Hi from Australia

[AudreyR]

Hi from Australia

Hi Greg

I've been reading posts on this site on and off for about 2 years. When I saw you were from Oz it brought back fond memories of a dear friend there. I had the most fortunate experience of visiting your enchanted country 9 years ago. I think of it all the time. Any way, all of the people here know what your're going through. I've been drinking for 30 years-the last 5 problematically and with some embarrassing consequences. I also have tried meds (Topamax) and disliked the side effects. Recently, I read a book "The End of my Addiction" by Dr.Olivier Ameisen. It was quite compelling for me in that he claims the drug baclofen was the only thing that helped him (after trying many, many methods). After reading much about this drug, I'm very interested to try it as the side effects are far less daunting than others I've read about/tried. While I'm in no position to offer anyone advice, I thought it would be worthwile to mention something that's given me a gllimmer of hope.
There's not a lot of info here about baclofen (but there is some) and much is available online. I'm planning on getting it ASAP and see how it works for me. Please keep in touch with us, Greg. Like , I said, you're not alone.

[Popeye]

Hi from Australia

Hi Greg.
The rewards are worth the initial pain. I'm 47 and like you have abused alcohol for decades. 4/5/6 bottles of vodka a week at the worst points but I'm on my way to beating it with help from the lovely people here and some meds (Antabuse aka Baclofen) I stopped and started and stopped and started so many times. Don't give up giving up.

I bought myself a little reflecting telescope a few years ago, having an interest in the stars but I neglected to appreciate that stargazing is a nocturnal pursuit and I was usually too drunk to see by the time it got dark.

[Greg]

Hi from Australia

Baclofen

I still haven't read Dr. Ameisen's book but I do think that baclofen is the most promising option for me too. I first heard about it a couple of years ago when an Australian hospital was doing a trial of it, but they were only using 10 and 20 mg daily doses so I didn't even try to participate. I have read about Dr. Ameisen's history and how he tried everything until baclofen allowed him to break free of his addiction. The drug is available cheaply in this country, but there is one huge barrier to anyone wishing to follow in the doctor's footsteps. He states that he finally lost his alcohol cravings at a daily dose of 270 mg., which is way above the recommended maximum. Here in Australia the max is 75 mg/day. I have found a doctor willing to prescribe it but only up to that dose. Since Dr. Ameisen used the drug without first going through normal detoxification, maybe a lower dose (within the recommended guidelines) could work after detox; maybe his need for huge doses were due to the baclofen having to take the role of detox agent not just anti-craving agent. I'm no expert and I'd recommend any corrections to my ideas.

As for a telescope I'm thinking of a 30-cm. Schmidt-Cassegrain. I don't have anywhere to set up a fixed observatory so my scope will have to be portable. And yes I'm often too drunk to do any observing by the time night comes around.

[rubywillow]

Hi from Australia

Greg, I've read many of your posts, and I can see how desperately you have searched for an answer to this addiction. I wish I could offer you a magic potion, but after all you have posted, I don't know any more. Australia is diff in the way certain things are handled; ie: I went to a 28 day rehab which was wonderful, and though I did drink some afterward, it was the beginning of the end. What I can do is send you my friendship, my support, and my fervent prayers that you find YOUR answer. Mine included renewing my relationship with my God, my spirituality, my believe in the power of a purposeful life. I took my g'daughters to our cabin for a few days last week, and we endured some horrific storms, with killer tornadoes actually passing over us in the atmosphere (tracked on radar). We were snug in our basement, and my girls couldn't believe I wasn't afraid. I explained that almost nothing could touch us, and if it did, I would be shielding them with my body. It had an amazing impact on them to know that. That's the way I feel about my spirituality. I know this is rambling, but this is MY road, my recovery, and maybe you can glean something from it.
BTW, that night, after the stormclouds left, we used the telescope to go out on the deck and look at the full moon. It just seemed right, you know?

[Greg]

Hi from Australia

Difficulty in replying

Hi Ruby and everyone else kind enough to reply,

If I take the time to try to post a detailed reply, I find that I have been "timed-out" and no longer logged in here to post my reply, so I'll try to type more quickly, or else copy what I've written so I can log in again and post it later.

I have my own belief in God and while it's probably not the same as that of religious people, I do think of a Higher Power every time I look at anything in our universe and on Earth. I also think of God when thinking of the microscopic particles and forces that make up everything, and how energy itself seems to be the fundamental "substance" that everything has been made from. As you can see I have a scientific view of existence, but that doesn't rule out God in my opinion.

As far as solutions for my alcoholism are concerned, I'm prepared to consider fairly radical ideas such as high-dose baclofen (200-300 mg daily instead of usual doses), cannabis as a substitute for alcohol, and other drugs such as one called picamilon.

I have long been interested in storms, although here in Australia we don't get the high number of supercell thunderstorms that the US has, and which give birth to most tornadoes. I still have a healthy fear of storms alongside my fascination with them, and I have never forgotten a very close lightning strike that happened one night when I was still in my teens. It was the loudest noise I have ever heard, and it set off my interest in storms.

Anyway, enough of my own rambling, I will try to post this before the site locks me out.

Best wishes to all,
Greg