baclofen update on moderation

[me1455]

hey guys! my drinking has lessened this week from last, however that happens all the time (sometimes worse than others) bt i have noticed a definite bit of lessening of cravings. ( i am at 50mg) and to top it off, last night gave me exactly what i was hoping for-that "off" switch! i bought a bottle of wine, and didnt have a plan, figured id want to finish it. but halfway through as i poured my next glass (aftr all this obsessing we do!) i said to myself why dont i attempt to use the baclofen and not just finish the bottle because its here, rather stop when im not feelin it really.. the baclofen surely takes away from the drinking "high".which i normally wouldnt like on naltrexone. however naltrexone didnt take away my cravings, and the bac is beginning to slighly, hopefully alot more as i titrate up. so if something takes away my cravings i dont give a damn if it takes away the high, have to look past that bc ive been much happier the past few dys not drinking as much. again early to tell, gotta see as i titrate up. so back to last night, i wasnt feelin much euphoria or joy from drinking .. if any at all as i got towards the third quarter of the bottle. so i said to myself, "lets just stop" with little effort. and i DID! NEVER in years could i do that! so moderation might be possible! im very excited!

Curious, is this how normal people feel from drinking? like it didnt do much for makn me feel "good/happy" ? because ive ive talked to some of my friends andthey say it makes them feel good. does the bac supposedly return your gaba center to the norm ? (non alcoholics)

[Cinders]

baclofen update on moderation

Me,

I know it does something. If it didn't, I would probably be relapsing but I am not. It scares me because I have so many times. You know us alkies, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Keep us posted as you titrate up. It would be awesome if you get to the point where you are indifferent to alcohol and can treat it like RJ says, "butter."

Cindi

[me1455]

baclofen update on moderation

Thanks Cindi, yes i hope so! and i hope it doesnt go away after awhle, like,stop working. but does anyone know i baclofen is supposed to make the gaba work like normal drinkers? i havent read up on exactly what it is doing.

[billyb]

baclofen update on moderation

No one really knows exactly how it works. Ameisen's theory is that Alcoholism is caused in whole or in part by a GHB deficiency (whether this is due to a inherent predisposition or due to years of drinking, or, probably more likely, a combination of both). GHB is naturally produced by the brain, and acts on GABAa and GABAb receptors. Alcohol also acts on both, so it helps make up for GHB deficiency.

GHB can be taken to reduce alcohol craving, but as a drug it's highly addictive (it's known as "G," a popular raver drug, but it's also called one of the "date rape drugs").

Baclofen stimulates GABAb, but not GABAa - it appears to be unique this way, since both alcohol and GHB stimulate both GABA receptors. It's thought that this is the reason it isn't addictive, the reason it's such a good drug for addiction. Benzos stimulate GABAa, from what I understand.

So, the theory says that stimulating either GABA receptor helps satisfying the GHB deficiency. But, while GABAa stimulation causes even more craving, stimulating the GABAb receptor by itself satisfies the craving without causing additional craving. Therefore, Alcohol, GHB, and Benzos are all highly addictive, but baclofen satisfies the brain's GHB deficiency without making you crave more. This is all purely conjecture, though, since it hasn't been proven experimentally.

So to answer your question: yes. It is supposed to make your brain chemistry a little bit more like a normal person.

That said, you have to remember that alcoholics also have considerable psychological attachments, so changing the brain chemistry alone can't guarantee you will suddenly become "like normal drinkers." So, while moderation is a possibility, it can also be a slippery slope. I'd be very cautious about it, and I'd recommend a 30-day abstention before considering whether moderation would work for you. That will give you some breathing room to think about it more objectively.

[me1455]

baclofen update on moderation

hey billy b, thanks for your info. i understand i should abstain.. may try it. so i mentioned alcohol didnt feel that great.. is that how normal people feel? like it does something felt ok, but not the euphoria id usually feel? or do normal drinkers FEEl the euphoria, they just have an off switch after a few drinks?

[billyb]

baclofen update on moderation

You're right that with baclofen there's a kind of disinterest in alcohol. Yeah, it feels a bit nice, but it also feels like you could take it or leave it. I'd bet that normal drinkers feel some kind of euphoria, but it's that NEED for drink that's missing. So, they probably realize fairly early on (after having one-too-many hangovers in their college years, for example, or maybe just through normal socialization) that it's much more pleasant to feel a bit of mild euphoria once in a while than to drink to the point of impairment every night. Because they don't feel the crushing need for alcohol, I imagine it's pretty easy for them to adopt this kind of lifestyle.

So, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's a qualitative difference between alcoholics on baclofen and "normal drinkers." Even if baclofen gets you closer to normal brain chemistry, you're still monkeying around with stuff up there, so you're never going to be the same as the average non-alcoholic.

In the end, though, your guess is as good as mine...

[christyacc]

baclofen update on moderation

Is it possible to moderate on Bac? Is it safe to moderate on Bac?

Christy