When can I drink alcohol again?

[[ph...]]

I finished my taper on December 21st. It is now January 11th. That's 22 days of no benzos. The first week was fine. The second, withdrawal. The first half of the third, a little bit of withdrawal. Now, virtually nothing. I think I might have had one day where there was about a 2% withdrawal symptom. Other than that, totally fine. When can I drink alcohol again? Let me clarify.

 

I was never an "addict". I took these pills because they were prescribed to me along with ADHD meds, to supposedly "calm me" and help me sleep. They were given to me by Japanese doctors. I didn't even know what they were. When I found out, and was apparently hitting tolerance, I immediately started tapering. Did that for around 3-4 months, and then finished my taper. I was on the medicine on and off for about four years, but, I never took as much as prescribed (about 50% less than prescribed) and I took it sporadically. I never took Xanax until the last 6 months or so, very small doses (about .2mg per day, or sometimes .4, maximum .8, sporadically). The taper was a little rough not bad, and right now I feel back to normal. For a while I had a lingering headache, heart palpitation thing, but that is gone now too. Basically nothing.

 

I read somewhere that a seizure is possible when drinking. When the alcohol wears off, you seize...at least that is what I read. However, many of the horror stories I read online did NOT come true while I was doing my taper / withdrawal, so I am not sure what to think about the alcohol horror stories. I did not seize during the taper or withdrawal, and I have never seized in my life. So... what do you think?

 

Is it safe to have say, a glass or two of wine, or a martini, without seizing or having any adverse effects? Would it be safe to at least try a drink, in small amounts, to test the waters? Or, is there a period of time, say three months, that I should avoid it? The reason I ask is that my girlfriend is flying in from France and wants to treat me to some French wine and cheese. It would be nice to feel normal again and share a glass of wine with her. Well? Any thoughts?

 

Phil

[[bu...]]

You are in no danger of a seizure.  I would be interested in seeing what it was you "read".

[[ph...]]

It's all over the internet that, when alcohol leaves your body, there is a possibility of seizing. I don't know why, or if it is accurate. It could be people with a prior seizure history? I have no idea...

[[Do...]]

Seizing from alcohol happens when someone is an alcoholic and they are suddenly stop.  My cousin was a severe alcoholic and went to rehab several times. 

 

In regards to time frame, there doesn't seem to be one.  Some people are able to drink relatively quickly, while others are set off by just a sip of alcohol a year after jumping. 

 

If it were me and I wanted to see my reaction, I would try one small serving of alcohol, then wait to see how I felt.

[[Tw...]]

The general rule of thumb I've read is wait 2 years before using alcohol but there's always the exceptions. I've just soon too many posts where people were doing well and it just destroyed them and brought back horrible symptoms.

[[bu...]]

I read somewhere that a seizure is possible when drinking. When the alcohol wears off, you seize...

 

A seizure can happen if you CT off of high doses of alcohol.  A seizure will NOT occur as a result of just intermittent drinking.

 

Do you have any other internet myths you need debunked? 

[[be...]]

I've never heard of anyone seizing after a couple of drinks. I've only heard of seizures with very severe alcoholics withdrawing CT and I believe that only 5 percent of people are at risk anyway. No idea what you read but my guess is that they were just simply ridiculous horror stories. I'd try that glass of wine. If you enjoy it there's at least in my opinion absolutely no harm in trying. If you enjoy it then opt for that martini or two. If not wait a bit. If you get this seizure nonsense with a couple of occasional drinks out of your head I think you'll enjoy resuming your normal life which is how it should be. B

[[ph...]]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

 

I am ... as we speak (or write) having a martini.

 

It's ... strong. Stronger than expected, and the buzz feeling isn't exactly normal, but so far so good. I will let you know how I feel tomorrow.

 

Phil

[[so...]]

2 years is what I've heard

[[Th...]]

I've been around the bottle in my lifetime and spent some good time in AA. There are people drinking half gallons around the clock. Now those people have a major seizure risk! I'd only worry about side effects but if you enjoy a couple drinks and it's something you have looked forward to weight the benefits vs the risk. there is a risk you might feel not so great the next day, feel fine, or horrible. just take it slow.

[[me...]]

I took xanax, 51 pills total over 3 months.  Only 0.25 to 0.50 once a day, at night for sleep.

I had a horrific c/t withdrawal and never want to experience any of those symptoms again, not worth it to me.  I will never touch alcohol again.  I rarely had any alcohol prior to xanax anyway.  The last time I had any was maybe 5 to 6 years ago, and that was 2 glasses of wine.  You need to decide if it's worth it.

[[be...]]

Keep us posted phil. Sonia where do you hear these things? If you have no history of alcohol abuse, can deal with a couple of social or relaxing drinks where on earth does two years apply. Magically your healed in two years? I'm sorry but you post these "I heard" things so often without any references to where you heard them. I imagine the source is something like "well they say" etc. I always ask who says. Don't believe everything you hear and post "I heard" not based in facts. Sorry but get short tempered about these kind of posts when others read especially those vulnerable to believing because of valid concerns. B

[[Gr...]]

How long were you taking benzos for?  Less than a year?  Less than 3 years?  I am guessing that you would be fine drinking if that is the case.

[[ph...]]

Hello all,

 

I took benzos mostly sporadically for three years, then consistently for a year or so - always as prescribed, or, actually, less than prescribed. My total dose was around 20 or 25 valium equivalent near the end.

 

So here is what happened: I had a martini that was fairly strong. This was a science experiment, to see how I would react. I couldn't get to sleep for a few hours later than usual, and I did not have a very restful sleep. Woke up quite a few times. I feel... off. Not super sick. Wouldn't call it hungover... just off. Tired, gross, slight headache. It's as if 10% side effects came back. While drinking, it did not feel the same. I did not get any real buzz feeling, or anything. Just relaxed a bit, and a little fuzzy. Hard to explain, but not the typical feeling of a martini. The alcohol was pretty strong since I haven't drank for something like 4 or 5 months, but I did not get drunk. Weird. I took it super slow, drank tiny sips over the course of about 4 hours, and never did finish the entire martini. Then, like I said: insomnia, not a very great sleep, and feel slightly off and sick today.

 

That being said, I did not seize. I did not have massive side effects while drinking, and I do not have anything life changing now. I just feel kind of crappy, which could be do to the alcohol, or a combination of no sleep and alcohol. I'm not sure. Either way, I think I feel slightly worse than I would have if I had drunk a martini before this benzo nightmare so, I think I will probably avoid them just for the simple fact that the "high" part seemed to be "off", and not really enjoyable / the same, and even a slight sick feeling is worse than feeling great when I wake up. Verdict: I can drink alcohol safely without any serious adverse effect, but drinking seems sort of pointless.

 

I think I'll save it for very special occasions, and try this test again as the months go on to see if the next morning / insomnia stuff improves, or if alcohol seems more pleasant while drinking, further on down the road. Definitely did not need two years (or even 1 year) before drinking. I only needed about 23 days.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Phil

[[be...]]

I find the same thing if I drink beer and I'm not even done my taper. At first felt relaxed but then not so much so later. It also kept me from a good nights sleep. So I decided to wait until I hit a point where I'm once again comfortable with it. I wasn't really feeling really sick or anything but just noticeably more agitated/irritable the next day. But I certainly didn't have a seizure. It didn't even occur to me.  I think a lot depends on the atmosphere of the situation. If you're with friends etc and enjoying an activity it's much easier to enjoy. Just sitting quietly having a drink leads me to ponder more about if I should have. So now you know. It's not all what you thought it might be. Either very pleasant or dreadfully horrible. Glad you posted. B