[mrsteve]

I am losing my mind, I have called 10 different rehabs and got 10 different answers.

I take 4-5mg of xanax under doctor supervision daily, I also drink alcohol ( 20 drinks a day)

one said they can get me off in 5 days because that's what insurance covers, they are a hospital and say it is completly safe.

others say you should do 30-90 days with therapy.

I was sober for 10 years but on xanax and then 5 years ago decided to get back on booze.

my life is getting out of control.

can anyone help with some advise, i'm new here.

[alaska88]

Hi, Mr.Steve. I would guess you are getting different answers because coming off alcohol and benzos can be dangerous and requires medical detox, what I've known is they use benzos to come off alcohol. I would also guess they would take you off the alcohol and Xanax and put you on a long-acting benzo like Librium. I don't think any detox is going to last you 30-90 days, that would be the residential treatment. Also every body is different. How have your past detoxes off alcohol been? You can guess this one will be like that one, but then compounding the Xanax has many variables.

What is great is that you are going in, wherever you go. Good Luck.

Alaska88

[Robert_325]

MrSteve ..... Alcohol detox is dangerous and it changes from person to person. But it can be fatal so don't make the mistake of dismissing the severity of what you're doing.

Twenty drinks a day along with any quantity of benzos is outright asking for a death sentence. I've done the same thing and I'm still alive. Doesn't mean the next time you repeat that you won't die.

You need to check into an inpatient treatment facility so you have a good reasonable chance of survival. Cost is irrelevant with something this serious. Good luck and God bless.

[Grabnar]

you need to kick that alcohol asap, after 10 years on xanax at a relatively high dosage you are probably using the alcohol to make up for incredible tolerance. if i was you i would increase the xanax dosage for 1-2 weeks while you get the liquer out of your system then slowly wean yourself off the xanax for however long it takes , i'm not your doctor so i won't make reccomendations on dosages or alternative medications, just don't try to cold turkey both at the same time.

[ARTIST658]

MrSteve,

I commend you for the decision to return to recovery! As you no doubt know, it will not be an easy path, but it certainly is the most worthwhile one.

I think the confusing messages about the "length of detox" has to do with what "goal" you have in sight. To PHYSICALLY withdraw from alcohol and benzos MAY be possible within a week, but that just gets you past the more lethal danger of detoxing. (i.e., seizures and such) And Robert is completely right there - do not minimize the severity of the combination of substances you are using.

However, a week doesn't really give you any meaningful foundation for STAYING off these substances. I, myself, had been addicted to both booze and benzos (primarily klonopin) and went through a very difficult withdrawal. Not just a few days, but many weeks. The klonopin was the drug that gave me the greatest difficulty, and the turning point for me was at 21 days before I began to feel "normal."

Nevertheless, when I began in recovery, I didn't make decisions like this alone. I could not trust my own "addict" thinking at that point. The "addict" in me wanted the "quick fix!" I heeded my counselor's suggestion while I was in detox - and I went on to long-term treatment - 6 months - and in the end, I stayed clean and sober.

Six months may sound crazy to you, right now - but think about this... you are trying to change a LONG-term pattern of drug and/or alcohol use - that you said is making your life out of control. In the grand scheme of life, isn't it worth a 3 to 6-month investment to make sure that you do this right the FIRST time, and not have to go back again and again?

I am eternally grateful for that experience, and recommend it very highly. It not only gives a newly sober person a "safe" place to get through the physical and emotional upheaval (where picking up again is next to impossible and loads of support is available) - but also teaches us the new, healthier coping skills we MUST have, when trying to learn how to live without the emotional crutch of a pill or drink.

That's what the pills/booze was - our #1 coping tool for life. Take that away, and emotionally, we're basically child-like in our reactions to any difficulty! Without NEW coping skills, we are doomed to go back to the old ones... which were booze and pills.

In other words, don't be in a rush to find the quickest, easiest detox program... that could spell relapse. You want what will WORK, not what is easiest.

I am no professional, just another addict who has been blessed to find recovery through a 12-step program that followed after my time in the treatment center. I can only share what I know, what I experienced on my own - and pray that it helps you.

God bless you in your journey, MrSteve.

Ruth