serious answers only please... adults?

Question

i need to know this for real please no jokes.. my husband is an alcoholic he has quit drinking as of last wed. he will not go to aa i know he probably should but he refuses what i want to know is will he go through withdraws? if so when? what do i look for? what do i do if it happens? he is on methadone for his back pain also will this help keep him from withdraws?please once again dont tell me he cant do this or he is going to fail with out help ect that is not my question all i need to know is what to look for and when i have been told that people can actually die from alcohol withdraws..

Answer 1

I would think you husband should be fine. Since he quit drinking over a week ago I would think that if he was going to go through withdrawl he would be showing symptoms by now. Severe tremors is one thing to watch for. I applaud your husband for quiting cold turkey. My husband did the same about 6 years ago after a specific incident which I won't detail here. Yes he can do it without help but only if he commits to the fact that he may never touch another drop of alcohol. This means watching the mouthwash he uses and cough meds too as those contain alcohol. Provide him with all the soda or water or whatever that he would like to drink in the house and I wish the both you the best of luck. My husband did it and so can your husband.

Answer 2

In severe cases, people can die from withdrawal from alcohol. A couple people have already listed all the symptoms. Not everyone experiences withdrawal, it depends on the amount he was drinking and how long this had been going on. If he was going to go through withdrawal, it would have started within a day or 2 at the most of when he quit drinking. But yes, alcoholics should normally be detoxed in a hospital/rehab facility for their own safety.

Answer 3

If he's been an alcoholic for a long time, he will have withdrawals. I don't know if the Methadone will help decrease them or not (should check with your doctor about that). The easiest thing to notice is the physical changes,possibly "the shakes" or even "seeing little green men". I saw someone with the "dt's" actually slap themself to "kill the spiders crawling on him". There will also be confusion, such as where they are etc. Once, he starts to really "dry out" mention AA again. In the meantime you should try Al-Anon for relatives and friends of alcoholics. It's in the yellow pages, they're a good support group and will help YOU get through your husbands withdrawal. Good luck!

Answer 4

How bad his withdrawals will be depends on how much he's been drinking and for how long. If he has had bad withdrawals in the past he should definitely see a doctor for medication, or check into a supervised detox unit. I get the sense that your husband does require medical help.

Signs to look out for are vomiting, getting sweaty, getting flushed with high blood pressure and pulse rate and feeling generally dreadful. Serious problems are hallucinations and confusion, and even seizures. These are very dangerous, and are a medical emergency.

Methadone may take the edge off, but it's not the ideal withdrawal medication. Don't increase the dose without consulting the doctor prescribing it.

Answer 5

The worst part of withdrawals is the second and third day. If he was going to have had problems, it would have been then.

Most people who quit drinking do so on their own. AA only works for 5% of the people who go there and many people get worse after to exposure to the program. Most AA people wouldn't accept your husband because of the methadone, people got on my case for taking anti-depressants that probably saved my life.

Answer 6

People can have serious complications from withdrawal! If your husband becomes confused or begins to have tremors, take him to the emergency room and make sure you tell them he just stopped drinking. If he hasn't progressed that far, take him to your family doctor. The methadone may help, but depending on how much alcohol he was consuming, he may need to be on librium. Then he can wean off of the librium over time. AA is great for support, if your husband has plenty of support at home, he may not need it. Go with him to the doctor, they will be happy to hear of his decision and will be very helpful to you two. Good lucK!

Answer 7

Most people who stop like that have withdraws. Just support him. Some things you might see are anxiety, irritability, depression and he may feel tired. He will probably get the urge that he has to have it again, but just support him and maybe help him find something else to occupy his time when he thinks he needs to drink. I don't think the medicine will stop the withdraws. Some people get serious side effects when they stop drinking so if he refuses to go to a doctor just watch him closely and make sure he doesn't make himself sick or depressed. If he depresses himself then it can effect his overall health. He can do it as long as you and everyone else supports him. good luck

Answer 8

Alcohol withdrawal refers to a group of symptoms that may occur from suddenly stopping the use of alcohol after chronic or prolonged ingestion.

Not everyone who stops drinking experiences withdrawal symptoms, but most people who have been drinking for a long period of time, or drinking frequently, or drink heavily when they do drink, will experience some form of withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly.

There is no way to predict how any individual will respond to quitting. If you plan to stop drinking and you have been drinking for years, or if you drink heavily when you do drink, or even if you drink moderately but frequently, you should consult a medical professional before going "cold turkey."

For more information about withdrawals, see Alcohol Withdrawal.

Withdrawal Symptoms:
Mild to moderate psychological symptoms:

Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
Feeling of shakiness
Anxiety
Irritability or easily excited
Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
Depression
Fatigue
Difficulty with thinking clearly
Bad dreams
Mild to moderate physical symptoms:

Headache - general, pulsating
Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Insomnia, sleeping difficulty
Paleness
Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
Eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils)
Skin, clammy
Abnormal movements
Tremor of the hands
Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids
Severe symptoms:

A state of confusion and hallucinations (visual) -- known as delirium tremens
Agitation
Fever
Convulsions
"Black outs" -- when the person forgets what happened during the drinking episode
Source: National Institutes of Health

Answer 9

Withdrawal Symptoms:
Mild to moderate psychological symptoms:

Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
Feeling of shakiness
Anxiety
Irritability or easily excited
Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
Depression
Fatigue
Difficulty with thinking clearly
Bad dreams
Mild to moderate physical symptoms:

Headache - general, pulsating
Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face
Nausea
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
Insomnia, sleeping difficulty
Paleness
Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
Eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils)
Skin, clammy
Abnormal movements
Tremor of the hands
Involuntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids
Severe symptoms:

A state of confusion and hallucinations (visual) -- known as delirium tremens
Agitation
Fever
Convulsions
"Black outs" -- when the person forgets what happened during the drinking episode

Answer 10

YES your hubby will go through withdraws,As soon as he's decide to quite. You have to support him and let him know you are their for him because he may push you away and get mad at you and say some really mean things but remember that's not your hubby talk its the withdraws, he will go through deprecation stage. I believe that anyone can come clean if they really want it and if they are ready. Trust me My X hubby was a drug and he has be in clean for two years and he did it with out any professional help.