D-3 and counting

Hello.

I`m not going to mention the referendum, there’s a time and a place for everything and this isn’t it so don’t worry.

MEDS

Picked up my medication for detox week today. 106 x 5mg of Chlordiazepode aka Librium. I start on 16 a day on Monday then gradually reduce as the week goes on as directed by my nurse. This is to reduce the withdrawal symptoms and minimalise the risk of brain damage, fitting or seizures. Yes, that can happen. There are only two drugs that can have these side effects during withdrawal, one is alcohol and the other, strangely enough, is the one being used to help my detox. 
I get my first visit of the week from my nurse or counsellor Monday lunchtime then once a day for a week following that. My amazing wife Sarah has to be around pretty much 24/7 for the week just to make sure I don’t suffer any of the side effects . I`ll try to post daily about this, hopefully might make an interesting read for others considering a supervised detox

Support

Sarah has suggested that as a mark of support she would like to give up something for the week too. She has very bravely decided to abstain from sweet things, cakes and chocolate and the like. If you know Sarah and her sweet tooth you will agree that she will probably have a much worse week than me, at least I have drugs to help me out. Also sister in law Sue and good friend Gail have said they would like to do an alcohol free week to see if it makes any difference to them and as a mark of support. These very kind gestures are really spurring me on to succeed next week.

Maintenance

I am under no Illusions that next week will be the end of my battle, in fact it’s just the beginning. Getting off the booze is a fairly simple affair, staying off it is the main challenge. My “group” will come in to its own over the next few weeks I feel, providing the strategies and help needed for maintenance. In fact, as my “group” has been so useful so far, I think I will remove the quotes.
Met an old friend Steve in town today who has issues similar to mine, we spoke briefly about how he didn’t realise that alcohol was such a problem in my life, just goes to show how we “functioning alcoholics” work. You`d never guess, life and soul of the party and all that. He also suggested as a maintenance strategy maybe joining a gym. After initially laughing myself senseless at this I thought it may not be so bad an idea. Something to take my mind off cravings and undo some of the physical damage done through the years of abuse. Also could provide a target to work towards, being fit is not such a bad thing I suppose. I`ll chat with the group on Tuesday about this. 

Anyway. More soon.