Dear Alice,

I wanted to respond to the Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms post. I am a recovering alcoholic, and I have been sober for 2 years now. I want to say that the physical symptoms do go away in time, but the mental symptoms will always be there. I haven't had a drink in 2 years and there are times that I want to go to the bar and have a few. I have just put in my head that I cant do it, I almost treat it like its a poison that if i take a drink it could do something terrible to me. The last 2 years haven't been the easiest, actually it is the hardest thing I have had to overcome. In time it does get alittle easier to deal with. I stopped on my own, but I would suggest to other people to go to AA meetings or treatment to overcome this challenge. I just want to say, never give up and you need your family and friends to be there to support you on this whether you want them there or not. Some day you will realize just how much you actually need them.

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(2)
I cannot stay sober alone. I need the help of others and I don't care for doctors either. You may not be ready to hear this, but AA is the only thing that keeps me sober. I drank for years and I too go through the withdrawal symptoms when it is all over and in a few days (if I make it that long) I am drinking again b/c I cannot handle it. I always set out to "control" my drinking and find that it ALWAYS controls me. I don't have a middle of the road switch, full tilt is my only speed. AA is a bizarre experience initially, but the people there understand and they love to help. It helps them by helping others. I wish you well and pray you won't be stubborn for as long as I was. Take care.

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(3)

To the reader:

I tried AA for years, and kept relapsing... I too have learned that I cannot do it alone, and once I realized that, and accepted that I need help to quit successfully, it became easier. I personally have found that Narcotics Anonymous (NA)was my answer. ALCOHOL is a drug, and the NA fellowship focuses on the disease of addiction, as the problem... where as AA seems to focus on alcohol as being the problem. For me, alcohol is only a symptom of my problem. My problem is that I have the disease of addiction. It manifests in my life in many ways... Try an NA meeting, and see if it works for you. It saved my life.

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(4)
To the reader:

I am almost 20, and am spending about 6 to 10 hours a week in group, therapy, and AA. The longest I have been able to go sober so far is 9 weeks. For some reason, after that magic number in weeks has passed, I relapse. All I have to say from personal experience is a couple of things. One, you can't quit unless you truly want to quit for you and you only. If you only want to quit for others, your chances of quiting are slim to none. Second, I don't care what ANYONE else says, quiting never gets easier. At least not so easy you never want to take another drink. The urge and thought will always be there.

I do think Alice is right. You should seek professional help and by all means get all the help you can. You will need more friends now than you ever did to help you and support you. Friends that don't judge or nag. Friends that will be there for you no matter what, day or night, and friends that can talk you out of that first drink. That's all I have to say on that. Hope that I have been some help! Good luck on you "quitting" journey.

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(5)
To the reader:

I have had the same symptoms. You, like me, are an alcoholic. The only way to get rid of these withdrawal symptoms is to quit. AA meetings help me. I've tried and tried to limit my drinking, only to return to a state worse than the last. Try AA meeting and get a sponser. Good luck! Ray.

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(6)
To the reader,

There are many medications out there that can help you in the detox phase and also help with the alcohol cravings. I'm not crazy about doctors either, but in this instance they can really be helpful in prescribing the right drugs to minimize symptoms and keep you on the "alcohol free" road. This is an addiction that is way too powerful to battle by yourself. You need medication, family and/or friend support, and group support. Don't beat yourself up and start fresh with the RIGHT HELP. You need it and you deserve it.

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(7)
To the reader:

I've been drinking daily (and nightly) for twenty years. As of 12:30 tomorrow afternoon I will have one week of sobriety. I was afraid of withdrawal symptoms, being well acquainted with nausea and the shakes. What I didn't expect is the inability to sleep and all over mental and physical itchiness. I am very lucky to have the loving support of my family and tomorrow I'll attend an AA meeting. Allow people to help you. Actively seek help. It's very difficult to go it alone. Take back your life. Don't say you'll try, say you will do it — one day at a time, one hour, one minute at a time if you must but do it. Luck doesn't have much to do with it but I wish you much in your recovery.