Starting out on Bac: Questions

[Pronoia2012]

1) Does Bac make it easier to be abstinent before the switch?
2) If you're not abstinent, is titrating up more dangerous?
3) How did you function at work with SE? How did you get up, etc.? What about using Ambien/Ativan for sleep?
4) How do you exercise if all you feel like doing is sleeping?
5) Do people feel like BAC is a chemical tightrope?
6) Does BAC make you depressed? I have always been depressed.

I am using Bluto's method for reasons similar to his.

I went to AA, started abstaining, and stayed abstinent by threatening myself with going back to AA. I began re-drinking a couple months ago.

AA frankly seems a less dangerous path than BAC, but I'd rather kill myself than go.

AL frankly seems less dangerous than BAC, but I don't want to kill myself from AL.

I am alone and hope I am not going to kill myself doing this or make myself depressed enough to contemplate that. I don't, right now, but I spend time wishing I were dead, sober or not. Right now, I'm sober.

I suppose this has rambled on for too long.

Anyway, Insight welcomed and appreciated.

:new:

[Dosage0]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

1) Yes at times, but IMO you cannot count drinks and expect to go down as you go up. For me it was a few days drinking less, then one huge day to "make up" for it. I had worse SE at lower dosages ~200 than higher.

2) I don't have the data to back it up, but I was told that I could drink the same way as I titrated up.
3) I took off for work and I don't think I could have functioned at higher levels.
4) Exercise wasn't an issue for me -- I continued to work out at the same rate.
5) No I never felt that way
6) Not drinking makes you think more in my case... there were ups and downs and its a good idea to talk to someone.

Hope that helps

[RudyB]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

hi! may i call you nora? or pro? which do you prefer? or something else?

welcome!

bac is better than drunk, and dead beats neither, so hold tight and have some faith that it's worth it to be alive. (maybe make that your mantra. it's worth it to be alive.)

i'll try to answer some of your questions...

bac is not dangerous. most people still drink while titrating up. you can get up and go to work with an alarm clock and some intrinsic motivation to function. as i see it, getting up un-hungover is easy as pie compared to the alternative. getting up hungover with the hope of not doing that forever is also hugely motivating. i'd say try the baclofen and trust it, because it works. if you're referring to the common se of somnolence when you ask how to get up for work, don't worry: the somnolence usually hits in the afternoon. staying asleep seems to be more of a challenge than does getting up in the morning. (but when you're not drunk all the time, you'll probably find that you don't need as much sleep as you used to. baclofen will give you that 'not drunk all the time'.) if you get very tired at work, try moving around a bit. or a nap, if you're lucky enough to be able to swing that.

i exercise because i love it, and i have never been depressed much, but i think that's partly because i have always exercised much. there have been many occasions on baclofen when i thought all i could do would be to go to sleep, but it was the wrong time of day for that, so i'd go out for a run and sudenly have endless energy. baclofen did not stop me wanting to exercise (tho drinking did), but it did make me excessively tired at inopportune times; exercise is a cure for tired. take my word for it. (also, i don't know if it's baclofen related or not, but others on baclofen have had the same experience: since starting baclofen, i have suddenly gotten into the best shape of my life, with little effort.)

bac isn't a chemical tightrope, it is a chemical safety net; baclofen saved my life and that of my son. i will never doubt its pivotal role in my life.

as for depression, alcohol is the only thing that has ever made me reliably depressed. now that it doesn't rule my life (thanks largely to baclofen), i am never depressed for more than a few hours at a time (and that's usually because i went to bed too late the night before). (but that is just me and my incredible luck, perhaps.) for more info on depression, explore the threads. there's one on bac and anxiety, and there are others that deeply address the issue of depression and drinking and baclofen. you'll learn so much by reading, reading, reading. depression is, naturally, a strong topic here.

good luck pronora nora pro. have some faith that baclofen offers a good road to travel. check out the other maps that have been offered over the years (like aa), and be inspired to chart a new course!

we're here for you.

xo rudy

[Cassander]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Wow, Rudy, you nailed it. Pro, you are in good hands here.

[SabbyATL]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Hi Pro,

I just started on bac this week. I'm just at 5mg a day, taken at around 6:30pm.

So far I can't tell.

I exercise a lot, mostly running and bike commuting. I've only been an exercise nut since 2008 but I've found that, in general, going for a run or other cardio exercise shakes off fatigue and is at least a short-term relief from depression.

I get depression when my thyroid isn't being treated right (I am hypothyroid). When my hormone replacement therapy is no longer supporting my endocrine system I slide into a depression. It takes a few weeks before I realize what's going on and then once my dosage of thyroid hormone is increased it take about a month for it to reach it's full effect. So, during that 6 week - 2 month period exercise helps me a lot!

I'm just glad my depression isn't REAL or chronic depression, just endocrine related.

But I've heard from a friend who does suffer from chronic depression that exercise helps her. She, in particular, likes zumba.

[RudyB]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

...ahh, zumba! i've never done it, but some friends are about to start teaching it at my son's school, using some music i turned them on to, and i am gonna go! it seems like the perfect uplifting exercise to do in the company of many others! i'll be sure to report back.

thanks, cass, for the props!

[SabbyATL]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Rudy, you should def check it out. My sister-in-law is a zumba teacher and she raves about it! It sounds like fun but I can't get into a class right now...not enough time in the day, it seems.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Pronoia2012;1226391 wrote:

I am using Bluto's method for reasons similar to his.

You might want to explore some other options while you're reading. Sounds to me like you've got a job to keep? Or daily goals to meet?
Bluto ended up back in the psych ward for a nice little vaca... Just sayin.
(Nothing against you Blu. But if you want this to work, Pronoia, ya' gotta take in the whole picture.)

[Pronoia2012]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Hi Rudy and everyone,
Thanks so much for your input. I like Nora. You can call me that. (Quick aside: "Pronoia" is Greek for "thought," not the same as "pornoia.")
AA was how I stopped drinking the first time. The drunkalogues, the "How it Works" litergy, the talking in cliches, the increasing time pressure. It didn't work though I worked it. I didn't want to keep coming back past 2040. Bill said it. I didn't believe it, and in the end, that settled it.
My best thinking got me here.

[Pronoia2012]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

The shipment hasn't arrived yet. Wow, I hope nothing goes wrong.
I came off pretty harsh on AA, but truth is I'm very conflicted on that organization.
In the meantime, for anyone doing AA on BAC, what was your experience?

[Pronoia2012]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

15 mg and throwing up

I'm on 5 mg/tid, day 2.
At 15 mg, I'm throwing up in fits.
Has anyone experienced similar SE in starting out?
How did you handle it?

[SlipperyPete]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Hi Nora

Pronoia2012;1227844 wrote: In the meantime, for anyone doing AA on BAC, what was your experience?

I've been to a couple meetings since I've switched, one being pretty good, and one not so good. I've never liked AA, and those meetings did nothing but reinforce my opinion of it. They were pretty insufferable to sit through, but I think there would be a ton of value in befriending other people who want to not drink. However, I have no idea the reaction I would've gotten if I told them I take magical pills that fixed me :H

[Pronoia2012]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

Meds stance/general AA stance

The meds stance where/when I went was very tolerant.
Where I went to AA is probably the most "tolerant" area or two in California, lots of affluent substance abusers, lots of meetings.
The same "if you f'up here, you have to say you're new" attitude. It was painful watching people with decades do it.
That's when I knew I'd lie like most people there.l

[penelope67]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

wow throwing up on 15 mg per day? well I did not have that response (I am up to 30mg) but I am sure someone did! We all react differently. I need to ask if you are taking any other medication. i think that makes a big difference. Also drinking may play a role! You seem to feel that Bac is dangerous so maybe it is psychosomatic. But maybe it isn't!! You do not have to go to AA btw. What you need is more choice about the role alcohol plays in your life and AA is just one option out of millions. Many people take issue with AA. Many people quit drinking without stepping foot in an AA meeting. Many people go to AA and still drink! I think Baclofen is NOT dangerous and that is the point of what makes it so fantastic. On just 10 mg a day I began to feel a simple calm joy. It comes a goes but it is real. i am worried that your fears are making you sick. then again that is what Baclofen addresses: fear anxiety leading to alcohol craving. have you read Amiesen's book? let's keep taking. I have a thread for my baclofen adventure and I am happy to take this journey together with you so we can compare notes and help each other. I suggest you titrate down to 10 mg a day and hold it there for a bit. What do you think?

[penelope67]

Starting out on Bac: Questions

I wanted to address some of your questions
1) Does Bac make it easier to be abstinent before the switch? I DID NOT REACH SWITCH YET BUT I THINK YES IT DOES. I HAVE NO URGE TO DRINK AND I THINK IF i DID HAVE A DRINK IT WOULD NOT BE TOO MANY.
2) If you're not abstinent, is titrating up more dangerous? UNCOMFORTABLE MAY BE A BETTER WORD THAN DANGEROUS, I READ HERE THAT A LOT OF PPL STILL DRINK WHILE TITRATING UP, IT PROBABLY JUST SLOWS DOWN THE EFFECT OF BAC
3) How did you function at work with SE? How did you get up, etc.? What about using Ambien/Ativan for sleep? CANT ANSWER THIS
4) How do you exercise if all you feel like doing is sleeping? I THINK YOU CANT EXERCISE IF YOU ARE THAT TIRED. LET YOUR BODY REST, THAT IS IMPORTANT TOO. DEEP BREATHING IS ONE ALTERNATIVE TO EXERCISE
5) Do people feel like BAC is a chemical tightrope? NO
6) Does BAC make you depressed? I have always been depressed. SO FAR THE MOST I HAVE FELT WAS EUPHORIC, I KNOW ONE GUY POSTED THAT HE GOT SO HAPPY HE STARTED SAYING HELLO TO EVERYBODY LOL. I AM GUESSING THAT ONCE YOU REACH A CERTAIN DOSE YOUR DEPRESSION WILL BE IMPACTED AND IT MAY LIFT. YOU NEED BASIC STUFF FIRST, EATING THREE MEALS, GETTING PROPER REST, THEN ONCE A FEW WEEKS ON BAC HAVE PASSED YOU CAN DECIDE IF YOU NEED ANOTHER MEDICATION. DANGER IS A SCARY WORD AND MAYBE AN ISSUE THAT YOU COULD MULL OVER IN GENERAL NOT JUST PERTAINING TO BAC. Am I being too pushy? I am trying to help.