Since this is asking for advice, it is better suited for IMHO than GQ.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
Sometimes distinguished by the terms 7-day program (a purely medical detox program, lasting, you guessed, 7 days) and a 28-day program (month long comprehensive inpatient rehab).
I haven’t been able to afford foie gras in forever. It cuts too deeply into my beer money…
Yeah, I kind of figured. As others have alluded to, I’ll need some counselling and group therapy to try to dig out the reason(s) why I started drinking in the first place. I started when I was a teenager, drinking vodka before school in the morning. I still don’t know why I was doing that.
Thank you very much for the helpful advice. My first step is a visit to my doctor on Wednesday to help facilitate this process ahead of time so I can plan my stay around my work schedule, etc.
Sincerest gratitude to all whom have helpfully responded. I really appreciate it and I will likely need some more advice going forward.
You should probably start thinking of how you’re going to fill your ex-drinking hours. Habit will affect your cravings. If you don’t have something you enjoy doing, you should start looking for a pasttime, a hobby, a forgotten passion.
Funny thing…I am so used to getting half-plowed during football games on Sundays (I watch them at home) that one of my fears is that I will no longer be able to watch the games for fear of association, or, that I won’t enjoy the games as much.
I plan on trying to fill as much time as possible by spending as much time as I can with my children.
I’m certainly not a doctor, but if I were you I would talk to one. From my experience you don’t need detox. Again, I’m not a doctor, but the main thing that detox does for you is provide nutrition and medical supervision as your body comes off of alcohol. It sounds to me like you’ve just been self-medicating for sleep. You eat regular meals, I assume?
The hardest part will be a few months from now when it hits you out of nowhere “A cold beer would taste GREAT right now!” And it will be on a day where you can sleep in the next morning and you will tell yourself that it is under control because, after all, you just went a few months without it. And bam, right back to it. Best of luck to you.
I checked into rehab on the Saturday before Memorial Day. From what I can gather, facilities/hospitals/institutions vary considerably. I was at a private hospital that handled folks with chemical dependence and/or psychological issues. Patients were segregated by gender. Serious psych patients and those in serious withdrawal were further segregated into their own ward where they had closer supervision.
I shared a room with a heroin addcit, a crackhead, and an old guy who cried alot. I had a single bed that sat on what can best be described as a box. I was given a small square that was a suggestion of a pillow. My clothes were tucked into a cubby beneath my nightstand. We were doped up at night to sleep - I started refusing this pretty early - and our vitals were checked every four hours. The time we weren’t in group therapy or meeting with a doctor we whiled away playing cards, smoking, watching tv, smoking, eating, smoking and smoking. If you smoke, I would advise that you take a carton. They’ll probably confiscate your lighter.
The hospital probably has a website that will have a packing list and a list of contraband (contraband in this case = 1. stuff that can get you high; 2. stuff that can kill or hurt you; 2. stuff that can kill or hurt others). For clothing think comfortable - they’ll probably confiscate your shoe laces and belt, so keep that in mind when deciding on shoes and pants.
Food was great, but if you’re a soft drink drinker, bring some change - otherwise it’s nothing but apple juice and water.
If I had to do it over, I would make sure I had plenty of cigs, change for the drink machine and a couple of my own pillows from home.
As for everything else - like planning out how you’re going to stay sober - there will be plenty of time for that in there. Right now, concentrate on getting checked in.
I don’t know you, where you come from, what you’ve been through, what you have going for you or what you’ve got stacked against you. I have no idea what you’re going to face when you get home, or what home is like. But, I bet I have a pretty good idea how you feel. I drank for 17 years. I drank HARD for ten. I would have nine to 12 drinks between six and eight o’clock every night. I drank every chane I could on the weekends (up to 30, 35 drinks a day). On occasion, I even left work ealry (like 3 o’clock) to get started. I tried counting drinks, I tried skipping days, I tried quitting on my own. Never could (or at least never did). I was convinced I would die from alcohol related complications. I checked into a facility five months ago, and I haven’t had a drink since. It’s fucking awesome. You can figure all of the other shit out (like whether you’re into AA or something else) after you get sober. Just get sober.
I am a big football fan too (college moreso than pro). I shared your fear. I find I enjoy the games more now.
And your experience with detox is?
In my experience (which frankly is lengthy when it comes to acute alcohol detox, alcohol withdrawal with and without seizures and/or hallucinations), a patient whose drinking history and associated symptoms are consistent with that described by the OP could be at significant risk for acute alcohol withdrawal, which could be fatal.
Heavy drinkers are at risk for fatal alcohol withdrawal. And the OP fits that description as defined by number of drinks per week.
So I respectfully request you stop telling the OP what he does or doesn’t need when it comes to a potentially life-threatening state.
It also keeps you out of the liquor store for a few days
But you’re not a Bengals fan!
Never experienced detox but good luck FoieGrasIsEvil. You won’t stop watching football because you’ll miss the witty repartee with all the Steelers fans. 
Others have already said the same in this thread, but:
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Great move! Ending your alcohol use will have tremendous benefits to your physical and emotional health.
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As you seem to know, medical supervision of your detoxification is critical. A full on rehab program is not a strict necessity, but detoxing cold-turkey without medical supervision has significant immediate health risks.
Best of luck and congratulations on your determination to quit drinking.
It’s likely my recollection of games will be a lot less hazy!
Wonderful…the Bengals had better straighten out their woes or I’ll be doubly depressed on Sundays!
Thank you very much. I hope this works out for me. I don’t want to be a drunk forever. It’s like I never grew out of my binge-drinking college days.
I specifically recommended that he contact a doctor. Other than that, I was giving my opinion. Feel free to disagree, but it is out line to ask me to refrain from giving my humble opinion in a forum entitled “In My Humble Opinion”.
It’s all good guys. I am meeting with my physician on Wednesday afternoon to set the wheels in motion. I want him on board with this, so he can help me when I need it. He also can set up a timeframe for me so I can plan my work and family life around an inpatient stay.
I don’t just want to show up at the hospital unannounced and go straight into rehab without rescheduling my life first to accomodate it.
I feel it’s out of line for you to tell a person who states he’s an alcoholic who drinks 8-10 beers a night for decades that he doesn’t need detox. You imply to him that you have experience in these issues.
Not being properly detoxed could kill him.
Since the OP is consulting a medical professional(always a good idea), I’m going to go ahead and close this thread.
Reopening.
This thread is for giving personal experiences about detox. It is not for giving medical advice or attacking the experiences of other posters.
Thank you, Czarcasm. Truly.
“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”
Abraham Lincoln