Alcoholic friend in trouble

[soistalker]

My friend is an alcoholic who lives in Jomtien.  He is 50, and in pretty good shape. He wants to know where he should go if  gets into trouble with withdrawl symptoms. He is afraid that he will need to go to an Emergency Room, and he wants to know where to go that will help him and not be clueless, possibly making things worse. Which hospital do you recommend?

He tried to stop drinking, which he did  successfully for a few months last Christmas. But He started drinking again. He said he had moderately bad withdrawal symptoms. He said that each time he tries to quit, he has worse and worse withdrawal symptoms. He drinks about 18 beers every day.

Where should he go if he needs help while having withdrawal?

Edited August 20, 2018 by soistalker

[myfriendu]

I would say these guys would be experts, if your ill go to the experts in what ever illness you have rather than ask on a board like this, you see what the next lot of comments posted what kind of advice  you will expect.

 http://www.aathailand.org/

 

[kiniyow]

All Hospitals will know what to do...They seen this often

[cms22]

I've been in similar situations in the past. It's a case of forcing yourself to gradually reduce and wind down over a period of a month or so. The most important aspect of the winding down process is activity. Your friend needs to do something instead of sitting down thinking about the next beer. That's the most important point. For me this activity was - and still is - walking. I walk miles each day, stops me drinking, keeps me fit, gets me about, and gives me opportunities to take photos and meet people.

[zmak]

He doesnt need a hospital. There is plenty of info on the web that will tell him exactly how to wind down. However if he cant ration his alcohol without breaking the rules then yeah he will need to do it under medical supervision for the whole time until he is out of the woods

[impulse]

12 minutes ago, zmak said:

He doesnt need a hospital. There is plenty of info on the web that will tell him exactly how to wind down. However if he cant ration his alcohol without breaking the rules then yeah he will need to do it under medical supervision for the whole time until he is out of the woods

 

People have died from the effects of alcohol withdrawal so I salute the guy for willingness to look for a good hospital to keep an eye on him.

 

With many Thai hospitals being about as cheap as a decent hotel room, that decision is even easier. 

 

Edited August 20, 2018 by impulse

[KittenKong]

2 hours ago, soistalker said:

He tried to stop drinking, which he did  successfully for a few months last Christmas. But He started drinking again.

Just tell him to stop buying the stuff. No one in Thailand will give it to you unless you ask for it and pay for it. That makes it entirely optional in my book.

[KhunBENQ]

Maybe medical experts like @Sheryl would have to contribute to that?

Please remember there is separate "I drink too much forum".

Might worth to browse there.

[impulse]

10 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

Just tell him to stop buying the stuff. No one in Thailand will give it to you unless you ask for it and pay for it. That makes it entirely optional in my book.

 

I had to avoid most of my old playgrounds because of all my old "friends" who all but forced free drinks down my throat when I'd show up and not drink.  There's something about drinkers where a lot of them can't stand to be around people who aren't drinking.

 

29+ years since my last one, I still have to turn down free booze at dozens of social and business functions every year.  It would be hundreds if I kept hanging out where drinking is about the only form of entertainment.

Edited August 20, 2018 by impulse

[stud858]

I recommend removing ones self from temptation. Rent a house away from every where. Isolate yourself. Set a plan, do your hobbies, converse with friends and it will be easier.

 

If you live near a 7:11 you're buggered.

 

Good luck

[Cory1848]

1 hour ago, zmak said:

He doesnt need a hospital. There is plenty of info on the web that will tell him exactly how to wind down. However if he cant ration his alcohol without breaking the rules then yeah he will need to do it under medical supervision for the whole time until he is out of the woods

I would still strongly recommend a hospital at least for detox, maybe three or four days. Severe withdrawal that's not supervised or moderated by medication can lead to cardiac arrest. There's plenty of good information on the Internet, but there's plenty of bogus information there also. An alcoholic who is actively drinking is incapable of rationing his own intake.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, stud858 said:

I recommend removing ones self from temptation. Rent a house away from every where. Isolate yourself. Set a plan, do your hobbies, converse with friends and it will be easier.

 

If you live near a 7:11 you're buggered.

7-11's are great for stpopping selling alcohol at midnight .

Its the 24 hour mom & pop shops which are the problem 

[Benmart]

2 hours ago, kiniyow said:

All Hospitals will know what to do...They seen this often

Pattaya hospitals address the symptoms and any immediate emergency. An organization such as Alcoholics Anonymous may help this man find a solution for long term sobriety. www.aathailand.org.

[Benmart]

1 hour ago, stud858 said:

I recommend removing ones self from temptation. Rent a house away from every where. Isolate yourself. Set a plan, do your hobbies, converse with friends and it will be easier.

 

If you live near a 7:11 you're buggered.

 

Good luck

Is this from personal experience?

[stud858]

3 minutes ago, Benmart said:

Is this from personal experience?

Yes, but not with alcohol.

 

[GOLDBUGGY]

Alcohol Withdraw can be the worst feeling in the World. It is probably the greatest reason to keep people drinking. 

 

If your Friend is drinking 18 Beer a Day, tell him to cut back over a few days. Ween himself off slowly. Get down to say 4 or so Beer to keep the nerves steady. Stay there for a few days and he should be okay. He will only experience Alcohol Withdraw when he isn't drinking. 

[dotpoom]

I read this opening post with incredulity,  and amazement. Your "friend", who is an alcoholic, wants to know where to get help, what hospital etc., when he is in the throws of  "withdrawals" and.possibly the DT's (delerium tremors, that can cause shocks to the system so severe that can cause a person's death if not treated properly).  He asks that....rather than asking where he can get help to stop drinking . Is this post for real?

There are AA meetings daily 12.00 hrs. Long Stay hotel Jomtien and loads more in Soi Skaw Beach ( off 2nd. Rd. Pattaya.

[lensta]

He needs to go to a proper rehab center run by properly qualified westerners.

If you want the contact number of one, you can pm me.

[RT555]

It's called WILLPOWER.... If he ain't got it then he ain't going to fare well.

Its Black and white. 

He needs to get out of Thailand for starters, coz there are Losers every where you turn in Pattaya/Jomtien. 

[kingstonkid]

https://wat-thamkrabok.org/

 

Eight days that will make sure he never wants to look at a beer again LOL

[Deli]

Is he is on "only" 18 beers a days, he can get sober without medical help, as long as there are no other medical conditions.

It will be 4 or 5 tough days to go through the detox period but he can cover this with some legal light downers ( sleeping aids ).

After that... as the others said: activities from dusk till dawn at least for some weeks, AA may help but isn't for everybody.

A real good friend ( hard to find ) can even do better.

[KittenKong]

3 hours ago, impulse said:

I had to avoid most of my old playgrounds because of all my old "friends" who all but forced free drinks down my throat when I'd show up and not drink.  There's something about drinkers where a lot of them can't stand to be around people who aren't drinking.

Ah, I see. I suppose I'm lucky in that my friends wouldn't offer me a used condom let alone a drink.

[Formaleins]

Where we are in Chiang Mai, any of the government hospitals will help out with alcoholic withdrawal symptoms, they are pretty well versed in handling these cases given the amount of alcohol abuse around this neck of the woods. He will probably not be getting 5 star Betty Ford Clinic treatment, but they understand the risks and seriousness surrounding withdrawal. - My local hospital had me on danger watch when I was hospitalized simply because I had been a regular beer drinker most of my adult life. I had no such symptoms but the nurses did keep a pretty good eye on me during my stay.

Be prepared for some unusual measures though if he is likely to get violent - He will probably get tied to the bed by his hands and feet to restrain him - it seems quite the norm. in our local hospital. He will probably need a relative to stay with him too.

[impulse]

4 hours ago, stud858 said:

I recommend removing ones self from temptation. Rent a house away from every where. Isolate yourself. Set a plan, do your hobbies, converse with friends and it will be easier.

 

If you live near a 7:11 you're buggered.

 

Good luck

 

Isolating himself is probably the worst thing someone can do if they want to recover from alcoholism.  His brain on its own right now is just about his worst enemy.   He needs support.   Or we may end up reading about a mysterious death of a foreigner where suicide is suspected but nobody really knows what happened.

 

I agree with avoiding people and places he associates with drinking.  At least until he's got his legs back under him.  Then it's up to him to decide whether he has to change playmates and playgrounds.  Hopefully, under the guidance of an AA sponsor or other mentor who's been where he is now and gotten better.

 

And it's pretty much impossible to avoid running across alcohol in normal course of a day.  As a strategy to give up drinking, avoiding 7/11's and the myriad other places that sell alcohol is pretty much a non-starter unless someone's delivering his food and taking care of him 24/7 while he's holed up.  Which is unlikely for most of us who drove off everyone close to us with our drinking.

 

[stud858]

27 minutes ago, impulse said:

I agree with avoiding people and places he associates with drinking. 

That's what I was driving at.

Don't lock yourself in a cave and remove yourself from society completely. Take away the beer and there is no beer to drink.

[Cory1848]

30 minutes ago, impulse said:

Isolating himself is probably the worst thing someone can do if they want to recover from alcoholism.  His brain on its own right now is just about his worst enemy.   He needs support.   Or we may end up reading about a mysterious death of a foreigner where suicide is suspected but nobody really knows what happened.

 

I agree with avoiding people and places he associates with drinking.  At least until he's got his legs back under him.  Then it's up to him to decide whether he has to change playmates and playgrounds.  Hopefully, under the guidance of an AA sponsor or other mentor who's been where he is now and gotten better.

 

And it's pretty much impossible to avoid running across alcohol in normal course of a day.  As a strategy to give up drinking, avoiding 7/11's and the myriad other places that sell alcohol is pretty much a non-starter unless someone's delivering his food and taking care of him 24/7 while he's holed up.  Which is unlikely for most of us who drove off everyone close to us with our drinking.

I totally agree. There is always alcohol around, somewhere, and if an alcoholic trying to quit decides that he wants a drink after all (and if he’s all by himself without support, chances are about 99 percent that that will happen), he will go to any lengths to satisfy that. I’ve seen it happen, many times. Walking five miles in a driving rainstorm, etc.

 

Regardless of what one thinks of AA, it’s a good place for someone new to not drinking to hang out, if only to be with a group of other people who are trying really hard not to drink that day. Plus, he should get a sponsor, as someone “who’s been there” that he can talk to.

[Cory1848]

20 minutes ago, car720 said:

Don't laugh.  Seriously.

Buy a bottle of Hong Thong whiskey and stop buying beer.

The whiskey and soda will eventually overcome the thirst for beer and is easier to give up.  Cheaper too.

Hmm. Interesting idea, but I’m not too sure about it. Trying to use a less attractive substitute for one’s drug of choice (beer in this case) doesn’t really get to the root of the problem. The first time I got drunk, it was rum and cokes, and forever after rum made me nauseous. Still, when I needed a drink and rum was the quickest option, it worked just fine. Other people turn to vanilla extract or Listerine in a pinch.

 

I don’t know how badly off the subject of this discussion is, and maybe switching one drug for another is a strategy that will work for him. But I’m skeptical.

[kingstonkid]

The main thing that you need to do whether it is quitting booze drugs or anything changes your lifestyle.  In some cases that means moving to a different area.  Walking into a 7-11 is a lot easier than walking past your favorite bar every day.  

 

The other thing is you have to find something you like to do that takes the place of the time you are drinking.  going tothe Gym, taking up a hobby like building models,  something to take you away from it.

 

Depending on where in Pats he lives he may need to relocate to a new area or town.

[Elad]

I would definitely suggest winding down to around 6 beers per day and then go see a doctor at the local hospital, tell him/her that you will be detoxing over the next few days. The doctor should supply you with 3 or 4 days worth of diazepam to eaze the symptoms and temazepam to help him sleep.

[thailand49]

He needs professional help it isn't just physical his problem is in the head first.

I'm not very confident of Thai AA, anything is better than nothing but if possible if he can afford all the beers seriously think about going home and getting the detox there. 

Eighteen beer a day,  for how long, I'm sure he's already having some other physical problems his Liver must be taking a beating?

Good luck to your friend.