Health - pint vodka night 1 to 2 months withdrawal?

[upperdecker]

So SWIM's been drinking a pint of vodka a night for 1 or 2 months and just quit cold turkey. Will there be withdrawal?

[erriksen]

It's very difficult to say as obviously people react differently when suddenly stopping after a binge. SWIM has gone cold turkey from similar amounts for similar lenghths of time. SWIM experienced withdrawal, as you'd expect. Sweating, muscle twitching, irritability, craving, shaking, etc. Whether or not SWIY can expect DTs is harder to say. SWIY should be careful and consider getting to a gp obviously if things get too hairy.

[Micklemouse]

Yes! Jesus man, SWiY could die quitting that sort of habit cold. That sort of intake requires a medical withdrawal regime consisting of a tapering course of a long lasting benzodiazepine such as Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) to fool the body into thinking it has alcohol in it .

Quitting cold from that level of intake runs a high risk of grand mal seizures, which could in this situation be fatal. Hallucinations (& we're not tallking pretty visuals here!) are also a distinct possibility, as are intense tremor, sweats, insomnia, tachycardia, agitation & restlessness.

Does SWiY have people around them? If so, he needs to tell them what is happening if he decides to carry on with this highly not recommended course of action, & he needs to tell them to get him to medical help as soon as he starts in with the major effects of withdrawal. In fact he needs to not put his friends through this at all, and carry on drinking until he can get to a doctor himself - maybe not at hte level he was, but he certainly needs to keep some alcohol in his system until he can reach someone who can help him quit without killing himself.

Alcohol Withdrawal

Drug Seizures - Epilepsy First Aid

[upperdecker]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

Yes! Jesus man, SWiY could die quitting that sort of habit cold. That sort of intake requires a medical withdrawal regime consisting of a tapering course of a long lasting benzodiazepine such as Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) to fool the body into thinking it has alcohol in it .

Quitting cold from that level of intake runs a high risk of grand mal seizures, which could in this situation be fatal. Hallucinations (& we're not tallking pretty visuals here!) are also a distinct possibility, as are intense tremor, sweats, insomnia, tachycardia, agitation & restlessness.

Does SWiY have people around them? If so, he needs to tell them what is happening if he decides to carry on with this highly not recommended course of action, & he needs to tell them to get him to medical help as soon as he starts in with the major effects of withdrawal. In fact he needs to not put his friends through this at all, and carry on drinking until he can get to a doctor himself - maybe not at hte level he was, but he certainly needs to keep some alcohol in his system until he can reach someone who can help him quit without killing himself.

Alcohol Withdrawal

Drug Seizures - Epilepsy First Aid

Well, I'm already on Clonazepam, so shouldn't that help.

[chAos]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

Yes! Jesus man, SWiY could die quitting that sort of habit cold. That sort of intake requires a medical withdrawal regime consisting of a tapering course of a long lasting benzodiazepine such as Chlordiazepoxide (Librium) to fool the body into thinking it has alcohol in it .

Sorry Micklemouse, but you really underestimate the amount of alcohol that needs to be consumed before a person gets withdrawels. Swim drank about the same amount for something less as a year and even he only got very mild withdrawels, probably psychological. Swim guesses one needs to drink alcohol for at least a year or two before one is really addicted.

[Micklemouse]

Possibly. The advantage of chlordiazepoxide or diazepam, which is also used in alcohol detox is that they have active metabolites that last for anywhere between 36 & 200 hours, giving added protection against withdrawal symptoms.

It's not worth taking a chance if that intake is correct - go to a doctor, be honest & do it properly. Don't be a statistic.

[upperdecker]

Originally Posted by Micklemouse

Possibly. The advantage of chlordiazepoxide or diazepam, which is also used in alcohol detox is that they have active metabolites that last for anywhere between 36 & 200 hours, giving added protection against withdrawal symptoms.

It's not worth taking a chance if that intake is correct - go to a doctor, be honest & do it properly. Don't be a statistic.

Well SWIM is on day 2 of no alcohol and feels no withdrawal at all except maybe a little irritable.

[Micklemouse]

Then SWiY is very lucky. If SWiY had done any homework, or even bothered to click on the link I provided on withdrawaI he would find that symptoms can take uup to 48 hours to appear. Please make sure SWiY has someone close by just in case things do go horribly wrong - I sincerely hope they don't. Full blown alcohol withdrawals are not pretty.

I repeat folks - this is not recommended.

[Nagognog2]

Just be aware that if withdrawl symptoms emerge - such as twitching, shaking, hallucinations - so forth - get to a doctor and explain what's going on. It's not something to fool with.

Bon voyage.

[upperdecker]

SWIM would like to thank you all for your concern for a person you don't even know. It has been about 48 hours and only feels maybe a little uncomfortable and minor headache. Last night going to sleep SWIM's arm did this weird jump/shake kinda thing, guess that was a minor tremor or something. Will keep SWIY updated.

[erriksen]

Glad to hear you're having no adverse effects mate. SWIM had the jump twitch things when going to sleep too. In fact SWIM had them permanently but they ceased after stopping drinking completely. Ease off the binges if you can though - next time you might not be so lucky!

[upperdecker]

6 days later still no withdrawal. Guess SWIM got lucky.

[x cynic x]

Perhaps Swiy was being a little too presumptuous in determining the amount he consumed. Just a suggestion.

[Micklemouse]

Then both SWiY & SWiUpperdecker have both been lucky.

A Certain Mouse may err on the side of caution (our purpose is to reduce harm is it not?), but he also speaks from both personal & clinical experience - he has indeed known subjects who have given up a reported long term habit with minimal withdrawals. He has also known subjects go into full blown withdrawals from a similar intake & time-scale to the OP.

Alcohol withdrawals are not something to be taken lightly, due to the inconsistency of their occurrence & of many users reporting of intake.

If one can successfully taper without slipping back(which requires determination & willpower in a lot of cases) then fine; if not then quitting cold is not recommended.

Just because SWiY has done something, it does not make it universally safe or recommended.

[roquet]

a pint of vodka doen't sound like much. That's only about 7 or 8 pints of beer.

Certainly you'd feel it when suddenly stopped. But 2 months isn't a long time for alcohol.