i haven’t posted in a while, but i’m ready to hold myself accountable again. i was doing really well in my sobriety journey until about a year ago when i relapsed and things have been downhill since. i lost my job, my relationship, my family… all to alcohol. i’m ready to get sober, but the struggle i’m dealing with now is that i’m interviewing and starting new jobs, but can’t stop drinking due to withdrawals. if i stop, the shakes get too bad to function, i can barely hold a conversation, i’m sweating constantly… i just truly can’t function without alcohol. i’d take time to detox, but i also can’t afford to be unemployed. i feel stuck. does anyone have any advice on how to manage the withdrawals long enough to function somewhat normally?
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I’m so glad you’re back!
Do you have any hospital/rehab centers near you that offer shorter detox programs. I worked at one where people would come in, have a medical team assist them while they detoxed for a couple days, then they’d discharge with outpatient help.
It’s worth looking into…
You’re worth the time and effort.
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Oh Mylanta! I know how that feels…not having medical insurance. Ugh! It’s annoying and horrible!
You certainly are in a difficult position, but it’s not one without hope.
Since you’ve detoxed previously, how long do the shakes last? Is it possible to get a freelance job like GrubHub or Instacart while you detox? That way you’re still generating income, but on your terms.
Keep us posted how things go.
What is the interview for?
That’s the rub with our disease - pay me now or pay me later, but you will pay me. And I will take it as a given that you do know that unless you get sober, you will have no job, no cats, and no prospects.
Asking the internet how to detox safely is a risky proposition at best. Safe medical detox will take anywhere from a few days to a week, maybe more. Alcohol detox can be quite traumatic, even fatal, so do not leave your decision up to faceless strangers, seek face to face help. I went through withdrawals at least twice, once medically managed, and once on the floor of a holding cell. The first time was much better than the second.
Leaving detox to the last minute, with an interview in just two days and trying to solve that problem is something that simply won’t happen. But I can relate strongly to it, because, for me, my alcoholism tended to manifest as procrastination and denying reality. I did at least one job interview with a hangover like a horse collar around my neck. I probably reeked of hangover sweat and booze outgassing from my pores. I had the shakes that morning but denied myself the “medicine” of the first drink to make them go away, so that was a special pain I carried into the appointment. The whole thing was another unique form of humiliation that I put myself through.
At any rate, you have a choice to make now. Do you want to get sober or do you want to do something else? And can you do that something else without being sober? We put all our effort into chasing the next drink, and if we are to recover from alcoholism, we have to put all our effort, all of it, into getting sober. The great good news is that this is indeed possible, and there are multiple ways to get there. I was a daily drinker, with 5 DUI arrests, lost jobs and marriages and stuff, and I was finally able to get sober and stay sober. You can do this also, it can happen for you.
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Try a meeting they might help wish you well
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thank you for this. it’s the hard truths that are what’ll get me through. i know what i need to do and i’ve gotta just handle things and deal with the consequences of the choices i’ve made
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Pay me now or pay me later is spot on, the bill has to be paid, up to us how much interest we want to pay on top of it.
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