# This next week is going to be tough



## hanniballexster (Jun 13, 2010)

For the past 10 years more or less (probably a bit more) I have basically gotten drunk, or at least buzzed, every time I felt anxious (I have only had the DR for 2.25 years). However, I have never really given my brain a chance to withdraw completely from alcohol, so I am going to try that.

I also decided that smoking is just plain making me sick. I am in my late 20s and constantly out of breath so I gave it up (I hope) for good tonight, cold turkey. I am expecting to get those mild fevers and chills and feel spacier for a bit, but I am hoping that if I stop pickling my brain with alcohol (I think the longest I have gone without a drink is a month since I was 18, and I am 28 now... and that was before the DR started I believe), maybe I'll feel a tad better. I also plan to drink lots of water to flush out toxins.

My anti-convulsant meds were also raised, so I feel pretty groggy, and I already avoid coffee and soda pop and sweets. I am hoping if I make my diet as healthy as it can be and get the alcohol and nicotine out of my system and take my meds (they were only recently increased to a potentially therapeutic dosage for anti convulsant effects) and just try to keep myself occupied, I can do it.

I read alcohol withdrawal can cause DR, and if I drink every few days and have for about a decade, then its possible my brain is overloaded with toxins (not to mention I am combining alcohol with medications). So I am hoping that might help.

I'll try to let you guys know how it works out. I had my last alcohol (5 beers only) late September 3, 1010, and I quit smoking shortly before it turned the 5th, so the 4th of Sep will be my first full day dry and the 5th of sep will be my first full day without nicotine (if I can stick to the cold turkey uitting thing).

Already I am getting hot flashes and then chills and stomach pains, so maybe, in my case, it is just a bunch of toxins overloading an already anxious nervous system. Its worth a shot.

Anyway, I feel optimistic about this, because my best buddy irl is stopping drinking and smoking (apparently) with me, and he seemed pretty stoked about it tonight. So hopefully we can support each other.

Also, benzodiazepines themselves can cause DR, apparently, if they are prescribed for too long 9I have been on them daily for years) so I want to try and do everything I can to get my brain and mind and body really relaxed so I can wean off the benzos, if possible (I hear benzo withdrawal can last 12 months or longer... be really great if docs told you all the potential side effects and withdrawal syndromes ahead of time!)

Oh yeah, trying to stay optimistic.

I rate my DR on a scale of 0 to 10. ) is feeling complete DR, not even sure I am awake. 10 is feeling completely clear headed, awake and "real" (how I felt before June 4, 2008). A few weeks ago I didnt drink for about 4 days and my DR got up to about a 4 for a few hours (which is pretty good for me). Earlier tonight, after a single day without booze (not even 24 hours), after taking some magnesium, at got to about a 3. But I was still smoking then.

I know from past experience that when I try to quit smoking cold turkey the DR gets much worse until I smoke again, but usually I give in and buy another pack. However, if this is a withdrawal reaction, the sooner I get the nicotine out of my system, the better. So even a few hours ago, I felt about a 3 (not bad). Now I feel about a .5.... I could feel spacier by half a point, but .5 is scary enough that normally I'd be reaching for a cigarette, and it's only been a few hours. So wish me luck (I figured if I cam going to quit booze I might as well quit nicotine at the same time, since I'll probably feel miserable for the first little bit anyway). Idefinately know that not smoking every hour, say, makes the DR worse, so there is an obvious connection there. But obvious cigarrettes and HELPING my brain. It needs to be kicked.

Okay, going to try and sleep. And whenever I want to obsess about the DR or think about a cigarete or feel panicky, I plan to drink a full glass of water.

Take care everyone. Alex


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

Hhaha the way you think reminds me a lot of the way I think. I am typically an all or nothing kind of guy too, which gets me in a lot of trouble from time to time. I was never much of a drinker but am a bit experienced with substance addiction. If I were you I'd check myself into a detox center if you have the means. I don't know how they do alcohol detoxes but when I detoxed from benzos last December I was put on an anti-seizure med for the first 30 days to prevent seizures. I know seizures can occur from alcohol withdrawal too. Not trying to scare you just saying, be careful. If you don't go to a detox center I'd at least look up online tips for alcohol withdrawal and ask people if you need to be on an anti-seizure med.

Quitting smoking and alcohol at the same time would be gnarly. If I were you I'd detox from the alcohol before quitting smoking. I would have drove my head through a wall when I was withdrawing from opiates and benzos if I didn't have nicotine. Even after you get through the withdrawal stage it takes awhile for your brain to adjust to living without the substance you have been dependent on which is stressful. Most places, even rehabs suggest you don't quit smoking when you are trying to get clean/sober. It's just too much all at once and can drive you mad and make you more prone to go out and drink.

You're not planning on quitting benzos too are you? If you are you really really need to be on some kind of anti-seizure med for the first 30 days or maybe even longer. I'm no doctor I've just been through it and have a lot of friends who have been through it. That's really good that you have a friend to do it with, support is crucial. I go to NA (narcotics anonymous) and AA (alcoholics anonymous) meetings frequently. When I was first getting clean I went to 2 a day for the first 90 days. It's a really good way to meet people who are going through the same kind of thing and can be a really good support system. There are AA meetings EVERYWHERE. Literally I had no idea, they are on almost every block where I live.

Hope this helps a bit. Good luck with everything and if you ever need an ear or anything you can message me.


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## hanniballexster (Jun 13, 2010)

surfingisfun001 said:


> Hhaha the way you think reminds me a lot of the way I think. I am typically an all or nothing kind of guy too, which gets me in a lot of trouble from time to time. I was never much of a drinker but am a bit experienced with substance addiction. If I were you I'd check myself into a detox center if you have the means. I don't know how they do alcohol detoxes but when I detoxed from benzos last December I was put on an anti-seizure med for the first 30 days to prevent seizures. I know seizures can occur from alcohol withdrawal too. Not trying to scare you just saying, be careful. If you don't go to a detox center I'd at least look up online tips for alcohol withdrawal and ask people if you need to be on an anti-seizure med.
> 
> Quitting smoking and alcohol at the same time would be gnarly. If I were you I'd detox from the alcohol before quitting smoking. I would have drove my head through a wall when I was withdrawing from opiates and benzos if I didn't have nicotine. Even after you get through the withdrawal stage it takes awhile for your brain to adjust to living without the substance you have been dependent on which is stressful. Most places, even rehabs suggest you don't quit smoking when you are trying to get clean/sober. It's just too much all at once and can drive you mad and make you more prone to go out and drink.
> 
> ...


Hi, first off, I am a girl.









Anyway, I am already on anti-convulsants. Not sure why exactly, my shrink doesn't tell me much. And I didn't drink enough to get the DTs or anything.

So, so far... I still haven't had any alcohol since september 3, 2010 (almost 3 full days). I couldn't last a day without a cigarette though. The DR got so bad I could barely walk, so I finally gave in. Maybe I'll have to quit the cigarettes with champix, not sure.

I want to quit the alcohol and the smokes before I even attempt the benzos. I know from trying to wean off benzos before (I went from 2 mg a day down to nothing in 3 weeks, and within a few hours of stopping completely at the end of the third week I was panicking and having MAJOR visual hallucinations) that the benzo thing will be a bitch.

Stupid DR. I wasn't much of a fan of my life before it started, but now I barely see the use of it. (Ahhh, that's me wanting a drink)- but i don't need AA. I can do it. All my friends, except for one, drink, and the one that doesn't just went cold turkey off alcohol with me too. So we can support each other. He says give myself a month off booze and see how the DR feels, but its nearing the end of day 3. I haven't noticed any change yet, and I realize that's probably not nearly enough time, but I already am starting to feel pessimistic.

But I can stay off the alcohol, I think. The smokes... nah, I think I lasted 20 hours? Something like that.

Alex


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## Surfingisfun001 (Sep 25, 2007)

Sorry Miss.









That's good that you're on anti-convulsants. Better safe than sorry. I was in rehab with a guy who broke his back from have a seizure during benzo withdrawal so I like to stress the anti-seizure meds. Get off the booze first and if you try to get off benzos later ween down slowly. I tried getting off benzos too fast and had visual hallucinations too. No fun. Good luck with everything, you can do it.


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