URGENT! Help me - what happens if a severe alcoholic just stops drinking

[winestein]

Something really bad happens to the body, doesn;t it? Does any one know what it is? Please. This is really urgent.

They can go into withdrawals and some people fit.

Is it the fitting? I heard that people can die.

A significant minority can develop delirium tremens, which is often fatal.

You need to tail off consumption over a decent period of time, or detox in a supervised program using benzos, or similar.

If you're lucky, you just get withdrawal, which is pretty horrific as well.

The DTs are potentially fatal

Which is why a detox from alcohol must be medically supervised

A heavy drinker who wants to stop must be urged not to stop COMPLETELY, until he/she has some medical intervention

My dad recently stopped and went through a detox in hospital (he's since started again so not the success story it sounds). He had a good 10 days at least of shaking, hallucinations and confusion, big swings in emotions and trying to escape from hospital to get more alcohol. I don't live close to him but it was pretty horrific, I believe, although he did have some moments of clarity during it.

Thanks guys. Really appreciate your input

There's a description of it from the alcoholic's point of view in Graham Chapman's autobiography (he tried to stop cold turkey and wound up as an emergency hospital admission).

My exp went cold turkey and ended up collapsing in the street in Paris and nearly died so not recommended.

Can be fatal.

DH is a recovering alcoholic and he stopped this way. He was very lucky to avoid serious harm but he did end up suffering quite a bit. He had severe shakes, sweats and looked like an old man. He slept a lot, too.

Much better and safer to it under supervision. There is an alcohol advisory service that can help, but the alcoholic does need to be honest about the amount they are drinking. DH had to cut down gradually in the end and replace alcohol with other drinks gradually and eat lots of sugary stuff.

He is absolutely fine now, btw. He has been sober for 18 months and has never looked better. He did it all with the AA. Is this for you or someone else? AA v good.

No, not me Llareggub, thankfully. Glad to hear your good news story Haven't got that P&L, but having been a smoker who became desperate to give up (I know it's not the same by the way) I think I have some empathy with the emotions this person is feeling. He's here now, and a right, proper mess.

Listmaker, what was the length of time between going cold turkey and collapse?

My dad stopped drinking on Boxing Day and was dead by 2nd January. Vile way to die.

My dad collapsed on 30th January, so 5 days between stopping drinking and collapsing.

thanks for the info Assdoc. Really sorry to hear about your dad. As you say, a vile ending

It was inevitible Winestein.

He had drunk very heavily for 20 or so years. He'd refused all offers of help and support to cut down/stop. He'd made our lives hell due to his drunken rages.

For some reason he finally decided to stop. He told me on the boxing day night that he was stopping for my Mum because he wanted to give her a better life.

He stopped drinking and he died. He did give her a better life. If he'd carried on drinking and lived for a bit longer her life would have been crap until the drink finished him off anyway.

Harsh I know but that's what living with an alcoholic does to you.

I do hope your friend gets the proper help to stop slowly under supervision though.