Hi everyone. I’m a long time drinker and have never really tried to quit. I’d take a few days off but not with the intent of fully quitting. I need to change my lifestyle and am ready to quit.
I quit just over 40 hours ago, and in the first 24 hours experienced some hand shakes, sweating, stomach discomfort, and occasional increased heart rate. Since then, the shakes have all but subsided, the sweats aren’t bad, stomach discomfort is better, and my heart rate is lower than normal (in a good range). Overall I feel pretty decent. I’m taking some supplements to promote relaxation and gut health.
My question is, do symptoms often come and go? IE…even though I’m feeling better now than 16 hours ago, is there a good chance the symptoms will get worse before they subside?
I don’t think they’ll get worse. Drink lots of water, take vitamins (especially fish oil) and eat well. You’ll feel a little better everyday and eventually the brainfog will lift.
When I was attempting some quits after drinking heavily for a long time my withdrawal symptoms did fluctuate quite a bit. For example, after eating any substantial amount I would get a recurrence of the gut issues, cold sweats, clammy hands and diarrhea after thinking I was “all better.” I would also have worse symptoms at night, worse cold sweats, hypnic jerks/restless legs and, for me, insomnia probably made things worse. The more I relapsed and the heavier I drank the longer this would last and the more it would fluctuate, where I’d think I was getting better but then would regress.
Everyone is different. If you’re seeing gradual improvement then you’re headed in the right direction. However, if you go back to drinking like I did, each time you quit it gets worse. Let mine be a cautionary tale!
Well done on your time sober and your decision to stop drinking. Best decision anyone can ever make.
If it gets really bad I would consider going to a good detox facility so they can properly detox you and monitor you. Alcohol and benzos are the 2 substances that withdrawal can kill you. But I wish you the best, stay hydrated and rest and have someone there that can monitor you if possible/necessary. You got this
Part of getting sober is mindset. For me there isnt a “when”, there cannot be a “when”. When I erase that word from sobriety, it closes the door to drinking.
While this is hindsight, drinking is 100% choice. I choose the blessing of soberiety. So there simply isnt a “when”.
Each person is different, but generally I have seen a lot of people on here with similar symptoms. For me for a while it was itchy skin. I did notice some heart rate related stuff early on but not too drastic. Alcohol is so dangerous for the heart, the risk of cardiac arrest from drinking is astronomical, 16% higher chance for an episode every time you drink I believe is what I read.
Thanks, everyone! I’m just past the 72-hour mark and feeling pretty good. I didn’t have any shakes, and the sweats weren’t as bad. I’m also fat, so I sweat regardless. Lol Sleep is probably the biggest challenge. I’m getting about 5-hours a night compared to the 8+ I’m used to. But that was never quality sleep anyway.
The big thing for me was walking through the grocery store and not feeling like I wanted to even look at alcohol. I continue drinking IV water to keep hydrated and the electrolytes up. And I continue with the vitamins and supplements that I’ve read about.
How’s it going now? I’m at the same stage as you and luckily all withdrawal symptoms are gone. Sleeping less but sleeping much better so I don’t need as much as I did when drinking.
Like you I’ve given up drinking periodically in my life, sometimes weeks, occasionally months. Deep down I knew I had a problem but never wanted to really deal with it. Convinced myself that if I could quit from time to time there wasn’t a problem, was there? Then lockdown hit and oh man there WAS a problem and I reset to a higher level of drinking after. That slope sure is slippery.
The danger will start in a week or so when, feeling great, my addictive mind starts to battle my sober mind that I was never really an alcoholic and if I can quit this time then what harm can a few drinks do?
Not this time… there’s no going back to alcohol. This time it’s different, this time I’ve accepted what I am and I’ve come here and finally tried some community support… which is amazing.
Keep reading, keep learning about yourself from the people on the same journey or the people who are further along it.
Hey, James! Sounds like you’re headed in the right direction. Thanks for sharing, and thanks for asking how I’m doing. I’m doing fantastic! All with drawal symptoms were gone by day 4 or 5. I’m just over 8 days in and feel better everyday. My sleep gets better every day too.
I want sure what to expect since I never really tried this. I quit cold turkey, which probably wasn’t the best idea, since I was drinking a fifth of vodka (sometimes a little) every day. I read a lot of material prior to quitting, and stocked up on some items that people said helped with their process. I took a daily vitamin, magnesium, l-theanine, glutathione, and occasionally come CBD oil. I have no idea if they helped, or if it was mental, but I didn’t have serious withdrawal symptoms, and am thankful for it. Each person is different though, so I don’t recommend anything without your own research or doctor’s advice.
This morning, my wife mentioned that it seemed like I hadn’t had a drink in a few days. I smiled, and told her it’s been over a week. She thanked me and told me she was proud of me. That made my day.
I’ve spent more time with my kids, am more productive around the house as well as at work, have saved a bit of money, lost 8 lbs, am less bloated, and feel more like my old self. I’m enjoying life more than I have in a while.
B vitamins are good too and milk thistle to support your liver, your doing amazing watch out for the addictive voice in the future though especially the one that will try to tell you that you can moderate or that your ‘cured’ because its a great big liar!!
Awesome! That’s great to hear. One thing that helped me was being honest with my wife about how bad it had gotten and showing her my favourite bottle hiding places. Our loved ones are anxious on our behalf because deep down they know something is up. It’s important to remember though that we are doing this for ourselves firstly, because a sober life is worth it.
As for the symptoms, I guess they will continue subsiding. Physically, you won’t feel worse, only better. By the end of the first week, I would feel great.
The thing you need to concentrate on is choosing the right steps to remain sober. Your brain will try to trick you into starting to drink again (“just one drink”, “if I was able to quit this easy, I can do it again” etc.). That’s the addiction talking.
Start arming yourself now - whether you choose the AA meetings or whatever else, but try to commit to staying sober. It will pay out. When you gain a little perspective, you’ll see what your life was before quitting.
Hey y’all!! I’m at 15 days sober and loving it. The withdrawal symptoms are long gone and just about everything is better. I’m down over 15 pounds, and I’m even sleeping better, without any crazy dreams.
I don’t post on here much, but I visit every day and read a number of posts. I’m thankful for all the positivity I see here each day. The world needs more of it.
watch out for the addictive voice in the future though especially the one that will try to tell you that you can moderate or that your ‘cured’ because its a great big liar!!