I quit drinking 15 days ago. This is a personal challenge to go at least 30 days, though I hope to go longer or just keep it to beer after day 30. I am/was a fairly regular drinker, at least 3 beers with a shot per night. Weekends would be more.
Day one I had some shakes. That went away by day 3.
Week 1 I basically didn’t sleep, or would sleep in 2-3 hour increments. I’ve heard this is normal for those coming off alcohol. Days 7 and 8 I slept 7+ hours with aid of pharmaceuticals (legal prescription). I did not want to use drugs but they helped immensely and I am now more or less on a normal sleep schedule.
I’ve noticed clearer skin and eyes and I of course feel much better during the day.
What more can I expect? I know I can make the 30 days but am I naive to think I can stick to beer after that?
Congrats! When the weight starts falling off, then you’ll really be happy I have no experience quitting drinking, but I know it’s a hard road to travel.
Is it really normal to have the shakes/sleeplessness after giving up drinking when you’ve only been having 3 or 4 drinks a night? I mean, not that that’s a tiny amount, but I think I’d be worried enough to seek medical help if I were getting shakes…
I think it was the shots. I am/was partial to Rumplemintz and that shit is deadly. I feel pretty good now and don’t have any of those symptoms anymore.
I bought a huge tub of ice cream and some truffles as a treat so that if I get a craving I can still do something naughty. I know it’s not the healthiest thing, but those truffles got me through work without wanting to cry
It depends on what you consider “the worst of it.” From what I understand, you are likely past or nearly past the acute stage, but you are heading into the post-acute stage. Physical symptoms are less of a problem, but the emotional symptoms can be brutal. But the worst part is that you will feel fine for long periods of time, but then all of the sudden feel worse. Those are the crucial times.
And don’t misinterpret the last part of the Cracked article: the addiction itself usually lasts around 2 years. It’s the addictive behavior that keeps you from being able to drink again, and is why a select few can pull it off.
As Big T says, now it becomes a mind game. I abstained for 30 days at least once - maybe twice, and tried to moderate per Moderation Management. I pretty much found my drinking creeping back up. So 5-6 years ago I decided it was easiest just to quit altogether. For me, at least, all it took was determination. No matter how sucky things may be at any time, it is no one other than yourself who is pouring the booze down your gullet.
No reason you can’t try sticking to beer. Then if it doesn’t work out, reboot and try something else. The fact that you can go 15 days and aim at 30 certainly suggests (IMO) that you aren’t too far down the line.
But remember how crappy the past 15 days were. Do you really want to go back to step 1 and go through that again? One beer won’t make you a drunk, but it will erase your sobriety, and it will take another 15 days to get back to where you are now.
If you were so addicted that you suffered from the shakes, then you really need to think long and hard about giving up alcohol entirely. That’s a pretty clear sign that you were in too deep.
But, to answer your question, I don’t think there’s any magical number of days for when you’re over the worst of it. Yes, your cravings and withdrawal symptoms may have alleviated, but until you’re able to go to a place that you strongly associate with drinking (e.g. your favorite pub, a football game) and abstain from drinking without having to wrestle with your conscience over it, then you’re still in the danger zone.
You had the shakes from 3 beers a day? Were you having half a gallon a time? Or perhaps you have genes that make you particularly susceptible to alcohol.
The only time I quit drinking was after some particularly bad experiences I had involving alcohol and some friends. Stopped cold for a month while at college. After a month, I was able to do some drinking again, but did not drink as much as I had before. However, I was primarily a week-end drinker, not a daily drinker, so YMMV and all that.
Yes! I quit a few years ago. I was drinking about two bottle of wine and a mickey of vodka a night. The first two weeks were all about the withdrawals. I couldn’t sleep, I had the shakes, I felt crappy. Then I felt great physically, but at about week two or three, I suddenly felt emotionally drained. That was probably made a bit worse because I was going through outpatient rehab, which involved a lot of self reflection and talking in group therapy, but I was cycling between super happy and excited that I’d quit and seriously depressed. It took me about two months to level out.
ETA: Congrat’s on making it through your first two weeks! Keep up the great work!
again, that depends on whether “3 beers” is “3 12-oz Budweisers” or “3 forty-ounce Steel Reserves.” even people who aren’t necessarily problem drinkers unconsciously underestimate how much they have had to drink.
be careful with being over confident about your control over it. This could lead you to a back slide and you could end up right back where you were and having to start over.
I have no experience quitting drinking, but I know it’s a hard road to travel.
Congratulations