Symptoms Longevity

blacktile · Member

Symptoms Longevity

SUSIE · Senior Member

From what I have seen It takes about a week to two to get over the worst of the physical symptoms of this disease. The memory , confusion and such took alot longer for me. But.....It so gets better. You are well on your way and welcome to the MIP board. Your only going to get better from here on. Stay and listen to the wisdom here. Check out a AA meeting and begin the healing even more!

Mike B. · MIP Old Timer

BT,
First off- welcome! I'm glad you made to our site. From my personal experience; I needed to be physically removed from alcohol in order for me to have any chance at sobriety then recovery. I went to a detox/rehab and was put on meds to detox. The detoxing took 3-5 days, physical symptoms varied but kept getting better the more I worked the program. Roughly 4-6 weeks. I like to lift weights and exercise so this may have help. The mental symptoms- short term memory has always been a problem- but got better with time. I have no exprience with audio/visual hallucinations. All I know is what the people in the fellowship and my sponsor told me and it's true- things will get better. Keep posting my friend. What's you AA program look like?

mikef · MIP Old Timer

Welcome Blacktile! glad you found us,this can be the beginning of 'A NEW WAY TO LIFE" FOR YA!!. We follow suggestions and do the work.Its true,when I surrendered ,after a few weeks of shakes,sickness,delusions etc started wearing off,my next thoughts were:well now what am I going to do" I PLAY IN A BAND,ALL MY FRIENDS PARTY,IM ONLY IN MY LaTE 30"S i CAN'T LIVE REST OF MY LIFE LIKE THIS"""Bingo"""too much projection..thats why we live "one day at a time" sometimes hours ,sometimes minutes,The obsession and the compulsion will leave,It is then that we learn how to stay stopped through the spiritual principles of our program and a belief in a 'power greater than oourselves"not a God(the God of your understanding that can be no God at all) thing but whatever concept of this "power" is for you',whatever helps you stay sober..Change is what has to occur,even abstinence without change will eventually lead you back to the same "downbound train"there is literature that tells us"the progression of recovery is a continuing uphill journey,without effort we start down the hill again,but the progression of the illness is ongoing "even during abstinence"I stayed abstinent for many years without working a program and was heading right back down the tubes until I surrendred to "recovery"I can highly suggest making a meeting,sharing where your at,follow suggestions and "live in the day.These are things that helped me "stay stopped" with Gods grace ....hope to hear more from ya!! smile

-- Edited by mikef on Friday 25th of June 2010 09:21:40 AM

blacktile · Member

Thanks for the replies guys.

The hallucinations and panic attacks are the worst for me. They're always the trigger any time I try to ditch booze. Last time was a couple of years ago I managed 9 days - even went to an AA meeting. Found that pretty stressful.

If I didn't have to deal with the hallucinations and panic I reckon it would be much easier for me. It gets worse over time - the longer I'm sober the stronger the mental problems get.

TwelveSteps · Senior Member

You may also want to do some internet research on Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). Here's a good starting point: http://digital-dharma.net/addiction/post-acute-withdrawal-syndrome-why-we-dont-get-better-immediately/

Congrats on Day 5!

GG

pinkchip · MIP Old Timer

Blacktile, Do you see a psychiatrist? It sounds like you have been self medicating some very serious mental health symptoms. And trust me, I'm not judging you cuz I did the same thing and it was a primary trigger for my drinking also. Yes, we want ideally to not have to take any drugs, but hallucinations and panic attacks need to be monitored by a psychiatrist. No joke....don't play around with it. I am sure over time the panic and hallucinations will get better, but you need to rule out if you have an underlying psychiatric condition that you were drowning out and medicating with alcohol. Again, no judgment because I've been there. It may be all caused by withdrawal....panic attacks are somewhat normal but auditory hallucinations are not. DTs can sometimes involve feeling like bugs are crawling under your skin, but not hearing voices to my knowledge.

janet · Senior Member

blacktile wrote:

Thanks for the replies guys.

The hallucinations and panic attacks are the worst for me. They're always the trigger any time I try to ditch booze. Last time was a couple of years ago I managed 9 days - even went to an AA meeting. Found that pretty stressful.

If I didn't have to deal with the hallucinations and panic I reckon it would be much easier for me. It gets worse over time - the longer I'm sober the stronger the mental problems get.

Welcome Blacktile,

You are in the right place. Did you try and detox by yourself? Often that takes medical monitoring.
I was so sick for so long, that getting sober seemed alien to me. I had audio delusions...thought I could hear a radio playing off in the distance but couldn't make out what they were saying. I thought people were in the room with me just to realise there was no one. It was kind of like a roller coaster. One rush after another. And those god awful panick attacks. After drinking the symptoms often became worse. I was so sick, that I could not eat at all. Just lay in my suffering,while dragging myself to the bathroom for another round of dry heaves.
For me, two weeks to get over the flu-like symtoms,and everything else.

Take B vitimans preferably B-Complex (has all of them),because taking one or two B vitimans causes the body to need the others. Also Milk Thistle is great for liver function. Pharmacy and health food stores carry it. It was recommended to me by a pharmacist.

Perserverance my friend. It gets much much better. Stick with the winners here. Go to an AA meeting when well enough...no matter how uncomfortable you may feel at first. There is hope and help out there. All you have to do is grab hold of it. Reach out for it and come along. You will find no better understanding,help or hope than you will among your recovering alcoholic peers.

Become willing to surrender to your powerlessness over this disease or sickness.
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Guess what, you can do this! So many wonderful things await you. Give it a shot...is what you have been doing working for you? Nah.

Click on here Blacktile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWrp3YXMohQ

Keep coming back.

J

-- Edited by janet on Sunday 27th of June 2010 12:15:26 AM

angelov8 · MIP Old Timer

I experienced most or all of these symptom to some degree. I remember the worst of it getting better after about 10 days and definitely after 14 days. Then after 30 days I noticed a huge difference all around in my physical, mental state. The anxiety began to lessen in a major way. I worked the steps and program very actively. I am still confused at times but stopped using that word in my shares so much at about 6 months. Life is infinitely better now. The gift keeps giving and I get to give back too!