alcohol withdrawl and fits

[ratclare]

right need some advice please, I currently drink one bottle of white wine a night and i want to stop , ive worked out that i drink approx 50 - 70 units of alcohol a week . Am i going to be ok going cold turkey or should i reduce gradually .

Reduce gradually. Have you seen your GP?

You can do either but you will have withdrawal - shaking, vomiting, sleeplessness, depression, anger etc. for a week or so while your system detoxes.

Don't do this alone, you will need hands on support. Stopping totally is the best way of quitting any drug because then you get the mental and physical side out the way in one go.

Good luck!

dont want to see my GP for personal reasons , Im not sure if i class myself as alcohol ,more someone with a really big bad habit . How about if i go from wine to lager ,you know the big bottles and have one of those a night for a week and then go down to one every other night for the next week and then stop ? I occasionally manage a night without when i really have to . How long before withdrawl starts to kick in?

So you aren't ready to quit yet?

www.howsyourdrink.org.uk/signs.php?signs_id=1

I think you would mainly get sleeplessness and maybe a few moments of anxiety.I really feel you would be have to drinking throughout the day and night to have huge withdrawal issues..I prob drink around the same amount at times and can go without-I certainly don't fit.Its a mental urge."I'm stressed-I'll have a few glasses of wine".Getting out of the habit is the best bet.I saw my GP who just said make sure you have a few nights of non drinking!!?
Have you thought about having a liver function test too?

You need to reduce gradually if you drink 50-70 unts each week. Alternatively, if you are ready to quit totally, your GP can prescribe medication to help you detox safely. You could change GP if it's a particular doctor you don;t want to see. you need to be really sure though, as some of these meds aren't safe to take while drinking.

that's why they give diazepam (valium) for alcohol withdrawal along with other drugs and vitamins, these are for people who have been on whole bottles of spirits on a regular basis. All under medical supervision

Definately reduce gradually as sudden alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous. I would second the advice that you get support from your GP to do this. If it is someone you know then appraoch another surgery and explain that you need to change GPs.

I say 50-70 units because originally i thought a bottle of wine was 6 units but some are more so im probably over compensating . Yes i am ready to give up .... but i really need to do this without seeing my GP . So do i reduce or do i give up? Aslong as im not going to fit ,i can cope with all the other unpleastant side effects ,ive got a stash of vit b co strong from the chemist . I eat healthily ,alcohol has never replaced any meal . As for having a liver function test ,the thought terrifies me ,but if can do this for 3 months ,i might get one done

From the down your drink site:

The effects of alcohol withdrawal

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms can occur if you stop or reduce your drinking quickly. If you are dependent on alcohol, stopping quickly can be fatal. One way to know if you are dependent is if you have to have a drink to stop yourself shaking or craving alcohol. If you are dependent you must see your doctor before trying to stop. However, most people can stop or reduce their drinking without medical supervision.

IN AN EMERGENCY CALL AN AMBULANCE AND GO TO HOSPITAL

If you have withdrawal symptoms (or are worried about them) your doctor may be able to help you overcome them. Also, if you have health problems it is important to talk to your doctor as they may also be affected by your drinking.
Alcohol withdrawal symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.

Severe symptoms include a state of confusion and hallucinations, agitation, fever, fits and "Black outs."
Moderate symptoms include headaches, sweating, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, paleness, rapid heart rate (palpitations), enlarged or dilated pupils, clammy skin, tremor of the hands and involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids.

Mild symptoms include feeling jumpy, shaky, anxious or nervous, irritable or easily excited, emotional, depressed, tired, difficulty with thinking clearly, concentration and memory and bad dreams.

About 95% of heavy drinkers will experience some symptoms if they withdraw from alcohol. If they are mild they will usually disappear after a few days and do not require treatment. If you have any of the severe symptoms it is important that you see your doctor immediately.

Further information can be obtained by phoning NHS Direct at any time:

NHS Helpline 0800 22 44 88
If you live in Scotland you can also phone NHS24 08454 24 24 24.

got to make tea now but will be back after the bath,book,bed routine

Don't go cold turkey ratclare - if you must do this without support then reduce gradually. I used to work at a drug and alcohol rehab and although withdrawal from heroin is extremely unpleasant its not dangerous in any way - alcohol withdrawal is a different story. I'm not tring to panic you but you need to be careful.

to be on the safe side i would reduce gradually. it's hard to tell how it will affect you as it depends on so many variables - how long you have been drinking, you build, general heath, plus a measure of unpredictability. could you check the phone book/web to see if there is anywhere locally you can get confidential advice eg ARP in london?

theres alot of conflicting messages about alcohol in general isnt there , I wondered about ringing drinkline . I gave up fro 2 weeks about 3 months ago without any side effects ,so perhaps i would be ok . But then what if im not and i end up on my own ward , thats the main reason i dont want to see my gp because i am a nurse ,ive watched people bleed to death when their varices burst so i am fully aware where drinking can lead . I look after people every week who are suffering from the excess of alcohol ,but these people are usually drinking a bottle of spirits a day .Not that i am trying to excuse my own excessive intake or make it in anyway acceptable ,its not and i know it .

You may well be fine to just cut it out but its really not worth the risk - especially in your situation. Give yourself a strict timetable to cut down and stick to it. Do you have a partner and are they aware of how you feel about your drinking?

my husband and friend have all made comments about my drinking ,dh drinks every night too but he drinks malt whiskey ,the nasty iodine sort , he only has one or two small measures though . Its wine i have a taste for ,if theres no wine ,i might have 2 small lagers if there are any in ,but hey make me feel really gassy and id never touch his whiskey as its the devils own brew !Does that make a difference ? I also smoke which makes it worse for my poor liver ,and im overweight but i can run nearly three miles without stopping and as i said i generally eat healthy food . I want to go back to just drinking when we go out ,which is about six times a year !

Would they be supportive in helping you cut down? When I wanted to a few months ago dh was really good and cut down drinking with me. That helped a lot as we both drink wine and i'd have found it hard to see him drinking when i wasn't.

I sont mind my dh drinking tbh as i have no interest in what he drinks . My bf hardly drinks at all and her exdh is an alcoholic so she would be supportive ,i need to find a soft drink other than diet coke which i mainline during the day ,so if my liver doesnt pack in my spine crumble! I dont feel anxious about giving up ,im just mad at myself for letting it get to this point . I still function normally but im fed up with my wine belly and i know if i dont stop this now it could escalate into becoming a real problem where it would efect my daily life

Thats just how i was feeling a few months ago ratclare. I was pretty sure that i hadn't crossed the line into alcoholism but i knew I had got a lot closer than I was comfortable with. Theres loads of nice soft drinks out there. I like grapefruit juice and sparkling water.

so did you just give up dustystar? or wernt you drinking as much as me ? its not about being an alcoholic its about stopping before i am, before alcohol makes descisions for me if hat makes sense

sorry for typos ,have a large dog under my armpit !

You liver is the only organ in your body than can heal itself.

I cannot post any supportive suggestions as this is something I have sad experience of(my mother she dided of alocholic poisoning and liver failure when I was 27) and how much it can impact on family life.

You say you don't think you are an alcoholic, so why are you concerned you would have fits when giving up? Have you had them before?

Personally I commend you for trying to give up your drinking, before it has an effect on your LO's, it is a brave thing to admit - that you need to stop/cut down - and an even braver thing to attempt without professional help. In my experience (as an observer) it is not possible for a person with a severe addiction to cut back, one or two invariably leads to many more. If moderation was so easy no-one would have an alcohol dependency.

If you can't go to your own GP, is it not a group practise where you can see another or try AA or Libra who will give you invaluable emotional support.

Thats how it was for me too ratclare and i suppose it wasn't unusual for me to drink a bottle of wine in an evening. I did stop during the week and just drank on a sat night to start with. I felt tired and headachey the first week but after that i was fine. Now I drink about 3 times a week (more if we are camping) and i am much happier about my drinking as Dh and i share a bottle of wine rather than me having one to myself. You must be careful though as people are different and just because i didn't have any bad symptoms doesn't mean you won't.