Alcohol withdrawals

I don't believe it! I didn't think I was drinking enough beers to get withdrawals FFS! *sheesh*


The last week I've been having terrible muscle aches, mostly in my back as that's always tight from work anyway. I mean really bad. The sort of deep aching that spreads to your whole back and arms and legs, shoulders and neck giving headaches as well. My whole body hurts in the end. The only thing that stops it when it gets bad is 2 strong painkillers at once. That's more than I was taking with my knee earlier this year. 


Went to doc today, couldn't go to work as could hardly move this morning, as has been other mornings. I suppose if I'd pushed myself I'd have got there, but what then? Lift 3 tonnes of paper through the day as per usual? Had been taking painkillers through the night but the ache kept coming back to where everything was hurting again. By the time morning came and time for the added anti-inflammatory pill the pain had finally nearly gone, but I was off my fuckin dial on pills. On top of that I had nearly run out of painkillers. The situation was dire.


Texted work (supposed to ring but fuck it) giving a slightly coherent summary of the direness of the present situation, saying I was "spaced out" and "can't come like this". If nothing else the text would have convinced them that I was in fact off my face. Went to doc in morning, explained how I'd not been going to the pub after work after ages of doing so (about 6 beers a day) and asked if that may have something to do with it. He agreed it did, although it was still a good decision to reduce the beer. Said it should settle down in a few days. Gave me Valium to relax muscles and a bigger script of pain pills. And two days off work.


What made me ask him if it was the alcohol withdrawals causing the aching, was I remembered an old bloke I was talking to years ago. He was telling me about how he used to drink such a lot, bla bla... and then stopped. He said "I'd never had so many aches and pains in my life".


So there it is, I'm suffering severe muscle aches from alcohol withdrawals. Fucks sake! It's not so much the amount I was drinking, but the fact that it was a constant amount over a long period. The body eventually relies on the alcohol somehow to function. I had no idea that this was going to happen.


Ironically I still don't feel like going to the pub much anymore. I'm not having any problems at all with some kind of uncontrollable desire to do so, really enjoying the spare time and clear-headedness. I'm just really surprised that by cutting back to only a very little consumed over an entire week would have such a major effect on the body. I still drink a bit, just not nearly as much is all.