I think that is a big hurdle for people - that with all other programs and meds it seems that abstinence is required to even get started - which is a brutal requirement. To me, it's like telling a cancer or a diabetes patient that they need to be symptom free before they can get radiation or insulin.
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I have always had to detox before I could start on any medication or programme (and I've pretty much tried them all). Not only is this a major hurdle, but the disappointment, the utter despair, that follows when the meds or programme don't work, have always driven me to higher levels of alcohol abuse shortly after.
I reached a point where I was afraid to detox (something I've become quite expert at, btw, after long years of practice:upset -- not just because of the horrible physical and mental torment of the detoxing process, but also because I came to associate the goal of getting sober with the devastation and despondency that would inevitably follow shortly thereafter.
I think many on this forum have been under the misconception that bac should be taken only after becoming AF, but I think that misconception has been put straight now.
(However, it may in fact be that for many people the process goes more quickly without alcohol in the picture.)
It's like that old joke:
How to become a millionaire: First, you get a million dollars...
How to stop drinking: First, you get sober...
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