Safety
Is it safe for you to just stop?
The signs that mean see a doctor first
- Shaking hands or a tremor when you have not had a drink
- Heavy sweating, especially at night
- Feeling sick in the morning until the first drink, or knowing one would fix it
- Bad anxiety or a racing heart when you go without
- Not being able to sleep at all when you stop
- Having had a seizure or a fit when you cut down, at any point, ever
- Seeing, hearing or feeling things that were not there
- Not having gone a day or two without alcohol in a long time
The last two on that list are the serious ones. If either applies, this is a today conversation, not a next-week one.
Why willpower is not the variable here
This is the part I most want to land. If your body reacts when you stop, that is not a character problem and it is not one more piece of evidence that you are weak. It is a physical situation with a medical answer, the answer is routine, and it works.
People die every year from something entirely treatable because they believed that needing help to stop was proof they should have been able to stop on their own. That belief is the dangerous part.
What I can and cannot do
Bart is a peer recovery coach with lived experience, not a doctor, therapist, psychologist or licensed counsellor. Coaching is not medical care, it is not psychotherapy, and it is not a substitute for either. It cannot diagnose or treat any condition.
I do not do detox, I will not tell you how to taper, and I do not advise on medication. If somebody shows signs of physical dependence, the only thing I sell them is "go and see a doctor", and that includes when they want to buy something. Once the medical part is handled, I am glad to work alongside your doctor on everything that comes after.
Questions people ask
How do I know if I am physically dependent?
The clearest signs are what your body does when you stop or go a while without: shaking hands, sweating especially at night, feeling sick until the first drink, a racing heart, or not being able to sleep at all. Needing a drink in the morning is a significant one. Having had a seizure when cutting down is the most serious. If any of those are familiar, that is a medical question and not something to work out from a website.
What actually happens in alcohol withdrawal?
When a body that has adapted to alcohol suddenly has it removed, the nervous system rebounds. For most people that means a rough few days. For some it means seizures, and for a smaller number it means delirium tremens, which is a medical emergency that people die from. It usually starts somewhere between six and seventy-two hours after the last drink, which is exactly the window where somebody doing this alone thinks they are through the worst of it.
Will a doctor judge me or put it on a record?
They will not be shocked. This is one of the most ordinary things a GP or an emergency department deals with, and they see it every week. On records, it depends where you live and it is a fair question to ask them directly at the start of the conversation. What I would say is that the risk of being seen is much smaller than the risk of the alternative.
What do I actually say to a doctor?
You can use these exact words: "I drink daily and I get shaking or sweating when I stop. I want to stop safely. Do I need medically supervised withdrawal?" That sentence contains everything they need to triage you and it saves you having to explain the whole history before you get to the question.
Can you help me detox or taper?
No, and I would not, and you should be wary of anybody without a medical qualification who offers to. I do not advise on any medication, dose, taper or substitution. That is a doctor's job, and doing it badly kills people. What I do is the part after, once the medical question is settled.