advice for alcohol withdrawal

[bondavage]

ive spent the past 2 yrs drinking very heavily to deal with my high lvls of anxiety.
i'm now going through horribly frightening withdrawal. i do not have the money to go to a treatment center.. any advice for help with at home detox?


i can hardly function im in so much pain.


i take vitamins and supplements but nothing seems to help.
i dont know if i can make it through much more of this. it's only been two days and im hardly feeling alive.


please.. any advice would help..

[ocdengineer]

How long have you been sober?  Also, congrats on quitting!

OE

[bondavage]

this is about my 4th day of being sober.

im feeling better. or maybe, just different.. i was able to access my ativan.. so at least i am now able to sleep.
i still feel a bit zombie like.


in a sort of "limbo" in life.

[ocdengineer]

All I can say is to just keep at it!  The worst is probably already over.  Be careful not to replace the alcohol with something else and take it one day at a time.  Keep us posted.  It is tough quitting drinking, but you will find that inthe longrun your life will improve substantially.

Take care,
OE

[bondavage]

thank you for all your support!


it's been a couple more days now.

i was wondering if anyone felt kind of.. disoriented and OVERLY anxious in the following days? i get these bad feelings of disorientation everynow and then. like.. nothing seems very real. maybe it's just getting reaquainted with being sober.. i'm not sure.... .... but it's definitely odd feeling..

[ocdengineer]

Yea, I have felt that.  It is called depersonalization or derealization.  If you look those up on wikipedia.org or another search engine you will find a good description.  That is common in withdrawl and just plain anxiety.  Chances are as you stop drinking your anxiety will increase some.  That is normal and expected.  Keep in mind that typically what you are feeling is safe and can't hurt you even though it is really uncomfortable.  If it is really bothering you then you should give your doctor a call.  Keep on workin' and you will slowly start to feel better.  I know alcohol has a very negative effect on my body now that I have quit, so it was a good decision on my part and is on yours as well.

Take care,
OE

[bondavage]

oh i'm very familiar with those feelings. i've suffered from anxiety for a few years now and depersonalization/derealization are some of my WORST symptoms.. usually leading to panic attacks.
i'm having a horrible time with it still..
but no anti-anxiety meds seem to phase me.

it's really frustrating.

[ocdengineer]

I hear ya!  I know the only way I was able to get by it was to just learn to relax and breath my way through it.  I still get random attacks at times, but I have learned to stop them almost immediately through practice.  Hopefully it will get better soon for you.  Stick with your quitting alcohol though.  That is a good idea!

Take care,
OE