alcohol withdrawal symptoms

Well I don’t personally believe in the PAWS theory, it is psychological effects of learning to live your life without drugs or alcohol. I will be hard to convince that it is a physiological condition.

Psychological conditions can cause physical symptoms.

I first wanted to start by thanking everyone who posted on this site. I wanted to share my experience because this site has been very reassuring to me as I am going through my detox.

I have been a heavy drinker for the last 7 years, and it all started after I had gastric bypass surgery. I was okay for the first few months after surgery, but somewhere along the line, I transfered my addiction to food to my addiction to alcohol. I considered myself a weekend drinker, but if I think back, there were at least 2 nights during the week that I would finish off 2 bottles of wine before bed to "help me sleep".

Weekends would consist of drinking 10 vodka and soda or more (until I was carried off, or passed out) and I would justify my drinking as normal because it was primarily on the weekends.

Today is my fifth day of not drinking, and I have to say, the first 3 days were mild, but these last 2 days have been the worst EVER. My body finally realized that it was not going to get its weekday fix, and I began having spasms in my arms and legs and trouble swallowing. I also lost my appetite, am emotional, and edgy. Today I feel alittle better than I did yesterday, I was shaky this morning, and am still emotional with flu like symptoms, but the spasms are milder.

I have been reaserching my symptoms, and am convinced that I am experiencing Alcohol Withdrawl syndrome. I wanted to share my experience with anyone who had doubts about being an alcoholic because they only drink on the weekens. You can experience the same symptoms as someone who drinks everyday if you are a heavy weekend drinker like I am.

I am now putting my head down, and taking the recovery process day by day. It sucks, but I am now taking responsibiliy for my actions. Wish me luck!!!

if i have more than two days off i get flu like effects, runny nose and the feeling im going to be sick almost like a reflex. i dont drink every day but by the second the need for a drink kicks in. im 25 years old now and have been drinking this way forat least 4 years. nobody knows of my concern and they notice that i drink a little more often than they do but i manage to get away with it. yesterday i was sure i had the flu, i have woke up today feeling fine after 3 pints of larger and 5 jack dan and cokes. can anyone tell me if to slowly cut down would be better? and lesen the effects?

For those of you experiencing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, it is actually possible to reduce those symptoms by still drinking, but tapering your alcohol consumption. For many, this is very hard to do but if you can do it this method will ease your symptoms. I’ll only be 21 in three months but I’ve pretty much been drinking heavily everyday since I was 17. Three to four years isn’t a long time, but it was getting to the point where I could easily polish off close to a 1.75L bottle of vodka every night. Now I wouldn’t do this every night, but I was averaging about a little more than one 1.75L bottle of vodka per week. Not exactly what Nicholas Cage was drinking in Leaving Las Vegas, but that’s still about 40 drinks per week, way more than the recommended amount. Obviously, your body and your brain will adjust themselves to that amount of alcohol. Likewise, your body will adjust to slightly lower amounts of alcohol each day. You just have to stick with it.
I never thought there would be a time in my life when I never wanted to drink again, until a few days ago. After a heavy drinking session, and I mean nearly finishing a handle of vodka, I passed out, but woke up two hours later feeling completely sober, but extreme panic, anxiety, trembling, and what I thought was the onset of a seizure. I drove myself to the hospital thinking I was going through alcohol withdrawal. So they gave me an IV drip for the dehydration and did some blood work. They said I had a thiamine deficiency, my liver enzymes were all messed up, and my blood alcohol content was a 0.34, and I honestly thought I was SOBER. I was completely coherent, and neither the doctors nor I knew that I was legally intoxicated until the blood work came back.
This never used to happen to me, but a few weeks ago when I was starting my heavy 3 day binges again, the day when the hangover wore off I would get extreme anxiety, to the point where I thought I was going to die, and the only thing that would fix it was another drink to stave off the withdrawal.
The day after my hospital stay, I felt like sh*t. I probably had between 8 to 10 drinks over the course of the entire day and I could only get 2 hours of sleep. I felt so bad in the morning I decided to pour myself another drink just so I could feel rested and the fever would go away. The next day I only had 5 drinks spread out equally over the entire day and I felt the best I had ever felt in two weeks. Now, I’m not a doctor so I can’t recommend this to everybody. In some cases, alcohol withdrawal can be extremely dangerous and it can actually kill you. You should probably go to the doctor before you do this, but this may help your withdrawal.
Limit yourself for the first week to only 6 drinks per day, so only have one STANDARD drink every 4 hours, and don’t ever finish each drink in less than one hour. For example, if you pour yourself a one-shot drink at noon, don’t finish it any earlier than 1pm. You can pour yourself another one at 4pm, and so on. It may seem hard, but trust me, if you stick with this, your withdrawal symptoms will diminish greatly even in only a few days. You have to get your body (and especially your brain) used to fewer amounts of alcohol so it begins to normalize again. If you quit cold turkey, you risk having very severe withdrawal, and sometimes the benzodiazepines doctors give you to get off alcohol are harder to get off of than the alcohol itself, and the withdrawal from benzos can be just as if not more dangerous. Once you limit yourself to only 6 drinks a day per week, and if your withdrawal symptoms lessen, try only having 5 drinks a day the next week, and so on. Of course, when you do this, make sure you drink plenty of fluids. I recommend a glass half full of gatorade, half full of water. You need to stay hydrated while simultaneously replacing the electrolytes your body needs that has been taken away by prolonged periods of drinking. Try to eat a lot of things with thamine (Vitamin B-1) in them, for example soup, crackers, milk, and even Total cereal. You will feel better and it is probably safer to taper your consumption than it is to go cold turkey.
Also, when I was a heavy drinker, I was a pack and a half a day smoker. Now that I’m sticking to this one drink every four hours regimen, I almost have no desire to smoke cigarettes. I believe when I did this the first day I only had three cigarettes, and today I only had one. Cigarettes will only make the alcohol withdrawal and the anxiety worse, especially if you smoke them too fast. Try to avoid coffee, too. That will just make you feel crazy. I’ll let you know how this goes for me, and if you decide to take my advice, good luck to you.

ok so i am 18 ben drinkin hard since 16 and a half daily and finally im about to be 19 and about 2 weeks ago i ben getting a weird feelings its not physical and im not sure if its mental cause i dont have any cravings at all so i drank again to see if that feeling would go away but it didnt so i stoped drinking and im still gettin the feelings its ben like 6 days and i dont know how to control it its unbearable im so uncomfortable an anexity emotional wreck and im not suicidal but i do want to kill my self if i have to live like this for the rest of my life but im not depressed i just dont want to live like this and suffer but could u get withdraws wen im drinking the same as i always did cause it seems i got withdraws but i didnt even stop drinking . does anyone know what im going threw plz message me back im really scared

Hey everyone. Just thought I would post a reply to give you an update... maybe put your mind at ease. I think I posted sometime in May. I was the guy who tapered off alcohol and it did work. But it didn't last very long. I went back to drinking my usual amount every night, close to a liter of scotch a day and going on 5-day drinking benders. My last bender was pretty bad. I stayed drunk for six days and I was starting to feel withdrawal even when I had liquor pulsing through my veins. The next morning, I woke up, and I was sick of feeling like sh*t all the time. So I went to the doctor. He took one look at me and he even personally drove me to the ER. I was shaking severely. They had to dope me up on a lot of Ativan just to calm me down. They were surprised that I was going through withdrawal since I'm only 21, but it can happen. Anyway, after they gave me the Ativan and one of those banana bags I stayed there and did a detox for four days. I think I did more drugs in that hospital than I ever did in my entire life. The first day I got out, I was feeling fine. I was going to meetings to help me stay sober. They gave me Baclofen to help with cravings, but it was making me crave more alcohol so I stopped taking it. Anyway, during an AA meeting, I had to be rushed to the hospital. The withdrawal came back, but I think it may have been withdrawal from the benzodiazepines they were giving me in detox. After the second withdrawal episode, they sent me home with Xanax; it worked for the first two days, but I found myself having to take more and more of it just to feel normal. To make a long story short, I went back to drinking. Not quite to the dangerous levels where I was before, but enough to probably be unhealthy. I don't want to drink anymore, and I don't want to take any more pills. I don't know why I still feel uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms after they supposedly get you off alcohol safely. All they do is give you more goddamn pills. Please help me. I've tried every which way to quit and I can deal with feeling uncomfortable; I just don't want it to be life-threatening and I don't want to go back to the ER again. Any advice is appreciated.

Hey there - 1st of all congrats on making a decision to become sober. You know the saying "Age is just a number"... well that is true with addiction as well.
My younger brother has been sober for one year. He chooses to take things "one day at a time". He is on anti clotting meds due to having atrial fibulation (due to drinking). He was only 23 when he had to be shocked back to life :-( That didn't even scare him enough to stop drinking. He was sent to rehab because he got arrested for fighting (he is the sweetest, kindest soul out there... so you can again, see the effects alcohol had on him). He once again, drank afterwards. I am not sure what caused him to officially stop. He has been in therapy to find out what drinking alcohol was replacing in his life and he has been sober ever since. He goes to AA mtgs EVERY day and is very involved in the church community. He takes 2 college courses as well. It's important not to do too much to quickly and to just take life day by day.
Please let me know if there is anything I can help you with. Maybe my brother could even email you. He's very involved with helping those in recovery (like himself!). Good luck to you and stick with it. Your life is too valuable to spend it in on bottles of brain erasers! :-)

I think you are going thru the same thing as I am. I have felt this way since I was a child or as long as I can remember...I think it's some sort of depression. I am now 37 and more of a drinker than ever didn't really start drinking until I was 23-24. I also have severe PMS the same time every month and I began using wine to self medicate. I refuse to go on medication, not sure which is worse the meds or the alcohol. One glass of wine generally turns in to 8. I had a very tough life growing up and both of my parents were substance abusers. To be honest that's no excuse since I have managed to maintain a functioning life finished college and quite successful in my career. However, I have realized that the alcohol is only exaserbating the problems I already have. I also have 3 children and a horribly un-supportive husband so I am dealing with my issues alone. I am 3 days clean and I feel like I have the flu, lots of ups and downs, sweating, fatigue, headaches, crying over commercials and reality shows...how dumb. I still go to the gym every day and haven't lost my appetite. I suppose everyone is different. I think this is it for me. I don't like feeling ill and I still have emotional high strung episodes even if I don't drink. But, I also don't know what it feels like to work out and not drink wine in the evening. Maybe exercise will have a different effect on me now. I know for a fact I am dehydrated. I am going to shoot for a week detox and see how I feel and try to remember to keep you guys updated on my progress. I think people don't reply when they relapse maybe? Anyway, good luck everyone. Try praying even if you don't believe in God, pray to your stuffed animals or something or start a journal...the emotional junk needs to come out, we can't continue to let it fester. Take care.

LEAVING LAS VEGAS.

im only 19 and on my 3rd time of drinking i had 29 shots of yager miester and bernets (which both had 35% alcohol) also i had 2 bud light limes i blacked out and im still alive im scared sh*tless right now because this is my second day of no alcohol and i dont know if im ok

i live with 2 room mates who had no clue i was drinking all the did was clean up the mess from all the throw up and got me to the bath room

all of the blood alcohol calculators said i should be dead right now

my stomach hurt, the back of my head hurts, i keep getting cold chills, and i have chest pains

Someone comfort me

Once i turned 21 in the military i started drinking almost everyday untill the age of 32. I am dealing with PTSD after two combat missions from 2000 to 2004. I am going through hell at the moment having not had a drink in 3 days and have a huge headache flu-like symptoms and am a serious emotional as****e. one moment i am a marine the next a cry baby. can anyone tell me how to stay sober.

Hi there, these posts have been so helpful, I not longer feel alone. I have been an alcoholic since the age of 18, it was my 25 th birthday recently - of which I remember very little of. I want to make a change but I'm so frightened and alone. I have been sober for the past 3 days after drinking half a litre of whiskey every night if not more. I have such sever flu symptoms but the worst is the itchiness and arm and leg pain. Im so determined not to have another drink but all the articles I have read about seizures have got me terrified. I haven't slept in days. I'm a young girl, just moved to Australia, in a very happy relationship - there must be something to do to turn my life around. Are the seizures that common? I don't want to use it as an excuse to start drinking again but I'm to ashamed to turn to my family or my doctor. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi everyone. Congrats all on making the decision to become sober. Î must warn all of you the seriois side effects of drinking and also to stop drinking. I have been an alcoholic and have been around them and recovering addicts my whole life. Despite the fact that it is possible to wean yourself off, every single person is different, it depends on a myriad of personal factors and chemical as well. I have seen weekend drinkers go into seizures after skipping a few weeks and also seen 30 year ten drinks a day men quit cold turkey. It is a dangerous game to play, the only true way to quit is to enter a rehab or detox program with the help of medical physicians. I know it is a pain in the ass but 10 days of hell and 20 days of help is better than a dt seizure, death, or a continued lifetime of drinking and hurting. Ask any professional and they will tell you that its the only way. Best of luck to you all.

For everyone who is considering withdrawal from ethyl alcohol. If you are alcohol dependent, there will be physical and pychic ramifications. Probably, no drug, except barbs, is as dangerous as alcohol withdrawal for anyone whom is dependent. Warning: If you are, be careful and really consider medical assistance. I have seen a number of people die, in front of me over the years from alcohol withdrawal. And, I'll spare you the horror; it ain't pretty. It's tricky, and potentially dangerous. Yes, most folks physically detox from ethyl alcohol in 3-7 days. However, depending on one's overall health, level of dependency, and liver condition -- its a real balancing act. So, please be careful if considering withdrawal from booze. Peace

I am a 60(just turned) woman who drinks Jim Beam(bourbon) almost every day. I do no other drugs, I don't drink and drive, nor do I drink at work. I find it so ENJOYABLE...helps doing dishes, yard work, routine things, + I do work-out 3X/week(cardio-weights) BUT, I know this alcohol has to be bad for my liver, I rarely get hangovers anymore. It's like I come home from working out and grab the bottle and start doing shots...do some stuff, eat(healthy), take a nap and then on to the next day where we begin again. I drink about 1+ 1.75L of booze per week. Maybe I have to numb myself to do the ordinary things of life, don't know...when I am out w/friends I am a very conservative drinker(only drink JB at home), out I might have alittle wine or some beer....WTF? I know I need to stop....

I think with all of these cases which I have been through a lot of the same.. the problem is the time to drinking ratio. If you drink the majority of the year month week or day..then the most ovious outcome will be negative in every category of our lives. Lets face it, when you look back on our lives, for most of us it will be embarrassing that we had to drink that much for whatever reason. At least its embarrising to me cause there is no excuse for it, I'm surprised people feel sorry for me when I have a hangover...werid. Anyways my first point about the time to drinking ratio is that most successful people live sober way more than they drink. My ratio is from the bible, work 6 days and rest on the 7th, so one day a week I drink but I don't over do it. The reason this is important is that when you say I'm never drinking again then your life becomes a chore, so reward yourself with treat whatever that may be. Your dicipline will turn into great happiness. Make it a sporting event..like your training for the sober olympics haha. SIde Note: If drinking once a week doesn't work. Try 2 weekends a month, if not, try 1 weekend a month and so on. It will be that much more enjoyable. P.S. if something comes up that you know deepdown is more important than you being drunk, you have to learn to be unselfish and give it up!!! Pray n God will reward you.