Next into the pool ...

[Cassander]

Next into the pool ...

suneelca;1382941 wrote: Hi, Cassander - how are you and your son doing?

Hi Sune

All's well. Thanks for asking.

Cass

[suneelca]

Next into the pool ...

Greetings, everyone. Hard to believe it's been a few months since I posted on this thread. I come back to post now on it as I'm on Day One of what I hope is a major new phase in my journey, in which Baclofen is the only prescription medication that I'm on. Along the way I've shed a galaxy of other stuff, and undergone some twists and turns and ups and downs in terms of alcohol and pot consumption. If this latest attempt to get off the last other medication -- a mood stabilizer -- holds, my life program now boils down to:

- 160 mg of liquid bac in four doses (8 am, noon, 2 pm, 4 pm) -- I can report that there seems to be fewer side effects with the liquid than with the pills
- At least one hour of exercise
- At least 30 minutes of mindfulness and / or lovingkindness meditation

Am still having two drinks a night and smoking pot 3x a week, and may go up a bit on the Bac to taper that down further, but for the moment, just glad to be off the other stuff, and it was a real galaxy of other stuff! What a feeling of freedom and liberation! Beyond that, I've often felt like my mind was wrapped in cotton candy since I started taking Bac -- and I really felt it wasn't the Bac that was the problem, but all of the other stuff interacting with it. As I taper down on the other stuff, feels like the cotton candy is melting away. What a wonderful feeling!

The most important things I've been learning about these past couple of months have come from reading the literature around positive psychology and cultivating happiness, which, as it turns out, it is eminently possible to do. Thus the renewed focus on meditation. Would heartily recommend books like Positivity by Barbara Frederickson that talk about the importance of positive emotions and the possibility of creating virtuous cycles in our lives. Am really grateful for the space and the inflection point Baclofen has provided me -- and one ultimate goal is to use tools like meditation and exercise and gratitude journaling to create such a virtuous cycle that I can grow beyond the Bac.

Carpe diem!

All I can say is that while there have been some wacky times with Bac, I'm glad I stuck with it, and am grateful for the support that I've received on this board. JKTTDP!

[Colin]

Next into the pool ...

suneelca;1216337 wrote:
So here's what's gone out the window or been reduced since I started Baclofen on 9/23:

- Nicotine (was a 15-smoke-a-day smoker)
- Benzo / lorazepam
- Gabapentin
- Marijuana
- Seroquel

Welcome back. Why were you taking the gabapentin and why did you stop? I am considering it for what is probably alcoholic polyneuropathy.

[suneelca]

Next into the pool ...

I think my psychopharmacologist had me on it to reduce cravings / anxiety.

[Hippyman]

Next into the pool ...

Nice to meet you Sunee. I am a big fan of Baclofen. My cravings went away and have stayed away at 50 mgs daily! I am one Happy Hippy. Freedom NOT to drink is now mine. I never smoked pot so one less thing to over come. I grew up in the 60s but somehow was afraid of any kind of drugs except of course alcohol.