To stop kidding myself and admit i have a problem

[TheoriginalLEM]

with alcohol. Have spent the whole day in bed. vomiting and hallucinating.

am so angry and disgusted with myself

im not 18 im 46

i drink wine most nights. i don't even enjoy it anymore.

Have any of you been able to just go cold turkey? i am actually scared now

My father was an alcoholic and gave it up cold turkey and he died because he didbt stop correctly. Definitely dont just stop without the advice of a professional good luck.

ahhh Lem have a very uncharacteristic hug x

It's brave to admit it - now get the support you need - GP but also try support groups - not sure where you are in the UK but for example aquarius.org.uk are a good example of local support

"User it is dangerous for someone who drinks most nights."

No it isn't. A person who is physically addicted to alcohol needs to maintain a constant level of alcohol in their blood or they will go into withdrawal. A person who doesn't drink every day cannot be physically addicted. Even someone who drinks every night but abstains during the day is unlikely to be

Ah right my mum must have just been pulling my leg when she had a fit from stopping then. Silly me.

It's perfectly safe to stop overnight unless you are drinking at really dangerous levels (like my DH used to do).

I did it myself about 15 months ago - never drank to the point of hangover, but drank every night and to a total that was too much. I did a dry month because I needed to know if I had an addiction problem and found it a piece of cake. Instant reward was vastly improved sleep and weight loss - I'm now almost 5 stone lighter, I only drink at weekends and within recommended limits and I do two dry months a year. I never thought I could do it and if I can do it, so can you.

And if you tot up the money you spent on alcohol and save it, you can treat yourself.

Yy pp LEM, you always come across so nice on threads, I would seek advice from GP/support agencies, can be very helpful in guiding you towards the best support for your needs, also as pp very well done in recognising you have a problem, that in many ways is the most important step, I wish you all the best it can be done💐

Ah right my mum must have just been pulling my leg when she had a fit from stopping then. Silly me

How would she know for what reason she had a seizure, especially when the level of alcohol she must have been consuming would have been exceptionally high?

Ah right my mum must have just been pulling my leg when she had a fit from stopping then. Silly me.

No one is saying that severe withdrawal doesn't happen. Of course it does. it just doesn't happen in people who don't drink large amounts of alcohol every single day. The OP says she drinks most nights, not every, so there is no reason why she can't stop

I used to drink 2 bottles of wine a night, at least 5 nights a week. More on a night out.
I stopped with the help of the Allan Carr book and a bit of AA.
I never even think about it now. I have a normal, healthy, life.

Dangerous or not, your GP is the best place to start, and AA. If you drink every day, and to excess (even if it isn't all day) you could potentially have some physical reaction to withdrawal, including hallucinations so purely belt and braces go to GP. You have a hideous hangover now and in the familiar 'omg never again, I need to stop this' but that'll pass, but the physical addiction won't. Well done you, and it sounds like there's people to support you on here xxx GL XX

Forgot to say, I've been sober for 2 years in January.

Given that OP says she's used to drinking every day, having stopped is vomiting and hallucinating does suggest symptoms of DT's
I would suggest contact GP out of hours this weekend to discuss managing withdrawal

OP PLEASE ignore posters telling you that you do not need medical advice.

You have very clearly spelt out that you're a heavy daily/virtually daily drinker; that you're vomming from alcohol (alcohol poisoning is the more accurate name for a 'hangover' on that scale); and that you've been suffering from hallucinations, aka alcohol psychosis.

That means - as you've already said, so NO clue why other folks are 'correcting' you on this - that you do absolutely have an alcohol dependence problem; and given that, you are at risk if you simply go 'cold turkey'. The standard advice is that if you get to a point of hallucinating you should seek immediate medical attention (911 if in US/999 here).

You have done an incredible thing by recognising you have a problem, now you need to ensure you go about dealing with it in the best, safest, way. You can do this, and there is immense support available (google [LEM's hometown] drug and alcohol services) in addition to your GP and then the frickin awesome thing that is AA

Lastly, to you and anyone else in a similar position, utterly disregard the fucking irresponsible wholly incorrect 'advice' that has been presented as fact by some posters - including that seeing your GP will lead to DVLA being informed (this is UTTER bollocks); ditto those asserting there is no risk to a heavy long term alcohol dependent drinker who suddenly quits. They have NO clue of that which they speak of and frankly I have the rage at their witless/dangerous claims and the risk that could pose to someone vulnerable and in need of help

You CAN do this, but please do it safely

Medical advice isn't a bad idea anyway. Not necessarily because of withdrawal, but because drinking excessive amounts of alcohol leaves you deficient in pretty much everything. Plus it never hurts to get your liver function checked out. AA worked for me, but there's no harm in shopping around for whatever works for you. You need something though - if you could do it on your own you would have by now. Don't fall into the trap of believing that not drinking every day doesn't mean you have a problem either. Deciding if you have a drink problem is easy - if alcohol is negatively affecting your life, and you can't control it when you want (or need) to, then you have a problem. There's no cut off - its just a problem when you have tried to do something about it, but are unable to. And there's no shame. I believe I react differently to alcohol to 'normal' drinkers. They don't get me when I talk about how alcohol affects me, but other alcoholics do.

user1474627704 Sat 05-Nov-16 16:56:02

'It can be dangerous to stop alcohol cold turkey (it can cause seizures)'

I wish people would stop spouting this. It's rare, doesn't fit the pattern for the people posting about drinking too much wine on MN, and is dangerous as advice as you are telling people to NOT stop drinking.

user1474627704 Sat 05-Nov-16 17:04:22

'User it is dangerous for someone who drinks most nights'

No, for the very very vast majority it is not. And stop giving medical advice online

_

User STOP POSTING SUCH UTTER BOLLOCKS. It's dangerous and you are clearly clueless to the realities of risk in abrupt alcohol cessation for those who have alcohol dependence. As for this:

'And stop giving medical advice online'

What self-awareness chip are you missing that you are instructing others to 'stop giving medical advice online' when: A) YOU are doing precisely that; (truly, WTAF?) & B) At least theirs is more informed than yours - yours being outright dangerous.

As for 'correcting' the poster whose DM had an alcohol withdrawal seizure...

Well done for admitting it. I had an alcohol problem and regularly lost days to alcohol poisoning. I got to the point where I realised that I was becoming a full blown alcoholic like my Dad.

That was 10 years ago and I've rarely drunk since.

Don't be embarrassed to get help-you can do this. And don't beat yourself up. You're far too lovely for that.

The fact that you are hallucinating says that you already experiencing DTs- which can be dangerous. You do need to seek medical advice in the first instance. You feel like shit now but you have made the very first step- here.
Don't listen to user, they really do not know what they are talking about. Go to your GP - you will find that they will so pleased that you have admitted you need help and they will be able to sort out some support for you.
Well done op and good luck! xxxx

People can give medical advice if they want!

Doesn't mean op needs to take it!

Despite MN opinion you can give medical advice to others even if you aren't a GP etc

Huge hug from me too lovely LEM, you've taken the hardest step.

See if you can find some real life help and support and take only each day at a time. Just don't have a drink today.

Tomorrow tell yourself the same thing. One foot in front of the other

You've admitted there's a problem - first step.

Agree second is to see the GP. You will need to get to the root of why you drink to be able to stop it.

Good luck

QuiteLikely

YY to 'people can give medical advice if they want', but NN if they haven't got a fucking clue what they are talking about and are presenting their views as 'fact'.

Worse, and then telling others - who are actually giving advice based on fact and eons of PubMed Research etc, let alone the realities dealt with in hospital via effect of abrupt cessation on some people - to 'stop giving medical advice online'

I've reported worst one and asked MN to please post on here vis need for medical advice.

And the PP who posted vis deficiencies is absolutely correct. It's the erosion of Thiamine (that gives not one shiny shit whether you're drinking naice wine or cheap cider) that creates the risk of seizures IIRC.

It is impossible to know who will react badly to suddenly stopping.

If you drink heavily every day then this might be safer: keep drinking but cut the amount by half for a week & then by half again, then introduce some alcohol-free days for a week, then stop.

Frustrating I know when you've decided to stop outright.

for you

But yes, you ought to see your GP for advice & support - they won't judge you.

My dp has been denying he had a problem with alcohol for years and then after a particularly bad week in the summer he sat down and said 'I need help.' We found a site called smart recovery which does online group support. He has had days where he hasn't been able to cope without a drink but the group is really helping. I think it is a form of cbt along side support from others in the same situation. He really likes it as it is online and he can fit it in around our life and work. Having watched from the sidelines it is an incredibly hard thing to admit and really brave. The one thing my dp has learnt is it is really important to recognise every victory and be proud of them. So today is something to be proud of. I hope you can be proud of of yourself.

What ladystoic said in spades. You have taken the first step which is amazing but Please go to the gp or somewhere else you can get medical help to get sober.

Yes some people can just stop but not everyone can. You don't know if you can or not, the more you drink the more likely you are to have issues when you stop that need medical support. There is a reason that rehabs have medically trained staff (or some do initial detox off site) The risks are not worth it.