Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A plea to sober people

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 4
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous 1 2 3 4 template Next
    #1

    A plea to sober people

    I would like to hear from decent, sober people who behave that way here and in their lives. I am sure they are here. I wonder why they are not more visible.

    I would like to know how life is for you now. What’s it like being on the other side? Please say everything that is wonderful about that.

    I would like to know whether trying to get to the switch is pointless or not. If not why not? I have one friend in PM who went up to 270. I already know that I won’t be able to do that. My drinking is reduced a lot. So far no drink for 3 days. But it’s not switch. I have to resist drinking. What is the point of going up to switch and going back down again to just to wind up where I already am? I have to make a living and my employer is showing every sign of packing up and going home. That is probably going to happen no matter what I do. I am storing up food and trying to save money because I know that it is going to happen. I need the unemployment thing to be as far in the future as I can make it. I cannot afford to be a zombie right now.

    Anyway what I would most like to hear is really wonderful things from truly long-time sober people. I think this forum could really use that too. This is my plea: Spoon-feed me hope.
    Tags: None
    #2
    A plea to sober people

    Crunchy,
    I will speak for me. I am at 180. I got at 180 once and the somnolence killed me. I went down to between 80 to 120 and stayed sober. My schedule in life went to hell and I drank again. I will swear on a bible since I started in February I have never come close to my 1 to 2 bottle a night drunk stuper. But I drank again when I went down in mg's.
    I am sober now and I speak to you with honesty. Baclofen is saving my life. It is saving my job, my family, my children, and anyone I come into contact with from knowing what I had become. I won't and will never tell you to titrate up or down; it is a personal decision. I had to follow myself. I had enormous help here on this site as you will see.
    I am like Tiptronic (a respected veteran) and others and I acknowledge that I can not drink. I am okay with that.
    I honestly must say there are a couple that come on here drunk now and then but I do not think they are Bac users or follow the protocol.
    Anyway hope this helps and you are doing well at 150 my friend!

    LL:l
    The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

    *Don't look where you fall, look why you slipped*

    Comment

      #3
      A plea to sober people

      Crunchy...where did you go?


      LL
      The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

      *Don't look where you fall, look why you slipped*

      Comment

        #4
        A plea to sober people

        I am sober right now as I type this, and I have no interest in rants or arguments on here. I remember that this sort of behaviour did break out here at least once before, and it made me wonder if a lot of people were posting while drunk, or in a baclofen stupor. I support baclofen treatment but have also wondered about its mental effects at times. It is a strong central nervous system depressant, as is alcohol, so people who are still drinking a lot while also taking baclofen would likely show some bizarre behaviour.

        I was completely alcohol-free for 19 months, and it felt a heck of a lot better than being a slave to alcohol. No rotten hangovers, no needing ridiculous amounts of alcohol just to be able to get to sleep. I also found work again. Unfortunately I did not find an answer to my depression, a problem I have had for over 20 years now, and I was not taking high dose baclofen either. I was getting depression-related cravings to drink towards the end of the 19 months, and relapsed, but am trying all over again with Antabuse and will also be giving baclofen a proper try this time. Many swear that baclofen stops you having to fight the cravings in your mind constantly, or "white knuckling" as people put it. I will also need some sort of effective depression treatment, and am chasing a doctor up about this. A lot of people here don't like AA, and I'm basically one of them, but I have also been going back to a few meetings purely for face-to-face support and as a way of having sober social contact. You could look into that if you aren't too turned off by AA.

        One other issue here seems to be the loud/crass sense of humour displayed by one or two members. I never found this offensive myself, but here in Australia we tend to have that rough sort of humour in everyday life, even between good friends. Unfortunately humour does not translate very well in writing sometimes, such as in forum posts, and some people are offended by things that would not worry others. The people I am thinking of have always seemed genuine in their desire to help others get sober, so I have not read too much into things they have said.

        I still definitely think baclofen is worth persuing unless someone absolutely can't tolerate it, since there are not many other options out there for quitting alcohol once someone has become badly psychologically dependent on it. Many relapse over and over again despite conventional treatments such as week-long detoxes, rehabs, AA, counselling, and other medications. Some here say that naltrexone has helped them, so that is one other option. Campral helped me stay totally sober for a period some years ago too. Even if someone is still drinking a certain amount, I'd say baclofen would be a good idea if it's titrated up slowly, which the users here seem to say helps minimise the side effects such as tiredness.

        Anyway, to sum it up, I can definitely say it's a better life sober than being sick all the time from alcohol, and knowing you are a slave to alcoholism!

        Comment

          #5
          A plea to sober people

          Thank you, Greg. I am not adverse to AA or anything else. It's just not a great fit. I still find the people there helpful.

          I would love to know how the antibuse and baclofen thing works out for you.

          I don't care about the "crass sense of humor" stuff. That is not the same thing as leveling vile attacks against people who disagree. I would rather not ever think about any of that again anyway.

          I am curious about this:

          Greg;1185615 wrote: I was completely alcohol-free for 19 months, and it felt a heck of a lot better than being a slave to alcohol. No rotten hangovers, no needing ridiculous amounts of alcohol just to be able to get to sleep. I also found work again. Unfortunately I did not find an answer to my depression, a problem I have had for over 20 years now, and I was not taking high dose baclofen either.
          19 months is forever to me. I would love to have 19 months. I realize that it did not ultimately work out for you but maybe it could for someone else. Maybe me. What were you doing during that time?

          Comment

            #6
            A plea to sober people

            I have been sober for a long time... I've had like 8 beers in the last year and that was all before February 2011. I don't know if I ever really hit the "switch" but I no longer drink and am content with being completely sober from now on. I went as high as 300mg one weekend but mostly stayed around 200mg for the better part of the last year until recently tapering way down. I hardly had any side effects except for some mental fogginess occasionally where sometimes it would take me awhile to come up with a certain word I was trying to get out during a conversation. The killer for me was massive ED though lol. That's why I am experimenting with tapering so far down... I don't post much and I don't think I act like a monkey throwing shit at people on this board. There are many great people here who offer tons of valuable information. Just try to take the negative shit with a grain of salt and get what you can out of all the other valuable stuff on here. Good luck and don't give up. Baclofen is no miracle though, you still have to WANT to quit and put out a little effort no matter what anyone else says. That's my opinion anyway.

            B.

            Forgot to add that I have tapered all the way down to 60-80 mgs per day for about the last 3 weeks and I've still been alcohol free without really noticing any increase in alcohol craving or "alcoholic thoughts". Plus I can get it up a lot easier now...

            Comment

              #7
              A plea to sober people

              Crunchy,
              Did you get my post? it took more than an hour and I was worried about you!

              Thank goodness you are okay!


              LL:l
              The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

              *Don't look where you fall, look why you slipped*

              Comment

                #8
                A plea to sober people

                Thank you so much Bminor! You still talk in numbers that are unthinkable to me. I maybe be hitting the wall at 140. Thank you for this

                Bminor;1185658 wrote: Good luck and don't give up. Baclofen is no miracle though, you still have to WANT to quit and put out a little effort no matter what anyone else says.
                I suspected as much. Thank you also for the new thread you started. I am watching it with great interest!

                Comment

                  #9
                  A plea to sober people

                  LadyLush;1185664 wrote: Crunchy,
                  Did you get my post? it took more than an hour and I was worried about you!
                  l
                  I'm sorry. I did see it and forgot it, blame baclofen, and responded to the post right underneath it.

                  It's Excellent that you are sober now. Thanks for recounting your struggle with baclofen. I am finding the struggle immensely difficult too.

                  I do appreciate your concern. I'm sorry that I worried you.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    A plea to sober people

                    https://www.mywayout.org/community/f2...nds-42543.html
                    :nutso: I take pride in my humility :nutso:
                    :what?:
                    sigpic
                    Graph of My Drinking From July '09 to January '10

                    Consolidated Baclofen Information Thread




                    Baclofen for Alcoholism and Other Addictions
                    A Forum
                    Trolls need not apply

                    Comment

                      #11
                      A plea to sober people

                      Quote:
                      Originally Posted by Zenstyle
                      Yoo Hoooooooo Tipps!!!!!!!!

                      White rabbits!!!!!!



                      One of them isn't talking to the other... evidently.

                      Are they Baclofen Bunnies, then? (having belly laugh at own joke)

                      Wasn't sure where to post this but why not here :-)

                      Guess they meant to be on the joke thread!
                      The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

                      *Don't look where you fall, look why you slipped*

                      Comment

                        #12
                        A plea to sober people

                        Crunchy;1185649 wrote: 19 months is forever to me. I would love to have 19 months. I realize that it did not ultimately work out for you but maybe it could for someone else. Maybe me. What were you doing during that time?
                        I didn't think I could stay away from alcohol anywhere near that long either. I haven't given up, but I realise I must find an adequate treatment for depression if I'm going to succeed. As for what I was doing, I was using cannabis as a direct alcohol substitute, along with 1 mg of Xanax every night and a small dose of Antabuse each afternoon. I was so desperate to get away from alcohol that I resorted to doing this, after all other methods apart from baclofen had failed. I gave up on baclofen too quickly however, due to severe insomnia from it. I have since learned there are ways around that insomnia. I don't normally recommend cannabis, since it can cause a variety of unwelcome psychological side effects (well it did with me anyway) and I had to give it up. Unfortunately, without it, the depression just became too much, since I had to try and fight it every single night (it has always been worse at night). I think a lot of this depression is my addicted brain demanding a high/hit/escape however, and going crazy when it is denied that.

                        Good luck, I am trying again with only Antabuse and low dose baclofen just now, but am hoping to go up in dose if I can tolerate it.

                        Comment

                          #13
                          A plea to sober people

                          pullin' for you, Greg. keep us posted.

                          Comment

                            #14
                            A plea to sober people

                            I no longer get drunk, when I drink it is a couple of drinks and I go to bed sleepy but happy. Most days are AF (I probabky only drink on 2 or 3 occasions, sometimes none at all during the week).

                            I also do not take any other form of medication, sure I feel a bit grotty some days but I spent enough of my time in the past under the influence of some sort of substance or another, I prefer to be as natural as possible. If I do get to a point where I need something else, then I would approach my doctor.

                            Most of the time I'm fine, only problem I have is when I've been 'sober' for so long, that the stress of life builds up because I'm constantly working without my usual 'time out' on benders. Remedy is to have a holiday.

                            Alcohol doesn't bother me any more, and I'm fairly chilled most of the time.

                            Comment

                              #15
                              A plea to sober people

                              cruncy, i was gonna give you my input (your request for it was lovely, btw), but the guys are here to fix my furnace. back later...

                              Comment

                              Previous 1 2 3 4 template Next
                              Working...
                              X