Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

[Robert Smith]

My drinking pattern is one that starts at 10 pm and ends around the 11:30 to midnight mark.I never think about or drink during the day. OOPS! That is not quite true. Lately I've been pouring up a glass of wine while
making supper for the family and my wife usually drinks half of it. The harder stuff shows up at 10 pm .

My question is does others share this pattern and is this a good case for topamax ?

TKS! Robert

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

My pattern is usually different with different days. I get the "urge" about 5:00 PM til about 5:15 on workdays, then again at 8:00 to 8:15 (if I haven't already cracked one open - then I just keep going). On weekends, it starts early afternoon. To me, it is more what is going on in my environment. Hubby comes home from work about 5:00, and we usually go out to lunch on Sat and Sun - what's lunch out without stopping for a drink(s) on the way home. Actually, what it is is cheaper!

I find if I get busy doing something else during those times, I don't get in trouble because I don't think about it.

Barb

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

As for topa, I can't answer your question - haven't tried it yet.

[Robert Smith]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Barb,
tks for the reply and here's a hug for you! I think is was you needing a hug in a earlier post.If not then here is the hug anyway.

:l

Robert

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Thanks Robert - really rough weekend. Ready to forge on.

I started Campral today. I know you are supposed to be abstinent for a period of time before you start, but I want to hurry up and get five days out of the way. I have a two week supply (that's all I got for $85!) so that gives me two AF weekends. By then, topa should be here. I am going gambling in Nevada over thanksgiving and hope to have increased the dosage so that I won't want to drink. You know Nevada - home of the free drinks that cost you hundreds of gambling $$$. Maybe I'll actually win something if I try to do this sober this time!!

[Robert Smith]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Barb,
your brave to walk into the Lions den, I'd want to avoid any place where people are drinking
especially if they are seving freebees . I have never gambled, with the exception of a scattered lotto
ticket, and I do not frequent bars just because I hate the inflated price that they charge .

What is Campral btw., I'm still a Newbie so please squze all the questions .

:thanks: and here's another hug :l

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

:l Back atcha!

Campral is a drug that is only to be taken if you are abstinent. After 5 days, it is supposed to take away the craving for alcohol. When you drink while on it, it doesn't work anymore. For more info, go to www.campral.com to see exactly how it works.

It was an impulse buy and I wish I had researched it before I ordered it. When I found out the dosage, I had only ordered enough for two weeks, having spent $85 I am hoping that just the mere fact that I parted with the money will give me the right mind set. Even though the alcohol craving is gone, you still have to have the right mind set. It's too easy to drink just because it's there and turn the medication useless.

I've also order topa on line and am waiting for it. I have been worried about the side affects but am coming up on a slow time of year business wise so if I get sleepy or dopey I can handle it. I've heard some wonderful things about topa and would love to someday be able to sip a drink and not think about the next one. Maybe this can't happen for me, but I know it won't if I do nothing. I was abstinent for six weeks and then just let myself go back to the way I was before. Now I keep taking "one more day" to get myself back on track.

Have you read the RJ's book yet? Lots of good info in there. You can order it through the health store. For $13, you can download it immediately.

[Nina328]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Hi Robert,:welcome:

Campral is a drug that should ease the cravings by altering the brain chemistry. I am on day six.

I am wondering why drinking decreases its effectiveness. I have tried to discover this, but haven't yet. In the booklet from the sample pack it says to keep taking it even if you have a relapse.

-Nina

[Robert Smith]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

wwbarb wrote: :l Back atcha!

Campral is a drug that is only to be taken if you are abstinent. After 5 days, it is supposed to take away the craving for alcohol. When you drink while on it, it doesn't work anymore. For more info, go to Campral: Strengthens the will to say no to see exactly how it works.

It was an impulse buy and I wish I had researched it before I ordered it. When I found out the dosage, I had only ordered enough for two weeks, having spent $85 I am hoping that just the mere fact that I parted with the money will give me the right mind set. Even though the alcohol craving is gone, you still have to have the right mind set. It's too easy to drink just because it's there and turn the medication useless.

I've also order topa on line and am waiting for it. I have been worried about the side affects but am coming up on a slow time of year business wise so if I get sleepy or dopey I can handle it. I've heard some wonderful things about topa and would love to someday be able to sip a drink and not think about the next one. Maybe this can't happen for me, but I know it won't if I do nothing. I was abstinent for six weeks and then just let myself go back to the way I was before. Now I keep taking "one more day" to get myself back on track.

Have you read the RJ's book yet? Lots of good info in there. You can order it through the health store. For $13, you can download it immediately.

I picked up RJ's book and tape last fall, I haven't read it to date nor have I listened to the tapes. I think it
will soon be time to dig out the book and read it. It's funny, I know what I'm doing, I don't like it, and I have the materials at hand to help, but I just do nothing about it............................................weir d.
I think this forum is a start for me, time to shit or get off the pot right? Wait a second, I don't do pot !

:H :l Robert

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

You have what I like to call the "one more day" or "one more weekend" syndrome. I quit for six weeks - until my 50th birthday. Life kind of got in the way, and I kept saying, ok, this is my last weekend - I start the program on Monday. That was six weeks ago. So I am going to Thanksgiving to give myself another 30 day "cleansing" - started again yesterday.

That's the hardest part is trying to split between the "two yous" the one that wants to change and the one that wants to party. The first week is the hardest for me, so I am trying to think of it as getting through those seven days. Once I do that, do I want to go through it again? No - that is what I try to keep in mind when I am tempted. Seven days goes by very quickly (and this weekend is very busy for me) - so just "get it over with" so that I can move on". That is what I keep telling myself.

Barb

[Robert Smith]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Nina328 wrote: Hi Robert,:welcome:

Campral is a drug that should ease the cravings by altering the brain chemistry. I am on day six.

I am wondering why drinking decreases its effectiveness. I have tried to discover this, but haven't yet. In the booklet from the sample pack it says to keep taking it even if you have a relapse.

-Nina

Nina,
way to go, and I hope when you get this message your into day seven . So how is the whole Campral experience been, any side effects ? Personally I hate drugs , funny , as soon as I wrote that I thought.......then what the heck is in that bottle................mediciine ? My habit is a nightly one, I do not drink in the day, in-fact, I hate the stuff in the day because it makes me lazy and tired. I might have a beer on a hot day or maybe a beer after a hockey game but that would be it. The evening though is different . At
about 10pm or so I get the craving and go through the exact same routine. Drink, puff cigar,drink, puff cigar, drink, nighty night . I'm extreme into fitness and this weighs on me heavily, especially in the last two years. Anyway , am I a candidate for Campral ?

Robert

[cv1]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Robert, here is a link to a site with an explanantion about how campral works. Then you can decide if it is for you. Basically, it acts on your brain's neurotransmitter activity, as does alcohol.

Campral EC

--------------------------

How does it work?

Acamprosate is used in the treatment of alcohol dependence.

Acamprosate has a structure similar to chemical transmitters (neurotransmitters) in the brain e.g. gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). These neurotransmitters act by sending inhibitory messages to the brain, and acamprostate is thought to act by enhancing their inhibitory effects. It is also thought to oppose the action of certain amino-acids that send excitatory messages to the brain.

As a result, there is a reduction in the desire or craving to consume alcohol, and hence its use in alcohol dependence.

Acamprostate is only effective after weaning, and helps to maintain abstinence from alcohol. Individuals on this treatment must be properly counseled.

What is it used for?

• Alcohol dependenceWarning!
  
  
  • This medicine is not used to treat alcohol withdrawal symptoms.
  • This medicine does not prevent the harmful effects of alcohol use.
  • This medicine should only be started after the individual has been successfully weaned off the alcohol.
  • Continued alcohol use whilst on this medicine counteracts (nulls) the beneficial effects of this medicine.
  • It is important that this treatment is supported with counseling.Not to be used in
    
    
    • Breastfeeding
    • Children or adolescents under 18 years of age
    • Decreased kidney function
    • People over 65 years of age
    • Pregnancy
    • Severe liver failureThis medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
      
      If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
      
      Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
      
      Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
      
      
      This medicine should not be used in pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.Significant amounts of this medicine may pass into breast milk. It should not be used by breastfeeding mothers. Discuss this with your doctor.
    Label warnings
    
    
    Take this medication with or after food.This medication is to be swallowed whole, not chewed.
  Side effects
  
  Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
  
  
  Itching (pruritus)Abdominal painVomitingNauseaSkin rashesFluctuation in sex driveDiarrhoea

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.

For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

There have been no reports of interactions with this medicine.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredients

Acamprosate calcium

[Robert Smith]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

Itching (pruritus)

Abdominal pain

Vomiting

Nausea

Skin rashes

Fluctuation in sex drive

Diarrhoea

Thanks CV1 for this info, sounds like a lot of fun . Seems to me that if I have to wean myself from alcohol then the biggest part of the problem has been done. If I can get there the craving are not a prod any more.
Getting there now is a challenge, but get there I will .

Robert

[wwbarb]

Newbie here HELLO!! Question on drinking patterns?

I am not physically dependent on alcohol. My dependency is purely emotional. I've quit a few different times for weeks at a time and have none of the physical symptoms except that the first night it was a little hard to get to sleep. I'm trying the new product from the health store, 5-HTP, and it relaxed me last night enough to get a pretty good night sleep. Calmes Forte does nothing for me, and conventional sleep aids, even over the counter, are too strong - I end up taking half a dose.

So I'm on day two of Campral and did not take a break from alcohol prior. I just know that if I drink, I've wasted the money I spent on it. That will get me through the next two weeks (which is the supply I have). By then, the topa should be here and I'll try that. I'm a little leery of the topa side effects (none so far with campral), but I'm at a good point, work wise and life wise to try it. Then I'll make a decision which would be better.

I know that Campral is for abstinence and topa is for moderation, but I see a lot of people on this board are going AF with topa. I have not made a decision about the rest of my life - I just am commiting to another 30 days of abstinence and will see how I feel from there.

Barb