Worried about severe withdrawals.

I am constantly worrying about having seizures related to drinking.

I drink on average 10-12 bud lights(4.2%) a night after work usually over a span of
4 hours. I have general anxiety disorder and I think most of it is based on
Hypochondria. I understand that this is not good for anxiety but I'm having trouble
Quitting drinking for fear of withdrawals.
Any little symptom I get I start to think the worst
And will research it for awhile which i know
Is stupid to do. I was just wondering what people think about my
Worry of going through severe alcohol withdrawals? I've heard
And seen this with the heavy hard alcohol all day drinkers and it worries me...

First and foremost, it's awesome that you're recognizing the potential complications of alcohol withdrawal and you're reaching out for help. That's seriously the hardest part. (Much smarter than how I went about it.) A lot of your withdrawal will depend on a lot of things. Drinking beer is much easier on you brain and liver, brain, and kidneys because it's mostly water and it's alcohol content is lower than wine or liquor. How long you've been drinking nightly is also a factor. The longer you've been drinking every night, the higher the chance of physical dependence. I'm 30 years old now, and I started going to AA when I was 19, so I'll tell you everything I've learned over the years. I'm also a graduate student and addiction studies are part of my degree, just so you know that what I'm telling you isn't a load of crap. The biggest thing to watch for to see if you're going through withdrawals or not are tremors and feeling physically sick when there's no alcohol in your system. If you have the shakes and they go away when you start to drink, you're hooked. Similarly, if you have to drink in the morning or at certain times during the day to avoid getting sick, the same can be said there. From what you're describing it doesn't sound like you're at that point yet. I wasn't so lucky. I was a vodka drinker, and near the end I was drinking martinis from the minute I got off of work until I passed out at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I happened to be on Seroquel at the time for type I Bipolar Disorder, and I read online that another usage for it was as an anti-convulsant. I was getting the shakes pretty badly and then using the Seroquel in conjunction with alcohol to make the tremors go away. I wound up having a withdrawal-based grand mal seizure and going into liver failure. I was in the ICU for three days and in the hospital for another week after that. Generally if you need alcohol to feel happy or you need it to get physically well, that's how you know. Alcohol withdrawal truly is dangerous. Even though you may be a hypochondriac, alcohol withdrawal is not something to mess with, nor is it something you should tackle on your own like I did. If you are concerned, the best thing you can do is see a doctor to get some solid answers. If you are dependent, a doctor can help you detox. If not, at least you will leave with more information than answers than I can give you. I don't want you to go what I went through, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Seriously, the sooner you get a handle on something like this, the better. Alcohol is one of the only substance than can kill a person during withdrawal. I know I'm beating a dead horse at this point, but it's worth repeating: ask a doctor. It isn't worth the potential damage to your organs if, in fact, you are at risk. You know your body better than anyone so I'm not telling you what to do. Just telling you what I know through my own experience. I hope this helps and I wish you the best!

AA has been a huge help to me. I don't have bad days anymore. First though I would see a doctor as withdrawal can be serious and even life threatening.

Even if you don't have seizures, withdrawal is really hard to go through without medical supervision. I was drinking an average of a bottle and a half of wine a day when I took 30 days off a year ago. I was in very bad shape for the first 4 days. So at 10-12 drinks a day you're in some danger.

Please don't let this fear stop you from quitting. I know it's hard to admit to your doctor how much you're drinking and that you need a medical detox, but you'll be glad you did it. I'm on day 6 of round 2 right now and it's been really hard, but I'm so glad I'm on a path to sobriety (the plan now is to quit for good). I chose to go it alone because my intake is not as high as it was before. Drinking was still causing me a lot of problems though and it's very bad to drink with my meds, so it's really important that I quit.

Please keep us updated. Best of luck to you.