The end of my addiction

[beatle]

The end of my addiction

About "The End of My Addiction"

Reggie;743885 wrote: Hi just thought I would add my experience with bac....firstly it works ...I m a bit perplexed at Dr A' title of his book " The end of my addiction" maybe his? .....he is right Bac can stop craving but it doesnt finalise the addiction certaintly does not end it!!!!!! Im not saying the title of his book was designed to say that .... I am not trying to rain on the parade but for those serious about giving up the drink....baclofen will assist immensley but it wont 'end your addiction" to alcohol....coping measures such as yoga meditation hypnosis CBT ( I know Dr A says this in his book) even smelling the roses need to be in place. I thought I was serious about ending my addiction and for a month or 2 I was...then COMPLACENCY returned and i started drinking with the same old thoughts ..OH just today its ok youll be right tommorrow same ole same ole drinking thoughts... this is one (excuse my langauge) fucking serious claw hammer addiction....what makes it worse is I believed myself to be a smart savvy individual beyond addiction that was something beyond me ....sadly my life has been defined by it... bac works but it wont end the addiction
Reg

This post is spot-on, and although it has been brought up here and there in other threads, it is good to have a separate thread on it. Thanks Reg.

Cindi, your post provides us with good, concrete evidence that no matter how long we are sober and feel like we are cured, we are always vulnerable. We, who are truly addicts, must be vigilant for the rest of our lives.

One detail that is perhaps of interest: The original name of Dr. O's book (which was originally written and published in French) was, translated; "The Last Glass". I'm sure Dr. O had nothing to do with the change in title for the English edition. In fact, I'm quite certain he would have objected strongly. He says repeatedly in interviews that he will never be cured and will have to take Bac for the rest of his life, increasing his daily dose when confronted with situations of temptation. That doesn't sound like a cure to me. I'm sure the title change was pushed on him by the publishers in their desire to increase sales.

Regardless, it is important, as Reg and all the others point out, to remember that we are not getting cured. We are helping ourselves in every way we know to not drink. That's all.

Bac is a key tool in this struggle, VERY key, and none of us would have taken this leap of faith if we were not sincerely willing to try ANYTHING (including depleting our life's savings on wildly priced "healers" promising outrageous transformations:damn to make ourselves well (not cured, just well).

Thanks and keep it up everyone:elk:

[gratitude]

The end of my addiction

thanks for the post

great topic. thanks to everyone for being so honest.
i have been drink free for 2 years 4 months thanks to rehab and AA. i haven't taken bac...yet. honestly i've been watching you guys and waiting to see how it goes. kinda chicken i know but i am grateful to all of you for being the pioneers in this bac experiment. i rooting for each and everyone of you.
this post has really got me to thinking of why i want to try bac eventually. and if i should. i guess it really isn't a cure in the strict sense. for instance, i wouldn't say insulin is a cure for diabetes or beta blockers are a cure for hypertension, etc. they just manage the disease or allow the patient to live a relatively normal life with the disease. i was under the impression that i could return to "normal" with bac. sort of turn the pickle back into a cucumber. the "off switch" and all that. sort of confused now.
of course, like a good alcoholic i just want to be a normal drinker. be able to have a glass of wine at a dinner party. not feel out of place. but not turn into a 4 day, no eat, no sleep, drink everything in site, wait for the liquer store to open but not go to the same one two days in a row so they don't think i'm an alcoholic,(except they probably know if i'm buying booze at 7 a.m.) alcoholic. whew! what exactly am i looking for? i've found a bit of serenity in AA, i also am a cyclist and that helps tremedously with the anxiety along with meetings, talking to other alcoholics whether in here or in the rooms. honestly, i'm looking to be normal. to have a beer after a 2 hour ride with my friends and not have to go back to the hell of alcoholism and isolation. still not sure if that is possible. but regardless i've found a life (sober) that is beyond any i thought i would have just over 2 years ago. my best to evryone on these boards and i'm still hoping for a cure. gratitude

[Doggygirl]

The end of my addiction

Reggie thank you for starting this thread. Oh - and I'm a hugger so double :l:l I really appreciate reading everyone's thoughtful posts. There is a part of me that follows all of these "leading edge" type of treatments with great interest. Like gratitude describes, my sober life today is light years better than anything I experienced in the last several many years of my drinking career. But man - if there ever really is a "cure" that would turn this pickle back into a cucumber, I would probably get in line and shove my way in front of you! (just kidding - I would sneak my way in front of you by saying "LOOK! There's a BIRD!!" I wouldn't actually shove you....)

For me also, sobriety requires daily focus and effort. Sometimes I wish it wasn't that way. But I don't want to go back to where I was, so here I am. Onward.

Thanks for sharing.

DG

[beatle]

The end of my addiction

:sigh:just lost a post I'd written when I got distracted by what I really should be doing.

Anyway, the gist of it was that I don't know about those who want to moderate, but if you are already AF and have absolutely no desire to drink again, like DG, then Bac will likely be a godsend to you. You probably won't need much, as you are and have been AF, but it will make it so much easier to do what you know you want to do and are determined to do: to stay sober.

Bac just takes so much of the effort out of the constant daily, hourly struggle. The sheer effort to stay AF is what broke me every time i got sober. It took so much of my energy to just stay sober, that I hardly had time to focus on anything else.

For me, bac took away this driving compulsion to drink, this obsession with it -- and the only reason I'm not completely AF today is my own fault. I have no doubt I will be soon. I AM trying to be AF and I have greatly reduced my Al intake, and I have NEVER, not once, been drunk since I started Bac almost 3 months ago, despite drinking practically every night. This has been accomplished with a little effort, but not very much. And AL's only lure to me now is psychological, and I know it.

I think people like DG may have a lot to gain by trying bac. I would try it at low doses, which might be enough to make life much easier for you. You don't need to reach an off switch. You are already off. But it might be a lot easier to keep it off with bac. And your life might even improve more if you could channel your energy elsewhere (than on keeping Al off your back). Just a thought.