. I’m too young fora life of this behaviour I don’t want my kids seeing me like this or hurting the man I love and my father constantly fearing that I’m gonna die. All these comments are so open and honest and I can relate to them. I hope I can kick this addiction. And be better for myself my boys and family.
keri
Are there any signs or symptoms that I may have more severe complications from withdrawls? If so, what are they and when, etc.?
Ellen
It is very upsetting to hear everyone’s story but encouraging to hear of success stories and reassuring to know many of my same issues are shared by so many others, unfortunately. I’ve felt alone with my drinking problem and been embarrassed to discuss with many family and friends to the full extent that it is impacting my life. I feel fortunate that thus far I have not have any job or legal issues but believe it would only be a matter of time.
I started drinking after my first deployment 5 years ago and resumed after returning from my second deployment almost 3 years ago. I can remember several short periods of sobriety but they did not last long. I have been in a caring, wonderful relationship now for 5 years and know it has impacted him greatly. I feel guilty hiding the amount of alcohol I have consumed from him and upset with myself I have not been able to kick my habit for our future. I know he has bought an engagement ring and we frequently talk about starting a family next year. I do not believe I would be able to forgive myself if I brought my problem into a marriage or with a family.
I am resolved to quit, have started back in counseling, and really want to get through this first portion of recovery successfully. I feel very strong and ready to finally quit but have doubts in my mind due to the past. I am relieved I finally feel 100% tired of it and finally ready to quit because it has seemed like a love/hate relationship in many ways. It has caused me issues with depression/anxiety, sleep issues, and a large amount of stress on myself continually battling this issue in my mind; let alone the ones I love.
I appreciate reading everyone’s stories and comments and really hope the best for all of us moving into recovery and onto a better, happier future.
jinnie
i have read your commits and this is hard keep in prayer today my first day and bottle is calling me
pamquag
Hi all of who are struggling though this! Thanks for your comments. I am starting detox today, after drinking a bottle to two bottle of wine for 7 years. I am very scared but I really don’t want to drink anymore, especially since I wake up every morning, not being able to write or hold anything due to withdrawals. I can’t even remember things anymore…I want my life back. Luckily I saw my doctor and she prescribed me some meds to help me through this. I wish you all luck and keep going!!!
leilanilu
Round 2. Had 18 months sober before relapsing a little more than a year ago. This time I checked myself into the ER b/c I can’t stand the nausea and shakes. Have been throwing up or dry heaving every am for as long as it took the get the first drink down. Started carrying an empty yogurt container in my car for emergencies since I still had to get to work every morning. Sweats. Not sleeping. ER prescribed Librium & sent me home, where I have my kudzu, my ashwagandha, milk thistle, my B complex, and my passion flower tea. Gotta get through the weekend, and then I’l be beck on the holistic regimen. Also attend AA but that was not helping me kick…. If you’re detoxing with hallucinations and fever, get thee to the ER.
leilanilu
P.S I was in the ER for about 3 hours on I.V. fluids, & getting my vitals checked. I was not in withdrawal because I would not have gotten through a work day with all of the shaking and vomiting, but my abl was high enough they believed me when I said I was gonna need something. I took the loading dose prescribed before I went to bed. Woke up once after about 4 hours, took 25 mgs, went back to sleep. Another 25 mgs at 8. Best sleep I have had in a long while, but even better: I made a fruit smoothie for myself this morning (no dairy) and though it’s after 10 AM, I have not puked once! First time in over a week I have been able to keep anything down before first half pint of the day. The librium detox is supposed to take a few days, with the librium dose tapering off. Detox diet: I recommend clear fluids, non-dairy, low fat, fresh fruit, broth based soups, fresh greens, and POPSICLES! Meat still doesn’t appeal to me….
leilanilu
Brian H. — I cannot believe you would not be eligible for ER services through medicaid. They have to serve you – I think it’s a law. And a few weeks of Ativan or Librium could help you do detox at home. Lucky you have a mom who will help you. Also, you can call the AA hotline — maybe get some better advice there. Sometimes, they will send someone right out to you, stay by your side, get you to a meeting….
leilanilu
Dear Fallen Angel — all of the posts here have been super helpful and comforting. It’s different from AA because most of the posters are smack dab in the middle of the worst part. Your story is so similar to mine. Took myself to the ER on Christmas Eve 2012, spent a week in rehab detoxing, then followed up with AA. Stayed sober for 18 months before relapsing. For the past several months I have been drinking about a liter of vodka a day, and while some might suspect it, most people think I am still sober and I have too much pride to ask them for support, so I’m doing it alone with the company of my two cats. Never lost a job, never got a DUI, even though I drink in my car everyday. I have a good job, well respected by my colleagues. Close call last spring: an anonymous colleague reported me for drinking in class & smelling like booze. I was called in — lawyer, union rep, boss. I denied everything and was cleared of the charge. Had to step up my vigilance after that, but didn’t stop. Good thing they did not make me take a breathalyzer! Today is day one. Went to ER last night — had been drinking most of the day and would not have been able to get there if I was shaking and retching, though I keep a empty yogurt container in the car when I can’t keep anything down but have to get to work. Pretty sick. I have my librium, my vitamins, some healthy fruit, juice, broth soup, kudzu, passionflower/hibiscus tea. It’s after 12 noon now and I have kept my breakfast smoothie down & haven’t had a drink since yesterday 6 PM. ! Good beginning. I hope I am well enough for work tomorrow — have to write a grant which is due Monday. Again, thank you for all of your supportive messages & I wish you all the best with your own struggle. We must never lose hope.
fallenangel69
Hello to all of those who have posted since my last. Alcoholism is no joke and it takes a very strong desire to stop. That being said, the top of this post offers excellent suggestions for helping with withdrawals if you choose to do this on your own. Make sure you are healthy enough to do so. I have a history of chronic relapse, but little by slow I am getting there.I want this and I want it bad. I need to want it more than I want the drink, and that is the key to halt thisdisease. You have to want more than anything else. I pray for all of us who suffer with this insideous disease. God bless. FallenAngel
Mike d
I’m 28 years old. I started drinking when I was like 13. Withdrawals are just horrible. But I’m just tired of it controling my life. I quit for like 4 months and I was so happy I did. But then I got stressed out and thought I could get away with a few drinks. Hang in there guys! I popped some sleep pills and anti anxiety
jess
This board may just save my life.
Fish
Nicky… keep ice packs ready in the freezer… or frozen (round) bottles of water handy. Put them under your neck or on your chest. You will usually end up wrapping the rest of your body in a blanket. But it does alleviate the fevers… and the nausea. And suck on ice cubes. Helps you get somewhat hydrated when you can’t keep anything down.
Dan
Well Nuttan(that’s a great name for you) if asshole is a disease, you have got it!
Ivan Yakinoff
I’m glad you people are here.I am DEFINITLY in denial.I stopped drinking in 1980
Through a 12 step program.After 27 years I started having Medical problems and
Started drinking on and off .Most off the people that got me sober are now deceased.A whole new generation of people are coming in and really don’t care for
Long term sobriety.I can’t do it alone.feeling lost.Thank you every one here,and THANKYOU fallen Angel. Ivan
RyanQ
I am starting my detox today. I was a heroin addict for years and got sober off of that but fell into alcholism. I am scared to withdrawal again but I know if I can overcome the H I can do this also! I am just putting my trust in God and you all will be in my prayers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts it has really helped me to want to do this!
GARY
I have been alc from 30 plus years if you say I had arrange 50 units a week , first 10 years then 70 next ten 100 next ten ,,,, but now the last five its 120 units a week . 1st year 5 year do you what to know as I have been to the docs and I was shaking all over even after drinking to be normal this was about 220 units a week . Doctor gave me b vits but nothing for the shakes so for a long 5 days of panic attacks in bed so no sleep ,,doctor gave me a phone number to ring , but it takes 10 days for a reply , I do no no what to do when its time to stop
DavidJ
Hi guys
Started detox (again) yesterday. Am usually Ok until about 4 pm, them I start to get the cravings. Go for a walk down the beach about 7 which always helps, come home have dinner and watch TV by which time I’m clear for that day.
Next day, all fine, starts all over again at maybe 2 or 3, so have to hold it up for 4 or 5 hours. It’s there, always there like a little noise grinding away in the background. Gets hard to concentrate, so I go to sleep which helps.
Also when I drink I smoke so when I stop of that withdrawal going on.
So been doing this for years. Managed 5 days the week before last, but can honestly say it didn’t get any better.
Got bad on about day 3 and then just stayed there.
Anyway this forum is good cos maybe this time not just doing on my own. AA I find didn’t help, cos there were too many people sitting around saying they hadn’t had a drink for 35 years
fallenangel69
Hi leilanilu, I still read this post, but I am just reading your reply now as I tend not to go through the entire post. If you still use this site, please let me know how you are doing. A liter of vodka is alot of booze. I went from a couple of mixed drinks to drinking a pint of vodka a day, straight up. I never drank at work, but I got to the point where I kept a water bottle filled with vodka in my car and would start drinking on my way home from work. I am currently out of work on medical disability, and this really hard for me to put in writing, but I keep getting pancreatitis and have been hospitalized three times within the past two months. I always deny that I drink, but I know my drinking is the cause. Tomorrow I go an untrasound endoscopy so doctor can take a look at my pancreas. A recent MRI showed a possible narrowing of the pancreatic duct. I keep getting sober only to relapse over and over and nobody knows. I don’t get high anymore from alcohol, I get somewhat functional. As this disease progresses, I get less and less functional. I’ve got to stop, that’s the bottom line or else I am going to end up dead. People post here once or twice and then thy disappear. This could be a really good support forum, but it is obvious that most keep relapsing. So please, I start again and just like you I only have my dog for support. She and I deserve better than this as do you and all of us who suffer from this disease. I absolutely love my job. I was born to teach and I just want to be normal again. All my best to you. Fallen Angel
fallenangel69
Hey Ivan, I can see it’s been a long time since your last post. Thank you for thanking me. I’ve tried to be diligent in coming here, both to give and receive support. You are not lost, your just battling your disease as we all are. I can only pray that those of us who are diligent in our efforts will somehow conquer this battle once and for all. I will pray for you tonight by name as I pray for all of us. Stay in touch. Fallen Angel
fallenangel69
Hi Ryan, I just try to respond to those who post here. Heroine, from what I know is very hard to kick. Alcohol is brutal too. You can do it. You need support. I have no support because I can’t tell anyone about this. When I tried to, I was shunned, none of my family and friends would help me. So I am on my own. I rely on people like you, on this site for support. You sound strong, determined. You can help us and we can help you if you post here. God Bless. Fallen Angel
rebecca
I’m so glad to have found this article and all the comments. I’ve been trying off and on to quit drinking for several years. I’ve been drinking a lot daily for the past couple of months, with only a few days sober here and there. I’m drinking now. I am planning to detox tomorrow – the liquor stores are closed for the next two days so I won’t be able to get any.
I knew about the importance of certain vitamins and amino acids, but had never heard of using angelica to reduce desire for alcohol. I’m ordering some now!
Cody
Hey, great place here…I needed it last Monday when I started my day 2 of not drinking. I’m 7 days sober now and I’m just taking life as it is. I am the master and the destroyer of my existence. Not blaming anyone for my issues. I just drank. Now I’m back on the wagon again, but I am smoking cigs like a train. I’ll quit smoking tomorrow or tues with patches. Cigarettes are gross! Anyhow, good luck to everyone out there.
jenin
Hi wonderful friends, its my husband.. he’s an alcoholic for several years now. He is struggling right now as he wants to give up his alcohol dependency. I’m trying to be as supportive as I can. I start feeling sad for him at times. And at other times, I feel sad for myself but I recover quickly from that. I will be travelling out of town on work for four days. I am worried about how he will do without me around. I ensure I hydrate him, I make fruit juices for him and somehow succeed in keeping him fed to the extent I can. He is a good man. I will pray for each of you. May God give you the strength to go through whatever it takes to win this ‘battle’.
Wendy
Hello All, so happy I’ve found you.I’m 57 years old and have struggled with alcohol for the last 35+ years. I have experienced amazing years of awesome sobriety but also the devastation of relapse. I’m currently in a relapse and want to self detox and get sober again. So need to hear some positive feedback on self detox as I have no one to come here and stay with me and was unable to get a Doc appt. until but 10/29/15. So to ensure I don’t have a seizure I’ve kept an alcohol level…. can’t afford rehab currently, but so want sobriety. I’m totally cool with the experience as I’m fully aware of what to expect but need to keep my job any supportive words, insights or advice will be well received…..
Katt
Hello beautful people, I lived with an alcoholic for many years. The sadness of having to see the person you love so dearly in a state of complete disarray, verbally violent, seriously unhappy with themselves, struggling daily to justify their drinking, struggling with their job and personal relationships, sometimes picking them up off the floor, making sure they are breathing, cleaning them up after they have vomited, making sure they are safe when drunk in public. For me it was a struggle worth it for Love. Unfortunately that person then developed a crack habit that led them to try and suffocate me while in an aggressive state. I have since distanced myself and my children from that person but the los of that person in my life has almost been debilitating. I found myself drinking more than I ever had. I suddenly realized how pain can lead to the self medication. I felt deeper sadness then as I understood even more so how much pain that person so dear to me must have felt. I choose not to drink now.
I am so very proud of all of you who are trying to detox the alcohol from your lives. I feel your pain. Please know that you are not alone. I wish you all peace love and happiness.
Lori
Does anyone here who is trying to stop have ringing in their head?
Cody
Hey at least you know what you have and how to deal with it. I recommend a book called, “Rational Recovery”…it’s an alternative to the 12 step approach. I’ve found some good tips in there dealing with cravings… Anyhow I’m 16 days into my recovery (again). Had 6 months clean then, just drank (referring to the post above). It sucks, I had a weird anxiety attack and my coping skills/CBT skills did not come into play. You can email me or skype me [email protected] or ryot33 on skype. I hope you keep goin, don’t give up!
Ed
Good morning. Im going to try this. I read alot of the comments on here. The feeling of loneliness has went away. Currently withdrawaling for like the 5th time now. Im tired of doing this. I dont want to die. Not like this. Have been drinking heavily for almost 2 years now. Soon as I hit 21, I bought alcohol every weekend. Im 23. Had my first withdrawl back in July this year. Very scary. As I sit here typing this, Im wondering how I let this go this far. I live with my girlfriend.She has helped me through my previous episodes. My parents, however, have no idea of my withdrawals. Its so embarrassing to tell them. They are so judgemental. Especially my dad. Alcohol is tearing my life apart. I miss work sometimes because of it. I lie because of it. I just want to stop that. I want my life back.
Michelle
Reading all these post are helping me. I am on day 5 of self detox at home, stomach hurts, foggy head, dizzy still feel sick but better then I was day 1 or 2. I am a binge drinker, can go months without, then I think I can have a couple of bottles of wine, and then the next day more wine, and the the third day of my binge 3 bottles wine. I am sick of this, I have self detoxes many times and it gets more painful and longer each time. I hope by writing this I will come back to site, and remember the pain of detoxing. I am 50 years old and physically can’t endure another detox. My husband and two kids are aware that I am a problem drinker, they know I am on pain detoxing but leave me alone, which is good because I am agitated and not good to be around. Day 1 and 2 lots of fluids, Gatorade, pedia lite, soft baby squeeze fruits and vegetables, vitamins,pepto bismol, and thinking positively that I will endure this pain and cruel suffering, I just want this to be the last time, this is truly insanity! Thanks for all your post, it has really helped me! Keep them coming!
Jennifer johnson
Ed and everyone else out there. Please be careful! This is no joke! I started detoxing at home on Sunday (I had 1 beer to stop the shakes). I went out with a friend on Monday and had a seizure! Had to be taken to the er by ambulance and just got out late last night. Yes the seizure was caused by the detox. I have been a heavy drinker for many years tho. I am NEVER going through this again! Not to mention what I have done to my partner and boys! I was a closet drinker so no one really ever knew just how much I truly drank! Just please be very careful! Lots of h2o and vitamins (b-1) my dr told me. Milk thistle helps the liver. Also valerian. good luck. If you don’t feel right go to the er!
Brad
I would really talk to a doctor. I did it 4 times without a doctor and then the 5 time major seizure… and ended up in the hospital for a week. If you have detoxed a lot, your chances of cardiac arrest and seizure do too. When i was in the hospital they told me the most important vitamins a b1 *thiamine and folic acid (3x a day on both) and a multi… but I was given so many pills and injections and benzos and gabapentin. So all I am saying… if you are a really heavy drinker(bottle of vodka a day with a few beers in between) like i was, you will not be around if you are going on your 3 or 4 detox… your gonna need all those drugs and vitamins i said, and you will probably need them to be put in with an IV for the first 2 days until you have any appetite whatsoever.
Berry
Badger, I saw you posted in feb that you were a nurse and going to start detox with your boyfriend. How did it go? My 62 year old brother has been through treatment multiple times, his wife is kicking him out of the house. He may come to stay with me starting tonight. any tips?
Michelle
Update; day 6 and I am out of the fog and pain of detoxing at home. It’s been a long 5 days, no sleep, anxiety, no appetite, heart palpitations, dry heaves, flu like symptoms, hard to cheer yourself on, when I brought this on to myself. I really hope this is the last detox, it’s hard and scary but it can be done. I believe water, pedia lite, Gatorade, soft baby food, first 2 days. Third day more healthy healthy food, rotate the liquids as much as you can keep down. Anxiety and BP relief, do breathing exercises, distract yourself and believe you will get through this, mind over matter. 5 day is exhausting and the insomnia is killer, woke up this morning after little sleep and feel so much better. Keep up the B multi vitamins, magnesium, and extra B , emergence C, and eat fiber. This is an awful road we all have been to travel, but know that you are a good person, it’s a disease, you are not weak and no one is better then you, they just don’t have this sickness. Wishing everyone who is struggling all the best, it does get better and you will recover.
Mowgli
Oh man, I thought was getting better on day 2 but went to get smokes and started getting trippy. Is this normal?i was supposed to have kids for 3 days but don’t think its a great idea.
Mos
Did you get seizures?
Birdlie
Thank You All! I appreciate all the advice and encouragement. It has lifted my spirits to know that I’m nt the only one who struggles.
Me
My last drink was October 14,2015,what a significant date as it was my birthday. October 16th I unententally started to detox, and let me be the first to say that it was absolutely horrible, elevated b/p and temp , hallucinations, shakes, hot and cold sweats, insomnia, tremors, vivid nightmares, twiching, etc.. I have never felt so low and in soo much mental and physical pain in my life, but after day five i started to feel like my body was awaking from the dead, i started to see and hear my life in full color , out of a fog that I didnt know I was in.. I said all of this because .. Detox is very hard, but it will get better , hang in there .. its your life on the line.I want to live!!!
Shane
I am 44 years old and have always had problems with alcohol. I was sober on my 21st birthday for 3 years…I relapsed for a few years and then was in a bar fight whigh resulted in getting jumped and receiving several broken ribs while being kicked by several people on the ground.I gave sobriety another chance and made it 6 years and the demon won once again. I wasn’t drinking everyday but did not know when to stop and would find myself in blackouts. Then I found out my wife whom was a registered nurse was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension. She ended up dying from it one month from her 40 th birthday in her own er…with her own coworkers trying to save her….Since then I’ve been drinking everyday for about 5 years….I have quit several times for a week to a month but no real luck…I currently drink a six pack of Heineken, a 22 ounce bottle of hieneken, and a half pint of Sambuca or better everyday. I can’t just quit so I have to ween myself off for a few days so that Imeans not in danger of serious Dts…Gonna try again starting today! I read many posts here and my heart is broken…Please pray pray pray for everyone on here as I will be! God bless us all!!!!!
Hani
I’m 29 and I’ve been drinking heavily for 4 years and I really need to stop it. Can’t afford rehabs because of my job and I can’t tell any one. I hope I can manage quitting at home with nobody’s support
Dave
Been 24 hours , hurting like mad ?????
Sophie
I’ve been a heavy drinker for about 20 years. About a liter of vodka a day I am 37. I can’t remember the last day I was sober all day. I read on a website that it might be better to slowly wean myself off of alcohol as opposed to cutting cold turkey. I had a beer this morning hoping that it would help with the withdrawal symptoms. I feel scared and like I’m going to die. My stomach hurts my face is twitching. My hands are shaking. My heart is beating fast. Im just scared.
gold70
I can’t believe I have been so stupid to think I would get to this stage of my alcohol addiction that has been propping me up, or so I thought, for last 15 years. Started with a bottle of wine in the evening now up to three. If I am not working I will drink from morning til bedtime. No one knows. But now I wake up with panics, I reach and reach as soon as I wake up and sweat all day til I can get home for a drink. Can’t believe I have come to this. I want to go to docs but scared they will tell work. What can I do to get thru this
FallenAngel69
Hi everyone. I have not posted for a while, but I just read the latest posts and I am telling you that if you are a heavy drinker, please don’t try to do this on your own without meds. You can die. I am so sick and tired of relapsing and my health is declining fast. I will try again after Thanksgiving, but I have benzos in addition to herbal remedies and vitamins. If I relapse again, I will seek outside treatment. This is not living. This is a slow, painful death and we all deserve to live a full and contented life. I wish you all the best. This is not the life we were intended to live.
julie
Hello Karina, i am in the first hours of detoxing myself and it is not fun at all….i am so very glad i found this site..it is really helping get through this first stage… i think reading everyone else’s stories is helping me out tremendously we are not alone with this battle !!!! stay strong reach out and ask for help , it works… good luck sweetie and God,Bless you….
Nick
Hey Shane I’m praying for you and sorry for your loss I’m dealing with death as well and I self medicated with alcohol I’ve drank for 3 years straight stoped maybe twice i need help my body feels funny and I constantly think I’m going to die is it common for you to feel like your having mini heart attacks ??? Please respond
brittany
same boat did you get through it?
Ten
Hi everyone.. Looks like it’s time for me to detox. It’s been 6 hours since my last drink and I’m really feeling it this time. Shakes are not that bad but I feel tingly in my arm and am having trouble sleeping. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little better.
Ten
I totally get how you feel. The last 2 days I have been drinking in the morning to feel a little normal but it’s not helping .. Just makes it worse. I don’t get how no one doesn’t understand I have a problem. I’ve been on a binge since thanksgiving.
lucy
I have been a heavy drinker for well over 20 years. I came back from a three day out of town getaway w/ my husband. We drank 6 handles during that time. I was miserable. I had the shakes, cold sweats, anxiety and couldn’t sleep. Most of the symptoms many of you had talked about. I had tried to cut back, starting w/ a shot every hour with the intentions of increasing the time between shots. I tried this for two days. My symptoms never got better,nor was I able to increase the time between shots. I cannot tell you how miserable I was over the next two days. I did not sleep the entire time. I paced back and forth in the house. I shook. I froze, I roasted. I heard music that I knew was not there, which frightened me more. I was scared of dying, of having a seizure, of someone finding out my secret. I don’t know how, but I stumbled onto this website. I read every post. It gave me hope and kept me going through the night. I made it through the worst two nights of my life and about 35 hours after my last shot, I felt f-ing amazing. I felt better than I have in many years. I didn’t have any meds to help (not to imply that is the way to go for everyone). I have never posted anything before, but I have been thinking that if this post can give one person hope, then I should do it. I have been sober almost a week now. My life is better. My house is clean. I have been productive at work. I remember the conversations that I have with people. I remember going to bed at night! I have not craved alcohol (yet). This is my first weekend. I used to like saturday morning drinking….
Good luck to you all.
Hugo
Hey Nick what you are experiencing is panic attacks it happens to me too. it is a chemical imbalance in the brain. if you don’t stop drinking you will experience a big one that you are going to think that you are going to die for real. I just started my detox 3 days ago and it is hard but not impossible. God bless us all !
Chris M.
Good evening The Organic Beauty Expert,
I stumbled upon your site in an effort to reduce/stop drinking naturally and your site was one of the most comprehensive outlines I found. Thank YOU so much for creating this blog. I am really excited about giving this a sincere effort over the next 30 days. May I ask you a few questions?
I wanted to know do I use all of the above suggestions or choose a few and scheduled them throughout out the day? I also wanted to ask you if I should attempt this when I have time off from work based on your comments about sleep times and etc? Finally, do you have any social media links or a place for me to add my email to receive future updates?
Blessings,
Chris
PS: I am excited to read through everyone’s comments. Thank you for sharing.
Chris M.
Hi Vonnie,
I just started “officially” last night & while it was a little challenging, I made it. Thankfully, I did not have to go to work today. This am I went to the store to purchase additional Vit C & Magnesium. So I will share my plan & keep you posted on how I am making out.
Hot water w/lemon honey am
Pull coconut oil
Black Seed Oil w/teaspoon of honey
Coffee (kept this in for now)
OJ with vitamins & minerals (multi w/extra B+complex wfolic acid, C, D, Milk Thistle, L-Glutamine, & Omega 3.
Oatmeal raisins, honey, cinnamon & chia seeds
Water
Ginger tea
Water
Green Tea
Lunch w/salad
Oil of oregano drops
Water
Snack (cheese fig crackers, apples & peanut butter, or nuts)
Water
Banana
Gym
Water
Light dinner
Black Seed Oil w/teaspoon of honey
OJ with vitamins & minerals (B+complex wfolic acid, C, D, Milk Thistle, & L-Glutamine.
Water
Sleepy Time Tea Extra
Extras if/when – Grape Juice, grapes, oj, organic & apple juice in seltzer.
I pray you all stay strong, tackle one day at a time, & stay encouraged. As, I plan to… Blessings,
C
Me
Hi luci and everyone .. I just want to check in and see how things have been going..best wishes and sending my love and support to all. BTW im still sober and still fighting the good fight!
Lucy
Hi. I am fighting the good fight too. It’s good to have support. I can’t express how much these posts helped me through the first couple of really rough days. Just hoping that I don’t forget how I felt and think that I can handle it again. I kept saying I would cut back after the holidays. Don’t think I would have lived til then. My liver still hurts!
Me
Yes ,just the thought of the pain and horror of detox is always going through my mind when I have those moments when I say” Damn , i want a drink.” Then the reality of detox speaks a little louder and says ” You dont want to suffer again, remember the pain and the long nights feeling like death was waiting for you.” I was walking a fine line between living and dying.But each day my body and mind is still adjusting to being sober. My bloodwork, blood presure, Ekg, cat scan , liver and heart enzymes, kidney function and a host of other tests are revealing that yes my drinking has done some damage BUT nothing significant being that that I have been drinking for many years and daily for the last seven.So to everyone , Iam always thinking of this site and the unseen faces that post. Iam sending unconditional love, hope and strength to all..We are in this together ” Fight the good fight”
chic
First 10 hrs! Again.. Shaking, tired, alone
Good luck all
chic
Yippee I just finally reached the 23 hour mark I have a lot of other medical issues hip replacements I took one heck of a full couple days ago and really hurt my hip and my back and busted up my name that was part of the reason to get me going here I do have tylenol with codeine I’ve been taking half a pill every 5 hours instead of even the whole pill I’m prescribed and I have a clonazepam which I’ve been taking a quarter pill every 4 hours which definitely helps with this first day clean again and I’m not going back to the shakes and everything else that I have last night I appreciate so much everybody’s input on this page I’m hoping to learn to navigate it better to keep more updated and such and just everybody it’s just listening to the stories and the ideas help me get through the night and through the day today thank you so much good luck everybody
Lucy
Greetings! I have almost made it two weeks. Am thankful for you all for support. I am not able to go anywhere because of my job. How are you all planning to deal with the holidays? I have been drinking sparkling water in wine glasses. Not sure how it’s helping, I used to only drink shots…
rockyw
Very nicely said. My reply would have just been – “MORON!”
Sad Sarah
I have been drinking most days for a few years. I drank in my late teens and early 20’s and chalked it up to being a kid: then I married and had kids and devoted my life to my husband and children. We divorced in my late 30’s and then I began to drink, just on the weekends to relieve stress and the last few years just about every night. I need to stop. I know this but don’t know how. I’ll have a few nights here and there when I can convince myself it’s ok not to drink, and sleep on the couch, because I feel safe on my couch, but then use the excuse my ex husband, kids, or work is overwhelming me so I drink again. My drinking has kept me from pursuing social relationships and romantic relationships. My drinking has caused me to isolate myself outside of work. My drinking had caused me …to cause everything. I know I need help because I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I do not have the support of family or friends. I have hidden my problems from everyone. I’m not ready to come out to family and friends until I am in recovery. I want to approach my alcoholism holistically and know I need some kind of support. And that’s why I am here…
Jim
Hi everyone, I’ve been taking a break from drinking, because I’ve developed chronic hives which I’ve had for the past three months. So I was wondering if any one else has had this problem during of periods of heavy drinking.
Jimbo
Hello All,
45 … about a 6 pack a day drinker for about 25 years, one break in that span of a week or two. Not really the get real drunk type of drinker, more of the low buzz take the edge off type of drinker. Anyways for probably the last five years by body has been encouraging me to cut back, so to speak. This is about when it tranformed into either a good morning or a hangover, depending on how much I drank, to waking up in the middle of the night 6 hours after my last drink with a pounding heart and the sweats. No more hangovers, now every day was withdrawal. Awesome. So I do what I always do with problems, read, research and overthink. So I’ve been doing things like Vit B supplementation, magnesium, Vit C, Zinc etc in an attempt to manage the negative effects, and it definitely has helped. The withdrawals getting worse, although my drinking is about the same as its always been… Pounding heart, palpitations … (Premature Ventricular Contractions, PVCs) … trouble sleeping. I commute 4 hours a day, 3 kids, good job … it just has gotten to the point where it totally isnt worth it any more … the negatives are outweighing the positives to the point where it’s time to do something. Was worried about more serious withdrawal, but after reading around some more (Hams site was very sensible) I tapering off … 2 beers a day at the moment … slept well last night, felt great today … I’ll stay at 2 or 1 through Christmas as long as I feel well and then cut it at Jan 1 … with a goal of 30 days, and take stock from there.
Anyway …
I knew most of the things I’ve read on here but I did learn a few, and want to look into some a bit further, I also think there are a few things I may be able to contribute that may be helpful to some.
– Kindling … had never heard about this concept … interesting … I’m going to look into this, I can’t imagine the mechanism by which the body accomplishes such a thing.
– The craving for sweets during withdrawal … this definitely caught my attention and I would bring up something I haven’t read on the post elsewhere … Candida … I would have to imagine that we alcoholics are terribly prone to Candida overgrowth in the gut … alcohol is Candida’s favorite food after all … now when an alcoholic stops drinking alcohol and starts eating more sensibly, the Candida will begin to die off, and will be VERY unhappy about it … Die Off will produce many withdraw like symptoms … Anxiety ESPECIALLY … and certainly Cravings for alcohol and sugar… Candida can spew chemicals into your gut which will make it especially difficult for an alcoholic to abstain … so if it is not on your radar, read up on Candida … probably best to feed your guy enough sugar ( I saw a suggestion of canned peaches) until the worst of the alcohol is kicked … then start dealing with the Candida, this itself will produce cravings and Herx reactions … but it really will have to be addressed for anyone hoping to stay off … if you are craving, this might be why, or at least a part of why …
-Another thing I haven’t seen mentioned is Methylation defects … a decent part of the population is unable to properly Methylate certain vitamins … mainly B vitamins … this essentially means that you can take as many B vitamins as you want, and if you can’t methylate them, they are useless to your body … methylation defects are related to lots of problems ( depression, for one, addiction, another ) that should definitely be on the radar of an alcoholic … there are genetic blood tests you can do to check, but honestly it’s probably just easier to make sure you are taking a methlyated Vitamin B complex … Thorne labs makes a great one.
-Magnesium supplementation is HUGE … Epsom salt baths are an awesome way to do this, which I’ve seen mentioned … and Natural Calm is also great, but Magnesium is a laxative, so tread lightly … but magnesium is essential for muscle relaxation, for blood pressure regulation, the main cofactor of Vitamin D, and a host of other things … if you are twitching, BP, anxiety … load up on Magnesium …
-Vitamin C …. Alcohol breaks down initially into Acetaldehyde … which is highly toxic to the body, and causes many of the problems attributed to alcohol consumption … Vitamin C helps break it down into the fairly benign Acetate … you do not want excess Acetaldehyde build up in your body … and you probably already do … Lots of Vit C and water … get a kind easy on the stomach (Esther C or similar) and take as much as you can … you cannot overdose, it is water soluble, but when you take too much you will get loose stools … this was mentioned above … their approach was good … dose the 1000mgs until your body says enough … then maintain …
That’s about it for now .. I’m basically going to do most everything suggested on here .. And I’ve been doing about half already anyway lol …
Oh yeah, bone broth, great idea … great for the gut and health in general … preferable Organic Grass Fed … they sell it online …
Good luck to everyone
Oh, one last thing … I quit Gluten about 2 months ago because my digestive system was a totaly shambles … helped me a ton … brought my anxiety down a few notches, which is making all of this easier ( so when I say beer, it’s Glutenberg lol )
That’s really it.
All the best,
-Jim
Danny
Hi! I normally don’t post on forums, but, this one has been very helpful and I appreciate everyone’s input. It’s important to know that there are others like me getting their asses kicked by alcoholism. I’ve been getting worked over for about 27 years. I’m a binge drinker who refuses to do a hangover. I’ll typically go at it for about 30 days and NOTHING else matters during this time – kids, family, relationships and work ALL go out the window. I’ll do a couple of these binges a year and then work to put the pieces back together in between. Definitely not a fun cycle. Just got done with one and I’ve been detoxing for about 5 days, so, the worst is over with. But, the insomnia is terrible right now. I’ve read every one of these posts and it helped me get through these long nights. What we do to ourselves is sheer madness! I did try a few of the remedies up top and found the ashwagandha to be especially useful – definitely has a relaxing effect.
Why do I drink?? Because I’ll do anything possible to get out of my skin. Don’t like it there! Whether it’s drugs, gambling, video games as a kid. If it gets me out of my skin, I’m gonna do it to excess.
I think I better find a way to get comfortable in my skin because I may not have another recovery
Danny
Hi! I normally don’t post on forums, but, this one has been very helpful and I appreciate everyone’s input. It’s important to know that there are others like me getting their asses kicked by alcoholism. I’ve been getting worked over for about 27 years. I’m a binge drinker who refuses to do a hangover. I’ll typically go at it for about 30 days and NOTHING else matters during this time – kids, family, relationships and work ALL go out the window. I’ll do a couple of these binges a year and then work to put the pieces back together in between. Definitely not a fun cycle. Just got done with one and I’ve been detoxing for about 5 days, so, the worst is over with. But, the insomnia is terrible right now. I’ve read every one of these posts and it helped me get through these long nights. What we do to ourselves is sheer madness! I did try a few of the remedies up top and found the ashwagandha to be especially useful – definitely has a relaxing effect.
Why do I drink?? Because I’ll do anything possible to get out of my skin. Don’t like it there! Whether it’s drugs, gambling, video games as a kid. If it gets me out of my skin, I’m gonna do it to excess.
I think I better find a way to get comfortable in my skin because I may not have another recovery. Good luck to all and stay strong.
me
Hello everyone, just checking in and wondering how everything is going.Its been two months sober for me, its a strange phenomenon but some mornings I wake up feeling like Ive been drinking the night before, as of late ive been dreaming of drinking, but iam still fighting the good fight day and night.Someone mentioned about have hives , and yes I remember years ago I experienced hives, itching and inflammed skin on my face,neck and chest.It felt like an allergic reaction everytime I would drink.. I should have reached out for help back then. But now is the chance for you to get help and support , iam glad you reached out to ask a question. Good luck and peace to all.
Erto
Hi everyone.
Glad I found this space, I started drinking very young but I’ve been drinking everyday day and night for about 5 years , at least a bottle of hard liquor or 3 bottles of red wine . 8 times as inpatient detox and 2 rehabs most of the detox arrived by ambulance, not sure if overdosed or withdrawing. Lately I’ve been on and off but lucky without need for hospital, in my experience a lot of the withdrawal horrible feelings are because one predisposes oneself to them, basically being afraid of living without alcohol in one’s mind. When I stop I prepare myself mentally, just thinking that I’ll be fine and so I just ride the wave, for me is a day of discomfort sometimes less than that but prior to stopping I drink lots of natural fruit juices by putting in the blender lots of fruits and juicing veggies and just drinking them through out day and night, then I walk a lot whilst controlling my breathing, deep and slow, I also make lots of broth veggies and or any meat
Erto
For me it has come to the point of life or death, I have lost a lot in all areas of my life and everyday I become more and more aware of the damage addiction inflicts, it’s hell on earth, I keep going back to it but I know I will make it, it will take time for sure but it’s never too late