Going to a support meeting might not be the worst idea. You'll have people local to you that've likely been through what you're going through (plus way more), who can probably advise.

Catwoman, while you may not go into acute withdrawal, you may find that your psych meds start working more differently as you have less alcohol in your system. Benzos won't hit you as hard, and some SSRIs/SNRIs will be more potent.

I didn't mean to be glib on the last page about withdrawal, but it just didn't sound like FM catwoman was drinking in such large quantities. But yes, it's better to err on the side of caution. Doing so requires being honest with your medical professionals, which is why this concerns me: catwoman wrote:I REALLY don't want to bring this up with my Psych MD, because I'm afraid that instead of support, she's only going to begin monitoring my psych/anxiety/sleep meds in a way that will be negative and stressful.While I understand that feeling, it is literally her job to do so and if you don't keep her informed as to changes then she can't look out for you. If you don't trust her to monitor your meds then you might want to find a different doctor that you trust, or maybe consider the possibility that you won't trust anyone at this point, which may be a symptom of the anxiety. Ike wrote:Please, please try not to mix psych/anxiety/sleep meds with booze.It sounds like FM catwoman is trying to stop doing this. And I think the meds will be more effective without the alcohol, as FM biscuitdough suggests.

catwoman wrote:Pasta wrote:Medical detox is a very good decision, as was stated, you can die detoxing. Many people have siezure, I did, but am epileptic, due to my cancer, so that's not a shock. Some kind of medical supervision is important. Weening at home didn't work for me. I found the bottle, or beer saved for the next day. It may work for some, but, not all. Good luck, and feel free to pm me with any questions. The forum has been a great source in this journey.Thanks, FM Pasta. I am at least a bit mindful about what I consume, in terms of quantity. No drinking before 5PM! (Hah!) But, if I stay up til say, 1AM, I can put a bottle of red wine away, and think, "well, that's a long stretch (8 hours), so I'm not bingeing..." Or, I use my cocktail measured shotglass, so I know I'm using X ounces per drink, which gives me a personal metric. I suspect I'm not in the danger zone of cold turkey detox being too dangerous. But the "cutting back" strategy is working only minimally. I REALLY don't want to bring this up with my Psych MD, because I'm afraid that instead of support, she's only going to begin monitoring my psych/anxiety/sleep meds in a way that will be negative and stressful.I may PM you some day. Congrats on your 3+mo. of success.Thanks.This is a long road ahead of you. I am pulling for you. Please, please try not to mix psych/anxiety/sleep meds with booze. Please. In love, sincerely,Ike

andyman wrote:Going to a support meeting might not be the worst idea. You'll have people local to you that've likely been through what you're going through (plus way more), who can probably advise.Yes

andyman wrote:Going to a support meeting might not be the worst idea. You'll have people local to you that've likely been through what you're going through (plus way more), who can probably advise.If this was a reply to me, I will say I do not want to venture into the land of AA. Some other support group might work for me, but I am strongly averse to the AA tenet of a greater power. I've been actively looking at non-theistic support groups.

Ike wrote:This is a long road ahead of you. I am pulling for you. Please, please try not to mix psych/anxiety/sleep meds with booze. Please. In love, sincerely,IkeThank you for the love! I am careful with my meds and booze. I realize I'm not in my 20's, when I could mix up a LOT of drugs and booze and come out the other side okay. I rarely take anxiety meds, and sleep med doesn't change, which is a low dose and I can sometimes go without. Definitely paying very close attention to when I drink, why I drink, and what compels me to drink.

Boombats wrote: If you don't trust her to monitor your meds then you might want to find a different doctor that you trust, or maybe consider the possibility that you won't trust anyone at this point, which may be a symptom of the anxiety. My med doc is pretty good, overall, but yeah, I kind of feel like if I mention that I'm concerned about my drinking, that she'll cut me off of anything other than the depression meds (sertraline and bupropion). I RARELY take the benzo that I have in-house, because I worry that it could just become a drinking replacement. Thanks for your input. This is something I'm just starting to work through, and I appreciate that there's a lot of work ahead. It's hard to imagine NEVER getting a little buzz, ever, which is why I think I'm resistant to an all-or-nothing solution.

Not a medical professional...One common thread that's wound up being there in a lot of the folks that I know who just had to quit completely is a story where they decided to try just having a couple after a "Wake Up Call..." sort of an instance.Each one of the stories those folks will tell you is, that for them, there is no "Just Have A Couple." A couple turns into a six pack. A six pack turns into a case. You get the picture. When I quit it, it wasn't exactly like that. Got to a fork in the road, and made changes based on seeing where I was standing.All that said, it seems like maybe cutting back a bit at a time to see if there is an obvious issue might be worth considering. Let's say your drinks amount to a "5". Try stopping at "4", and see if there is an issue. Might give you an idea where you stand without going right to taking a more serious step.If it seems like it's working "Minimally...", what are we really talking about? From your point of view?Either way, good luck.

Just to be clear, I am far from a 12-step spokesman, and still a dyed-in-the-wool agnostic-bordering-on-atheist. Fuck all that noise.The higher power thing is just some belief you can hold onto, like, that it's possible to quit, or that you won't drink tomorrow, or that the recovery group will help you pull through. It doesn't have to be some all-knowing being that's supposed to be looking down on you. Fuck that.Personally, I just dug the people and their crazy, fucked-up stories. I used to drink alone, so being around people helped me stay sober.Still detest (most) Christians, still detest their stupid bullshit.