Antabuse Thread
Hello to you all,
My wife (now on baclofen) took AB for around 3 years. I thought the lessons encountered might be of help to some:
1. She started on 4 tabs a day then worked down to one, The doc said she needed to get it into her system big time to start with then maintain
2. She lasted 9 months before her first relapse, then managed three or four month AF at a time.
4. She had no side effects - unless she drank.
5. She did not keep up her AA meetings which was a BIG mistake. AB is not a "cure." It is very useful for gaining stability - but it really only buys time for one to tackle the other problems, in our experience
6. The effect of AB seemed to diminish over time - but bear in mind it was three years
7. She eventually felt "controlled" both by me and by the pill. My administering it daily led to huge resentment - but if I didn't she ducked out of taking it.
8. She eventually became very very adept at finding ways not to take the pill - which not only led to her drinking but also caused great confusion
9 Eventually she encountered a huge job related stress, wanted the relief of drink, and ceased using AB.
Overall we had a wonderful three years - such a huge change and relief from the hell before - but as Dr Ameisen said, it eventually became a chemical prison which led to resentment. I am not suggesting that one should not use Antabuse, but I do think self-motivation is very important to success - as is maintaining a counselling or AA regime alongside the drug
My wife is now taking Baclofen but is also - at her doctors suggestion - using AB to get stable.
I hope this is of help - and I wish you all the very best in your fight.
CG
Hello to you all,
My wife (now on baclofen) took AB for around 3 years. I thought the lessons encountered might be of help to some:
1. She started on 4 tabs a day then worked down to one, The doc said she needed to get it into her system big time to start with then maintain
2. She lasted 9 months before her first relapse, then managed three or four month AF at a time.
4. She had no side effects - unless she drank.
5. She did not keep up her AA meetings which was a BIG mistake. AB is not a "cure." It is very useful for gaining stability - but it really only buys time for one to tackle the other problems, in our experience
6. The effect of AB seemed to diminish over time - but bear in mind it was three years
7. She eventually felt "controlled" both by me and by the pill. My administering it daily led to huge resentment - but if I didn't she ducked out of taking it.
8. She eventually became very very adept at finding ways not to take the pill - which not only led to her drinking but also caused great confusion
9 Eventually she encountered a huge job related stress, wanted the relief of drink, and ceased using AB.
Overall we had a wonderful three years - such a huge change and relief from the hell before - but as Dr Ameisen said, it eventually became a chemical prison which led to resentment. I am not suggesting that one should not use Antabuse, but I do think self-motivation is very important to success - as is maintaining a counselling or AA regime alongside the drug
My wife is now taking Baclofen but is also - at her doctors suggestion - using AB to get stable.
I hope this is of help - and I wish you all the very best in your fight.
CG
wl:
So, you only took the antabuse for a couple of months? I have been taking it for about 6 weeks now. But, the last few days I really was considering stopping it for a while. Luckily my friends here kicked me in the butt and got me back on track. It has really helped me because I won't drink while I'm on it. I just need to make sure that I don't stop taking it just so I can count 14 days so I can take a drink.
Comment