Today I'm going to stop my usual midweek drinking of a bottle per day. I've been doing this pretty much every day for 18 months and after a lovely Mothers Day out, drinking etc - today is th day!
Question is, how do I go about helping y body recover inside and out from such heavy drinking?
Thanks for your help guys :-)
Any damage done to your liver will repair itself naturally over time if you are not drinking. You may have a deficiency of B Vitamins after drinking excessively and it is worth buying Thiamine (Vitamin B1) (a deficiency of this can lead to alcohol-related dementia later on) and some Vitamin B Complex. You can get both of these over the counter.
Otherwise, decent diet and all the usual healthy things including plenty of water which everyone should have.
Congratulations on your decision and good luck
Hydrate, plenty of fluid. Healthy food that does not come from a packet or in anyway resembles a ready meal. Fruit and vegetables. Thiamine B12 for a month, 100mg per day, available non prescription. Vitamin B compound strong for a month and folic acid for one month, available non prescription.
Have you tried to stop before? Are you planning on continuing drinking, at weekends? Have you discussed prob with Doc? Best of luck with your decision. I find it sooooo difficult. I am trying a new med now.
Thanks Paul, will get some of these today. I have a B12 deficiency and get injections every 6 weeks. I'll need that luck but feeling positive :D
Thanks RHGB, will add all these to the list 
I have done the odd day but start thinking about drink and end up with a drink back in my hand telling myself it's fine. I don't feel I have an addiction as such as it doesn't effect my daily life in any way, I don't NEED a drink, I've just got into the habbit of drinking fro 6pm every single day. I'm 32 and notice how much I drink by how little others drink so I would still like to drink of a weekend but stay dry mid week.
When you drink, from 6pm, is it on your own? I started what I call "over drinking", many years ago. It was when I was cooking dinner, every evening. It did not have any effect on my day to day life. Your tolerance to alcohol increases as time goes by. You are in a good place, to be able to check this, now. I didn't, then. Big problem for me and it does not go away.
Vitamins and fluids...very important.
That is the treatment they give people in the hospital.
I find they don't necessarily make me feel better...but the body needs these things to eventually feel better! Also if you can get your hands on some diazepam...this helps with the withdrawal...and is noticeable.
i know when I was younger (I couldn't do this now, because i have random drug tests)...but smoking POT...helped my hangovers a GREAT deal.
I don't know if POT is legal in the UK...it is in some areas of the US.
Hot baths, chamomile tea with some honey, vitamin B1, C, niacin. Check with your doc first on supplements in case they have other opinions due to your specific symptoms and other MEDS you might take. Try not to eat lots of sugar but you can have some from fruit and occasional treat of dark chocolate since it has antioxidants. Greasy food isn't recommended even though you might crave it. Lean meats like chicken, turkey, lean ground beef with veggies (I like Asparagus to help with bloating.)
and high protein snacks like a good Greek yogurt, cheese sticks, almonds, etc. Alka Seltzer and chicken broth can help with nausea. I use ginger ale too (light). I know I mentioned chamomile tea-peppermint tea is good too. If you crave sugar, grab bananas and pineapple because they also help if you get constipated. There are good articles out there on what to eat to prevent bloating and there you can find the other best things to eat. Lastly, make sure your doc knows and someone is with you in case of severe withdrawals. If your doc can give you an anti-anxiety prescription I would recommend it for at least the first few weeks.
It's great you're reaching out for help. The things I mentioned were all recommended in detox help articles I've read and I got them ok'd by my doc.
Best to you!
No it isn't, but as long as it is for personal use, a blind eye is turned.
Hi Danielle,
Congratulations on your decision! I was in a similar position - or probably worse - 25 years ago. I never touched alcohol till I was 20, binged occasionally in my late 20s when I was in the Army (which tends to be par for the course) then started steady but limited wine consumption when I moved to a country with a wine-drinking culture in my early 30s.
I only noticed I was drinking more when I got into my mid-40s. I was in an absorbing but demanding job that I loved, and my first impulse when I got home every night was to pour myself a glass of sherry. I'd then go on to white wine while preparing my supper, then switch to red or continue with white while eating it. I suspect I clocked up a bottle and a half some nights.
I was living alone by this time (not alcohol-related) but I don't think loneliness had anything to do with it. Nor did stress. I've always noticed I don't want to drink if I'm feeling low or anxious, I'm more at risk when feeling relieved from stress or pleased with myself.
Like you, my drinking wasn't affecting my work performance or any other area of my life, and I never had a hangover. However, I sometimes continued drinking until quite late in the evening, and it never occurred to me that my breath would still smell of alcohol the next morning. (At this point I should say I've never owned a car as I live in a country with excellent public transport.) When a colleague quietly pointed this out to me one day I was mortified, and decided to do something about it.
It's actually quite easy to cut back when you're dependent or habituated, as opposed to addicted. Over the next few years, I managed to push back the time of my first evening drink. I almost never drink earlier in the day, btw. First I cut out the "welcome home" sherry altogether, then moved on to only allowing myself to drink while cooking, rather than preparing, my meal, then to pouring my first glass just before I'm ready to plate up.
I've stayed at that level ever since, and consume on average half a bottle of wine per night. My liver enzymes have always been on the high side - even before I started serious drinking - but they haven't gone up over the years. I'm now working on having one alcohol-free day per week but find this mysteriously difficult. Yet on nights when I can't have a drink for some reason or another, it doesn't bug me at all. I can't even stand the smell of the stuff if I have a cold or a sore throat. During a recent short hospitalisation following an accident (also non-alcohol related) I didn't miss it. Most tellingly, last October I sat up several nights at the bedside of a dear friend who was dying in a dreadful psycho-geriatric unit, to protect her from sexual assaults etc. at the hands of the other inmates. I slept during the day and stayed awake every night during that week, so there was no opportunity for a glass of wine. Even in these stressful circumstances, I never once gave it a thought - though I admit going on a minor bender the night after she died.
So... why is it so difficult to have just one wine-free night per week now?
So... why is it so difficult to have just one wine-free night per week now?
Because when you're working, your mind is on other things. The devil makes work for idle hands - i.e. when your mind has time to turn to other things, guess what pops up?
Not sure... it seems to me it's more food related, and only the evening meal. I sometimes have days when I slob around and don't do much all day but my mind never turns to alcohol until I start cooking supper. Come to think of it, it's more likely to be the act of cooking or preparing food itself that does it. In most of the circumstances where I don't drink in the evening and don't miss it, it's because I haven't prepared the meal myself - travelling, in hospital etc. Even when I eat out in the evening with friends, I notice I actually drink far less than most of them.
Food for thought...?
If you don't feel you have an addiction,then not drinking during the week won't be any hardship. Just drink at the weekend. I don't understand what your problem is.
If on the other hand, you're doubting you can do it, give it a go. You will soon know whether or not you're addicted. If you don't, as you say, need a drink, just knock it on the head and enjoy weekend drinking. If you struggle and find it hard, then you're just kidding yourself and why would you post on this forum if you don't have a problem?
If you don't feel you have an addiction,then not drinking during the week won't be any hardship. Just drink at the weekend. I don't understand what your problem is.
If on the other hand, you're doubting you can do it, give it a go. You will soon know whether or not you're addicted. If you don't, as you say, need a drink, just knock it on the head and enjoy weekend drinking. If you struggle and find it hard, then you're just kidding yourself and why would you post on this forum if you don't have a problem?
Yes, I drink alone as my partner rarely drinks at all. My intake is increasing. I can drink 2 bottles of 13% wine and although the second bottle will make me drunk, I function ok the next day. X
I'm so busy during the day, I normally use my drink as a treat and a way to relax so during the evening I'm not wondering how I will fill my time and find a way to stop the habit. I don't feel 1 wine free night in enough so will try for Mon-Fri and just do weekends.
Sounds like you're doing well from how you started. Well done!!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
It's all about habit Vicky, it's s hard one to break! I'm posting on a forum for a bit of help and tips to rectify what I can in relation to over drinking. If it was so easy to do, I would not be here. 🙄
Thank you so much 💜 Xx