Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

mama bear;932541 wrote: i have been on bac for about 6 weeks and am up to 70mgs....still drinking moderatly,,,only se is sleepiness....

Thank you
You are doing so well.
That's perfect for now. Just keep it up.
Contact me where and when you like.
Phill

[Rusty]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Hi Phill,

I just sent you a PM.

You asked this question: Let me ask you all a few questions that I think are really important. The first is: If you lived in a country where alcohol was banned, would you have taken to something else?

In my case, no, I don't think so. I have never been a smoker and have tried no drugs. Prescription meds never were a factor as I avoid taking meds if at all possible. If I lived in a country where alcohol were banned, I would just go with the flow and accept it as something I couldn't do.

I take 30 mg. of BAC a day (most days....sometimes I forget) to give me extra support to maintain my AF-ness. Like Mama Bear, it's the sleepiness that I have to live with, which isn't bad.

I have never been the type of drinker who has drinking thoughts all day as I have a very challenging career and work long hours on-site with clients. I don't have time to think about drinking. Fortunately, my drinking never got to the point where I was worried where I would get my next bottle or hid the bottles I had at home. I drank moderately or not at all on weekdays....my issue was on one of the weekend days when I was really dreading the coming week due to dealing with extremely difficult clients....I would binge drink to forget. But of course, the AL did NOT make dealing with those clients any easier. The BAC helps puts the potential for binge drinking out of my mind.

Wow....this was long-winded. Sorry.

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

When did you first drink, and why?
Not a daft question.
Phill

[Rusty]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Hi Phill,

I first want to say that I really learn alot from your posts and you are a valuable resource here. I so appreciate the time you give everyone.

To answer your question, "When did I first drink and why?" If you mean social drinking, for starters....it was when I was a senior in college...we would go out to the bars on a Saturday night after a football game and we would dance and drink....but not heavily. I never had a hangover....never drank at all during the week. In my Irish Catholic family, we drank wine with dinner on the weekends. It was a socially acceptable thing.

When I was 25 years old and a graduate student working on a master's degree, I didn't drink at all. I was totally focused on my studies.

I am 49 and over the last 24 years, there have literally been years or months where I didn't drink more than 1 glass of wine per night or none at all, for months at a time. Why? Partly it was financial....I had many low paying jobs the first 10 years of my career and I couldn't afford it.

I started drinking daily in 2005-why? Two main reasons, I think. A demanding and highly stressful career of working 70 hours a week, plus the fact that I was so lonely and angry over several losses in my life that happened very close together: the deaths of my very best friend, my father, and my brother, coupled with the break-up of a long-term relationship. I was filled with so much anger and sadness and a feeling of helplessness....I drank to escape.

Are you sorry you asked ME, Phill :H

Thank you for asking.

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Rusty;932586 wrote: Hi Phill,

I first want to say that I really learn alot from your posts and you are a valuable resource here. I so appreciate the time you give everyone.

To answer your question, "When did I first drink and why?" If you mean social drinking, for starters....it was when I was a senior in college...we would go out to the bars on a Saturday night after a football game and we would dance and drink....but not heavily. I never had a hangover....never drank at all during the week. In my Irish Catholic family, we drank wine with dinner on the weekends. It was a socially acceptable thing.

When I was 25 years old and a graduate student working on a master's degree, I didn't drink at all. I was totally focused on my studies.

I am 49 and over the last 24 years, there have literally been years or months where I didn't drink more than 1 glass of wine per night or none at all, for months at a time. Why? Partly it was financial....I had many low paying jobs the first 10 years of my career and I couldn't afford it.

I started drinking daily in 2005-why? Two main reasons, I think. A demanding and highly stressful career of working 70 hours a week, plus the fact that I was so lonely and angry over several losses in my life that happened very close together: the deaths of my very best friend, my father, and my brother, coupled with the break-up of a long-term relationship. I was filled with so much anger and sadness and a feeling of helplessness....I drank to escape.

Are you sorry you asked ME, Phill :H

Thank you for asking.

We have much to talk about.
You know where I am. E-mail me through the site.
Just makes it a bit easier for me. And private.
Phill

[Rusty]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Hi Phill,

I tried to e-mail you through the site. Apparently, I don't know how to navigate it well enough. I will try again right now.

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Rusty;933036 wrote: Hi Phill,

I tried to e-mail you through the site. Apparently, I don't know how to navigate it well enough. I will try again right now.

And I will answer you

[Rusty]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

I just sent you another PM. Thank you, Phill.

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Rusty;933042 wrote: I just sent you another PM. Thank you, Phill.

dr.phillip.thomas@livemail.com

[tiptronic_ct]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Deleted.

Phil can delete the quote he included in his response.

[B4A]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

tiptronic_ct;933633 wrote: "Doctor" Phill,

Would you care to comment on the contents of the below link?

GMC Minutes

Fitness to PractiSe Panel

10 ? 12 October 2007

7th Floor, St James?s Buildings, 79 Oxford Street, Manchester, M1 6FQ



Name of Respondent Doctor: Dr Phillip THOMAS

That's booze for you.
Doesn't stop me helping now Baclofen has helped me so much.
I don't give medical advice. I collate information.
And I've never charged a penny for anything.
Phill

[scot98]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

I really do not Feckin understand what is going on here? So what if he is no longer practicing medicine, we all have made mistakes sober and drunk and faced the consequences, it does not make him a bad person.

This site is really starting to piss me off, it's about support for people trying to deal with their alcohol problems, not a bloody witch hunt!!
Get off your high horses, leave the guy alone, he is trying to be helpful, and if you think otherwise.........keep it to yourself!

Tiptronic..... you should be ashamed of yourself for linking to his hearing on here.

[tiptronic_ct]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

scot98;933712 wrote: I really do not Feckin understand what is going on here? So what if he is no longer practicing medicine, we all have made mistakes sober and drunk and faced the consequences, it does not make him a bad person.

This site is really starting to piss me off, it's about support for people trying to deal with their alcohol problems, not a bloody witch hunt!!
Get off your high horses, leave the guy alone, he is trying to be helpful, and if you think otherwise.........keep it to yourself!

Tiptronic..... you should be ashamed of yourself for linking to his hearing on here.

As I told Lo0p on the other thread: I'll remove the link.

But beware people who claim to be things they are not and mislead our members.

[brightlite]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Tip is doing nothing more than merely putting a red flag up to be wary of the people you are confiding in and trusting. Everyone here has their own comfort levels when it comes to dealing with people and I guess some of us are more sensitive to certain aspects we feel trigger these red flags. The only phrase I can think of at the moment is Caveat Emptor. He is back and offering advice clearly to those that desperately want it and I hope he helps you. Yes, we have all messed up due to alcohol in the past, and we can make amends....the prove is in the pudding.

[beatle]

Baclofen - The Holy Grail or the Emperor's New Clothes? You tell me

Credibility questioned, commitment and compassion intact

Phill has indeed misrepresented himself, and Tip (and many others) have valid and important concerns about this.. It certainly calls his credibility into question. Why would he not "come clean" from the beginning? Why did it take just a little bit of research to uncover his past? Why, when these serious facts are revealed, would he not address these concerns in a rational and open way, instead of calling it "nonsense"? These are valid questions.

Nonetheless, few here call Phill's intentions into question. His actions make it clear that he genuinely cares, and is passionate about helping others in a way that many others can not offer.

I have confidence that he will do the right thing, and then we can all move on and appreciate the heart and soul with which he is approaching baclofen treatment, and make the most out of his dedication and expertise.