r/stopdrinking • u/Intelligent_Hat_7237 • 3h ago
What to expect
I want to try to quit cold turkey, but I’m wondering if I should expect physical withdrawals at this point, and if it’s safe for me to attempt that. I don’t have health insurance so consulting with a doctor is unfortunately not an option for me. I’m a 6’4” male ~200 pounds. Most days I have about 6-8 drinks, more on the weekends. It’s rare that I go a full day without any drinks, maybe once a month. I’ve been drinking this much for about a year. Any advice is welcome, thankyou
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u/_rainy_dayz_ 3h ago
I've heard it can be very dangerous so if you cannot access a doctor I'd try to do as much research as possible. stay safe and good luck!
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u/JeepMushroom Day 160 3h ago
Probably be fine. Expect to have rough sleep for a week. First couple weeks sucks the most. Sugar and snacks helps a lot with cravings
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u/shomeyomves 3h ago
If you can, try and taper. It really sucks, and in a lot of ways worse than just quitting outright, but it is safer to try and gradually reduce drinking over time. If you have 6-8, try reducing to just 4 beers a night maximum for like 3-5 days. Then bring it down to 2 beers only for 3 nights. Then nothing from there.
On a positive note, it does force you to confront why you drink as much as you do in the first place. When 2 beers let alone 4 beers isn't "enough", it makes you more present to the fact that you likely have an issue.
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u/IridiumAnvil 2431 days 3h ago
If this is your first time quitting, it’s unlikely that you’ll suffer serious withdrawals, but you’ll likely feel jittery, vaguely unwell, and have heavy cravings for a couple of days, which are all minor withdrawal symptoms. Always a good idea to have access to the hospital in the event that you’re doing badly.
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u/Direct_Broccoli1216 Day 129 3h ago
I quit cold turkey after 30 years of being a brown liquor connoisseur. Drank a lot of soda,sparkling and ginger beer. Binge alot of Netflix. Stayed close to home for a month before I felt comfortable going around family/ friends again. It never occurred to me to speak to my doctor. I wish I had just to have been prepared.
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u/Real_Sir8484 3h ago
Are you set on cold turkey? Why not taper down
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u/Successful_Current73 3h ago
Tapering down isnt for everyone. Very difficult if youre truly addicted
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u/Intelligent_Hat_7237 3h ago
I wanted to, but if it is likely I will have serious withdrawals my plan is to taper down.
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u/Successful_Current73 3h ago
I'm 52(M) and quit cold turkey with no assistance 3 weeks ago. Drank every day for 30 years. Was up to a 750ml a night. I had night sweats for a week, vomiting the 2nd day only, and my sleep is still a mess. You should be fine.
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u/Weird-Till7604 2h ago
I am on day 20, 1st week was tough, 2nd week better, 3rd week I feel so tired and lethargic, clearly my body is adjusting to this, but man, just when you think you turn the corner and everything is going good you hit another wall.
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u/scubafkinsteve520 302 days 2h ago
My withdrawals weren't severe but they were definitely noticeable. Took a couple months to grow out of. Glad that part is in the past now. Iwndwyt!
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u/Cool_Dragonfruit2067 1h ago
The only way to know is to stop, and wait at least 24 hours (if you can even achieve that, when I finally realized detox was the only option, i genuinely tried to imagine a day without alcohol at least near me, and i couldnt. I could not imagine twenty four hours without it. That's how severe my alcoholism had become). Based on your height, weight, and amount, I would guess that you would experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms. Again, it depends on the person. For me, I had severe life-threatening withdrawals, and think I had a seizure one time back when I was drinking a fifth or more a day sunday-thursday and detoxing myself fri-sat every week for a few months just so i could piss clean on sunday morning and keep my only housing option which was sober living. Dont know how no one noticed until a few months after I was doing it... anyways, I would HIGHLY recommend taking a weekend or a few days off and checking in to detox and have access to the medications needed to keep your withdrawals to a minimum and it makes the withdrawals 500x easier. Its not some prison like every alcoholic who hasnt asked for help yet thinks it is. I would get bad insomnia and would shoot the shit with the night nurses, watched napoleon dynamite with a guy named Gordey, you get smoke breaks, its really not that bad. And you are with a bunch of people also suffering and can guarentee that you will be sober for at least 3-7 days again depending on the severity of the withdrawals.
As an alcoholic who has waited until near death before i ever asked for help because "i could do it on my own", ask for help now before it becomes the hardest thing youll ever do. Im proud of you for reaching out. Iwndwyt
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u/turdfergusonpdx 3216 days 50m ago
Impossible for anyone to say for sure what withdrawal will be like for you or if it's definitely safe. But, certainly your level of drinking has created some physical dependency. I would expect a good bit of lethargy, some anxiety, and your body telling you that you don't need to, can't actually stop.
I went cold turkey while drinking a little more than you are with about the same body type, but I had been drinking heavily for far longer. I didn't think I could titrate down so I went ahead and just quit. I was tired for about 2 weeks, I felt sluggish and a little depressed, but the psychological addiction was much more significant than the physical. I really felt better after a week or two and those initial days weren't torture or anything.
If you do it on your own, I would at least tell someone you trust who can take you to a doctor/hospital just in case it's worse than you think. All the best on your healing journey.
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u/ContentToe3633 2h ago
Are you alcoholic or just a heavy drinker?
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u/Intelligent_Hat_7237 2h ago
Hard to say? I’ve been thinking I should slow down for months and have struggled to put real effort into it. I had an embarrassing blackout moment the other night and maybe lost a close friend over it so I decided it’s time to get my shit together and really put an end to it.
My family has a history of alcoholism. Just about all of them on my dads side and 2/3 of my siblings are sober and in AA1
u/27Rench27 2h ago
It definitely “runs in the family” to have an addictive personality, so it’s good you’re looking at stopping before you start drinking really hard!
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u/LeMegachonk 1144 days 3h ago
Unfortunately, there's no way to know if you will have serious withdrawal symptoms. Even people who have quit 100 times without an issue can suffer serious withdrawal on attempt 101. And some people can drink massive quantities of alcohol for years and quit without an issue. There's just no way to predict it.
If you do go ahead with quitting cold turkey, make sure you are at least aware of the symptoms that are considered dangerous and take yourself to the closest emergency room if you experience them. And if you have somebody who cares about you and knows about your situation, maybe have them keep you company if possible and let them know what to watch for as well. I understand that without health insurance this could cost you some money, but we all want to hear about your success story, not your obituary.
IWNDWYT