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Alcohol Withdrawl Symptoms

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uclaguy

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 2
Location: sacramento
Alcohol Withdrawl Symptoms
Posted: 01-10-07 04:31am

I have been binge drinking daily for the last 5 years (since college). I have gone to bed sober about 7 times in that time span. While i've always prided myself on being able to hold my liqour I have suffered withdrawl syptoms as of late. I am not talking about a hangover but rather extreme weakness/fatigue, high fever and copious sweating. While I binge consistenly, I have noticed that I have tremors in my entire body (especially hands) in a somewhat cyclical manner. I also have devloped a aversion to eat solid foods. I get hungry but I really dislike eating. Ultimately, I will eat 700 calories of solid food, a smoothie and a ton of alcohol. I used to love a big steak but now hate to chew.
The point of this all is this... Does anyone else experience this? If so how do you deal with it. Are there any ways to minimalize or stave of the physical withdrawl? Does a decreasing regmien of valium cure the ailement or just creat a new desease?
Deep down I think fighting any addicton just takes dedication and guts. I don't think i'm there yet. I just want to be able to fuction until I find my resolve. I know i'm low. I pray I avoid the rock bottom.
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shadowalker164

Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 175
Location: Tampa, FL

Posted: 01-10-07 13:58pm

It seems there is no real rock bottom, no matter how bad it gets, it can still get worse. Up until death of course.

Not to worry uclaguy, the needed resolve is coming your way as we speak. Over any appeasable length of time, alcoholism only gets worse, never better.

One day you will be at the stepping off point, can’t imagine life without alcohol, and can’t imagine life with it either.

If you binge drink every day, you are going to keep getting what you are getting. It would be foolish of you to think it’s ever going to be easy. It’s a hard, tough road we walk while actively drinking. I know.

Richard
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uclaguy

New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 2
Location: sacramento
Thanks For the Response
Posted: 01-11-07 07:02am

Thanks for your input.
I would like to hear more of your thoughts.

Aim mrtylardurden
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shadowalker164

Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 175
Location: Tampa, FL

Posted: 01-11-07 11:48am

Uclaguy, good to hear from you again. I don’t want to come off as a hard ass on this, but for guys like me, straight talk was what I needed.

Guy, I drank like you for a lot longer than five years. Your body is tough, you probably have 10 maybe 20 more years drinking like you are now in you. Sure eventually your liver will shut down, (by the way, that is what your sweats are all about, early liver failure. It can’t throw off all you are throwing at it, so your body is sweating the toxins out.) we all got them. Ever wake up in the morning and find your pillow soaking wet? It’s the same thing.

The shakes are a form of neurological damage. Some guys keep shaking for months after they quit drinking, but for most of us, symptoms like that clear up rather quickly once we quit. Like I said the body is tough. It can fix itself, if we give it a break.

You bet valium works, almost any barbiturate will work. Class a pain killers, the ones derived from opium also work like a charm as well. Well, all that crap works for a while. But guy, trust me when I tell you your alcoholism will not be denied. Everything that is going on in your life right now is just a preamble to what is coming.

The next time you are out, take a good look behind the dumpsters at the convenience store. You won’t have to look too long before you see them. The lucky ones. Most alcoholics like me die long before we get there. Liver failure, auto accident, shot in a bar fight, heart, stomach or pancreas disease. Mostly something else takes us out before that kind of rock bottom comes up and hits us.

Your body is tough, but it ain’t bullet proof. When we find ourselves drinking with desperation, drinking even when we don’t want to, trying to cut back and failing miserably, then trying to quit all together and being unable to do it. We are probably closing in on the last act of this tragic play called active alcoholism.

I reread your original post, and you almost said something about quitting. Almost. Have you tried to quit yet? For guys like us, it ain’t that easy. Alcohol will never willingly let us go, and sadly we have the hardest time letting go of it ourselves.

But here I am. A hopeless sot. I more than that, I am an alcoholic who hasn’t found it necessary to pick up a drink in a little over eight years. If getting a sane life back is at all appealing to you, we can talk more about how you might pull that off.

Till then, I am your friend in this long strange trip
richard
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