Drinking alcohol and benos ~ lethal combo

[[ko...]]

I did it for 15 years and did not die.  I am a miracle!  My detox from alcohol wasn't all that difficult, either. 

 

I hope the same can be said for my benzo detox (taper).

 

Did anyone else drink alot while on benzos?

 

~ Koff

[[wh...]]

Yes, I did that for about a year. The TW came on at that time and I didnt know what it was. alcohol stopped having much effect. Stopped drinking at detox. Still didnt know that the benzos were even worse. maybe one day I can have a casual drink. thats a long way off.

Koff, i read your profile and it looks like were both at about 10 mgs valium. Well both be beating this thing...no doubt.

 

[[Ni...]]

Alcohol and benzos are very dangerous to combine. IMO, that should be worded strongly in the patient info sheets. I started drinking regularly at a point when taking Xanax and I am almost certain I did so because of tolerance withdrawal without even knowing it. It was awful, and created a vicious cycle, not a good thing to do.

[[be...]]

I drank all the way through- one, sometimes two drinks every night.  I drank less before psych meds.  Now I don't drink at all, since around July, may not for some time.  I miss it but it was easy to stop.

 

More alarming to me was that I began smoking mj at the age of 35 and a lot.  When I tried it in the very distant past I didn't like it, but suddenly it agreed with me and ( at this point 6 years taking benzos) mj was the only thing that calmed me and  also made me feel more focused and productive.  I never realized that benzos were causing a problem then - interdose and/or tolerance w/d I now realize.  I rapidly had to reduce mj use (thankfully) early in taper, it was no longer enjoyable and all but quit in July- I test small amounts now and then for sleep.

 

Please don't judge me.  

[[el...]]

Congratulations on 2.5 years away from alcohol!

 

Drinking is what got me on benzos in the first place. At the time, I didn’t know that drinking was causing my problems so the doctor put me on Klonopin. I stayed on 1 mg K for 13 years and also drank like a fish thinking nothing of it. (I guess I though the warning on the bottle of K was an advertisement for drinking.) I believe that the K was making it harder and harder for me to quit drinking. It seemed like the more I tried to quit drinking, the more I drank - probably because of increasing tolerance w/d from the K. I finally put 2 and 2 together on October 20, 2009 (my date of sobriety) and quit drinking. I fell into horrid tolerance w/d from the K (and probably PAWS from the alcohol). I tapered off the K after several more months. I haven’t had a drink in 2 years, and I’m 14+ months off the K. In my active addiction to alcohol, I couldn’t manage more than a couple weeks of sobriety at a time. Amazing.

 

What a ride it’s been. When I think of all the nights I blacked out from the booze and K, I cringe. Except for God’s grace, I would have been dead long ago. It is so clear to me now what I was doing to myself. At the time, my mind was so fogged up that I didn’t see it.

 

So, a 40-year drinking “career” and 13 years of using K are over. I never want to revisit any of that. It’s a miracle that a body that has gone through that is still not only alive but also healing and recovering. I have a ways to go yet, but I am so much better than I was just a few months ago. We are “wondrously made.”

 

This is certainly doable. You will get there.

 

eli

 

[[Go...]]

I went to our office Christmas party 2 years ago and drank heavily while on benzos. I blacked out and my friend who is an ER nurse had to drive me home. My respiratory system started to become labored and I almost ended up in the ER...not a good combo!

[[Sa...]]

I think the most stupid, and almost fatal experience i have ever been in might quite possibly be as follows:

 

I was hanging out with a friend and we had the smartest idea to mix the two together .  I decided to put 4 - 2mg xanax tablets into half a liter of liquor. We drank all of it in less than 30 minutes i would say.  I don't remember the rest of the night and part of the following day.  For sure a lethal combo!

 

[[Vr...]]

I'm tapering librium. Went from 20mgs to 12.5mgs in 3 weeks.  Took some piri piri herb to help with detox and relapsed drinking.  I'm ripped but not in any danger - just sad knowing I'll be sick tomorrow.  Ugh.

 

verne

[[ko...]]

I drank all the way through- one, sometimes two drinks every night.  I drank less before psych meds.  Now I don't drink at all, since around July, may not for some time.  I miss it but it was easy to stop.

 

More alarming to me was that I began smoking mj at the age of 35 and a lot.  When I tried it in the very distant past I didn't like it, but suddenly it agreed with me and ( at this point 6 years taking benzos) mj was the only thing that calmed me and  also made me feel more focused and productive.  I never realized that benzos were causing a problem then - interdose and/or tolerance w/d I now realize.  I rapidly had to reduce mj use (thankfully) early in taper, it was no longer enjoyable and all but quit in July- I test small amounts now and then for sleep.

 

Please don't judge me.  

 

Thanks for all the comments ~

 

I wouldn't judge ANYONE who comes to this forum.  We are survivors!

[[ko...]]

Yes, I did that for about a year. The TW came on at that time and I didnt know what it was. alcohol stopped having much effect. Stopped drinking at detox. Still didnt know that the benzos were even worse. maybe one day I can have a casual drink. thats a long way off.

Koff, i read your profile and it looks like were both at about 10 mgs valium. Well both be beating this thing...no doubt.

 

 

What is TW? 

 

I had 13 years of sobriety and when my doctor put me on benzos I told him about my history.  He told me 'these are not addictive'. 

 

I relapsed into 15 years of hell. 

 

Benzo-wise in 2010 but took awhile to convince me to quit. 

 

We will get there and be better than ever!

[[ko...]]

Congratulations on 2.5 years away from alcohol!

 

Drinking is what got me on benzos in the first place. At the time, I didn’t know that drinking was causing my problems so the doctor put me on Klonopin. I stayed on 1 mg K for 13 years and also drank like a fish thinking nothing of it. (I guess I though the warning on the bottle of K was an advertisement for drinking.) I believe that the K was making it harder and harder for me to quit drinking. It seemed like the more I tried to quit drinking, the more I drank - probably because of increasing tolerance w/d from the K. I finally put 2 and 2 together on October 20, 2009 (my date of sobriety) and quit drinking. I fell into horrid tolerance w/d from the K (and probably PAWS from the alcohol). I tapered off the K after several more months. I haven’t had a drink in 2 years, and I’m 14+ months off the K. In my active addiction to alcohol, I couldn’t manage more than a couple weeks of sobriety at a time. Amazing.

 

What a ride it’s been. When I think of all the nights I blacked out from the booze and K, I cringe. Except for God’s grace, I would have been dead long ago. It is so clear to me now what I was doing to myself. At the time, my mind was so fogged up that I didn’t see it.

 

So, a 40-year drinking “career” and 13 years of using K are over. I never want to revisit any of that. It’s a miracle that a body that has gone through that is still not only alive but also healing and recovering. I have a ways to go yet, but I am so much better than I was just a few months ago. We are “wondrously made.”

 

This is certainly doable. You will get there.

 

eli

 

 

Thanks, Eli.  The blackouts were quite scary but I'm the dummy who continued for 15 years doing the same thing over and over again.  I had 13 years of sobriety and when put on 'k', relapsed for 15 years!  The doctor who prescribed it told me it's not addictive (he knew I was in recovery).  He's dead now.  And I have no comment about that since we're not supposed to bash the doctors.

 

It amazes me that I am an intelligent woman but could not put two and two together until my life started to fall apart and I entered recovery from alcohol. 

 

Best to all here.  I can't say enough good things about this place.  We're all in this together.

[[ko...]]

Just figured out that TW is tolerance withdrawal ~ duh! 

[[de...]]

i always drank a few glasses of wine when i got home from work.  that increased to a bottle or more after ativan.

[[sk...]]

I learned also through this process that I was drinking more heavily on xanax, I would drink a glass of wine or a Margarita in the evening but not every day. Then I was drinking more and more and then a bottle of wine or three margarita's. I would think the next day what is wrong with me, am I turning into an alcoholic? But it did not seem right. I was waking in the middle of the night gasping for air and shaking internally and externally with a fast heartbeat, like I was being smothered in my sleep. Now I realize that my respiratory was shutting down.

 

I quit drinking and the benzo at the same time. If you can imagine what happened after that, then I was doing foot detoxes and them decided to juice. I am surprised I made it, only by the grace of GOD. I reinstated and am tapering very slowly and have not had alcohol, caffeine, or sugar and a lot more in almost a year. I don't know if I will ever drink again as I have heard people say they were doing good and drank a glass of wine or a few beers and brought back s/x. That is something we will all have to decide on.

 

[[Go...]]

Hey Koff how are you doing on the Deplin? I've been on it 2 days and I'm feeling pretty good.

 

About 6 months ago I had a very expensive genetics test done that said I had to have this type of folic acid. I was so intrenched in benzo stuff I just blew it off. So glad I read your post.

 

Thanks! Grace

[[ko...]]

Grace,

 

Hi!  I'm glad I posted since it helped you!

 

I'm doing well.  Better than I thought I would.  Though I'm still at 9 mg. v. 

 

I believe the Deplin is a huge help with how I am feeling.  I also, without having the test done, believe that I need it because my whole family suffers from depression (2 brothers attempted suicide). 

 

Glad it's working for you.  I know, this benzo stuff is just sooo confusing and frustrating!

 

~ Koff

[[Go...]]

Koff how are you doing on the Deplin?

[[ko...]]

not ignoring you Godsgrace.

This will be my first week off of Deplin.

I lost my job on 10/28.  It was quite a shock!  BUT I didn't freak out (well I was in shock for a few days but got up and moving and job searching the following Monday). 

So all in all I felt okay during that huge shock and I'm still stepping down.

I'm self-supporting so please pray for me that I get a job soon.  Thanks!

I will see how I am this week without the Deplin and let you know how I'm doing.  It's expensive and I want to see how I do without it before I continue. 

 

Koff ~