Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

[Alcoholic]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Allan, just because we are newbies on MWO forums doesn't mean we are newbies at attempting to quit alcohol all our lives.

[kuya]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Hi Allan,

You have, inadvertantly, misquoted me. What I said was I do not see the sense in using medications, many of which are addictive and harmful themselves, in order to CONTINUE drinking.

I believe very strongly in supplements to repair the damage done by years of alcohol abuse. They work excellently for me BUT I had been taking them for 10+ years, started whilst still drinking heavily. Therefore I had been repairing and minimizing the harm caused, such that when I stopped drinking I did not suffer the withdrawals many people report.

Unfortunately supplements take time to do their thing. I totally understand why people take pharmaceuticals to reduce withdrawal symptoms ...... If I suffered them I WOULD TO!

You and I, Allan, are very fortunate, but in the minority. We did not suffer bad withdrawals or cravings and therefore had a easier time. Additionally we also changed our thinking to NEVER WANTING TO DRINK POISON AGAIN.

The struggle for most people is that alcohol remains a ubiquitous, legal, socially acceptable poison. Since we are social animals the thought of being outside the herd, so to speak, is VERY hard for most. The thought that they can NEVER drink again is absolutely terrifying.

A member here has been having problems repeatedly slipping after quite prolonged AF periods and that got me interested in the other methods. The arguments between the moderators and abstainers also pushed me to research the medications used.

As a result I am now fascinated with the Sinclair method of extinction of the learned behaviour of alcohol use.

It utilizes naltrexone to prevent the endorphin release when alcohol is consumed. It is taken an hour before drinking alcohol. The person continues to consume alcohol as normal. In 3-6 months (for most people) the alcoholic will lose the association between alcohol and pleasure and stop craving it. The downside is that the naltrexone MUST be used every time, forever, before alcohol consumption or the problem will be worsened. Having said that the majority using this method are eventually able and willing to abstain completely according to most studies.

Naltrexone is equally effective for treating heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and eating disorders .......when used CORRECTLY.

There was a dedicated Sinclair thread here which now seems unused. This would indicate that either the method works so well the members stopped discussing it, or it didn't work.

I don't want to use addictive pharmaceuticals at all, but were I , for whatever reason, to find myself back in that hell hole of alcohol abuse I would try the naltrexone route in a heartbeat.

What is somewhat surprising is naltrexone is still incorrectly prescribed for reducing cravings in the abstinent, when, in fact, it only works properly when taken repeatedly WITH alcohol. When used properly the success rate in Finland was 78%, I believe.

Perhaps for some, who find abstention impossible, the use of naltrexone (and it's analogues) to extinguish cravings and thereby quit, with the safety net of naltrexone for future protection, is preferable to repeated failures and possibly the return to alcoholic drinking.

[allankay]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Thank you all for your comments, both negative and positive. It’s hard to have a conversation about anything when everybody just nods along.

I have read a lot of posts on MWO, and the first thing I hear a lot of the time “so what can I take for mood swings, cravings, withdrawal symptoms...” How many posts do you see about people trying to go for hard choices? Have you seen many threads “So how much exercise do I need to do to feel better”, “How should I change my diet to help with cravings”, “What are the alternatives to meds”? Most of the time the question is how many different meds should I take and in what quantities.

Sure there are cases where the addiction is so severe that drugs and control environment is necessary. I totally believe in rehab. But does it honestly apply to 95% of the cases on MWO?

I am here to give and receive support. I have had my share of low moments. I came to this site and asked for help. There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling weak and powerless. We need to help each other. But what I see in the vast majority of posts is meds recommendations. It is only one tool. It’s like being an electrician and only using a screwdriver.

I encourage people to try other things first and use drugs as the last not the first resort.

ALLAN

[allankay]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Kuya, I do apologise if I misquoted you. That was not my intention. I was talking about drugs that people take, which are potentially just as dangerous if not more than alcohol, not the supplements. Vitamins and minerals are all good for you.

Paulywogg you can count on my support. I think knowing that other people are in the same position as you is empowering. MWO is alcohols WOMD because of the people on this site.

Mom2JTx3, meds are only a small part of the solution. In any case MWO only sells supplements not the prescription drugs that my post was referring to.

LibraryGirl you may have misunderstood what I was trying to say. I am not saying how easy it was for me to quit. I am only on day 48 and am fully aware that I am still in the danger zone. But I work my butt off to stay away from AL. I watch my diet, gave up smoking, exercise regularly since giving up; come here for exchange of ideas and for support. I am saying that there are cases where a person is not showing any determination yet is expecting to have success by swallowing a pill every so often. I think when this behaviour repeats, to help this person we may need to be tough but fair. Positive reinforcement of the Day 1 habit is not the best option in my opinion. You must agree that there are people on here that really do struggle but push through and do what it takes to succeed. Other times I read posts about people going to parties in their first week of quit and cave in to peer pressure. Again and again and again. May be we need to be firm and suggest that staying away from those situation is the best course of action in the first 30 days, rather than applauding a person for going 48 hours without AL.

Again, I want to state that my only intention is to help people here. And if a person doesn?t care about their own quit, how can I possibly help them? (I am not talking about everyone but there are a few cases that deserve more of a bad cop approach)

ALLAN

[Nelz]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

What a great read with interesting feedback.

I think in the end this is a do you like Ford or Chevy kind of debate, because this beast has many ways of being slain. Its Fords only, or Chevy only for some folks but ultimately "both" will get you to your destination.

We all respond differently to different stimulus(or should that be stimuli?) I guess that in the end, whatever it takes (fluffy nice and sugar coated, or good cop bad cop) its ok.

I do know good cop/bad cop wouldnt work on me.........Im too much of a skurdypuss!!!


With that said, a little encouragement to new members in their start up phase is probably ok

[spacebebe01]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

allankay;1394445 wrote: Sitting on your ass and popping pills will get you nowhere.

.

And you have posted this thread on just starting out, who the hell do you think you are, who do you know that sits on their arse and just pops pills.

Dont bother replying I wont be back, you didnt even deserve this you are so arrogant, you are just trying to wind people up when they are trying their best to get better. How dare you

[patrice]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Allan, I think it's great on your 48 days and from what I have read .. you have worked really hard to achieve those days.. but your awareness and growth from your 48 days must be questioned...

Your arrogance is astounding... you seem to buck the trend because what I see on here mostly is a direct correlation between alcohol free time and humility and understanding towards others'...

[Alcoholic]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Allan:

I'm one of those newbies you referred to as popping pills on day 1.

What I never posted on this forum was that I struggled w alcoholism for years and attempted to quit unsuccessfully without meds for many years. Also never posted was doing exercise regularly and eating healthy foods. I tried hypnotherapy, meditation, AA, just about everything you can imagine.

I guess I was offended because here I am, trying another method, and it seems to be working, then I read your post. I wonder how many of the other newbies also did try diet, exercise, will power, and just didn't post their past experiences for YOU to know and judge.

Newbie means mainly newbie on this site, not a newbie at quitting.

Sorry if I come on too strong, but my feelings are hurt and I felt offended by this comment.

[allankay]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

I see that a lot of people focus on one sentence in my post and ignore everything else I say. If you are one of those people you may as well ignore my post. I don’t want to waste my time replying to you.

I promote self reliance and encourage empowerment, rather than dependence and you call me arrogant? As I said earlier there are a few examples on this site that require tough love. And I stick by my statement. I see a lot of people who genuinely want to quit, others just wish they could. If you are taking it personally you are either one of these people or you just don’t bother to read before commenting.

I wish strength to all the true AL fighters.

ALLAN

[mama bear]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

lending my support to all newbies...no matter how you do it......just do it!!!

[Alcoholic]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Thanks mama: it's nice to know there are non-judgmental and supportive people out here !!!! Alcoholic

[K9Lover]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Ditto what Mama said...use any tool you need...just do it. Eventually the exercise and healthy eating will fall into place. When I first quit drinking, the LAST thing I was going to do was get up and go to the gym, or care about what I was eating. My main focus was keeping the damn alcohol out of my body. I even kept smoking for months, then I finally gave that up too. There is no "magic pill", but there are some damn good tools to get you started, and keep you going!

[LibraryGirl]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Well said Mama. Some people may be able to quit through sheer force of will, exercise, determination, etc. and some may need something else. Whatever gets you there is all that counts! Keep up the faith.

[Slaythefear]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

Nelz: I do know good cop/bad cop wouldnt work on me.........Im too much of a skurdypuss!!!


LOL! Is skurdypuss a Kansas word? ROTFL!!!!

[Slaythefear]

Quitting doesnt require any medication! Has no shortcuts

allankay;1394796 wrote: I see that a lot of people focus on one sentence in my post and ignore everything else I say. If you are one of those people you may as well ignore my post. I don’t want to waste my time replying to you.

I promote self reliance and encourage empowerment, rather than dependence and you call me arrogant? As I said earlier there are a few examples on this site that require tough love. And I stick by my statement. I see a lot of people who genuinely want to quit, others just wish they could. If you are taking it personally you are either one of these people or you just don’t bother to read before commenting.

I wish strength to all the true AL fighters.

ALLAN

Allan, don't feel ganged up on. That in itself can be a trigger. Two people can be looking at the same door and describe it differently. Perception is a tricky animal to counter. Hang tight on your path. It is working for you, so stay the course.