Drinking WAY too much and need to detox - any shared experiences?

[TimeToStop]

I'm a daily drinker and have been for absolutely years. Since the start of lockdown 1 I've gone from drinking around half a bottle of wine or a couple of beers a day to now drinking 1/4 bottle of spirits, a bottle of wine and maybe also a few beers. Because I drink all the time, I don't get drunk any more, it's a steady drip feed of alcohol through the day. My sleep is appalling; up around 4/5 am after 3 hours sleep and then I need to have my first drink to steady the withdrawal.

I'm supposed to be working from home but I'm really beginning to fail in that and I am desperate to stop. I stopped in February 2019 for 3 months - it was sort of enforced as I was very unwell and in hospital for 3 weeks with an ovarian abscess. I felt so much better. Since then it crept up from a beer at the end of the day to where I am now.

I've spoken to my GP and been put in contact with my local drug and alcohol service as I'm drinking too much to safely stop on my own now. I'm scheduled to do a community detox on February 8th and I wondered if anybody here has done this and what it's like? I'm so nervous about it.

PS SO brilliant about your liver results!

I had a blood test for something else a few years ago and my liver was perfect it came after my most stressful and therefore heaviest drinking year ever.

BillieSpain But I had to have a blood test pre-detox and the potassium and platelet count were both normal, when I was drinking. They've gone up a lot since I stopped drinking. It might be my body adjusting. And no, I bloody hate bananas :)

Yes, I loathe bananas!
Well I have no idea then It must be your body adjusting. Just healing itself, if it was fine 3 weeks ago, it can't be anything serious. Interesting though! Please tell us when you find out x

Billie Spain is right. It can't be anything serious when they were normal before stopping.
It's great that you have noticed that the shin discomfort has adjusted and the swollen ankles have disappeared. How wonderful to discover something new and positive every day.
Keep going my love. Your army is behind you.

I did weigh myself this morning and I think I've lost around 10lbs so far. Still not sleeping well though. I've asked the doctor to call me back about the dodgy blood tests but couldn't get an appointment until two weeks' time. It's so difficult getting through to my GP these days. I've discovered that all the foods high in potassium are my favourite things to eat except bread, which is low potassium. Toast, here I come!

Oh another little joy - filling in stupid online doctors' consultation things, when it comes to 'how many units of alcohol do you consume a week?' I can tick the 'zero' box .That feels good. A bit smug. But I don't care!

Ah, it’s the small wins that all add up!!

Hoping you hear from drs soon. Would be useful to know if you need to adjust diet etc. But then, if they were worried they would have called I think wouldn’t they? X

Hello everyone, just a quick update. I'm now one month and one day sober. I'm feeling a lot better although had the covid jab on Saturday and that knocked me back a bit.

Still not sleeping well but the headaches are WAY less now. I have found that most days I'm not really thinking about drinking at all, which is quite extraordinary. I'm bracing myself for this to be more difficult though when I can get out and about again and the world starts opening up. That will be a new phase.

I'm kind of getting used to living life sober. I mean I have slowed down immensely, not dashing at everything in a totally frenetic way. Everything feels very different. I've definitely lost some weight, I have no horribly fluidy ankles. I think I need to up my exercise though - I used to go to the park every day but now I'm mostly at home all day. I need to learn to enjoy the park without it being an excuse to have a sneaky drink. But generally all is good. My hands don't shake any more :)

Hi op,

I’ve just read your thread - congratulations on your sobriety I’m so happy for you ♥️

When you talk about sore shins? Can you tell me more about this?
My drinking has escalated during lockdown and seriously I’m hobbling...my ankles and shins are very painful. It never occurred to me it could be related?

Anyway, you have inspired me to get my shit to together.

IheartJKR I'm not sure what actually causes it but when I was in the worst drinking phase I used to get absolutely awful muscle cramp in my shins, ankles and feet. Also sometimes my fingers even would just lock. I think an obvious cause of it can be fluid build up; if you press the skin somewhere on your shin then let go, does it leave an indent that slowly fills out? Mind was quite bad like that.

When you say 'escalated' - to what sort of level? Is it every day? Just wondering if you've considered whether it is safe to just stop, without some GP advice.

Thanks for answering @TimeToStop

I don’t drink spirits or wine anymore as I just drink it to fast and the hangovers were terrible. I’d say def over lockdown my drinking has become problematic in that it prevents me from doing what I need to do and impacts my life.
I can easily chug 8 beers a couple of times a week and the other at least 4 days 4-6 beers.
I know it’s not morning drinking territory but it’s the mindset .... the calories are colossal and my health physically and mentally have taken a pounding.
I keep saying no more then do it again. The internal negative dialogue is exhausting.
We don’t have small children - no school runs - no driving - however the fact that I know it’s not good for me and fundamentally I’m not enjoying it...god how boring are drunk people ..really? Though I keep doing it and it troubles me.

There’s always a reason to have a drink though right?

I’m taking inspiration from your thread to finally put a stop to it.

I'm no expert but I do know that beer has a massive amount of sugar so that could easily be the cause of achy legs and feet, I'd think?

And yeah, there's always an excuse to drink. I'm stressed, have a drink. I feel like celebrating, have a drink. I'm happy, have a drink. I'm sad, have a drink. I'm bored, have a drink. I'm excited, have a drink. In my case it got to the point of I need to get dressed, have a drink. I need to walk from the home office to the kitchen, have a drink. I think the escalation is quite easy so if you can stop now, definitely do it.

Well done @TimeToStop, incredible! Brilliant!

Just stopping in to see how it’s all going?

Any news from drs @TimeToStop?

Sounds like your struggling a bit @IheartJKR... how do you feel today?

Well done OP, you’re doing fab

@Hemlock2013
Thank you so much for asking - I think it’s this bloody lockdown. I keep comparing myself to people who stopped drinking during lockdown and took up yoga and are just owning it. I feel like a burst sausage and every drop of motivation has gone. Blarghh

Op - sorry for derailing with my own naval gazing

@IheartJKR, I think that this sort of “naval gazing” as you call it can be quite useful sometimes. Do you want to be alcohol free and doing yoga? Or do you just feel guilty because you don’t? It’s all a journey. I hated the guilt I felt when drinking, you mentioned that too. Timetostop hated the dependency when all it meant was constantly feeling shocking.

We all deserve to feel good, and if that means reducing drinking, or bringing something else into your life that makes us feel good and shifts focus away from drinking, then we should do it. X

OP, I'm so happy to hear you're still doing so well! Amazing that you're past the month mark and that you're not really thinking much about drinking. I guess it's wise to stay on guard about things after lockdown, but you may find it's easier than you think, now that you've formed some new habits.
I always had a real problem with opportunities to drink. For example, I could be in a room with a drinks cupboard and it wouldn't bother me at all until whoever i was with left the room. Then something would kick in where i would suddenly desperately need to neck something! Just be cause i had the chance. Then one day it occurred to me that every opportunity to drink is equally an opportunity not to drink. Why take the chance to drink when you can take the chance not to? I try to keep that in mind if i ever feel that way.
@IheartJKR, i'm sorry you're finding it hard atm. But it sounds like you know you want to change things, and that really makes all the difference. As far as foot and leg pain goes, that is something i experienced too. It was more ankles and tops of feet. At one point i had to crawl about the house or use crutches. Of course i wouldn't entertain the idea that it was related to my drinking. I'm sure it must have been though. Really wishing you easier times ahead.

IheartJKR go for it, really! The more quitters here the better!

JCBluebell - me too! Although actually I used to also go into people's houses and scan around for alcohol, preferably spirits and preferably something that I wouldn't normally drink or have at home. I sometimes have had to flat sit for my neighbours when they go away and I know where ALL their alcohol is. One time they had finished everything and it was a crushing disappointment. I also remember interviewing someone at their home and being aware of a really full drink's cabinet right behind my chair and longing for them to go and use the bathroom. They did and I necked back a ton of all kinds of different things. I'm really slurry on the rest of the recording. There's definitely something sneaky and secretive about alcoholics - it's the private drinking alone that I always really wanted. Not the flamboyant social drinking. In social situations I was frequently (apparently) the most sensible and sober.

Absolutely, OP! I was just the same. I did not like the feeling of being out of control when out and about and didn't like to appear drunk. Even if i was in the company of people drinking, i would pretend i wasn't and just sneak off to knock a few back alone. Hidden away at home, however, i would drink continuously. For the last year of my drinking, i think there was only one occasion when i sat down and openly had a drink with someone else. I both despised and loved the secrecy. It's a strange thing. I certainly don't miss all the dishonesty!!!

That is SO like me. The drinks that I stole or drank secretly were the ones I enjoyed the most. I wonder where it all comes from?

I stole from my husband's liqueur collection. He would smell it in my glass and I would swear blind he was imaging it.

I hid empty cans of mixed spirits all over the house... he always found them.

I have lapsed and have been dipping in and out for the last week. There is always an excuse! Birthday! Cheers ! Mothers' Day! Cheers!
I went "to go to sleep" (what a joke) a few hours ago after a bottle and half of white wine. I am up and have had a hot choc & cheese & crackers. These early hours of sleeplessness are bad points.

I want to delete the above. There does not seem to be an option so please delete it from your minds.

tangowiththetrafficpolice don't worry about deleting the message. I've been exactly where you are and you haven't said anything awful at all.

Are you okay? Despite being sober for 5 weeks now I'm still up at the crack of dawn. One thing that hasn't resolved itself for me yet.

Diddumz a liquor collection wouldn't have lasted long with me around. In fact, the idea of a drink's collection is almost utterly impossible for me to fathom ...