PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN YOU FEEL RECOVERED

[[Bn...]]

I disagree with you once you took Benzo you are done for life.  How can you say healing and when have drink

you have set back for 8 months???

 

what part of this is healing!!!!   We just like to tell each other that so we can feel better.  No one heals from this

 

We all stuck like chuck in this mess either go back or stop it and be super sensitive.  I rubbed some antibiotic cream on my cut last night and I had a sever panic attack since then like 10 hours.  WTF is this. 

 

THERE IS NO HEALING sorry I do not believe it. 

 

[[Wh...]]

I disagree with you once you took Benzo you are done for life.  How can you say healing and when have drink

you have set back for 8 months???

 

what part of this is healing!!!!   We just like to tell each other that so we can feel better.  No one heals from this

 

We all stuck like chuck in this mess either go back or stop it and be super sensitive.  I rubbed some antibiotic cream on my cut last night and I had a sever panic attack since then like 10 hours.  WTF is this. 

 

THERE IS NO HEALING sorry I do not believe it.

 

You are really suffering bad right now, I understand totally how you feel.  When I say healing happens, I say that because I felt good, really good and so happy to be free of the awful symptoms that benzo w/d causes.  Healing for me does not mean I can drink or do whatever crazy I used to do in the past and think I was getting away with it.  Instead it means I can feel good and normal and have a life worth living.  There is much more to enjoy in life and having drinks don't have to be a part of my life for me to be happy.  I just wish I had of known and so want this message out to others that may be sensitive to alcohol like I am.  This does not apply to everyone and I don't resent that I can't drink as long as I feel good.  I hope this makes sense.

[[Ca...]]

Whoopsie

 

I have been on this thread since you started it. Thank you for your warning.

I know at first I could not have an alcoholic drink at all!

It would put me back in cog fog

 

Now I am able to have a drink or sometimes 2 with no I'll effects.

I am not a big drinker so this happens probably once a month.

 

So far so good for me.

 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Love Carol

[[Wh...]]

Whoopsie

 

I have been on this thread since you started it. Thank you for your warning.

I know at first I could not have an alcoholic drink at all!

It would put me back in cog fog

 

Now I am able to have a drink or sometimes 2 with no I'll effects.

I am not a big drinker so this happens probably once a month.

 

So far so good for me.

 

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Love Carol

 

Merry Christmas Carol.  Honestly, I don't miss having a drink but would sure like to chow down on cake and ice cream.  Some of us got messed up so severely bad that our consumption limitations for the future are clear.  I was hoping to save some one from what I've had to endure with a setback from alcohol as the Ashton manual says it's okay ... it sure as hell isn't for some of us.  Hopefully this thread has achieved that.  Having a drink is just not worth the risk but people are going to do what they are going to do.  Que sera sera.

[[ih...]]

I disagree with you once you took Benzo you are done for life.  How can you say healing and when have drink

you have set back for 8 months???

 

what part of this is healing!!!!   We just like to tell each other that so we can feel better.  No one heals from this

 

We all stuck like chuck in this mess either go back or stop it and be super sensitive.  I rubbed some antibiotic cream on my cut last night and I had a sever panic attack since then like 10 hours.  WTF is this. 

 

THERE IS NO HEALING sorry I do not believe it.

 

Complete healing does happen. Everyone's sensitivities can be different but I have been able to enjoy my red wine without any probs at all since around 3 months off.

[[be...]]

I was finally recovered at 37 months off. I went on a holiday to a tropical island to celebrate. Towards the end of a two week vacation I had 2 1/2 drinks of alcohol.  That was a huge mistake and I've been in a terrible setback ever since ... 8 months later and still quite sick.

 

......The first week I was on that holiday, I ordered a Mai Tai. I sipped slowly on that thing, adding lots of orange juice as I went as I found it too strong.  It took me two hours to finish it off.  After that I thought I was in the free and clear as I noticed no negative effects. I didn't try it again until towards the end of the holiday when I went to a Luau where the drinks were free.  Everyone was indulging so I did too.  I had two Pina Colada's thinking since they were free there wouldn't be much alcohol in them, then I stupidly had 1/2 beer.

 

.......I need to mention the part about how it felt to be fully recovered.  It just sprung on me suddenly, I was normal.  The nerve pain was suddenly completely gone and the mind was quiet with normal thoughts and feelings only. Two weeks before I was down on my knees begging to be taken in my sleep.

 

......Someone asked how long before the symptoms returned, it was 4 days later which also happened to the other person I had previously mentioned who went thru the same thing.

 

......What I experience in this wave is the exact same symptoms as I always have during withdrawal. Intense nerve pain, that many report, along with freaky fried brains.

 

Reading your last reply something clicked with me, and I'm just going to throw it out there.

 

What if it wasn't the alcohol?

 

There were two notable instances during my wd where I got slammed out of the blue by hard waves.

 

The first time was when I came back home after my summer job ended. Before I made the 1100 mile drive back home, I was doing very, very well. But by the time I arrived back in FL I got absolutely hammered with an intense fatigue wave that lasted about a month. During this wave I could barely do anything.

 

The second time was about 6 weeks ago. I went on vacation with my family. We drove 12 hours straight through, starting one night at midnight. I missed an entire night of sleep, and by the middle of the next day I came down with flu like symptoms that lasted for just over 2 days. The flu stuff suddenly vanished after about 48 hours, but for the rest of the trip I didn't want to do anything but lay in bed and sleep. My whole family was there and I could barely bring myself to be around them. As soon as I got home, like, literally the first morning I woke up in my own bed, I felt fine. I was feeling very good the few weeks before this vacation, and I have been good ever since.

 

Benzo wd can be a fickle beast. The same way that you woke up one day and realized you were "healed", it can also take you from feeling great to feeling awful in a matter of hours.

 

Is it possible that this could have been a wave that was triggered by the stress of the vacation as opposed to alcohol? You had one drink the first week you were there and nothing happened, but 2.5 drinks the week after triggered an 8 month wave? I am just wondering whether there might be more to this than just "alcohol sent me back into wd after I was healed"

 

When you were drinking alcohol you were probably already wondering whether the booze might cause you problems. It is very easy to attribute things like alcohol to wd symptoms but who would ever think that a vacation might trigger a wave? I didn't make the connection until it happened to me twice. We don't think that something as relaxing as a vacation could cause us problems, but with a CNS that has been compromised by benzo wd ANY kind of stress can cause problems.

]

FloridaGuy makes an interesting observation. Maybe the vacation you took gave you stress to your CNS.  Amd maybe the alcohol made it worse, or maybe didn't at all. Just my opinion. Betsy

[[No...]]

I was finally recovered at 37 months off. I went on a holiday to a tropical island to celebrate. Towards the end of a two week vacation I had 2 1/2 drinks of alcohol.  That was a huge mistake and I've been in a terrible setback ever since ... 8 months later and still quite sick.

 

......The first week I was on that holiday, I ordered a Mai Tai. I sipped slowly on that thing, adding lots of orange juice as I went as I found it too strong.  It took me two hours to finish it off.  After that I thought I was in the free and clear as I noticed no negative effects. I didn't try it again until towards the end of the holiday when I went to a Luau where the drinks were free.  Everyone was indulging so I did too.  I had two Pina Colada's thinking since they were free there wouldn't be much alcohol in them, then I stupidly had 1/2 beer.

 

.......I need to mention the part about how it felt to be fully recovered.  It just sprung on me suddenly, I was normal.  The nerve pain was suddenly completely gone and the mind was quiet with normal thoughts and feelings only. Two weeks before I was down on my knees begging to be taken in my sleep.

 

......Someone asked how long before the symptoms returned, it was 4 days later which also happened to the other person I had previously mentioned who went thru the same thing.

 

......What I experience in this wave is the exact same symptoms as I always have during withdrawal. Intense nerve pain, that many report, along with freaky fried brains.

 

Reading your last reply something clicked with me, and I'm just going to throw it out there.

 

What if it wasn't the alcohol?

 

There were two notable instances during my wd where I got slammed out of the blue by hard waves.

 

The first time was when I came back home after my summer job ended. Before I made the 1100 mile drive back home, I was doing very, very well. But by the time I arrived back in FL I got absolutely hammered with an intense fatigue wave that lasted about a month. During this wave I could barely do anything.

 

The second time was about 6 weeks ago. I went on vacation with my family. We drove 12 hours straight through, starting one night at midnight. I missed an entire night of sleep, and by the middle of the next day I came down with flu like symptoms that lasted for just over 2 days. The flu stuff suddenly vanished after about 48 hours, but for the rest of the trip I didn't want to do anything but lay in bed and sleep. My whole family was there and I could barely bring myself to be around them. As soon as I got home, like, literally the first morning I woke up in my own bed, I felt fine. I was feeling very good the few weeks before this vacation, and I have been good ever since.

 

Benzo wd can be a fickle beast. The same way that you woke up one day and realized you were "healed", it can also take you from feeling great to feeling awful in a matter of hours.

 

Is it possible that this could have been a wave that was triggered by the stress of the vacation as opposed to alcohol? You had one drink the first week you were there and nothing happened, but 2.5 drinks the week after triggered an 8 month wave? I am just wondering whether there might be more to this than just "alcohol sent me back into wd after I was healed"

 

When you were drinking alcohol you were probably already wondering whether the booze might cause you problems. It is very easy to attribute things like alcohol to wd symptoms but who would ever think that a vacation might trigger a wave? I didn't make the connection until it happened to me twice. We don't think that something as relaxing as a vacation could cause us problems, but with a CNS that has been compromised by benzo wd ANY kind of stress can cause problems.

]

FloridaGuy makes an interesting observation. Maybe the vacation you took gave you stress to your CNS.  Amd maybe the alcohol made it worse, or maybe didn't at all. Just my opinion. Betsy

 

That appears to be Ashton's opinion (from 2011): "In nearly every case of apparent recurrence, the precipitating cause for the return of symptoms turns out, on close inspection, to be an increase in environmental stress…."

 

She's documented more cases of benzo withdrawal than anyone in the world, so I'll bet she's right.

 

In any case, such extreme sensitivities--regardless of the true cause--seem to be exceedingly rare.

 

 

[[mr...]]

My mom has a 1 shot drink daily because she wants to relax.

She gets all shaky inside and the alcohol relaxes her.

However, once the drink wears off, she has a panick attack.

I don't know if the alcohol is going to interfere with her recovery, but it's better than her taking meds.

 

 

 

[[be...]]

At the end of the day though it all a guess. I'm guessing that even Ashton's stance on this is based mostly on anecdotal evidence.

 

I tend to agree with this FG.

 

A PhD in pharmacology in Vancouver British Columbia who studies benzo withdrawal says that alcohol, amongst other things, needs to be avoided for 3-5 years AFTER the cessation of symptoms from the benzo wd.

 

Thanks Hockey Boy for that validation.  I was hopeful that people would listen to my experience but it looks like people are gonna do what people are gonna do.  I am 4 years off today.  This setback has lasted 10 months and still going.  I just want people to know that this can happen AFTER they are recovered and to be very cautious, as I was not, in that I didn't know.  Anyone who reads this thread will know and that's all I can do is warn.

 

Happy Anniversary to me. 

 

Whoopsie:

 

This thread is one helluva whopper!  :laugh: Glad you're feeling a bit better. Betsy

[[Wh...]]

I guess we can judge by just how horrific the w/d experience was (once it's over) to know whether we may be one of the "rare" folks who can risk drinking or not.  This post is for those folks.  I have no attachment to what people choose to do.

 

I remember vividly sitting at that big round table with white linen table cloth, seated beside people I did not know, but met at that faked, cheesy Luau.  I'll bet there were at least 500 people there.  The people at my table were all having drinks and it was decision time for me.  Like I said, I went ahead, not having this warning flashing in my head "PLEASE DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL WHEN YOU FEEL RECOVERED" after all I felt normal and one of the crowd.  That is all I want to do is plant the idea for other people to be aware of when that decision time comes and not just Ashton's words that it's no problem.

 

We will never know for sure whether the alcohol caused this setback or not.  There are enough other people reporting the same experience after drinking that it's an important warning to consider.

 

P.S.  Thank you benzogirl for the well wishes and right backatcha.  Merry Christmas to you. 

 

 

[[be...]]

  I'm confused too sky zone!!! HUH!!!

 

Me too! Shaking my head. 

[[Re...]]

I made this stupid mistake and it cost me almost a year of my life.

[[Ca...]]

hey Whoopsie

I can also eat sweets . So I guess I don't have those sensitivities .

Still not healed though.

How have you been feeling lately?

Love Carol

[[Wh...]]

hey Whoopsie

I can also eat sweets . So I guess I don't have those sensitivities .

Still not healed though.

How have you been feeling lately?

Love Carol

 

So lucky for you.  Have a piece of warmed up apple pie with vanilla ice cream for me.    My brains have been severely compromised by the two decades on multiple drugs.  It's quite miraculous to me right now that I recovered to the degree I did in June 2012 and can hardly believe that was real but I have pictures and I have memories of how normal I felt and of the things I did that month.  The nerve/muscle pain in the back of my head, neck, throat, shoulders and chest is still here but to a much lesser degree, thank God.  That symptom has gone from extreme, severe, to very uncomfortable.  The thoughts are weird at times, intrusive and disturbing although I've become an old hand at ignoring them and just try to speak honestly and from my inner truth since I can't rely on my brain.  I still have waves and better days.  Today was one of the better ones for which I'm very grateful for the relief.

 

A recovered BB friend is very helpful to me explaining that the alcohol was like a relapse and I had to begin the healing process over again.  She said to consider myself at 18 months and I must say that this 18 months is a lot better than that first 18 month period.  I was in seriously bad shape then and don't know how I lived thru it except some huge strength was in me that gave me the determination and commitment to see this thing thru just like the lot of you have had to do to survive this thing.

 

Last night I went out for dinner with a good friend and then a movie.  I felt normal for some of it so the healing is coming around again.  It's so strange that a couple weeks ago I got hit with dental pain.  I went to the dentist and had xrays as it felt like an abcess but nothing showed.  A week later the pain disappeared.  I had not had that symptom before.

 

I cope by remaining calm despite the visiting screamer in my head and the minor derealisation I'm experiencing.  It's important for me to keep my mood up.  These Northern winters with the blizzards and the Chinook winds create inconsistency and can play havoc with me, not usually my best time of year.  I haven't experienced depression since coming off the drugs, I swear that they were causing it and being drugged I didn't have the internal resources to deal with it appropriately or constructively.  I never, ever want to go back there, to the drugs and the crappy life they gave me.

 

I know that I have a good life ahead and that I'll recover once again and next time I'll be very damn careful about what I ingest.

[[Ca...]]

hey Whoopsie

I can also eat sweets . So I guess I don't have those sensitivities .

Still not healed though.

How have you been feeling lately?

Love Carol

 

So lucky for you.  Have a piece of warmed up apple pie with vanilla ice cream for me.    My brains have been severely compromised by the two decades on multiple drugs.  It's quite miraculous to me right now that I recovered to the degree I did in June 2012 and can hardly believe that was real but I have pictures and I have memories of how normal I felt and of the things I did that month.  The nerve/muscle pain in the back of my head, neck, throat, shoulders and chest is still here but to a much lesser degree, thank God.  That symptom has gone from extreme, severe, to very uncomfortable.  The thoughts are weird at times, intrusive and disturbing although I've become an old hand at ignoring them and just try to speak honestly and from my inner truth since I can't rely on my brain.  I still have waves and better days.  Today was one of the better ones for which I'm very grateful for the relief.

 

A recovered BB friend is very helpful to me explaining that the alcohol was like a relapse and I had to begin the healing process over again.  She said to consider myself at 18 months and I must say that this 18 months is a lot better than that first 18 month period.  I was in seriously bad shape then and don't know how I lived thru it except some huge strength was in me that gave me the determination and commitment to see this thing thru just like the lot of you have had to do to survive this thing.

 

Last night I went out for dinner with a good friend and then a movie.  I felt normal for some of it so the healing is coming around again.  It's so strange that a couple weeks ago I got hit with dental pain.  I went to the dentist and had xrays as it felt like an abcess but nothing showed.  A week later the pain disappeared.  I had not had that symptom before.

 

I cope by remaining calm despite the visiting screamer in my head and the minor derealisation I'm experiencing.  It's important for me to keep my mood up.  These Northern winters with the blizzards and the Chinook winds create inconsistency and can play havoc with me, not usually my best time of year.  I haven't experienced depression since coming off the drugs, I swear that they were causing it and being drugged I didn't have the internal resources to deal with it appropriately or constructively.  I never, ever want to go back there, to the drugs and the crappy life they gave me.

 

I know that I have a good life ahead and that I'll recover once again and next time I'll be very damn careful about what I ingest.

 

I am glad that it is coming around again for you.

I am still experiencing the odd new physical sx, usually in the head or neck area .

 

All of my original head sxs are also still reappearing but thankfully not near as intense.

 

I may have known where you are from but If so, I have forgotten.

Your mention of Cold and Chinook winds made me think we may be neighbours.

I live in Calgary.  Not enough chinooks this year

 

Love Carol

[[Wh...]]

The weird and bizarre head and neck pains are something else aren't they?  Hard even to describe.  Hell ya, we're neighbors, you can invite me over and I'll watch you eat that pie and I'll drool and pretend you are me. 

[[Ca...]]

Whoopsie

 

I wish it was you eating the pie, and cookies, and chocolates.

My jeans have gotten awfully tight lately.

 

I just read a success story from"MIa" 4 years out. And she still isn't quite back to normal.

 

Ok time to try to sleep.

it is coming along.

 

Carol

 

 

 

[[Wh...]]

Whoopsie

 

I wish it was you eating the pie, and cookies, and chocolates.

My jeans have gotten awfully tight lately.

 

I just read a success story from"MIa" 4 years out. And she still isn't quite back to normal.

 

Ok time to try to sleep.

it is coming along.

 

Carol

 

Ha!!  Everything has it's down side.    I'll check out Mia's story right away.  Nite nite Carol. 

[[su...]]

Hi All,

Well, I thin I can say, that perhaps without any intensions, I have done the experiment!

Firstly, Alcohol, in and of its self, mixed with a bit of emotional stress, can cause WD.

This happend to me even before I touched my first ever benzo.

That was about 13 months ago.

After about 3 weeks on oxazapam for sleep because of all this,

I reached tollorence, and think that turned what would have been an 8 week nasty into an 8 month one!

By Sep this year, I felt totally recovered and went on a trip for a couple of weeks where I drank wine, 1 glass every day for a week, sometimes 2.

Then I drank a beer or 2 every day for the second week!

Just at the end of this, as I was flying home, I realised I'd been set back somewhat.

I'd say, 8 to 10 weeks, although I never got anywhere near as bad as I was back at the start of things!

I did a course of ginkgo and a bit of time, and now, about 2 months after that, I'm about back to where I was in Sep before the trip.

I've had a drink with the odd meal over the last few months, and those have had no noticeable effect.

There have been a couple of glasses of red for the couple of christmas dinners over the last few days, and I'm crossing fingers that nothing bad will come of it!

If I had to sum it up, I'd say Ashton is dead right.

a small bit will not hurt, although I think 2 glasses a day would not be what I would call a small bit.

Also we are still more sensitive to alcohol after we feel totally recovered, but over perhaps that much time again, that sensitivity will gradually fade away too.

Once again, I actually got started in this mess due to red wine in amounts larger than I'd ever experienced before, and no benzos originally!

so alcohol in some people can screw you up even with a totally virginal clean system!

In amongst all this, I had a day out with a guy who loved his scotch and pepsi, and I had a fair few with him.

Strangely, it actually seemed to improve things, long term, not make the mworse.

That was very odd and I can't really explain that one!

So, I'd say type of alcohol is significant, Red wine being evil #1!

Cheers, and don't dispair, you will be able to drink again, but just don't drink any more than you have to in the meantime!

 

[[ve...]]

I think I posted to this thread earlier but am 4 years out and have an update.  I can have 1 to 3 glasses of wine on occasion with no ill side effects or return of "withdrawal".  I sometimes regret having a 3rd glass of wine because it may lead to a hangover the next day or some blues for a couple days (as was the case before I took valium if I imbibed "too much"). I avoid beer and the hard stuff because it seems to impact my stomach/reflux. I resumed wine at 4 months off (only about once or twice a month initially)valium. 1 to 2 glasses of wine was not a problem for me but I weighed close to 200lbs at the time and each person has their own tolerance and sensitivity to alcohol.  At 7 months off, it was finally summer. I was happy to be on vacation. I overdid it in terms of frequency (about 1 to 3 glasses wine 3 times a week for about six weeks) plus too much sugar consumption/desserts and sodas, coffee... it was too much too soon and I experienced some elevated BP as I had in the early months off valium plus some cog fog and feeling a little off balance at times. So I had to abstain for some months and eat better, exercise more... eventually losing 25lbs and this resulted in some issues with adrenaline surges, increased anxiety and likely cortisol imbalance.  Resumed wine in moderation (once or twice a month) at about a year off valium. I dont feel it was debilitating but it ultimately took another half year for a few stubborn "withdrawal" symptoms to settle down. On an occasion, I tried a couple mixed drinks and tolerated well. However, I was cautious and a little fearful to have more than two. By 2 years off valium, I pretty much didnt think benzos or worry about " withdrawal. However, I don't like hangovers so I limit my consumption.  I generally agree that in the first 1 to 2 years off a benzo dependency, it can be helpful to avoid alcohol or at least limit it according to your own metabolism, unique circumstances, other medical conditions or medication still taken... Many may be able to have the occasional drink but others may be more sensitive. No one way fits all. Also, it may be helpful to work on coping skills for anxiety, insomnia, blues... or whatever led to take a benzo because alcohol can amplify ones moods. If one has an addictive personality or uses slcohol as a crutch to cover up painful feelings or circumstances, it may be ill advised to partake until one has worked on some of those issues. I also agree with the previous poster that too much red wine can sometimes be a problem (for me). However, I dont agree that all will necessarily "be able" or want to drink again. Its very personal and not all will find that its worth the risk, especially in the first year and if not done in moderation and mindful of other things like nutrition and exercise.

 

Best,

 

Vertigo

[[su...]]

Hi vertigo,

Yes, that's pretty much as I see it too!

You've probably managed to drink way more than I did, but I definitely don't choose alcohol if the choice is easy, but sometimes here in Aus, there are times when you are almost expected to have a drink, and I find that I can do that with no problems.

I suspect red wine is a nasty of its own, perhaps there's something in it that makes it worst than spirits for example, I don't really know!

I definitely do not have any kind of adiction problem, never have!

so if I never could drink again, to be honest, it wouldn't bother my life that much!

The other thing I found back at the start, was that if I drank during bad times, the WDs would appear in my case as anxiety, about 2 days after the drinking.

That was with the red, which suggest something else involved, that I don't know about, as I'm sure the alcohol would be well gone from the system by then!

 

[[al...]]

I was actually just reading an article about red wine and it has some sort of component/compound in it that is very hard on your liver to get rid of. I am sorry I cannot remember that name.  But white wine does not have. I have only tolerated white wine during my taper and the occasional beer. Sometimes I wake up the day after and the alcohol I drank actually makes me really perky and full of life the next day instead of a hangover  and it can last for days. Other times I get a nasty hangover that lasts for days. I never drink more than a few glasses. There were a few times during my taper when I stopped drinking for months because I  had a bad reaction repeatedly but I was eventuALLY able to go back to a few glasses a week./ every other week. I am married to a French man so wine is part of our  diet LOL!    not drinking wine in our house is like not breathing  lol... ....Alabama.xo

[[su...]]

Hi alabamawerle,

Oh, that makes things tricky!

Interesting re the red, Yep, I've had headaches and lots of odd things from it, a bit from white, but probably red has been worse over all.

Fingers crossed that when I go to France sometime next year, I survive it!!!

Not to mention Germany too, beer etc.

 

[[ve...]]

I was in France and Italy last year and agree that it is hard to go to a restaurant and not have a glass of wine with a meal. Its almost a "sacrilege" not to . Also, I never understood what the fuss was over chianti (which typically did give me a hangover) until I had older ones that were at least 5 or 6 years old. I read that some wines that are aged in oak, will more likely cause hangover due to additives which do not neutralize immediately, so better to drink those wines that are at least three to four years old. I found that to be the case when I had chianti that was aged, I had less problems.  Yet more than about two glasses of red continued to cause some issues for me. So although I prefer the taste of red, ill usually lean towards white and have a nicer and older red with my meal. I wonder if its the tannens causing the problem or perhaps the congeners... Some articles suggest that some types of alcohol are more likely to cause hangover type symptoms, such as whiskey, whereas vodka supposedly has less.  Also, champagne, notoriously tends to cause hangovers, in part due to carbonation.  I think that is also why I don't do well with beer.

 

By the way, Alabamawerle or Surprised1, if you go to Paris, check out a restaurant on the right bank called Poule au Pot. A little pricey but excellent! It helps to speak a little French as many locals frequent this small bistro, but they do speak English too. 

 

The article below provides some suggestions to minimize hangover (and I would assume might also help those who are sensitive and/or worried about a wave when reintroducing alcohol) such as making sure to stay hydrated, having some food first before imbibing, and other possibly helpful considerations, if one decides to imbibe. Again, I am not suggesting that anyone do so.  In fact, I don't recommend that people drink alcohol in the first year or two off the benzo.  I am only reporting that at 4 years out, I can handle some social drinking without any return to "withdrawal".

 

http://www.beekmanwine.com/prevtopas.htm

 

Bon appetit!

 

V

[[su...]]

Hi vertigo,

I'll note the wresterant  down! Thanks!!

Interestingly, I have noticed, and I don't know why, that spirits, such as scotch and coke for example, almost seem to have the opposite effect with WD.

I actually found it improved things after a few of them with a friend, and it didn't have a WD rebound at all!

I found that wine and beer were more likely to cause trouble! This could be highly individual of course, and I totally agree with what you said:

If in WD, best to avoid alcohol if you can!

still, I seem to now kope with the odd social drink with no particular problem, and I'm not even a year out, but I did have a very small amount of benzo!

I think it've said before, the Red actually did me in before the benzo even got involved, but that and its tollorence made it all way worse!

Cheers: