Alcoholism Support Group
Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.
I am a chronic binge-drink alcoholic. This past week saw me experience second-stage alcohol withdrawal. I had found myself in the position on Saturday of having been drinking heavily and daily for at least a month, and I was broke until Monday and stranded in a place I could not find any more booze. The first symptoms began about eight hours(for me) after my last drink: I started getting tremors, headaches, nausea and vomiting and pains in my chest and head. I had no appetite, and couldn't keep anything down. This is when I went down to the ER to get some help. I was there about five hours enduring lectures, hostility and open disgust from the staff and doctor. They put me on a nutrient-bag and gave me some Tylenol, so I asked about a detox program, and the doctor said in this particular county, there is no detox available for people without private insurance. I had Medicaid, so I was screwed. I inquired of the doctor, Would he give me a few lorazepam(a tranquilizer used in detox)to stop the symptoms until I was able to get my own prescription of lorazepam filled on Monday? No, he couldn't because I had been drinking with the lorazepam before, and it wouldn't be responsible to do that. I looked at him. I said, what do you suggest I do. Go home and keep drinking until you can get your prescription filled. I told him, I have no alcohol or money left. He shrugged and said , We're ready to discharge you from our care. He put me in a cab and sent me home.
The next 30 or so hours followed a predictable course: my symptoms got steadily worse. I couldn't sleep, because whenever I laid down to sleep I began hearing voices and having all these mad, unconnected thoughts that were not dreams but not reality rushing through my brain. I was filled with anxiety, sweating constantly. My body began having little convulsions: twitches, jerks. I would shiver constantly and break into waves of glooseflesh. It wasn't until the early morning hours of Monday that I knew I was going to die. I was having crushing pains in my chest and head. My blood pressure went to 220/140, heart rate was like 130, and I could not stop sweating. I thought I would have a stroke or a heart attack any second. Finally 7am Monday morning came, and my friend Gary was able to drive me the fifteen miles to the drug store to get my lorazepam. I held it to together to give the lady at the window the co-pay and get the bottle. I went back to Gary's car, stuffed 3mg of lorazepam in my mouth and swallowed and waited. 20 minutes later I started to feel a little better and Gary drove me home. I went to bed for six hours, woke up, took another lorazepam and slept for another 14 hours. When I woke up again, I felt wobbly but normal. So there's my little Christmas story of second-stage alcohol withdrawal. I didn't have a seizure. Or a stroke. Or a heart attack. But I could have. Any moral? Besides never drinking at all, it's this: you better have private insurance if you need to detox in northeastern Wisconsin or places like it. Otherwise, you are in deep trouble.
The next 30 or so hours followed a predictable course: my symptoms got steadily worse. I couldn't sleep, because whenever I laid down to sleep I began hearing voices and having all these mad, unconnected thoughts that were not dreams but not reality rushing through my brain. I was filled with anxiety, sweating constantly. My body began having little convulsions: twitches, jerks. I would shiver constantly and break into waves of glooseflesh. It wasn't until the early morning hours of Monday that I knew I was going to die. I was having crushing pains in my chest and head. My blood pressure went to 220/140, heart rate was like 130, and I could not stop sweating. I thought I would have a stroke or a heart attack any second. Finally 7am Monday morning came, and my friend Gary was able to drive me the fifteen miles to the drug store to get my lorazepam. I held it to together to give the lady at the window the co-pay and get the bottle. I went back to Gary's car, stuffed 3mg of lorazepam in my mouth and swallowed and waited. 20 minutes later I started to feel a little better and Gary drove me home. I went to bed for six hours, woke up, took another lorazepam and slept for another 14 hours. When I woke up again, I felt wobbly but normal. So there's my little Christmas story of second-stage alcohol withdrawal. I didn't have a seizure. Or a stroke. Or a heart attack. But I could have. Any moral? Besides never drinking at all, it's this: you better have private insurance if you need to detox in northeastern Wisconsin or places like it. Otherwise, you are in deep trouble.
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Dick Van Dyke’s path to sobriety was a turning point in his life and career. Here’s what happened:How He Got SoberStruggles and Realization: Van Dyke began drinking as a teenager, largely to cope with shyness and social anxiety. Alcohol made him feel more comfortable in social settings, but over time, his drinking spiraled out of control. By his mid-40s, he recognized that he had an addictive...
Lucky I guess. Just some high blood pressure and fast heart rate. I am so glad you got through that and have two thing to say. Merry Christmas and please do not ever drink again.
That was a horrible experience to go through and you are lucky to have survived. In an ideal world north-eastern Wisconsin and places like it would have a better service for alcoholics but we do not live in an ideal world and there are often more pressing matters for hospitals to devote their resources to. The trouble with treating alcoholics is that once they get back on their feet and get a little money together they are likely to do it all over again, so you may see why the doctors are sometimes indifferent.
Sometimes we blame other people for our misfortunes when in reality we should be looking at our own actions. Those busy hospital staff are unlikely to ever award you with a medal for drinking too much so trying to change their ways is a waste of time. Maybe you could look instead at how you can avoid getting yourself into the same sort of situation again. That will mean that you will need to part company with your friend alcohol and the separation often requires assistance from other people.
Christmas is a good time to reflect on how life is going and if there are things that you would like to change. The last Christmas that I was drinking was several years ago and it was one of the worst times I ever had. On the one hand I wanted to drink every minute of the day and never stop and on the other hand, I desperately wanted to stop because I could see it was going to kill me. I struggled on with that misery for several more months until I couldnt take it any longer. Then I went to a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. Christmas is now a very enjoyable and sober time.
So Bill1130, what is it going to be for you? Will it be another binge and withdrawal cycle, with maybe a campaign to change those doctors in north-eastern Wisconsin or will you have a look at how you can stop drinking? I wish you a happy Christmas and hope that you stick around for the next one many who keep drinking will not.
But I hope you are.
Ativan and other benzodiazepines have taken many patients back to drinking.
And as you said, the moral of the story is not drinking at all. I hope you walk into an AA meeting and meet the people who will help you get your life back. You don't ever have to go through this again if you don't want to. Hugs, dianna
I am delighted that you are going back to AA. My own experience when I was still drinking was that I hated AA and everything to do with it. It was probably desperation that allowed me to keep an open mind for long enough to see that AA really could offer a solution to my drinking problem.
My suggestion to you is to start with a clean slate and not to look ahead at things that may or may not be a problem in the future. Listen out for someone who has what you would like to have and ask him if he would be your sponsor. Done in the right way, the process of learning to deal with those resentments can be a fascinating journey. There are groups of people that I do not have a high opinion of but these days I generally dont get involved in their business. It took me quite a while to learn that the rights or the wrongs of a situation were not nearly as important as the way in which I reacted to it. Reacting in the wrong way to people, places and things often led to anger, followed by alcohol.
All the best with your journey to sobriety.
I think however, that there is another moral here: Its time to get sober, you may not get another chance
I found a room and slowly found out the way to live sober. I found out alot of the reasons why I drank. I thought I did just to 'live it up' but the real reason was much deeper. The ppl in my room did not judge, only wanted for me to get better.
That was june 9.2012. Now I am always trying to help others get some of 'this' and the irony is that in reading your story you help me to not drink today, so thanks. I dont want to ever forget how it was. I like my sobriety too much.
How about it? do you want to do that stuff again or would it be a good time to get off the insane ride and hop on the sober bus
Sober is good.
1is2
Explain that you are an alcoholic coming off of it...and they should give you something to avoid seizures etc.
If I were you I would go out of state if necessary in order to get the help that you need. Your life depends on it.
Are you going to quit drinking or are you just having a hard time until your next drink?.
let me also interject by saying that there was most likely nothing wrong with the medical care he received. we'd like to think that hospitals are all equipped to help people detox - but they are not. giving a vitamin bag and rehydrating is often all that hospitals are able to do. if you had been hearing voices when you were in the hospital, they would have treated you - but in the psychiatric ward, where you probably would have been subject to a minimum 72 hour stay under suicide watch.
you mentioned not being able to get your ativan until monday - why? most chain pharmacies are open daily, some even 24 hours. is there a cvs/walgreens/rite aid/walmart in your area? perhaps you should consider moving your prescription there.
i also echo aka's statement - are you going to quit drinking or just having a crappy time between drinks? you already had a script in for ativan but binge drank anyway - and saw the very real, very dangerous consequences. i hope, hope, hope you got to a meeting and encourage you do to the 90 in 90, even if you don't like AA and don't agree with their crap - getting into a room every day gives you a goal and a reason not to drink.