How do you know if completely stopping will be dangerous?

[Refreshmentsanyone]

I often see people saying stopping completely can lead to problems if you were a heavy drinker.
Does anyone know how to tell if it might be an issue ie warning signs and what sort of time frame before it’s not an issue.

The shakes.....
I wouldn't recommend it without GP advice

How much were/are you drinking? It's a matter of a few days that it matters for, although you may well feel the physical effects for longer

Significant shakes
Constant vomiting
Hallucinations of any kind (bugs crawling across the ceiling/under your skin is a big one)
Rapid heart rate
Drenching night sweats and/or chills

Any of these signs, go to A&E for a medical detox or you run the risk of a withdrawal seizure, which can be fatal.

Gradually reducing the amount of alcohol you drink, generally over the course of a week, is the safest way to prevent severe withdrawals if you're unable to seek medical assistance.

How much and for how long have you been drinking?

Not really for me. Happily doing dry January since New Years Eve.
I was just interested as I see this written a lot but it’s all a bit vague.

I do find a get a headache by day four and a bit constipated. I only ever give up for 4 or 5 weeks in January, Lent and October as I’m rubbish. I definitely need to cut down in the other months.

I found switching to a couple of beers later in the day was helpful.

A friend gave up drinking in order to support her BF who was attending AA and had quite a serious problem. She had massive withdrawal symptoms and hadn't realised she was massively over drinking too.

My brother tried and it caused fuild on the brain which lead to him being on life support. Which he didn't come off dont think it should be done without Dr's support. He was 38 years old and had been drinking about 15 years heavily.

Sal

If someone gets the shakes/sweats and a drink stops the problem then that's a sign of physical dependency. It could also mean getting far worse withdrawals if someone just pushes through. I tried to stop cold turkey and ended up so ill that I thought I was going to have to crawl to the door to get my deliveroo order. I felt like I was going to die, I was on huge units though.

Someone can get help from their GP or call a helpline to establish a safe timeline for cutting down.