Indifference.

[Road to Recovery]

Indifference.

Lowcountryman;1080524 wrote: UK "I have a suspicion it's not necessarily getting to the switch, but staying switched"

Think you're on to something there. I consider the switch more and more as a reset of the brain. After that reset you're able to make rational decisions again. Without the irrational cravings I should be able to have control over my (not)

There absolutely no reason to think that you'll never be an addict again because you're switched. On the contrary: you can be, if you want to. I have a feeling that if I wanted to, I could be like a drinker in just a few months. But I don't want take the risk, like UK also scared that it'll start all over again. But the difference now, is that is VERY easy not to drink. So, if this would be a race between you and the beast; Bac offers you a kickstart now. I'd like to keep it that way and don't want to disturb this balance. Moderating with a reset brain should be possible, but still is risky imo since I believe there'll always be a weak spot in my head.
Because of this new idea I have, I titrated down to 37,5 mg/d myself. I have to find out wether my brain has actually been reset, or not. If not, I know what to do (kttdp).

And tomorrow I might wake up with a totally other idea of the working of our beloved Bac.
(Don't know if it's on topic btw)

Low

Nailed It!
If I wrote how I interpret what happenned to me - it would be written just as Low said. I truly do believe that if I tempt myself with moderating I will revert bac to exactly where I was before maybe even worse. Bac gave me a second chance at life, I am not willing to chance fucking it up over a stupid drink. I could drink today but like Low said, now I have the option to say no whereas before, no was not an option - my opinion didnt matter.

FYI to Low and those that dont know my history or are curious of "How Low can ya go" - I have tapered completely off bac and have been off bac for about 5 months with no change in mindset from when I was on bac. I believe my mind has been reset but to chance it again IMO is not worth it.
Bleep:
I understand your thought process of "I feel different about AL so there is no chance I would let it happen again" - Food for thought - I felt the exact same way (only hadn't experienced alcoholism) when I was young. The thought being "I am going to drink but I would never let myself become an alcoholic". Unfortunately, I didnt have a choice in wether it happenned or not - I let AL in little by little - giving an inch and it not only took a mile - it took the whole fuckin thing!

[coalfire]

Indifference.

Road to Recovery;1080622 wrote: - I let AL in little by little - giving an inch and it not only took a mile - it took the whole fuckin thing!

Not getting involved in the debate here because I didnt do the switch thing but just to say I hear ya!

[bleep]

Indifference.

I too hear you Road. It is insidious, no doubt about it.

Thanks for the heads-up, it's not as clear cut as I first thought, clearly.

[bleep]

Indifference.

This really, really pains me to say it.

Baclofen is turning me into a fat lump. For the first time in my life, I am considering some form of a diet. I already posted this on Bruun's thread, but didn't want to derail her brilliant and funny thread with my gloomy thoughts. I'm far too lazy to exercise, so that's out. That leaves me the option of dieting (ugh). There goes a lifetime of giving in to urges. It will be good practice for the 30 days AF, I suppose, which, incidentally, I am starting on Monday.

I can't be bothered to research a specific diet, so for now I'll just cut back on food. It's probably got a name anyway. I normally eat about 6 small meals in a day, so I'll go for 5, and see how that works. If that doesn't work, I'll reassess. How long should I expect to wait to see a result? It's hardly the most dramatic diet plan in the world (about a 17% reduction), but it is something. I'm hoping someone will chime in with a couple of days, but I suspect that's not the case!

I was under the impression that baclofen caused a reduction in weight?? Hah!

I really dislike being hungry, so we'll see how this goes. Fingers crossed.

[gratitude]

Indifference.

bleep,
what do you typically eat? generally. healthy or crap? or both?
so many different ideas about this. some say the 6 times a day is the best. I'm sure you'll get responses. once a day,paleo, veggie, cookie diet,etc. I just try to eat lean meats and fish with loads of vegetables and some fruit. also 5or6 times a day. except I do massive amounts of endurance exercise. which I believe balances the brain. I think that's a big part of what has kept me sober.
do you like to walk? that would do the trick. grat.

[bleep]

Indifference.

That's probably half the problem gratitude. My wife thinks I eat terribly. Almost no fruit and vegetables, normally chicken, steak or tuna sandwiches, something along those lines. I'll start introducing some fruit into the equation, and maybe a salad or two as well, and see where it gets me.

[Murphyx]

Indifference.

bleep;1080965 wrote: That's probably half the problem gratitude. My wife thinks I eat terribly. Almost no fruit and vegetables, normally chicken, steak or tuna sandwiches, something along those lines. I'll start introducing some fruit into the equation, and maybe a salad or two as well, and see where it gets me.

Well, it'll get you a look of utter disdain from me. I am interested in that cookie diet gratitude mentioned. Is there a cake diet as well? I could do that no problem.

RE: the whole drink one beer and you'll become a slobbering, alcoholic wreck thing. What happened with OA? He drinks in social settings. He certainly didn't become an alcie again. It seems to be working out for him.

Baclofen is a cure. It is meant to be used for the rest of our lives. If we stop taking it, like R2R, then of course we lay ourselves open to alcoholic descent. Dr L, OA and anyone who actually knows about baclofen will tell you it cures addiction. When you hit the switch you won't become addicted again and that obviously includes alcohol. But you have to KEEP TAKING THE DAMN PILLS for ever. You must find your maintenance dose and stick to it until you die otherwise you will spend your days fighting the urge and being terrified of swallowing a drop of mouthwash.

That said, I think it's a damn fine idea to go AF for a while, if nothing else but to prove to yourself that you really have reached your goal.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Indifference.

Murphyx;1080985 wrote: I am interested in that cookie diet gratitude mentioned. Is there a cake diet as well? I could do that no problem.
there is, it's the one where you try to get type-2 diabetes. :H


Murphyx;1080985 wrote: RE: the whole drink one beer and you'll become a slobbering, alcoholic wreck thing. What happened with OA? He drinks in social settings. He certainly didn't become an alcie again. It seems to be working out for him.

I drank a bottle of wine and I'm not a wreck, slobbering or craving...maybe you just need to switch to wine to avoid that outcome?
OA only mentioned drinking in social settings on two (?) occasions in the book. On both occasions he took extra bac the next day. (if I recall)
I don't think we know how or what he's doing now. just sayin'
I just couldn't resist, murph.

good on you bleep. think I'll join you on the AF thing. :H Then we can split a bottle of mouthwash. (purple, green or blue? or flat out gold listerine? yowza, bet that's a high!)

Haven't gained or lost weight. I suggest a lot more veg. Your colon will thank you.

[PbarE]

Indifference.

Ne/Neva Eva;1081070 wrote: good on you bleep. think I'll join you on the AF thing. :H Then we can split a bottle of mouthwash. (purple, green or blue? or flat out gold listerine? yowza, bet that's a high!)

I strongly recommend the cinnamon mouth wash. That way you can pretend you are drinking shots of "Hot Damn".

On a more serious note, this is a great thread. I have learned as much from this one as I have any other.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Cinnamon mouthwash it is!

Thanks PbarE. I hear you guys on the dietary front, and on the switch front. I have no doubt my switch is here and is real. The AF thing is just a thing, really. No real point to it, other than to prove to myself that it is real. Will be a good thing to do. Starts tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to eating healthily actually. I told my wife, so the snide comments about my weight have already started! I had hoped she would be the champion of my eating and sort the whole thing out for me, but it appears I will have to do it. Sigh.

It will be an interesting experiment, especially running hand in hand with the AF one. I expect to feel quite a bit better quite soon. Instant gratification, and all that. I would have eaten the other guy's marshmallow. I'll report back.

[TracyA]

Indifference.

You go, Bleep! Sounds like a good plan. We're not terribly fond of leafy green salads and tend to do a lot of root veggies and things like squash, fresh sugar snap peas, etc. Go with what you like. Yesterday at checkout, I spotted a candy bar made with carrots, leafy greens, other veggies and covered in dark chocolate. To borrow a line from Croc Dundee, "You can live on it, but it taste like shit." I'd stick with squash.

[bleep]

Indifference.

Phew. Today is the first 500mg's+ day I've had, and so far it's okay. I'm enjoying a glass of wine while I post this. Other than the stoned feeling, and a feeling of water running down my head, I feel fine. Ploughing through my baclofen supply at this dose, and don't think I will go much higher than this. I wanted to go high just to start everything with a nice clean slate, so I'll stick here for a few days, then start titrating down, at a rate of 10mg's a week (as per the French forum), and do this in a nice, normal fashion.

I'm eating an apple as I post this. It's the first fruit, if I don't count wine, that I've eaten for years. Surprisingly, it tastes quite nice. If I count wine, I have eaten a shitload of fruit over the past few years. Got a sad feeling it doesn't count though.

Murph, for some reason, it surprised the hell out of me that you were a veggie. I envisioned drunken curries playing a big role in your life. A drunken salad kebab doesn't really fit the image I have of you. What do drunk veggies eat on the way home at 2 in the morning?

There was something else I was going to post about, but I forget what it was. Viva le SE's...

[Murphyx]

Indifference.

Drunken curries did play a big part of my life, I had many a Saturday night lager and curry frenzy. Fortunately, every curry house I have ever been in has sold many veggie dishes. Kebabs are made from road kill.

Why have you gone up to 500mg? I'm missing something here?

[TracyA]

Indifference.

Murphyx;1081228 wrote:
Why have you gone up to 500mg? I'm missing something here?

Yep. My eyes about popped out. Bleep, when did you decide to try that?

[RedThread12]

Indifference.

Whoa, as well. Well, not whoa as in no, just whoa as in that's a LOT of baclofen. But sounds as if you're feeling somewhat back in the saddle. I'm for whatever works.

Re your weight gain issue, I keep reading about that on many threads, so I just posted one woman's way out of that issue here: https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...fen-48777.html: Info relevant to bac weight gain; mood stabilization.

Sorry about the long story in the post. You can just read the info about L-Glutamine then skip to the list at the end. There's a way out of this, too! And it's f**k-easier than experimenting with baclofen! :H:H