PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN YOU FEEL RECOVERED

[[ca...]]

I have been a beer drinker for 40 years.

I have gone 3 days without one (a new record lol) and have no desire for it......even though I still love beer.

I have been going through a fast taper/crossover from 4mg Xanax (while drinking 12 or more beers per day).

I reduced this to 3 beers per day during my taper and I have hit a roadblock at 5 mg of Valium.

My taper has been quite easy until now.

I am having w/d symptoms for the 1st time during my 64 day taper and I am not sure if it is alcohol w/d or my fast taper catching up to me.

 

I cannot imagine never having a beer again (on occassion) but for now I have to abstain and try to figure out what the heck my body is telling me at 56 years old.

Now I am getting thirsty writing about it......not going to give in (at least not today).

[[Fl...]]

I have been a beer drinker for 40 years.

I have gone 3 days without one (a new record lol) and have no desire for it......even though I still love beer.

I have been going through a fast taper/crossover from 4mg Xanax (while drinking 12 or more beers per day).

I reduced this to 3 beers per day during my taper and I have hit a roadblock at 5 mg of Valium.

My taper has been quite easy until now.

I am having w/d symptoms for the 1st time during my 64 day taper and I am not sure if it is alcohol w/d or my fast taper catching up to me.

 

I cannot imagine never having a beer again (on occassion) but for now I have to abstain and try to figure out what the heck my body is telling me at 56 years old.

Now I am getting thirsty writing about it......not going to give in (at least not today).

 

I drank throughout my taper and I have a feeling that it probably cushioned the blow of benzo wd, so I don't think it is out of the question that you might become symptomatic after you cut back on the alcohol.

[[ka...]]

hi  i see that when everyone talks about going back in to a wave or withdrawls from drinking alcohol no one give any details of there sys could some one please give some details of how they feel after they do drink i had a half a glass of wine an the next day i felt like i was comming down with the flu or a virus or was i? any thing would be helpful thanks kate7

[[at...]]

I don't know your whole story, but I can't see why having a drink here and there (IF you're not an alcoholic) is bad for you?  You're vague in describing what exactly it will do to you?  Are you saying you'll feel benzo withdrawal symptoms again?  If so, which ones???  I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. 

[[Wh...]]

hi  i see that when everyone talks about going back in to a wave or withdrawls from drinking alcohol no one give any details of there sys could some one please give some details of how they feel after they do drink i had a half a glass of wine an the next day i felt like i was comming down with the flu or a virus or was i? any thing would be helpful thanks kate7

 

Hi Kate and Ativana ... my take is that individuals have a certain set of symptoms in drug withdrawal.  For example some people struggle more with tinnitus, GI problems and dizziness while others experience physical pain and mental symptoms.  When in a setback, for instance from drinking alcohol (it can happen in other ways as well), they have a recurrence of their symptom set.  In other words, drinking doesn't cause a certain set of specific symptoms, instead it can cause a flare up of your own symptoms that you've always experienced in this.  That is why it is non-specific about what can happen to an individual.

 

I posted this thread as a warning to others to be cautious with alcohol once they are recovered assuming that people in withdrawal are not drinking because they understand that alcohol and benzo's affect the same GABA receptors.

 

Not everyone has a problem with having a few drinks when they are recovered.  I apparently do and will not be repeating that as I do not enjoy experiencing my symptom set.  (understatement)

[[...]]

hi  i see that when everyone talks about going back in to a wave or withdrawls from drinking alcohol no one give any details of there sys could some one please give some details of how they feel after they do drink i had a half a glass of wine an the next day i felt like i was comming down with the flu or a virus or was i? any thing would be helpful thanks kate7

 

Hi Kate and Ativana ... my take is that individuals have a certain set of symptoms in drug withdrawal.  For example some people struggle more with tinnitus, GI problems and dizziness while others experience physical pain and mental symptoms.  When in a setback, for instance from drinking alcohol (it can happen in other ways as well), they have a recurrence of their symptom set.  In other words, drinking doesn't cause a certain set of specific symptoms, instead it can cause a flare up of your own symptoms that you've always experienced in this.  That is why it is non-specific about what can happen to an individual.

 

I posted this thread as a warning to others to be cautious with alcohol once they are recovered assuming that people in withdrawal are not drinking because they understand that alcohol and benzo's affect the same GABA receptors.

 

Not everyone has a problem with having a few drinks when they are recovered.  I apparently do and will not be repeating that as I do not enjoy experiencing my symptom set.  (understatement)

 

Whoopsie - How are you doing now?  It looks like you've been off everything for ~4 years? 

[[at...]]

thx for the clarification.....  I've never been a drinker at all..... so, if I have 1/2 glass of wine, or a mixed drink once or twice a month, it doesn't bother me at all.  But, I realize, people going thru withdrawal can have issues with different substances. 

[[Wh...]]

Whoopsie - How are you doing now?  It looks like you've been off everything for ~4 years?

 

Yes, I am psych drug free now for over 4 years.  I wish you had of asked me how I was yesterday when I felt normal but alas, today I am back in the sh*t.  I experience burning, stinging nerve pain in my neck, shoulders and back of head.  It feels like I get flooded with poisonous chemicals.  I hate it.  This was all gone in that big window I had a year ago.  I have had only a few days, since then, that I was relieved of this symptom.  I'm still hanging in waiting for this to go as it did before.  Thanks for asking, hope you are doing well.

[[sp...]]

Sheepish update from my end:

I'd resumed fairly moderate consumption of alcohol a few weeks after my taper ended. No problems.

 

A week ago, I went to a work event and had a decidedly not-at-all moderate quantity, maybe 6 mixed drinks and 2 beers over a 6 hour period. Not crazy alcoholic-grade quantities, but definitely more than is reasonable given my situation. I woke up the next day with a pretty mild hangover. I used a neti pot to clear my sinuses, sat down at the computer, and noticed a sudden spike in my ear ringing to a level that hadn't been present since the very end of my taper a couple months ago.

 

Since then, I've continued to be bothered by the ringing significantly, and I've had some severe anxiety spikes pretty much daily.

[[mp...]]

Dear sheepish spengler - I'm sorry to hear about your increased ear ringing sxs - one of my biggest, worrisome sxs is the continued and ever shrieking tinnitus.

 

However, if this leads to less chance of future more-than-tiny embibing, I guess that's a good thing? 

 

By the way, I really appreciate your moderations!

 

M. 

[[sp...]]

No sense in beating myself up over it now. The amount of alcohol I consumed is utterly insignificant compared to the amount I've consumed in my life to date, so there's no logic in thinking that I've caused myself any kind of permanent, or even really long-term, setback.

 

The only good option right now appears to be: don't drink, keep going to the gym 3-4x a week, get back in the habit of doing my mindfulness tapes daily, and try not to obsess about any of this.

 

The last time I really freaked out about my tinnitus was the end of March, and from looking at my post history I know that by late April I'd posted "my ears ring when I think about it, but I barely think about it and it's not bothersome" -- and nothing I've been through in the past week has been close to how messed up I was at the end of march. So, onwards and upwards.

[[mp...]]

No sense in beating myself up over it now. The amount of alcohol I consumed is utterly insignificant compared to the amount I've consumed in my life to date, so there's no logic in thinking that I've caused myself any kind of permanent, or even really long-term, setback.

 

The only good option right now appears to be: don't drink, keep going to the gym 3-4x a week, get back in the habit of doing my mindfulness tapes daily, and try not to obsess about any of this.

 

The last time I really freaked out about my tinnitus was the end of March, and from looking at my post history I know that by late April I'd posted "my ears ring when I think about it, but I barely think about it and it's not bothersome" -- and nothing I've been through in the past week has been close to how messed up I was at the end of march. So, onwards and upwards.

[[Wh...]]

Sheepish update from my end:

I'd resumed fairly moderate consumption of alcohol a few weeks after my taper ended. No problems.

 

A week ago, I went to a work event and had a decidedly not-at-all moderate quantity, maybe 6 mixed drinks and 2 beers over a 6 hour period. Not crazy alcoholic-grade quantities, but definitely more than is reasonable given my situation. I woke up the next day with a pretty mild hangover. I used a neti pot to clear my sinuses, sat down at the computer, and noticed a sudden spike in my ear ringing to a level that hadn't been present since the very end of my taper a couple months ago.

 

Since then, I've continued to be bothered by the ringing significantly, and I've had some severe anxiety spikes pretty much daily.

 

I hope the intensification of symptoms doesn't last long for you.  We have to be so vigilant with what we put in our mouths even after we feel recovered.    Sounds like you got away with moderate alcohol consumption which likely made you feel that you were okay to drink however much you wanted.  It seems like you got careless like I did.  Thanks for posting Spengler.  Please be careful folks.

[[sp...]]

yea, i don't what is going on, really.

 

did you eventually recover from your own setback?

[[Bo...]]

Being July 4th it's been a tough day not to go out drinking with friends. I consider myself "healed" now since I no longer feel any of the symptoms from my WD, but I still don't think I'm ready to try drinking (although i think about it everyday). My main symptoms during WD was anxiety and insomnia, and I'm not ready to gamble with that yet. I've said several times as soon as I can sleep 8hrs w/o any melatonin or OTC Sleep aids and lift weights w/o cortisol spikes in the AM I should be good to have a few drinks. I'm able to do both without any problems. But the few times I went to try a beer the anxiety of the unknown puts me back in my place.

 

Out of curiosity, for those of you who drank did you experience any new symptoms after drinking? Or was it just a mild return of pre existing symptoms?

 

They say time heals all wounds.... but that doesn't mean that you won't have a few scars.

 

 

[[Wh...]]

Hi Spengler ... it is a year later and I am starting to see some improvements again finally.  I'm still not sure if it was drinking that caused this setback or if it was inevitable regardless of what I did.  I do know that people post success stories thinking that they are healed only to have it all come back ... really hard to know but I sure won't be drinking again, that I know for sure.

 

Being July 4th it's been a tough day not to go out drinking with friends. I consider myself "healed" now since I no longer feel any of the symptoms from my WD, but I still don't think I'm ready to try drinking (although i think about it everyday). My main symptoms during WD was anxiety and insomnia, and I'm not ready to gamble with that yet. I've said several times as soon as I can sleep 8hrs w/o any melatonin or OTC Sleep aids and lift weights w/o cortisol spikes in the AM I should be good to have a few drinks. I'm able to do both without any problems. But the few times I went to try a beer the anxiety of the unknown puts me back in my place.

 

Out of curiosity, for those of you who drank did you experience any new symptoms after drinking? Or was it just a mild return of pre existing symptoms?

They say time heals all wounds.... but that doesn't mean that you won't have a few scars.

 

 

 

In answer to your question, I was setback into the identical symptoms I'd been living with for the prior 3 years and they were not mild at all.  Not severe like the beginning but definitely not mild.  I hope you can enjoy the holiday without partaking and hurting yourself.

[[Ca...]]

whoopsie

 

I am glad to here that your sxs are getting better again.

That was shocking to me to just how far you were setback.

Glad it is turning around for you.

Carol

[[Wh...]]

whoopsie

 

I am glad to here that your sxs are getting better again.

That was shocking to me to just how far you were setback.

Glad it is turning around for you.

Carol

 

Thank you for the note and your support Carol. 

[[IG...]]

Hi Whoopsie,

I found Collins post on his experience with alcohol, apparently it did set him back several months..

 

http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=960.0

 

Molly

[[Wh...]]

Thank you very much Molly, you must have worked real hard to find that. 

[[Br...]]

Out of curiosity, for those of you who drank did you experience any new symptoms after drinking? Or was it just a mild return of pre existing symptoms?

 

Hello Boognish. As far as I can tell I have never had any subsequent adverse effects after drinking alcohol while in benzo withdrawal.  I don't drink often and I don't drink much. 

 

I had become highly dysfunctional almost all day long and alcohol was very useful to me in helping me function on days when it was absolutely essential for me to function.  (For example when I had to send documents to preserve my ownership of my home and which would have been impossible to do in the withdrawal state I was in.)  I couldn't have managed without it.

 

Like many people here, I wondered if drinking alcohol was delaying my healing but I reckon it's not having any adverse effects. To be doubly sure I wrote to Prof Ashton about it and she confirmed that she was entirely happy with taking alcohol in moderation.  I know my experience is different to that of other reports here.

 

 

 

[[Ly...]]

Ok so I made a dumb mistake .. Last week I started casually drinking - over the course of a week my alcohol consumption only equalled about 3/4 of a bottle of wine it was enough to make me feel dizzy afterwards off n on ... I also drank caffeine for a week . I stopped the alcohol 3 days ago and the caffeine 2 days ago - now I am noticing that I am havin bad dizzy spells that most of the day and higher anxiety in the mornings ... Has anyone experienced these dizzy spells ?

I haven't felt like this since early withdrawal . I am drinking alot of water w lemon to flush my system .

Kicking myself .

[[sp...]]

I think I'm just in a crazy state of imbalance again, and need to balance myself out. My blood pressure is very high, that's probably a reflection of the anxiety I'm experiencing, and also probably contributing to the ear ringing significantly.

[[Sk...]]

No more alcohol for me for another 3 years from now.. at least.

[[Bo...]]

Bump