When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

[drunkmonk]

Just received my first 100 tablets.
Ive been AF for 32 days now and only had cravings on about 3 occasions.

The question I have is should I start the regimen now even tho I have no cravings yet, or wait until the inevitable fall off the wagon.

(Most ive done is 7 weeks AF in recent years)
Im currently taking Kudzu, L-Glut, GABA and the Occasional Valium.

Thanks,
DM.
:thanks:

[Road to Recovery]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

I reccomend you start now. Dont wait for the devil to gather up strentgh. Do you have a dosage in mind?

[drunkmonk]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

I was thinking of tapering up to 30mg and staying there for a while to see what happens.
I've been very lethargic since becoming AF and worried about side effects.

[Road to Recovery]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Yes, start at 5-5-5 for a few days then gradually increase - Just my opinion, but that was my route and had no unbearable SEs

[drunkmonk]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Ok, Thanks for the advice Road.
Can't wait to get started.
:thanks:

[tiptronic_ct]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Good luck on your bac journey, Monk.

Just a slight word of caution: as you've probably read, bac causes somnolence in the majority of people. There are some, like myself, who had the opposite experience and experienced insomnia. Just be very careful using diazepam (valium) at the same time as bac until you know how it affects you - combined, they may amplify sedation.

Keep us updated on your progress. It would be interesting to see how someone who is already managing fairly long AF stretches experiences bac.

[tiptronic_ct]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

And congrats on 30 days AF yesterday!!!

:goodjob:

[Sunnyvalenting]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

I suggest you do start the medicine at low dose and spread the daily dose out through the day to minimize side effects and be sure the anti craving effect is present at all times.
We often never even see the cues and cravings coming on as the cues may last as short as 33msec and occur at a truly sub conscious level.
How much is enough? IMO "enough" is enough so that I don't drink. Period. I use it to enhance my ability to follow a decision (100% abstintnce) I have already made. (And made and made and remade etc. I did not take it to drink until I was ready to quit as some seem to be doing on this site. If that works for them, hallelulia.
How long to take it? I have no idea but I plan to take it at least for a year at least at a low dose. I really want to rewire my actions and reward system. I think and hope this is what is happening. I don't miss the booze at all. I am currently have tapered down to 40-60 mg per day from 80.
I don't expect "miracles" just help. Slow down the impulsive brain and enhance the thoughtful one.
Good Luck
Sunny

[drunkmonk]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Hi all. Thanks for all your support.

I took my first 5mg this morning at 8:00am and my second 5mg about an hour ago at 2:00pm

So far so good. I havent had any side effects yet apart from slight dizzyness, and I feeling like ive had a few cups of coffee.

Will take my final 5mg at around 8:00pm.

DM.

[Henrietta]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Drunkmom

I encourage you to read Dr. A's book and continue to read this site. It's not an understatement to say that hitting the switch is the entire point of taking Bac. As you titrate up you will reach a point where you are suddenly indifferent to alcohol. There can be some side-effects, and understanding them will take you 90% of way toward successfully managing them.

This can be a point of contention with some readers, but Bac usually does not help with AL cravings until you hit your switch. We take Bac so it builds in our brains to a level for the switch to occur. It's not that great for managing cravings on your way up. Many of us were drinking right up until the switch occurred. It doesn?t sound like your cravings are too big of an issue right now anyway.

So good luck on your journey! Take it slowly, and let your body handle the increased Bac doses on it's own good time. Taking Bac is the ultimate the turtle vs. the hare race. There?s nothing to be gained by rushing it.

Oh, and please plan accordingly so that you never run short of Bac. Those 100 pills may go pretty fast once you move into the higher doses. Stocking up will bring great peace of mind.

[Sunnyvalenting]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Perhaps those who make a decision to abstain can achieve that goal at a lower dose than those who wait for the switch. Just wondering.
Good luck and keep us posted.
sunny

[drunkmonk]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

I wondered that too. I mean, I do have the odd craving now and again.
If (and I hope this time) for some miraculous reason several weeks in I don't have any cravings, is there a way of knowing if I've hit the switch, or if I'm simply not having any cravings.

Do I want to keep titrating up if i'm not having any cravings.
This is part of the reason I was reluctant to start on this Therapy until I 'fell off the wagon'.

Anyway I'll keep researching, and see where I am a few weeks from now, because then i'll be in different territory - longest AF period in 5 years.

[Road to Recovery]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Good Question DM,
Maybe I can offer a view point here... The word craving to me means that you have a desire to have something and u really want it - weather or not you act on this craving is dependant on your will to fight the urge. I dont really find that the switch makes you stop craving alcohol, it makes you stop thinking about it completely. So I would think that if you are still getting cravings, then you are still thinking about wanting a drink every now and then, correct? but when you hit the switch, you dont ever think about wanting a drink - So If it was me, knowing what effect baclofen has had on me, I would continue titerating up, slowly mind you, until you find your thoughts on alcohol have changed to the point where you just dont want it anymore, no matter how good you remember it was. make sense? I know it is confusing

[drunkmonk]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Road to Recovery;876112 wrote: Good Question DM,
Maybe I can offer a view point here... The word craving to me means that you have a desire to have something and u really want it - weather or not you act on this craving is dependant on your will to fight the urge. I dont really find that the switch makes you stop craving alcohol, it makes you stop thinking about it completely. So I would think that if you are still getting cravings, then you are still thinking about wanting a drink every now and then, correct? but when you hit the switch, you dont ever think about wanting a drink - So If it was me, knowing what effect baclofen has had on me, I would continue titerating up, slowly mind you, until you find your thoughts on alcohol have changed to the point where you just dont want it anymore, no matter how good you remember it was. make sense? I know it is confusing

Makes perfect sense :thanksbubble:

[Henrietta]

When to take BAC? I have no Cravings (yet)

Road to Recovery

Hi Road... Hate to be contrarian, but my bac experience was quite different. I found when I hit the switch it did not bring a kind of amnesia toward AL. After all, I have 20 plus years of this bad behavior under my belt, so of course I was constantly reminded of the routines, the hours on the clock, the people, the places and events in my life where I would usually find myself with a glass of wine in my hand. Bac did not erase my memory or any of the old drinking triggers and patterns that became part of my life.

Truth be told, even now I perfectly recall what great relief and sheer euphoria that first drink would sometimes bring. After I hit the switch though what changed for me was the craving. At 5 pm, instead of becoming enslaved to this monsterous craving, I would just note the time and sort of realize in amazment that none of it had power over me any longer. It's like my entire drinking life had become a ghost --there, but not my reality anymore.

Maybe this again a good example of how Bac affects people different. Some people have SEs, some don't. Some swear it kills cravings as one titrates up, others have to drink all the way to the switch. Go figure! :H