how long do alcohol withdrawal symptoms last?

Very similar to what i am gong through...four drinks a day for close on 40 years..called it quits ten days ago..cant sleep very well and the headaches are awful. guess I was more hooked than I thought as well...

Find drinking lots of water helps..can't sleep anyway so getting up to pee all the time in the night isnt that much of a chore.

Amazing to discover what booze really does to our brains (never mind our livers). Was going to do this just to get back to being an occasional social drinker, but after this i think, i'll stay clear altogether, Pouring poison down your throat isn't good..and in the end that is what alcohol is.

Best of luck to you.

chris

I have been alcohol dependant many times in my life. I have detoxed with Librium and that was ok. I have also gone cold turkey and that is a descent into hell. When you're vision goes and you claw at the walls with every horror your brain can conjure to torture you being blasted into your mind at 1000mph. You moan, scream, sweat and pray for death; but you fear death because it might be an eternal continuation of what feel at that point. A singularity of agony. I've been there and I would hold the hand of anyone going through it, though the touch makes your skin crawl and curls you into a foetal ball. Pour sugary drinks into yourself, eat B vitamins like they are going out of fashion, especially thiamine. It's an experience, I'll say that... Don't die.

Hi PJ,
Just checking and seeing how it is going. Still no alcohol? I'm close to 6 months with no booze. 6 months ago had a few drinks and the same symptoms you described returned. I have no cravings, have been to Vegas as well and did fine.

Wondering if yo tried a glass of wine and had any more issues.

Thanks

Hi .I've have drank for 25+yrs.havey drinker every night.It's Ben sentence July 4 my last drink.and I'm still feel bad is that normal .rick

Pj here, yes still no alcohol here. Ive had a few alcohol free beers but no booze. You just need to accept alcohol isnt for everyone and accept you have to give it up. See it as a chance to get in shape and be healthy, after a while it becomes a way of life bit it takes time. Cheers

Pj again.
Just to add, im 33 later this year, how weird is it reading forums you posted on years ago! Im fitter and look better than back then too.

If i could give one piece of advice to any of you it is to simply knock booze on the head and dont look back. Dont think 'one day maybe i could have a drink'. There is no need, no point and it would all go back to square one.

It is a lifestyle change. You may no longer feel like having 4 nights out in vegas on the bounce but, instead, you may fancy dinner and a show.

You may not feel like that rowdy wedding. The answer is dont go. Just go for lunch/shopping with The person instead.

That stag do? Just explain to mates that it's not your thing anymore or that youll go but will just do your own thing at night

List what youd like to be if you could be an ideal person. Mine was a smart, in shape, fit and genuine person that was successful and a gentleman. I am much more like that now.

There is no need for booze. Watch netflix with a hot chocolate, get a pizza take away, hit the gym, read books, music, surf the net, decorate a room or work harder at work and be more successful or spend time with family.

Essentially, aim to be a better person.

After say 2 years people just know you dont drink and it gets easier. Cut out the people in life that try to make you booze - theyre just jealous and they will be the other alcoholics. Toronto, new york, uk, europe etc the world is a big place, just dont let the 2 or 3 penises that you know suck you back into the old life.

Thanks PJ,
Your posts on here have been super helpful. I'm a decade older than you. Did my share of weekend binging with the boys. Started to get awful anxiety and insomnia 36hrs after drinking. In retrospect prob mild WD symptoms. Gave it up for months. Had a few drinks and the symptoms came back. That was 6 weeks ago. This past weekend took a sip of my wife's wine and had a non alcoholic beer(which is 0.5%alcohol) and my god but those symptoms came back. I know its not all in my head. Kindling or whatever, but I do think I now have to swear off alcohol for good.

Naw thats not normal your supposed have that at 1st and then it goes away as days go on

I'm on day 19!! I've feel rested but starting to get bored. I went out with friends and I said no to drinking. I tried to have fun without alcohol but being in that atmosphere makes u think

Oh dear..you sound so like so many other alcoholics - like me - you can't control it, you won't be able to control it on your own no matter how self-aware of intelligent you consider yourself to be. I'm sorry, this is going to sound harsh: get yourself to AA - forget about God or any other form of faith or spirituality for the moment - try and stop drinking one day at a time. What makes you think you are so superior to all the thousands of other doctors, lawyers, surgeons, teachers, captains of industry...who have turned to AA as their salvation?

This entire thread has been very inspiring as well as eye-opening. I'm 42, a heavy drinker, light smoker and use smokeless tobacco. I've drank at least a quart of whiskey and a few beers every single day for the past 5 years with only 3-4 single days mixed in when I was off my routine. Before that I drank in excess for 20 years. I am a highly functioning alcoholic. I own/operate a couple of businesses and have a family. I think I drank out of boredom. I was always a very smart and ambitious person. The booze would slow me down so my mind wouldn't race. I couldn't sit still without it and would get frustrated with others that couldn't keep up.
I have known for quite some time that I need to stop completely. My businesses aren't as successful as they should be and I could feel my health failing. I was giving up things in life that I enjoy so I could maintain my buzz. That was not enough to put down the bottle. I quit for 9 months when my kid was born 5-1/2 years ago with no major side-effects.

The deal breaker for me was on Monday morning when I was zipping up my kids jacket and he asked why I was shaking so bad. I owe it to him to have a father as he grows up.

Sunday was a usual day for me, working in my shop and pouring down the booze. Monday I decided to quit but I've done that dozens of times before only for it to last a day or two. Day one I felt "normal" with the constant headache that I've had for a while and the usual shakes. Lots of poweraid and balanced meals. This is day two and I woke up with terrible abdominal cramps. They would surge for lack of a better term. It wrapped all the way around to my back. They weren't intolerable and it helped that the headache was half of what it has been. Once I went to vomit but it didn't happen. The cramps are slightly better as the morning goes on. My head is foggy but it has been for a long time now. Sleep was marginal but that has been going on for a while as well. I'm a little shaky but not as bad as usual.
I was really expecting a disaster going cold-turkey after reading these stories and knowing that I drank more and longer than most. I took a few days off and told my guys to take care of themselves for the next few days at least. I'm heading to town shortly to stock up on some vitamins and more healthy food.
I was going to quit the tobacco also because I don't really crave it much while sober but I'll do one battle at a time. A pinch of snuff or a puff might be the difference if I feel like a drink. They will hit the road later and it will be easier with a clear mind.

My kid is the reason I quit and his thread will be the reason I succeed. If not for all of your stories of relaps, I'd probably be at it again today. This next week will be a struggle but knowing my determination it'll get easier after that. I hope the detox symptoms don't get a lot worse so I can still function at a somewhat normal level until I'm back to my old self. I can already begin to feel my body healing and if they dont get worse, I'll be at least as productive as drunk me was. I'm excited for my family and the world to get the old me back. I was unstoppable at one time.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories and I will be passing this site on to others that I know need help. I hope to see you all on the "sober side"!

I have recently started AA and other means of counseling myself and I still live with an alcoholic. A great AA group will help you at any time you need. Attend the group gatherings and take names and numbers. The worst that can happen is that they say they can't.

Keep at it, the symptoms fade with time.

2 years at most for some (Seen it first hand) A year for some.

Depending on how much you used to consume of course.

I am in the same boat. Today is day four after for the month drinking 3-5 bottes of Jaegemeister a week. I woke up and said I dono't want to this anymore. When I type this my hands tremble but it's getting better, the nights I understand. The withdrawls that we are going through is called Delirium Tremens. Good luck.

sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing, including the "stumbling across this forum" part.