PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN YOU FEEL RECOVERED

[[ec...]]

Hey WMLB, I agree with you,with all this suffering,I cant understand how people take the chance.I want out of this hell and I don't want to risk that.But then again I know people just want an escape,I know I do,but the price is too damn high.

[[Bo...]]

Went out last nyt wth frnds, ended up drinking 7cans of heinken. I missed the feeling and couldn't resist, and frankly I hate the idea that I need to be confined to this kinda living cause of symptoms, so I went and lived my life like how I used to, and it felt great!! Now, I'm back in withdrawal waiting for my symptoms to get worse, feeling guilty.

 

When you say "back in withdrawal" what do you mean exactly?

[[Di...]]

I drank and partied a lot when I was around 18-20 years old (many many years ago).  After that, very seldom ever drank alcohol.  I haven't drank any alcohol AT ALL, not even one drink, in the past 8 years or so, because of another med that I've been on (non anxiety med), but I wasn't a big drinker before that anyways.  Even if I did enjoy alcohol, no way would I drink it now or any time after I'm off of benzo (if I ever get off of it).

[[sp...]]

After reading all these posts on alcohol its time for my confesion,as I live in Spain most of the time it is more widely accepted and part of the culture that you drink wine with your meals and drink beer.

 

Although I am not a big drinker I did drink alcohol all through my benzo use and my benzo taper,also after being benzo free and that is 39 months  .

 

Now I Think this is why it is taking me so long to recover,in the last few weeks I have found that even the smallest amount of alcohol is bringing a lot of old symptoms back and causing the ones I still have to get worse.

 

So I will give up the drink and see what happens,confesion over even that makes me feel better.

 

                      Best regards Terry.

 

[[Ji...]]

Let's see you posted that the last time you drank it made you worse, so you went and did it again. Makes sense to me.  A common theme on this forum. Yawn.

 

 

mmmmm sometimes its about weighing up the pro's and cons. this thread is about peoples experiences with alcohol. Its important to be honest I think so people do know if it makes things worse.

 

It certainly does for me but that doesnt mean im not going to have a few drinks again if I am out with friends. (although probably after I get off the lyrica because this makes me feel slightly nauseous.)

 

People go out for drinks all the time. Most of my friends moan about how bad they feel the next day after going out for a few..or more. I wouldn't dream of sitting there and asking them why they would do it again. The benefits are obvious.

 

I have no history of addiction with alcohol or any other drug and I see no reason to restrict my life further by not part taking in this with my friends. I do have think a lot more about it now and I don't do it nearly as much as I used to. Mainly because the withdrawal is often making me feel too bad to get out of bed some days.

[[wa...]]

LMAO

[[sa...]]

Let's see you posted that the last time you drank it made you worse, so you went and did it again. Makes sense to me.  A common theme on this forum. Yawn.

 

 

mmmmm sometimes its about weighing up the pro's and cons. this thread is about peoples experiences with alcohol. Its important to be honest I think so people do know if it makes things worse.

 

It certainly does for me but that doesnt mean im not going to have a few drinks again if I am out with friends. (although probably after I get off the lyrica because this makes me feel slightly nauseous.)

 

People go out for drinks all the time. Most of my friends moan about how bad they feel the next day after going out for a few..or more. I wouldn't dream of sitting there and asking them why they would do it again. The benefits are obvious.

 

I have no history of addiction with alcohol or any other drug and I see no reason to restrict my life further by not part taking in this with my friends. I do have think a lot more about it now and I don't do it nearly as much as I used to. Mainly because the withdrawal is often making me feel too bad to get out of bed some days.

 

Ditto, JJ. I love the social aspect of it.

 

Cheers!

 

[[Fl...]]

I have no history of addiction with alcohol or any other drug and I see no reason to restrict my life further by not part taking in this with my friends. I do have think a lot more about it now and I don't do it nearly as much as I used to. Mainly because the withdrawal is often making me feel too bad to get out of bed some days.

 

I know where you are coming from, but keep in mind that just because you have no history with alcohol addiction that doesn't automatically mean that alcohol won't cause you any issues while you are in wd.

[[sa...]]

I think the point is, that its still the choice of the person. Being told what to do is annoying. That's the point. Not everyone has the same experiences. Some things are just worth the risks, others are not. If you don't want to, don't do it. But if others do and even if it causes them problems, thats their choice. I don't seem to have a set back with it, my symptoms come and go without any rhyme or reason. If I had presented this question, I would want to know about others experiences so I could make an educated guess for myself what I would want to do...that's how the investigative part of this works and partly why I found this forum to be so helpful. If people are chastised for one way of thinking it skews it so that some that are on the opposite side of the popular consensus might not post and then the actual information is now skewed.

 

Seriously if you don't want to don't, but don't insist that every other point of view is somehow bad or wrong. Just like not everyone suffers withdrawal.

 

Just my 2 cents.

Sarah~

 

 

[[al...]]

well said sarah!

 

I personally as I have stated on this post before, have no problem with alcohol anymore....except that my hangovers are way worse than they were pre benzos..............I had a crazy fun night Friday night with way too much booze. I suffered terribly yesterday....but the fun and dancing and laughing and socializing made me feel so good and so normal and so fun that it was worth every single moment of crappy hangover yesterday......

 

sadly in benzo w/d I am used to bad days but good days like Friday night are few and far between so i'll take em at every chance! (whether they involve alcohol or not!) they lift my spirits for days and make me feel so normal........if I felt crappy for days or weeks afterwards I would probably reconcider, but I don't.

I like feeling part of society again, reentering it instead of hiding from it, feeling punished because of the benzos. life is filled with adversity, I have to try to make the best of it everyday  even if somedays it's just watching movies and taking a long hot bath.................if I am going to feel like crap at least I can do some things I know I enjoy!

 

to each his own....................

 

 

[[Ji...]]

Totally.

 

Maintaining friendships is also so important at this time and social drinking is all a part of that. I do hear what youre saying tho floridaguy. You do have to be careful with it. I am much more aware that a night out can start off a wave for me again and have to take that into account when im weighing up whether or not to go out.

 

At the moment I am in the middle of exams (with a my last one tomorrow, yay!) so I am pretty sure I will have a few drinks with friends to celebrate this (and yes, probably wonder how much and for how long I will pay for it afterwards)

 

Its worth it at the moment tho.

 

XX JJ

[[Bm...]]

Does any body wonder if alcohol helped sensitize them to get to this point? Since alcohol works on the GABA  sites also?

[[ro...]]

After reading all these posts on alcohol its time for my confesion,as I live in Spain most of the time it is more widely accepted and part of the culture that you drink wine with your meals and drink beer.

 

Although I am not a big drinker I did drink alcohol all through my benzo use and my benzo taper,also after being benzo free and that is 39 months  .

 

Now I Think this is why it is taking me so long to recover,in the last few weeks I have found that even the smallest amount of alcohol is bringing a lot of old symptoms back and causing the ones I still have to get worse.

 

So I will give up the drink and see what happens,confesion over even that makes me feel better.

 

                      Best regards Terry.

 

Sorry to hear that you are still having problems so long after your taper.  I have not tasted one drop of alcohol since stopping Ambien 3 1/2 years ago, but am still having plenty of symptoms, so try not to be too hard on yourself... at least you have had some type of social life.  My withdrawal had been so severe that I basically stopped living for the first 2 years off, losing friends, hobbies and favorite foods in fear of flaring symptoms (and many would have).  I am now doing much better and trying to get a life back within my remaining limitations in hopes that the pursuit of pleasure will eventually override my fear of relapsing symptoms

[[Wh...]]

After reading all these posts on alcohol its time for my confesion,as I live in Spain most of the time it is more widely accepted and part of the culture that you drink wine with your meals and drink beer.

 

Although I am not a big drinker I did drink alcohol all through my benzo use and my benzo taper,also after being benzo free and that is 39 months  .

 

Now I Think this is why it is taking me so long to recover,in the last few weeks I have found that even the smallest amount of alcohol is bringing a lot of old symptoms back and causing the ones I still have to get worse.

 

So I will give up the drink and see what happens,confesion over even that makes me feel better.

 

                      Best regards Terry.

 

Hi Terry, just wanted to let you know about the protracted board, if you'd like to join the instructions are in my signature.  All the best with staying away from the alcohol and seeing if doing that makes a difference for you. 

[[Sk...]]

I have a strong feeling that alcohol is not good while healing from benzo withdraw.  PERIOD.

That's just how it is.  After one is healed, then maybe so.

 

-SZ-

[[De...]]

Hello,

 

I wish I could drink right now.

 

But I can't.

 

I tried going out for a couple of martinis one night about a year and a half ago during my tapering program.  Any euphoria I felt was later crushed by a tidal wave of rebound anxiety, insomnia, and heart palpitations.  The agony was not worth the euphoria.

 

I live within a 5 minute walking distance from a cluster of neighborhood restaurants and bars.  Recently on one warm spring day I walked by a Mexican cafe with an outdoor patio, where people were leisurely sipping on and enjoying their margaritas.  That nearly tore me up.

 

Maybe......just maybe.......I will be able to enjoy a drink again about a year after I "jump off" completely from my Valium, which may be yet another year from now. 

 

But now is not the time.  Dammit. 

 

Dennis

[[sp...]]

Don't worry about it, whatever happens you're likely to feel no worse than you already did a day or two down the line, and you can let however you tolerate it, inform your next decision about social drinking.

I agree. However, because I am a bit of a math geek, it is a good thing to know this:

...

We do not say "getting hammered" for nothing.

 

Yeah, I agree, and in hindsight I see that my post could be construed as implying that seven Heinekens is a negligable amount of alcohol -- it's not. My "relatively low alcohol" content is because I'm a beer snob and gravitate towards belgians, tripels, and other things that often come in closer to 10% than 5. One can of Heineken is a fairly negligible amount of alcohol (to me), seven definitely isn't, and if I went and consumed that much I'd expect to feel unhappy tomorrow morning. But, for me, it would not be something that would drag on for days.

 

It is interesting to me (if annoying) that hangover effects can be so exaggerated for an extended period following benzo withdrawal. There's probably a really fascinating mechanical explanation for that, I wish I understood it.

 

I think being on lyrica and drinking is not a great idea

My general rule of thumb is that if you're unstable/unhappy enough that you feel like you need to be taking psych meds of any kind, then consuming alcohol or other recreational drugs is not a good idea. In my own history, I ignored that rule many times, and think it bit me in the butt pretty much without exception.

 

Speaking personally, I find that social situations where I feel lost without a drink in my hand, aren't really that amazing to start with. I've gone through a few periods over the past couple years where I've cut alcohol out of my life entirely for weeks or months at a time, and didn't have any problem spending time engaging with my wife, my real friends, sports teams, etc. What becomes challenging for me are professional events where most people are drinking lightly as a way to take the edge off, because my own insecurity tends to bubble up to the surface -- but I've discovered that once everyone else has had a drink or two, then I can unwind just as surely without it.

 

I like alcohol, so like anything else I like there's inherent difficulty in being around people enjoying it and denying myself - but I think there's strength and self-confidence to be found in the act of doing that, as well. I really like marijuana, to the extent that I'm just not comfortable being around it if I'm not using it, so I understand how some people could feel that way about alcohol as well (and while there probably is still self-confidence and strength to be found there, the act of doing something that feels so conflicted is very difficult, and I try to choose my battles pretty carefully). What's interesting to me is how little that seems to have to do with something being a drug. I tried to go on a "paleo diet" for a while last year, and I found being around chocolate cake in the company cafe where I work almost intolerable - looking at that cake, and seeing people smiling and eating it, was lighting up my limbic system every bit as strongly as a desire for a drug or a drink ever has.

[[Bo...]]

I think avoiding life can be just as dangerous as alcohol in recovery.

[[Sk...]]

I like to take a sip of someone else's drink.  The ameretto Sour drink was sooo good just a sip doesn't hurt. 

 

-SZ-

[[Ji...]]

I think avoiding life can be just as dangerous as alcohol in recovery.

 

I totally agree.

[[ca...]]

I have been drinking for 40 years (with and without Benzos).

When I started this taper I was taking 4mg Xanax and drinking at least a 12 pack of Budweiser (or more) every 24 hours.

Xanax is the only Benzo that makes me want to drink (I guess because the alcohol enhances the euphoric feeling that I derive from Xanax).

 

I have been doing a fast taper from Xanax with a crossover to Valium for 25 days.

During this time I have reduced my alcohol consumption to 3 beers per day.

I space them at least 3 hours apart (so that the alcohol has been eliminated from my system) before having another beer.

As crazy as this sounds I use these 3 beers as my reward for doing so well with my taper.

I am not condoning this but it is what it is.

 

I do not drink a beer because I feel that I need it.

The one thing I have noticed is that since I have introduced Valium into my tapering schedule I look less forward to these rewards everday.

 

Tomorrow will be my last day of taking Xanax as I plan to dispose of all of them that remain.

I am very confident that once I begin my Valium taper I will have less desire to drink a beer (as a reward) and I will be able to be alcohol free...if I chose to do so.

 

I am sure that many will disagree with my approach but for me the bottom line is....when I reach my 27th day of tapering I will be Xanax free and I will have cut my alcohol consumption by at least 75% (in the same time period). I have also quit gambling 100% (another one of my addictions).

 

This just goes to show that all of us are different and everything that we put in our bodies has a different affect on each and everyone of us and we are not all of the same mindset.

I say do what ever works for you.

 

We are all trying to reach a common goal : to become Benzo free and to stay that way forever.

 

Good luck to all.

[[Ol...]]

Hi,

Might be of interest to all who are interest in the alcohol issue.  My doctor, who is well informed about benzos as well as alcoholism.  He runs a detox program that includes proper plan for benzo w/d.  Last week when I heard him speak, his comment re: "the only time when use of benzos is warranted is when someone is detoxing from alcohol and has the signs of going into seizures.  At that time, Atavan may be used, briefly.  In fact, benzodiazepams equate to dehydrated alcohol."  Something to think about and ponder.

 

Hope the info is useful.

 

OlPal

[[Br...]]

Just to clarify a few points:

 

(1)  Both benzos and alcohol cause the GABA receptor to allow more calming chloride ions to flow through it.

 

(2)  Chronic use of either benzos or alcohol somehow causes the GABA receptor to malfunction.  Despite lots of good guesses and self-assured statements about what happens, the exact mechanism in the case of either benzos or alcohol is still unknown. 

 

(3)  It is possible (but not proven) that benzos and alcohol both damage the GABA receptor by the same mechanism.  My personal guess is that the mechanisms are possibly different.

 

(4)  Chronic use of alcohol causes several effects in addition to affecting the GABA receptor.  Problems from these other effects (e.g. thiamin deficiency, changes in dopamine levels) can cause other symptoms but we're not really discussing these here.

 

Hope this helps!

[[La...]]

Its been over four years now for me that I have not had a drink.

When I reached tolerance with the two benzos I was taking,Ativan and temazepam, my drinking increased to compensate to the point I am lucky I am still alive to talk about it

I knew I had to break the cycle and chose to quit drinking first and I was successful, which was not easy to do  living with an alcoholic, His demon is beer and mine was wine so that helped somewhat as I didn't crave the beer that was in the house

I have not had any difficulty socializing or traveling with friends that drink, which is all of them.

One friend did confide in me that I wasn't quite as much fun as I used to be, but I told her that was her problem not mine, I still had as much fun as always

I am happy now to be both alcohol and drug free and plan to stay this way

After almost 45 yrs of drinking and 15 years of taking benzos its just not worth it to me any more to drink, I have to give my receptors all the help I can to get them fully back to normal and I love my new lease on life and thank God every day that I am still here to appreciate it

Ladygrace12

[[Ga...]]

Hey FG, how's it going.

 

You say orange juice has a small amount of alcohol?  This is new to me but I guess it's entirely possible.  I've never thought about it or looked for it.  Is this on the labelling?  I'm gonna google and start asking people because I don't want any alcohol.

 

Thanks for the heads up, I guess.  I drink a lot of orange juice.  What a bummer for me if it does.  I'm probably not going to go to the trouble of squeezing my own......

 

Beau     

 

it does not contain alcohol.

 

not the fresh from florida stuff.

 

to get alcohol out of fuit it has to sit and ferment alot.