alcoholism

[ronnietoon]

does anyone have experience of,no jokes like yeah last night.i just want advice/help. im going cold turkey again and it is hell.

drinking a bottle of scotch a day 70cl upwards.

doctors tell me to taper which is impossible.

i can barely right this my hands are shaking that much.

should i have some light larger say 5% to help or ride it out?

[Traci66]

Ronnie my husband was drinking a litre of scotch a day, he collapsed in October 2010 and was in hospital for a week, he has not drunk since, apart from one relapse at Easter when he tried to kill himself, he found that having a glass of juice in his hand like he would a scotch and soda helped him to quit, he went cold turkey, it wasn't easy, he is a much nicer and easier person to live with now. Good luck, I'm sure you will be able to do it.

[ronnietoon]

thanks all for your non-judgmental support.

got a text back from a relative which put to bed some of my self inflicted fears,then burst in to tears.

i know in aa people describe it as a disease,it is not.

a doctor once told me im self medicating.

well the so called medication has seen me sectioned twice(imo)

arrested more times than i can remember.

nearly jailed.

lost jobs.

relationships.

physical health.

i know that comes as a rant but as others have posted it keeps my mind occupied,which is helpful.

thanks again to all

[tonyav]

Keep at it ronnie, you can beat this.

[anneasquith]

ronnie, all i can offer you is prayers ( if you wish ) but sincere best wishes, i do believe you should get professional assistance to detox.

[FredPuli43]

Bit late in seeing this. I am a recovering alcoholic. Don't understand advice to taper it a bit because I never succeeded in reducing my intake for more than a short while. Never met any alcoholic who could do anything else!It sounds as though your doctor is being optimistic or not acknowledging that you are a true alcoholic, that is he or she may think you have just come in because you think you drink a bit too much

It's true that stopping alcohol suddenly can be dangerous. The person may suffer fits. Shouldn't happen outside of a treatment centre, because you'd drink again before they came on! I was given drugs to combat the risk when I was admitted to one because they knew I couldn't drink in there.

You need a fluid intake if you feel bad. Any fruit juice will do, because that also has an element of vitamin and nourishment. I found a bloody mary, made spicy, but without the alcohol, helped (a virgin mary). Somehow spicy tomato juice was much like the real bloody mary, which is what I made for myself anyway; you know how vodka is the drink of choice for us, when mixed. Whisky is not as good because it has ingredients which can give a hangover. Bad hangover symptoms are not caused by the alcohol though the alcohol does have other effects.

AA will definitely help. If you can get someone from AA on the phone; it's not a service 24/7 if I remember aright; that certainly helps because everyone you speak to has been just like you,an alcoholic,which nobody else can speak to or understand.

[tinkerbell23]

Ive just logged on, cant offer any extra to whats been said, just to say you will get through this, and your family will see that it was the drink talking!!!

Keep chatting to us xxxx

[EDDIE51]

It is a disease and your doctor sounds unsympathetic . I would get an opinion from another doctor ASAP. Some people have a genetic makeup that predisposes them to alcoholism. You have realised that you need help that is the first step and a very important one.
My own opinion is that drinking larger will just make things worse but I have no medical qualifications just how I think. By the way 'light larger' wold be around 3% not 5% that is strong larger.
Can you get someone around to sit with you ? being alone is the worst part.
I still think that your doctors are doing too little to help, especially with your history, and you need to get a diffrent doctor , possibly AA could help with suggestions as to a more sympathetic doctor ?

[sandyRoe]

Is there an AA meeting place anywhere near where you are? If there is, then there'll probably be people there you could talk with at almost any hour of the night or day.
Cutting down is not the answer. If you accept that you've a problem with drink then the only answer is to stop.

[EDDIE51]

If not AA then try the Samaritans , they don't just deal with suicidal people though few people realise it . They will talk to you and are never judgemental.

[sandyRoe]

One more point, AA talks of a 'higher power'. Some people might see that as god botherers in action but it doesn't have to be that. The higher power might just as easily be the fellowship of AA which is helping you stop drinking and stay sober.

[EDDIE51]

Samaritans link here , they are NOT religious despite the name, and they do support anyone who needs emotional support not just the suicidal .
http://www.samaritans...support_services.aspx

[chrissa1]

Go back to your doctor and ask him about being given Campral. Here is the link. It works.

http://alcoholism.abo...od/meds/a/campral.htm

[cathfromsaron]

why not get specialist inpatient help and they can give you a drip to ward off the DTs etc! is there a 'turning point' in your area?

also, stopping too fast if your consumption is high, may cause serious problems!

if you could have 'just' 5mls of alcohol you would not be alcoholic ... so get advice now!

cath x

[thenry]

If you can't stop drinking then you need to stop !

[ummmm]

Cath, being an alcoholic is not about how much you drink it's a 'need' to drink.

[sandyRoe]

I've never been at an AA meeting in a church hall. But even if that was the only place where they were available they could still work for a lot of people.

[boxtops]

ronnie, whereabouts do you live? You'll find addiction services in some part of the country - you need practical help as well as moral support.

Stick with it, mate - while you're posting on here, you're not drinking - we're here.

[Kiki-frog]

Good words from boxy, ronnie. It looks like a few ABers have been through something similar, so you're not on your own. Like boxtops said, keep posting. x