Hi all,
I stumbled accross this forum while doing a little research on Naltrexone. I have been a binge drinker for years. I could list all the reasons why I feel I was a binge drinker but the more I speak to others who have battled the slipperly slope of alcoholism of some sort the more I know they are all going to be the same, so it would be a futile exersize.
I am not going to go into specifics at this point but when you hit rock bottom in your life you absolutely know it. What rock bottom signifies to different people I am sure varies however when I hit mine I knew. I have not experienced this as yet although I have been in alot of relationships, but I have never just known someone was the one. I was always one foot in and one foot out. Well lucky me I just 'knew' when I had hit rock bottom.
My parents and friends had been on my case to go to some sort of rehab for years - I am late 20s and male just so you have a reference point. The fact of the matter is I simply did not want to stop binging. I look back now and remember all the times I made an arse of myself alllllll those times, all those times I had to apologize, all those times I did stupid inane stuff and all those times I mixed alcohol with medication.
More than anything else I think it is a very sad affliction for people going through it.
I am writing because I have just come out of two weeks of rehab. This is after I hit what I consider 'rock bottom'. I saw people from every walk of life in that rehab facility minus the alcohol. Of course there were differing cases, some people were daily drinkers, some people had to wake up in the middle of the night to drink, some people constantly drank. As I mentioned before I was a binge drinker.
Rehab was a massive wake up call, I had pretty much every test known to man. I have the start of a slightly fatty liver and nothing else thank god. My brain is still fully intact. The doctors said to me that either the brain or the liver goes first. The doctors also said that the liver forgives but does not forget. ie you stop drinking and it will repair itself (at the stage I am at - you start drinking again and it will forget about the repair, go back to where it was and continue to die.
It has been 24 days since I have ingested any alcohol of any sort. I know for the average person that may not sound like a particularly long time but for me that is a miricle in itself. It must be about 4 or 5 years since I have gone that long without a binge.
Rehab gave me the tools, and the matter-of-fact-ness re my medical condition to deal with drinking. The fact that any sort of alcoholism does not discriminate I thought was good in a way because I found myself feeling so alone so much of the time.
I was prescribed nalrexone in rehab. As well as niacin b1 (liver food) and a multivitamin. I had detoxed before I hit the rehab doors so there was no need for me to do it there - I had already made up my mind that was it, I couldn't drink socially, I couldn't binge just no more drinking full stop - Which is really the point I am trying to make.
Until you get to a place where you make up your mind for yourself that alcohol is doing you far more harm than good, and I am sure that place is going to be different for everyone, I know, I at least, would always strugle with cravings. That's the place I call rock bottom.
Naltrexone for me: I started with 25mg as so many people do for a few days in rehab. I noticed kind of a stoned feeling with the first tablet. A few days later I was bumped up to 50 mg. Then I took myself back down to 25 mg and off naltrexone altogether. It was about a week long experiment for me.
My thinking has not changed. I know where binge drinking leads. I finally admitted it to myself. I don't precribe to AA or anything like that. It just doesn't suit me. I guess I am somewhat of a loner in a way and need to experience things for myself.
Rehab is fantastic for all the tools it gives you and the re-enforcement it gives you telling you that if you start drinking again you are going to end up "here". Rock bottom obviously. Basically thats what rehab is. Telling you that in a myriad of different ways over and over and telling you the health risks over and over. I guess they are trying to cover every learning style because it's true that people learn different ways.
Naltrexone just gave me horrendous dreams and trouble sleeping. I thought the same as I did when I started it to when I came off it. I am sure many people will disagree with me but I just wanted to share my story.
I honestly believe you have to get to that place where you decide for yourself you don't want to drink again. I was told 1000 times, my mother tried to get a court order to book me into rehab, I lost friends over it, I screwed up relationships over it, all the stuff everyone in here can probably relate to.
It wasn't until I decided to do it for me that I made all the calls to the rehab centre and booked myself in. I think rehab is a worthwhile exersize - I know I got a lot out of it and I know I will never drink again. I have the diagrams cemented in my head. I know exactly where it will lead and no one on this entire forum would consider that a nice place. Believe me.
Good luck to everyone here wherever you are with your struggle and know that you are not alone.
I stumbled accross this forum while doing a little research on Naltrexone. I have been a binge drinker for years. I could list all the reasons why I feel I was a binge drinker but the more I speak to others who have battled the slipperly slope of alcoholism of some sort the more I know they are all going to be the same, so it would be a futile exersize.
I am not going to go into specifics at this point but when you hit rock bottom in your life you absolutely know it. What rock bottom signifies to different people I am sure varies however when I hit mine I knew. I have not experienced this as yet although I have been in alot of relationships, but I have never just known someone was the one. I was always one foot in and one foot out. Well lucky me I just 'knew' when I had hit rock bottom.
My parents and friends had been on my case to go to some sort of rehab for years - I am late 20s and male just so you have a reference point. The fact of the matter is I simply did not want to stop binging. I look back now and remember all the times I made an arse of myself alllllll those times, all those times I had to apologize, all those times I did stupid inane stuff and all those times I mixed alcohol with medication.
More than anything else I think it is a very sad affliction for people going through it.
I am writing because I have just come out of two weeks of rehab. This is after I hit what I consider 'rock bottom'. I saw people from every walk of life in that rehab facility minus the alcohol. Of course there were differing cases, some people were daily drinkers, some people had to wake up in the middle of the night to drink, some people constantly drank. As I mentioned before I was a binge drinker.
Rehab was a massive wake up call, I had pretty much every test known to man. I have the start of a slightly fatty liver and nothing else thank god. My brain is still fully intact. The doctors said to me that either the brain or the liver goes first. The doctors also said that the liver forgives but does not forget. ie you stop drinking and it will repair itself (at the stage I am at - you start drinking again and it will forget about the repair, go back to where it was and continue to die.
It has been 24 days since I have ingested any alcohol of any sort. I know for the average person that may not sound like a particularly long time but for me that is a miricle in itself. It must be about 4 or 5 years since I have gone that long without a binge.
Rehab gave me the tools, and the matter-of-fact-ness re my medical condition to deal with drinking. The fact that any sort of alcoholism does not discriminate I thought was good in a way because I found myself feeling so alone so much of the time.
I was prescribed nalrexone in rehab. As well as niacin b1 (liver food) and a multivitamin. I had detoxed before I hit the rehab doors so there was no need for me to do it there - I had already made up my mind that was it, I couldn't drink socially, I couldn't binge just no more drinking full stop - Which is really the point I am trying to make.
Until you get to a place where you make up your mind for yourself that alcohol is doing you far more harm than good, and I am sure that place is going to be different for everyone, I know, I at least, would always strugle with cravings. That's the place I call rock bottom.
Naltrexone for me: I started with 25mg as so many people do for a few days in rehab. I noticed kind of a stoned feeling with the first tablet. A few days later I was bumped up to 50 mg. Then I took myself back down to 25 mg and off naltrexone altogether. It was about a week long experiment for me.
My thinking has not changed. I know where binge drinking leads. I finally admitted it to myself. I don't precribe to AA or anything like that. It just doesn't suit me. I guess I am somewhat of a loner in a way and need to experience things for myself.
Rehab is fantastic for all the tools it gives you and the re-enforcement it gives you telling you that if you start drinking again you are going to end up "here". Rock bottom obviously. Basically thats what rehab is. Telling you that in a myriad of different ways over and over and telling you the health risks over and over. I guess they are trying to cover every learning style because it's true that people learn different ways.
Naltrexone just gave me horrendous dreams and trouble sleeping. I thought the same as I did when I started it to when I came off it. I am sure many people will disagree with me but I just wanted to share my story.
I honestly believe you have to get to that place where you decide for yourself you don't want to drink again. I was told 1000 times, my mother tried to get a court order to book me into rehab, I lost friends over it, I screwed up relationships over it, all the stuff everyone in here can probably relate to.
It wasn't until I decided to do it for me that I made all the calls to the rehab centre and booked myself in. I think rehab is a worthwhile exersize - I know I got a lot out of it and I know I will never drink again. I have the diagrams cemented in my head. I know exactly where it will lead and no one on this entire forum would consider that a nice place. Believe me.
Good luck to everyone here wherever you are with your struggle and know that you are not alone.
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