PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN YOU FEEL RECOVERED

[[...]]

The problem is I can't wait to be able to go out and drink again, but I can do nothing and be totally SHOT for a whole day so I can't start yet because I have zero consistency with everything.  I can see when I'm 100% overall I will be able to do it, but it doesn't make sense when you feel like shit and can't do anything as it is.

[[No...]]

It took me a lot of courage to face that I wasn't going to drink in a looooong time. Every time I went out with friends I told myself "What if..." and ended up drinking. Not anymore...

[[Bo...]]

It took me a lot of courage to face that I wasn't going to drink in a looooong time. Every time I went out with friends I told myself "What if..." and ended up drinking. Not anymore...

 

I'm them same way. I started my vacation Saturday and went to a concert. I've felt healed for about 2 months now and thought about having a beer at the show. Every time I went to the beer line I started feeling anxiety. I'm sure I would have been ok but being 3 hours form home was more than I was comfortable risking.

 

Plus even when you feel healed a wave is potentially around the corner. I was healed for about 30 days. I started lifting weights 3 to 4 days a week and drinking a few cokes a day with no issues. One morning after a heavy workout the day before I was thrown back into a horrible wave for a few days. I've since learned that my workout routine was too much for my body to handle at the moment. I know alcohol could potentially have the same effects right now.

 

 

 

 

[[Jo...]]

From the perspective of someone who is going though a horrifying prolonged recovery, can I say it seems foolhardy - to say the least - to take any risks once you have recovered your health.

 

Of course, my opinion is coloured by my horrendous withdrawal and prolonged recovery. Perhaps some people with a slightly less arduous path feel they have less to lose by risking a drink, but I know I will never drink again in my life. It seems such a small sacrifice in the face of what you have overcome.

 

Once well, stay well, friends.

[Guest [bb...]]

I foolishly had 1 beer at a party about 1 week ago based on Dr. Ashton's advice that moderate alcohol is ok every once and a while.  I had not seen this thread prior and I wish I had.  I had been 4 months off at this point and was starting to improve (had my first full window a week prior). 

 

I have been thrown back into full blown acute withdrawal since then with extreme anxiety similar to what happened during my first month.  Since I am back in full acute withdrawal does this mean that my body is starting the healing process over essentially and that it will double the time it will take to heal?  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[Guest [Tu...]]

I made the mistake of drinking some bourbon last night when I woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep. I am paying for it today! I'd rather be tired and feel the need for sleep than to feel the way I do right now! I feel just HORRIBLE! I'm 71 days into a c/t and, boy, have I learned that I need to stay away from alcohol...

 

Tucson

 

[[Bo...]]

I foolishly had 1 beer at a party about 1 week ago based on Dr. Ashton's advice that moderate alcohol is ok every once and a while.  I had not seen this thread prior and I wish I had.  I had been 4 months off at this point and was starting to improve (had my first full window a week prior). 

 

I have been thrown back into full blown acute withdrawal since then with extreme anxiety similar to what happened during my first month.  Since I am back in full acute withdrawal does this mean that my body is starting the healing process over essentially and that it will double the time it will take to heal?  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

 

I don't think it's like starting over. Generally I hear of it bringing back symptoms for a few weeks. From what I've read most people show avoid alcohol for the first 12 to 18 months.

[[Gu...]]

Too much is made of alcohol during benzo wd IMO. Like caffeine and certain supplements, it can certainly aggravate symptoms for a few hours in some people. However there is no evidence whatsoever that it can throw people into 'setbacks lasting months'. That sounds psychosomatic to me. If people worry about adverse effects before drinking then it'll becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. Alcohol seems to be the scapegoat for people who had a wave coming anyway. People are just looking for something to blame. If it wasn't alcohol it must've been that coffee which caused their setback.

 

Probably best to avoid alcohol as far as possible after stopping benzo's but not because of it affecting your recovery. Those who get addicted to benzo's usually have an all or nothing mentality and will just be replacing one addiction for another. If you can keep it to 1-2 drinks a day then its fine as Heather Ashton has said.

[[be...]]

Thank you for posting this. For me, it is JUST NOT WORTH the buzz and excitement I used to get. It throws my body off for about 10 days and I regret drinking.

 

 

[[gu...]]

My first panic attack ever was 16 years ago on the morning after a night drinking, and I wasn't really hammered. Midway through my sleep I woke up feeling sick, went to the toilet to throw up and boom! panic attack. I didn't even know what it was, so the following day I went to hospital.

To cut it short, a couple of days later I was given my first benzos script by a psychdoctor because it was all 'psychological'.

 

I'm not going to blame alcohol for my benzos ordeal but it did trigger my first panic attack.

[[Fl...]]

Too much is made of alcohol during benzo wd IMO. Like caffeine and certain supplements, it can certainly aggravate symptoms for a few hours in some people. However there is no evidence whatsoever that it can throw people into 'setbacks lasting months'. That sounds psychosomatic to me. If people worry about adverse effects before drinking then it'll becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. Alcohol seems to be the scapegoat for people who had a wave coming anyway. People are just looking for something to blame. If it wasn't alcohol it must've been that coffee which caused their setback.

 

I agree to a point, and I used to think the same thing until alcohol started to have a definite adverse effect on me the day after consuming it. The effects would only last a few days but they were absolutely caused by the alcohol. All it would take was one beer to make me sick.

 

Those who get addicted to benzo's usually have an all or nothing mentality and will just be replacing one addiction for another. If you can keep it to 1-2 drinks a day then its fine as Heather Ashton has said.

 

Your situation might be different but most people aren't here because of the inability to control a craving so this would not be applicable to the majority of us.

[[Gu...]]

That's true. The first time I quit benzo's in early 2010 I actually felt ok unlike this time around. However I found myself craving alcohol and ended up drinking a bottle of wine per night. A neat substitution.

 

This time I have all the common wd symptoms and no longer crave alcohol. I don't think a drink has any bearing on my recovery but I can't enjoy it the way I used to.

 

Alcohol and benzo's do act in very different ways on the brain otherwise chronic alcoholics would suffer in the same way we do when they quit but they're better in a couple of weeks if they stay off the sauce.

[[Iw...]]

Hey guys,

I'm almost 19 months off, and I'm almost healed. I say almost cause I still have slight anxiety I never had in the past. Well anyways I've had a beer here n there last 5 months n Sometimes I would feel a bit off sometimes I wouldn't. I do believe you can revv urself up just thinking about drinking. Well this past weekend I decided go out n have just a couple beers, well a couple beers led to about 6 n I was drunk for the first time in over 3+ Years! (Im only 27)Honestly I felt normal and back to myself. This week Im feeling off its been 4 days since, my anxiety is a bit higher, nothing crazy I can still go on with my life. But I've been waking up nauseated. Which sucks and just a bit of uneasiness in general . I'm sure it'll go away in a couple weeks. And i won't be drinking for at least another month or so. I think eventually we will be able to drink with no worries.

[[Jo...]]

Alcohol and benzo's do act in very different ways on the brain otherwise chronic alcoholics would suffer in the same way we do when they quit but they're better in a couple of weeks if they stay off the sauce.

 

That's inaccurate. Alcohol withdrawal can be fatal, and is noted for the possibility of a long term post-withdrawal syndrome, sometimes numbering many years. It is one of the major causes of relapse, as people drink to get rid of the symptoms.

 

Alcohol withdrawal symptoms are almost exactly the same as benzo ones.

[[Jo...]]

However there is no evidence whatsoever that it can throw people into 'setbacks lasting months'. That sounds psychosomatic to me.

 

The evidence is that people have told you it happened to them. Just because it doesn't apply to you doesn't mean it isn't real.

[[Gu...]]

I've never heard of protracted depersonalisation, memory loss, weird sensations, auditory and visual problems, muscle tightness and erratic aches and pains, breathing problems, tachycardia, etc, etc in former alcoholics without a concurrent benzo habit who have become dry.

 

You are incorrect. Alcohol has been around for thousands of years and we understand its pathways of action and affects. We're still in the dark ages when it comes to understanding benzo's and particulary the wd syndrome associated with it. There are superficial similarities between them but most people would agree that benzo's are far more damaging and their effects far more prolonged.

 

Look at all the heavy drinkers who remain function for life. They never reach 'tolerance'. Not condoning such use but its clearly far more benign than benzo's.

 

[[Gu...]]

Also if it was true that alcohol was proven to be detrimental to benzo withdrawal without doubt then surely Heather Ashton would have made explicit reference to it like she did with certain antibiotics, etc. Or atleast tackled it with the updated maunal.

 

Instead she stated 1-2 glasses of wine to be 'perfectly permissable'. Funny about that.

[[Co...]]

I left benzos more than 1.5 months ago, and I drink alcohol.  A little bit.  I don't think it makes a difference to me.  All the same, there may be others for whom alcohol is not appropriate. 

 

- Through my life (I'm almost 60) I've found that with all addictive things in life, there are those who should stay away and there are those that can "handle" whatever the substance is.  I have certainly known people who should never touch alcohol -- period !!!  I am thinking specifically about those personalities which turn 180 degrees with alcohol added.

 

- Prof. Ashton herself says alcohol is okay in moderation ("no need to be puritan"), and I'm following her advice. 

 

All the same, I'm an angel with booze.  I drink so very little of it.

 

Cheers, all, and remember what's good for one is possibly bad for another.  So with my post I am saying that I don't agree with the generalization presented, at all. 

 

CC

[[Wh...]]

Also if it was true that alcohol was proven to be detrimental to benzo withdrawal without doubt then surely Heather Ashton would have made explicit reference to it like she did with certain antibiotics, etc. Or atleast tackled it with the updated maunal.

 

Instead she stated 1-2 glasses of wine to be 'perfectly permissable'. Funny about that.

 

Unfortunately she is not correct about it being okay for everyone.  I just wish I'd been warned.  Lots of us have had issues and no one knows whether that applies to you until you try it for yourself.  I just wanted to plant a seed of doubt that it's okay to drink after you're recovered.  Take it or leave it, not going to argue with anyone. 

[[Bo...]]

I think the reason a lot of people have issues drinking is that alcohol not only effects GABA but it wears you down. It's a complete shock to your system.

 

Whoopsie, I for one appreciate the warning. There have been several times that I have felt healed and considered drinking. Maybe I would be okay if I went out drinking but I don't want to chance it at the moment. I work a very stressful job in a fast paced industry and one night of drinking could potentially cause me to slip into a funk for a few days or weeks.

 

Hell, just last month I threw myself into a wave by lifting weights too hard. It was only for a few days until I wasn't sore anymore but the smallest shock to my system brings back unwanted feelings. I'm not going to stop exercising out of fear of a wave, but I'm also not going to "poison" myself with alcohol at the moment.

 

I don't think that the alcohol will cause a wave, but rather make you more aware of what's already going on. It has a funny way blurring things while you're on it then focusing in like a laser when you're coming off of it. I'm a single guy at the moment and very rarely feel lonely. The last couple of times I drank I had very intense feelings of being lonely when I was hungover. I almost tried to get back together with an ex until I slept it off and felt normal the next day.

[[da...]]

Life is just too short to live like a monk/nun.

 

If drinking alcohol suits your situation then go for it. Likewise porn as currently being discussed in another thread.

>

Do you really want to end up like Mother Theresa in your prime.

[[...]]

Life is just too short to live like a monk/nun.

 

If drinking alcohol suits your situation then go for it. Likewise porn as currently being discussed in another thread.

>

Do you really want to end up like Mother Theresa in your prime.

 

THIS is what it's all about! Thank you.  I always get pissed at the fact that the idiot dr and drug made me live like a freakin' recluse hermit for 1.5 hrs, that in itself is a fn sin!  I haven't been able to socialize in the bars, girls, go to the gym, enjoy coffee, alcohol, certain foods.  Unreal

[[da...]]

Exactly. There are some on this forum who are paranoid about taking anything and everything .

 

IMO this is ridiculous; as long as you avoid Benzodiazepines you should be fine.

 

Hey going through benzo w/d is bad enough and to avoid other alternative pleasures is IMO just outrageous.

 

We must be allowed all the other alternative pleasures out there.

 

I would tell your doctor to go to hell.

 

Thank. You

[[Gu...]]

Exactly. If we have to forego all the pleasures in life then life is hardly worth living.

 

Unfortunately after tapering off valium I can no longer derive pleasure from a drink or much else for that matter. Not much point in drinking if you can't enjoy it. Damn benzo's

[[No...]]

I would love to have a beer but not until I am completely symptom free