The best thing to do would be to get him to a doctor -- withdrawals can be dangerous -- even life threatening. If he won't go, giving him a small amount of alcohol might help him get through a rough time.

I've read that the worst is the first 72 hours (it was for me) but withdrawals can continue for a few weeks -- after the frist week the dangerous part should be over.

You are a good friend to help him through this. Have him drink a lot of water. Pedialite or Gatorade will also help -- he needs the electrolytes. Read up on DTs/withdrawal so you know if you need to get him to an ER.

Yes, get him to a doctor asap! Take him to the emergency room if he is willing to go.

Never, ever enable the guy by giving him a drink!

Good luck!

Bob -- administering a small dose of alcohol during withdrawals is not enabling him. It is sometimes done to reduce the severity of withdrawals and risk of DTs.

Medical detox and supervision is best but sometimes you can't get the person to go.

Agitation is a sign of DT's. Rather than taking a drink to calm things, he really should seek medical help. A doctor could prescribe medication to help. Detox from alcohol can be fatal. He needs to have his blood pressure & heart rate monitored, especially if he gets real shaky.

Bob, EXJG is right. Back in the day, small amounts of alcohol were used to get the alcoholic through the worst of the withdrawal. Some AA rooms had a detox room in the back to help people get through the worst of the detox.

Day 2. He is doing well, no drinks today, lots of gatorade, high carb, high calories. Still he is flushed but calm. He's shaken some and the nausea continues but it seems to come in waves. He is good for a while but then gets hit with being really uncomfortable.

The doctor, yes of course I would prefer this but as you've guessed, he doesn't want to go there. I've read it is usually an outpatient thing if there are friends who can stay with the person.

So far the anxiety issues are very manageable. But I won't allow him to get himself into risks...next 48 hours...

He is lucky to have you for a friend.

Very Lucky. But I would impress on him that it involves so much more than just removing the booze. There needs to be a total change in his mindset. The habits are hard to break but it can be done!
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Ive done this a million times for my husband. For sure the best thing is to get him to a doctor but as we know getting an alcoholic to go see a doctor takes an act of God. My husband refuses every time so Im left to figuring out how to get him through the withdrawals on my own with the risk of him dying. My approach is always lots of pedilayte, gatorade,a multi vitamin, B12, milkthistle, and three light meals a day. I give him plenty of fruit and I monitor his BP and heart rate three times a day. I allow him plenty of rest and do my best not to stress him out for at least a week as he gets through the shakiness and anxiety. For the most part he is down for the week until he fully recovers. If he is really bad I give him an antianxiety pill and and an antinausea pill to help out. Its a pain in the butt but unfortunately its what I have to deal with. Good luck!

Thank you for all your help here. It makes it easier, for me.

Day 3. (2 full days without a drink). He is doing pretty well. I think the tough thing for me, his clock is all screwed up. He is staying up until 2 or 3 then sleeps until noon or later. I'm actually fine with the sleeping in, but the late nights are taking a quick toll. The problem, of course, I feel like I can't leave him alone after midnight.

I've rather taken the position to remove any and all stresses that I can. So this thing about changing life styles, I haven't even tried to attempt to address this major obstacle for his total recovery. He loves bars. And everything he does involves liquor. Golfing, fishing, hiking, watching sports, eating out. I just don't know how he is going to approach this aspect of his alcoholism, which he freely admits he is.

Then there is the disappointments in his life, how he feels about himself. He started in the first night, when I got so scared because he was so sick, going on about how disappointed he is in himself, not just about the drinking but his jobs, his lack of direction. He is just 30 years old. So all of this has to be addressed too. There is a lot of baggage. And all of that is going to require professional help too. But I am going to wait until he is through the alcohol withdrawal before I even begin to address these things with him. I think he just needs to totally focus on getting dry. Am I right about this?

I want to thank you again. Day 4 went very well. Went to gym and worked out. He complains of weird dreams. I understand this is not unusual. He fixed some things around my apartment.

I would quit about once every 2 years. I could go for periods of 1 day to 2 years. I always relapsed. I would have the feelings of less than and the inability to cope. Thats what booze did for me. It made me not feel any of the good / bad things that happen to me. I actually was worse off when i would dry out as i didnt have my coping juice. I got tired of this merry go round and this time I broke down and went to an AA meeting. I found hope. I found a group of ppl that had BTDT. I found if I just listened and stuck around that I learned why i drank and how I could live without a drink. That was a good while ago. It was the first time that I realized that I needed some outside help. I wish you luck but for me I just couldnt do it without help. The problem was still there even when the booze wasnt. That is the ism... the ic.. It can be fixed it just takes some work on the way i approached life.

Additionally I would quit and after a few weeks I would feel better and then think, just a couple and bam back on the merry go round for another year or two. I needed to have a support system to keep sober. It is possible

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Boy you read my mind. I was on my way here to put this question out there...how many times is it ....dry out....relapse...dry out....relapse before the actual "cure" takes place. Of course, it varies, but you know what I mean here.

I know he is going to have to come to terms with why he is drinking, besides the fact that it is just fun. I worry too that it will be harder for him to deal with his realities while sober.

How to get him to see that it isn't a sign of weakness to seek help...which he now voices, but rather a sign of strength to find a solution to a major problem. Can you tell me, what was it that finally made you get off the merry go round?

Thank you so much for your input, and your own road. It is so helpful to me.