Campral and slip ups

[missyabby1]

Hi could really do with some assistance here. Have been taking my meds for just on 3 weeks now. Had a great first week totally sober and not craving. Still not really craving but just falling back into old habits with my husband who loves to drink. Has been nothing drastic but really really don;t want to go back to the horrible hole I was in.

Can you offer me some ways I could reclaim my absolute initial resolve?

So don't want the lifestyle and hangovers back. Feel very alone and annoyed with myself.

[NoraC]

Campral and slip ups

Hi Missy - Welcome!!
I just started taking Campral a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure if it's helping or not. I have been on antabuse for the past month and that really helps me. My Psychiatrist wanted me to try Campral and that's why I'm taking that. But, the antabuse just takes away any debate going on in my head.
I have also started attending AA meetings. That was something that I never considered before and I actually found a meeting that I am learning to enjoy. For me doing something different to try to break those habits is really important. So, I'm getting out of the house more. Going to a meeting once or twice a week. Even, if I just get on here and read & post for an hour or so. Anything to break the habit of picking up that drink.
Congratulations on having that sober week. That's the way to do it.

[RudyB]

Campral and slip ups

hi missy,
i took campral for several months but did not stop drinnking. i experienced it to be a very subtle help, have even heard that it helps in only about fifty percent of cases. i finally stopped taking it because i realized that i did not have the inner resolve to put a lid on the bottle and keep it there. when i got that resolve, i had stopped taking campral for over a month, and i stopped drinking because i was somehow able to hear the me that wanted a sober life over the voice of the beast in my being who told me drinkign was great fun.
i hope you find your own way to your own resolve. as you know, there's lots of great stuff here to help you find your way to it. keep reading. find the tool box (i never have looked for it, but everyone swears by it). i found some great insight and help in the book Rational Recovery, which is a wonderful, self-empowering approach to being sober.
good luck. persist. it's worth it!
rudyb

[RudyB]

Campral and slip ups

PS
people have been having astonishing success with baclofen. check out the meds threads. you'll see...

[missyabby1]

Campral and slip ups

Thanks for your replies guys. This site is so welcoming. Will follow your advice and stay true to myself. I had a good old cry last night because I felt such a failure and was so amazingly sad about getting my head in such a state that I wanted to drink. I will try anything to stay sober and am about to visit the tool box and the meds thread.

Once again, thanks for caring :thanks:

[Shanny5]

Campral and slip ups

Hi missyabby1

Just wanted to let you know that I have had great success with Campral. It IS very subtle though and works best when used in conjunction with other treatment like therapy/counseling and appropriate lifestyle changes. I find it just takes the "edge off" the cravings but with some people, that's all that's required.
I also believe it is one of the safer drugs to take as it is more easily metabolized than some other anti craving medications.

Shanny

[NoraC]

Campral and slip ups

Shanny - How long did it take for you to feel an effect from the Campral? Have you totally stopped drinking?
I've been on it for a couple of weeks now. I'm not sure if it's helping or not. I wasn't drinking before I started taking it because I was already on Antabuse. I want to make sure it's effective before I stop the Antabuse.
Thanks.............

[missyabby1]

Campral and slip ups

Hi Shanny thanks for that really encouraging advice. I still feel the camral is working well for me and I have organised to start some counselling sessions. As you say some lifestyle changes are in order too. I still feel the cravings have been lowered significantly and now its time to use some other tools to assist the meds. I still think the old habits eg. coming home from work every day for years and hitting the bottle is the battle ground i.e. just strongly reinforced bad habits ! Also stress and frustration are definately triggers for me.

"stay calm" I tell myself and everything will be ok :H

Thanks..............by the way I,m from WA

[Shanny5]

Campral and slip ups

Hey NoraC and missyabby1,

There's a large school of thought out there that considers Campral no better than a placebo and I suppose this is partly because we don't yet know exactly how it actually works but also because it is subtle. For me, it took the edge off only but that was enough to give me some breathing space to recoup my resolve. I was no longer continually preoccupied with resisting the urge to drink 24/7 and so didn't become worn down and emotionally vulnerable to al. For instance, I still get cravings, but I am somehow standing a little further back from the front line and can more easily stall till it passes.
It only took a few days to take effect with me and I made the absolute most of that opportunity by seeing a counselor, going to the gym, coming here every day to learn more and just generally filling my life with bigger and better tools to fight the next urge. Campral is not a magic bullet because you still have to deal with the psychological habit and of course, the reasons you may have/had to drink in the first place. I believe there are other drugs out there that work much more effectively on the compulsive urge to drink so I suppose it really comes down to what your profile is as a drinker.
I'm not sure if I'm aiming for moderation or abstinence but I'm starting to believe it when I read from others here that is just easier in the long run to abstain. I've had two slip ups since new year and the disappointment alone was shattering. The longer I go without al, the stronger and more stable I feel so it's making less and less sense to drink at all..

Shanny

[NoraC]

Campral and slip ups

Missy - I'm glad you started this thread. Thank you & Shanny for your input. I'm doing therapy and AA along with the Campral. (Plus the antabuse at the moment) I might stop the antabuse in a month or so and just use the Campral. Right now, I want to have a longer AF period of time before I stop it.
I'm glad to hear that others are using Campral. Nice to have some contacts. :thanks:

[mylife]

Campral and slip ups

Hello Missy -- I'm also glad you started this thread. I've been thinking of trying Campral as well, so I'm interested to hear how it goes for you.

I was reading Rational Recovery last night and I do have to agree with Ruby that a lot of stopping has to do with getting an inner resolve that it's time to stop. There was a sentence in the book that really jumped out at me "Tried Everything But Quitting?" Basically the paragraph was stating that many people vaguely try to stop drinking without really resolving themselves to what their plan is. Quitting forever? Modding? Thinking about Quitting forever maybe?? Anyway, for me it hit home that I need to write down a plan and decide once and for all what my goal is.

I wish you luck with your journey! You can do it!

[missyabby1]

Campral and slip ups

Morning everyone. One of the most helful threads I have read on this site is called "healing the brain and body with su lements Although it is quite difficult to read at first (Ive read it about 15 times......to me it describes what occurs in the brain after long term drinking and why cravings can be so strong! The researcher who wrote this quite clearly states that alcoholism is curable once the brain is coaxed back into its normal state. He strongly talks about GABA being extremely useful in aiding this. I believe that Camral (trouble with my keyboard ..won't let me do certain letters... has this element in it. I am going toget some extra of this as well as the other natural substances he recommends.

By the way in the tool box someones mentioned M and Mms as assisting with cravings.
I guess because alcohol is really close to sugar . I had a few handfuls the other day when I had some cravings .................... it worked for me.

Off to work now.......have a great day.