It is possible, but DT’s only occur in about 10% of alcoholics, and usually from years of abuse. There was a point in my life I was blacking out 5 nights a week for 2-3 years and came off the booze without major health issues. I was doing dope though so I don’t know if that counts. If you start getting really shakey and dehydrated after day 1 or 2 then I’d go for the medical detox.
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Good to know. I’ve always avoided becoming physically addicted to alcohol my self. The psychological aspect is a whole ‘nother story.
The acute withdrawal period is 5 days or 120 hours. If you can exceed that you are in very little jeopardy of seizing etc. Sometimes PAWS or post acute withdrawal symptoms can occur occasionally but you can breathe through them, I had someone who sat with me and allowed me to ramble on while I was experiencing them, which to me was invaluable.
Best wishes
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quit now and stay quit. It never gets any easier. I’ve been a near daily drinker for a few years now, and I’ve been working hard since New Years to quit. I’ve managed to 2-3 weeks, and even 30 days, but I keep going back for 4-5 day binges, and each time I stop the withdrawals get worse. They are also a lot more dangerous. If only I quit a few decades ago. There are some good times that I would have missed, but I don’t remember them anyway, so it doesn’t really matter lol.
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Man, I’ve been there. I went to treatment for the first time three and a half years ago. Since then I have been a serial relapser, and have returned to treatment, along with AA, several times. In my own own experience, the line in the AA Big Book is very true, and I’m paraphrasing: Through bitter experience, we uniformly believe that over any considerable period, it only gets worse, never better. I have medically detoxed and have done it myself. It has only become worse. There is a reason the Big Book calls it a “chronic, progressive and ultimately fatal disease. It really sucks. There is a good book entitled “Out of the Wreck I Rise.” The First line in the book declares, “It’s the hardest thing you will ever do.”
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