Posted on 07/24/2026 2:34:13 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The death of Joanna Ruth Shields, the 37-year-old woman who was found along a remote Big Sur hiking trail in April, has cast a spotlight on a little-known but deadly affliction: alcohol withdrawal syndrome.
According to an investigation by the the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, the Carlsbad native had died of “probable alcohol withdrawal seizures due to chronic alcohol use disorder.”
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While getting off the sauce is often considered a good thing, quitting cold turkey can prove problematic due to alcohol’s sedative effect on the brain.
When someone drinks for a prolonged period, their brain chemistry adjusts to compensate for booze’s depressant effects.
Stopping abruptly can result in overstimulation that experts have compared to “accelerating vehicle that has lost its brakes,” according to Harvard Medical School.
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While symptoms may resolve on their own in people with mild to moderate withdrawal, patients with severe or complicated condition can suffer from hours-long, life-threatening seizures, with the greatest risk occurring 24 to 48 hours after they quit drinking.
One of the most serious complications is delirium tremens, a potentially fatal condition marked by disruptions in respiration, circulation, and temperature regulation. Suffers can experience a racing heart, blood pressure fluctuations, and even a temporary reduction in blood flow to the brain.
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And while many peoples’ condition improves sans medical intervention, those with moderate cases may require medications such as Diazepam or Lorazepam to mitigate risk of seizures and the development of delirium tremens.
Failing that, beta-blockers or clonidine may be prescribed for constant high blood pressure and an accelerated heart rate.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
You are showing great perception and insight.
> the never-ending horror stories from the other people.
No kidding. Perspective on life in the dirt lane. And yet they still recover. I found the stories both fascinating and terrifying. And inspiring.
I didn’t get DTs when I stopped. I had one attack of gout and couldn’t walk for two weeks without crutches. Worst pain I ever felt. My drink of choice is one of the worst for goat.
This seems a bit strange to me. As a heavy drinker, the last thing someone is going to do is go on a hike with a hangover and suffering from the other withdrawal symptoms. I guess MaYBE she thought going on a hike in beautiful Big Sur could have been a good idea but the last thing I wanted to do after a bad hangover was go on a hike.
I come from a long line of hard Scottish and Polish drinkers. Every one died in their late 80s from strokes. I figure it’s genetic in a lot of people. I’ve seen people dead in their forties after a couple years. Me, I drank heavy every day for 30 years and nothing but a little bit over weight. What got me was a gout attack and not remembering how nice it was to not have a hangover.
Fall is great time to stop alcohol. This is when the fresh pressed apple cider comes in. In the one gallon plastic jugs. Drink this instead of your favorite alcohol/ Drink as much apple cider as you need to.
You are substituting in one sugar for another. One blood spiker for another.
I did not know this level where even death could occur. What I thought was that simply going “cold turkey” was miserable and that all it was.
I am truly sorry your body gave you similar fits.
You are truly a man for breaking free. I am happy for you.
A good movie to watch is Lost Weekend starring Ray Milland.
The scene in the hotel room is one you won’t soon forget.
Thank the Lord for coffee anyhow.
That is how my brother quit drinking.
He consumed mass quantities of fruit juice.
He was craving the sugar that alcohol provided.
“A good movie to watch is Lost Weekend starring Ray Milland.”
“The Days Of Wine And Roses” is beyond sad. I saw it on TV when I was very young and told myself that I’d never drink alcohol.
I did have my first glass of wine when I was about 25. Drank a little bit socially through the years, but never really liked the taste. Also, it seemed like a waste of calories and money. I’d rather have my calories via Pringles, and spend money on fabric.
We’ve had wine and beer in the pantry for certain guests when we entertain, but even those people rarely have alcohol any more.
Also, one night after attending an opulent black tie banquet and having a bit of wine, I realized a police car was following me closely. When I turned into the driveway of my beautiful mansion, it turned also. The police officer got out and asked if I had been drinking. "A little bit," I replied. He hauled me into a paddy wagon, took me to jail, and made me take a breathalyzer test. I passed it. As he drove me home, he apologized. I replied: "Don't apologize. You were doing your duty, and you did me a very big favor." The favor: I realized what could have happened, and I have never driven again after drinking even a sip of alcohol.
The deadliness of the DTs have been known for many decades - this article acts as if it’s a new discovery.
The deadliness of the DTs have been known for many decades - this article acts as if it’s a new discovery.
When I decided I’d had enough and would give AA a try, I weaned myself over 10 days to ensure I wouldn’t embarrass myself in public by going “spastic”. Been sober for almost 38 years - 10 Sep will be the 38 year mark. No longer attend many meetings because being sober has become the “norm” for me - but I do remember many salient points from the Big Book and from what some folks shared at meetings over the years - and watched too many die young because they couldn’t stay away from the booze.
My wife (ER/trauma doctor) makes sure they keep lite beer at the ER.
Far better approach to the shakes than any drug.
The only problem is it tends to disappear.
That is just tragic, on multiple levels.
My siblings and I never started drinking because we had a dear great aunt and uncle who were run into while they were walking on a sidewalk, during a vacation. None of us were yet teens. My aunt had both her legs cut off and my uncle had his legs both broken. They never caught the guy, but a month into her coma, they received an anonymous letter with a large flower arrangement from this person who apologized for doing this but ststed could not turn him or herself in to the authorities, because he or she was from “a well-known family.”
They both survived, but my aunt was in the hospital for over three months.
I had a truly nice coworker who drank all the time. He was a former Eagle Scout, in fact. Every day at work you could smell alcohol seemingly coming out of his pores, but he never showed any alcohol at work. He was a true functional drunk, but always relaxed and cogent and a nice guy.
I found out he drank before work, had it at lunch, and through the evenings. He was divorced, but his wife had their daughter.
Later, I found out that during an occasion he had his now mid-teen daughter at his home, he got drunk and lost his sensibility enough he started molesting his daughter, seemingly for the first time. That blew up his life and he lost that job.
I have only tasted various alcohols and never had a desire for them. I saw what it did to people and how it has affected others, in my life. My wife is the same, thankfully.
Just to be clear, symptoms never kill.
My son’s girlfriend worked for senator John Kerry. so I do believe.
What was your drink of choice that was the worst for gout?
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