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

[hoping4better]

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

Henrietta is right. And do stock up, as sudden withdrawal from bac can cause seizures.

[Sunnyvalenting]

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

I don't care if I have hit the switch or just enhanced my will power. As long as I don't drink. But the thing is, just like Henrietta, I am often in a situation where I would formerly have reached for a drink but have not. It is still suprising to me that that happens.
I understand that cues for addictive behaviour can be very brief, subconscious, and subtle. I don't expect any drug that I would take to erase any memory of the prior pattern. But I also understand that the bac gives the thoughtful neocortex of my brain a boost in being in control over the primtive impulsive addictive part of my brain. That is what it means when they say it is a GABA agonist. I need just a little help to follow my best judgment. I KNOW I don't want to drink. I have KNOWN that for more than a decade. Now I can act on that knowledge! What a relief
Sunny

[Henrietta]

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

Sunny

Well said! That's it precisely.
Henrietta

[Cinders]

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

I keep looking for that,

Cindi

[Lo0p]

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

I might be different, or it might just be because I take a higher dose, but it's even easier for me than what the rest here are describing.

I can purposefully THINK about drinking and try to follow through with it, but I just can't do it most of the time. I do this all the time for fun, and for kicks. :H I think it's absolutely hilarious.

[beatle]

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

Does that mean baclofen has caused you to develop an aversion to alcohol?

[beatle]

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

Sunnyvalenting;876003 wrote: 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

I've often wondered about this.

And one more idea... is it possible that those who take baclofen whilst abstaining might FEEL the switch more distinctly than those who are drinking? My reasoning being that the abstainers are craving and white-knuckling it, and then, boom, suddenly they just aren't. I would imagine you would FEEL the difference so clearly that you would just KNOW it.

[Sunnyvalenting]

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

Beatle, Great point, that may be true!
I was never even aware I needed to look for the "switch". I just suddenly was neutral about drink. It had never been like that before! Maybe I noticed it as I was craving and the relief was astonishing as a result.

[drunkmonk]

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

Update

Hi all. Just a little update..

I am currently between 30-40mg daily (4th 10mg if I feel like it bedtime)
It certainly has been a bit of a rollercoster ride so far.
I am very manic after my first dose of the morning, people at work have noticed me becoming more snappy. My head is all over the place, but I have actually started looking forward to my next dose... It seems I like to feel 'high' on something oh well at least it isn't alcohol..

This morning I had the thought for the first time that I wanted to come off bac. I remembered how 'clean' I felt during my first month of abstinance, where as now im a bit of a mess.. I don't really know what to write in this post...like the thoughts don't formulate they just arrive...like im stuck in a 'now' moment of time....wierd guess thats because im still feeling a little manic and my head is a bit speedy.

I was surprised by all this because I thought bac had a calming effect... Guess everyones chemical makeup is different...

I will stick to 30-40mg a day for a while I think..see if things calm down a little... I have a class on Saturday mornings and I feel its going to be tough studying anything while being baccyfied...

DM

[Road to Recovery]

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

How are your "cravings" or should I say, how often do you think about alcohol? You might try adjusting your morning dose to see if it will change the effect. As well maybe if you take it on an empty stomach? Just thoughts to try to help. As well, hopefully this is just short term and the SE will not be as noticeable. 40 days is AWESOME!

[SoFlo1]

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

Hey drunkmonk - with you on this, exactly the same dosage - 3x10mg with an occasional 20mg in the morning if I feel the need. I get the manic feeling you're describing, but not all the time. When I was trying to figure out my dosage I found that there was a cumulative effect of some kind, doses later in the day seemed to "stack" and could definitely make me manic. I can also relate to the hyper/now feeling - I would be energetic but had trouble staying on task even though I could focus. It was just that sometimes I "focused" on staring out the window and 20 minutes would pass! I found that DMAE and PC supps really helped sharpen me and now I have the anti-craving/anti-anxiety without a muddled brain. Probably helps that I've also tried to get a lot more active with some cardio workouts.

sunnyvalenting, beatle - I think you're on to something with the theory about going on bac when already AF. I was on about day 14 but not happy with the cravings and anxiety when my order first came in. I initially tried a fairly standard titration schedule but about halfway through, and with input from here, decided why bother? My cravings were quashed, I was now indifferent to AL, and my GAD was in check - all at 40mg a day. It's really strange to me how varied the experiences are with bac, but when it works, it seems to work like no other - it sure has for me.

[drunkmonk]

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

Road to Recovery;883128 wrote: How are your "cravings" or should I say, how often do you think about alcohol? You might try adjusting your morning dose to see if it will change the effect. As well maybe if you take it on an empty stomach? Just thoughts to try to help. As well, hopefully this is just short term and the SE will not be as noticeable. 40 days is AWESOME!

Yes, I will try taking 5mg in the Morning instead of 10mg. Maybe because the first of the morning is after a gap of say how many hours of sleep youve had, so it effects you more first thing.

Ive thought about alcohol a few times while on bac, but they have been just that....thoughts. No desire to drink..
I passed a pub yesterday and thought how its a shame I'm an alcoholic and cant have just a casual pint....nothing like the inner battle of previous times when I would be fighting and often loose the battle to fight the urge to go in and end up back to square one.

DM.

[Cinders]

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

DM,

Very good news on the ability to get past the thoughts.

I am finally there myself. I do think about a drink and I am still at that place where if there was alcohol in my house, I would probably break down and drink it BUT I am able to drive past the liquor store with ease and walk past the wine aisles in the grocery store, with a bit of a longing glance but the ability to walk past.

I think I may be one of those who gets the lessening of cravings as they go up.

I can't wait to get to complete indifference!! I hesitate to go to my son's house in the evenings because they do drink and I can't be around that. I can't go out socially with colleagues at work who drink. My last binge started with just that.

I want my life back.

I am at 120 mgs/day and upping it to 140 mgs/day today.

I am AF for a bit and planning on staying there for the rest of my journey. I do hope I hit the switch faster that way but if not, oh well.

When the thoughts of alcohol no longer enter my mind, I know I will be much safer when put into those dangerous trigger situations. In the meantime, I have taken time off of work so I can titrate up quickly. The SEs are horrible but manageable.

Good luck on your journey, too, DM. I am so glad to see so many who are actually posting about their journeys. The more information out there for people to read, the better for all.

Cindi

[Sunnyvalenting]

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

I think you are doing great. How much is enough? For me it is enough when I don't drink! for me that is about 60-70/day. I know one lady who is doing fine at 30/day. Eveyone is different. I think that the bac plus abstinence is a good choice. it is sort of like the hammer AND the nail. One isn't as helpful without the other but together it works.
Keeps us posted. Another option to even out the side effects is to take smaller doses at more frequent intervals. It is a pain in th a** but I had to take 10 mg evey 3 hours for several weeks due to side effects at 2 hours post dose.
Your paradoxical mania is just the opposite of mine. I tend toward mania as a steady state and this has calmed me down. Go figure.
sunny