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**bleep** · June 19, 2011, 07:25 AM

Nothing is working

Hi Jo, and welcome.

I've not had experience with naltrexone or campral, so I can't really advise on those. I used a medicine called baclofen, and to great effect. It entirely removed cravings for alcohol. The majority of the posts on this part of the board concern themselves with baclofen. Your best bet is to have a read around some of the current threads, but specifically look at some of the links mentioned in this one:
https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...ead-50513.html

There's more than one way out, but for me baclofen was the best way. Good luck in your search.

**Seethepony** · June 19, 2011, 07:26 AM

Nothing is working

Hey Jo,

I've got to run and catch a train so no time for long blah blah but don't cave in to drinking... that's a real waste of time as I'm sure you know by now. I stopped a decade and a half of suicidal boozing last August in a matter of weeks with baclofen. I have no experience with the things you mention but you definitely must try bac as it can do miracles though not everyone reacts as well as I do to it.

Either way, don't give up. A life of hangovers isn't something I'd wish on anyone - so good luck!

**ik1966** · June 19, 2011, 07:34 AM

Nothing is working

pease take baclofen !!!!!

:welcome::h:h:h

**RudyB** · June 19, 2011, 08:44 AM

Nothing is working

hey jo,

what they said: ditto from me. and please DON"T just cave in to the demon and give your life away to something you CAN get rid of. i hope you are reading some of the other threads to get some new ideas.

i have tried both nal and campral. used campral for a few months to no great effect. as i understand it, it helps about 50% of people who use it. it makes a subtle shift in cravings. i didn't notice an effect partly because i wasn't truly committed to quitting, and my drinking was managable, so i wasn't feeling desperate. the nal made me grumpy and i didn't enjoy the drink anymore, so i only used it a few times. i think both meds can be helpful if you're ready to white knuckle a bit or if you're deeply committed to stopping. (see uk blond's threads/posts for more insight into nal's success.)

for me, baclofen is helping tremendously. my consumption is way down, now i'm just fighting the habit of drinking. please consider this option. it is far better, and more likely to help you, than pouring your life down the drain.

good luck to you.

**TimberTim** · June 19, 2011, 10:18 AM

Nothing is working

Jo, I have as recently as last week attained indifference to alcohol. What a life changing event. Throughout my 3 month journey, I experienced a significant reduction in alcohol cravings and consumption, up to the point last week when alcohol no longer had control of me. And that is called FREEDOM:wow3:

All of us who will contribute to your post, and many others, are now your friends and your new support group.

Talk to you doctor about baclofen and give him this case report (SUPPRESSION OF SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE AND CRAVING USING HIGH-DOSE BACLOFEN), get Dr. Olivier Ameisen's book "Heal Thyself", and then, we all hope, that he/she will provide you with "the cure" for alcoholism.

**Guest** · June 19, 2011, 10:19 AM

Nothing is working

Hello there and welcome

I myself have had tremendous success with Naltrexone, and my drinking has decreased to next to nothing. Some people report it does take 6-12 months before nal is effective for them, and indeed LoOp posted that it requires patience since there is nearly always a period of increased drinking on Nal, this is the point a lot of people give up on it, some regret it some go back on it and succeed.

I tried baclofen before nal, and had a bad time. It did nothing for me and gave me horrendous side effects.

**TimberTim** · June 19, 2011, 10:28 AM

Nothing is working

Ukblonde;1133424 wrote: Hello there and welcome

I myself have had tremendous success with Naltrexone, and my drinking has decreased to next to nothing. Some people report it does take 6-12 months before nal is effective for them, and indeed LoOp posted that it requires patience since there is nearly always a period of increased drinking on Nal, this is the point a lot of people give up on it, some regret it some go back on it and succeed.

I tried baclofen before nal, and had a bad time. It did nothing for me and gave me horrendous side effects.

It's true! Baclofen does have side effects as many of us can attest. Here is Doctor Olivier Ameisen's book availabe in Australia:

olivier ameisen - The Nile AU

**Guest** · June 19, 2011, 10:45 AM

Nothing is working

Oh and I would recommend a visit to the Sinclair Method, naltrexone forum. Lots of information, as well as experiences documented over there.

www.thesinclairrmethod.net

**Guest** · June 19, 2011, 11:42 AM

Nothing is working

Right now I'm back at the pc I can answer your questions properly - apologies for the short posts above.

I am following the Sinclair Method, but originally was taking my Nal dose quite early on in the day - just to try and ease my late morning, and afternoon cravings. Also if I felt like drinking I did, but I also let the Nal give me a hand in that if I felt a bit tired, bored I wouldn't push the drinking. I'd say "Ok Nal's helping me here, lets take the opportunity and just go to bed". Don't know if that's the right way but I'm so desperate to stop drinking I decided I would do some of the work too.

Anyway, I was unusual in that I noticed an immediate difference and did not spike up again - which is usual with the Sinclair Method. Once I felt more incontrol of my drinking I stopped taking the Nal everyday, and now only take it if I have a good idea I'm going to drink. Then it's just 1 hour beforehand. Like I said above it is common to see a return to past drinking levels, or even worse on nal - and for some it can take 6-12 months to work.

You say you are taking Nal morning AND lunchtime?So are you taking 2 doses, and why?

Some Drs do not understand how to prescribe naltrexone, some do. Some people shoot for abstenance and do not follow TSM. I tried that but then the cravings set in, I also really struggled with abstenance and fancied having a go at the pharmacological extinction thingy. The way I feel now is that I am fixed, I've gone through the extinction/requiring/whatever you want to call it.

I might not be around much this week because I have over things requiring my attention, and I'm sorry to leave you like this but the TSM forum is definitely worth a visit, and I also have a thread charting my Naltrexone success titled "Naltrexone Works!" on here.

**Bud-man** · June 19, 2011, 12:51 PM

Nothing is working

THANKS for info on Naltrexone initial stage usage...

UKblonde...Thanks again for your sharing!!! I will continue to read Roy Eskapa's book. Glad to know I am not alone in experiencing a spike in drinking in the 30 days I have been on Naltrexone, and that it is worth continuing this medicine to get to the "other side" of habitual alcohol dependence. I hope I can succeed and offer helpful feedback to others the way you have responded to my post. I wish to hear from all others out there, too, who are in the initial stages of The Sinclair Method, and from those who have succeeded or even failed with it.

**Jo80** · June 19, 2011, 07:14 PM

Nothing is working

Thanks

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to respond. I can't believe how much of a relief it is just to hear from people that have some understanding of what this is like. At the moment i am really struggling with my family...initially they were very supportive about trying meds but expected an instant fix, so now everyones attitude is it's not working, go back to aa. I did have a period of sobriety while going to aa but it was a horrible time of my life and i actually thought the cravings would kill me( not their fault, just not for me at the time) so i would really like to give this my best shot before giving up.

Uk, thanks so much for your replies and i have had a good read through your posts...congratulations on your success. The reason i am taking two doses of nal each day is that initially my doctor told me to take it at 12.00, which he based on the fact that i normally have my first drink at around 3. After an initial honeymoon period ( it was FANTASTIC) of 2-3 weeks cravings came back worse than before and i started obsessing about having a drink in the mornings, so he told me to take an extra dose as i wake up.

Now i have read about TSM obviously the way my doctor is prescribing it is different to that method. Its also unique in that i have read about others being prescribed nal and their doctors have insisted on them being totally alcohol free, where my doctor has never asked that of me.

By the way, had an AF free day yesterday, think it was mainly due to my own disgust for myself though not the meds!

Thanks again to all.

**bleep** · June 20, 2011, 12:56 AM

Nothing is working

Hey Jo (reminds of a song, can't put my finger on it though),

Well done on the AF day, for whatever reason! Wow, we have different families - mine was full of skepticism when I told them I was taking a pill to fix all this. They're believers now though! I believe it is a chemical problem, certainly to start with. Our behavior then reinforces it, and we have to address that as well later, but that's much easier to do with the imbalance out the way.

**TimberTim** · June 20, 2011, 05:32 AM

Nothing is working

bleep;1133737 wrote: Hey Jo (reminds of a song, can't put my finger on it though),

Well done on the AF day, for whatever reason! Wow, we have different families - mine was full of skepticism when I told them I was taking a pill to fix all this. They're believers now though! I believe it is a chemical problem, certainly to start with. Our behavior then reinforces it, and we have to address that as well later, but that's much easier to do with the imbalance out the way.

The song you are thinking of is Jimi Hendrix

**RudyB** · June 20, 2011, 05:39 PM

Nothing is working

hey jo, jimi is the singer of your song, as timber tim said. i was thinking about your words today, and how hard it is for those who do not share this struggle to understand. i'm sorry that your family seems to think that there's an instant fix in alla this. they obviously don't share this challenge. i only hope for you that you can supercede thier needs with your own. you don't have to prove anything to them, so let them watch and see...

good luck on your path, and keep posting. the good people here will support you, even when your family won't.

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