Is alcohol cold turkey a good idea?

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It really depends on how much he is drinking. If he is drinking all day and as soon as he wakes up then withdrawals will be worse, because his body has developed a nicotine like dependence. Except he can actually die from these. If he's drinking that heavy then cold turkey is a very dumb idea. I had a friend that went through It. He was so bad he couldn't even catch a full 6 or 8 hours without waking up with the wah wah ringing withdrawals in his head. But he was drinking beer high grav all day everyday.

It depends also on what he's drinking. Scaling down to lower alcohol content beer and drinking lots of water or high electrolyte drinks will ease him into being free of withdrawal. Also, doing things out in the hot sun or aerobic exercise to sweat out the alcohol toxins will help. The anxiety and panic like tremors can be hell. He may need a low dose of ativan or other benzodiazepine. Good luck telling a doctor that though. They serve their purpose for what they are. For alcohol withdrawals, benzos shouldn't be taken anymore than 5 days and it only takes a little. Little to no caffeine also. Being free from that prison is certainly a much healthier way of life and allows for a much better piece of mind. Hope this helps.