3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

[nomoretime]

I have been on and off this site for 3 years and am at the bottom of my rope....shaking so bad in the AM can hardly get my pants on to go to work. I have read alot about balcofen....please, please, please....can anyone tell me if they have been sucsessful using this.....this is my only hope...if I don't do something now I will loose my job soon because my mind is like swiss cheese....I have trouble even remembering the names of the people I work with. If I go to rehab I will loose my job without question. If I don't do anything I fear I will eventually start the house on fire by leaving the oven on or be found dead (fell last weekend...apparently....and left a goose egg on the left side of my head) Please help!

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

nomore,
This is my humble opinion. First, yes baclofen does work for alcoholism but must be titrated up over time to have the beneficial effect. You're stating that you need help asap. I can understand, been there, done that.

You need to go to an addiction specialist quickly. Call and see if the doctor allows patients to outpatient detox. Many do. I wouldn't bother with most general practitioners because for the most part, they have no clue. I had one give a betablocker (slows down the heart) for treatment, which helps, but in no way stops the big withdrawals.

Many specialists who outpatient detox will give you a benzodiazepene such as diazepam (valium) to detox you gradually and without too much distress. They may prescribe other anti-seizure meds to go along, but the valium is the heavyweight detox treatment and works quickly and dependedly.

Valium or other benzos will not be the long term answer however because they can be as addictive as alcohol. That is where baclofen can come in. For many people, after titrating up, become indifferent to alcohol and have no real desire to drink. It doubles as an anti-anxiety med for many people, which is great because the reason many people drink to begin with is because of anxiety.

Good luck and keep in touch. But, find a doctor who can treat you first. Don't let yourself go into seizures. Many people with the shakes will have seizures if not treated. God Bless - Chilipepper

[nomoretime]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

Chili...thanks

What are the big withdrawls? I have been doing this for 25 year (however not so badly until the last 2 years) At times my heart feels like it is beating out of my chest, and well, lets just say, the bowel issues are anyones guess. I think I am there but am not sure. How did you find out you needed outside help?

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

I knew I needed help when I had to drink to just feel normal. During the work day after drinking 14-16 oz. of 90 proof alcohol the evening before, I would feel highly anxious, pain in my liver, heart pounding like yours, fidgety, nervous, twitching, overall feeling badly with malaise, along with deadly high blood pressure. I knew it was time to save my own life and to hell with pride. I had to see a doctor to help me deal with the situation.

If it comes to it, never let your employer be the first to know you have a problem, as a result of late reporting, absenteeism, poor performance,etc. Let this person know you have this problem and you want to get help, if it comes to it. I've never known an employer to let someone go if they come to them first with the problem. Most people truly want to help and give a second chance.

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

The biggest acute withdrawals are seizures, hullucinations, and, God forbid, death. On a couple of occasions I had "near" seizures where I would get into a fetal position and feel such uncomfortable and indescribable "pain" that I louldly wished I was dead. You don't want this. The shakes are a very serious symptom that a bad event can happen without medical intervention.

If it is so bad, go to the ER. One of the first questions they ask is if you drink alcohol, and if so, how much? For them, this gets to the point immediately so they will know how to treat you. The ER sees withdrawal patients several times every day.

[nomoretime]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

Thanks

Thank you chili.....I see alot of me in what you discribe with the absense of pain to the point of fetal position but I fear it is not far in the future.
I was really scared when I found the lump on my head and my son (that thank God was not at my house that weekend) asked why all his and his sisters pictures where overturned on my cedar chest......I still don't remember a damn thing but can put two and two together.....I stumbled from my recliner to my bedroom, fell, hit my head against the cedar chest, knocked the pictures over and .....dear God...my son thought I had some issues with him and his sister....Thank GOD he didn't find me dead.

Where is the most reliable sorce to get balc without it coming marked identifiable to the postmaster because I live in a small town and have been reading that some of the companies send this marked with foreign marks that look really strange........town of 405 I would probably get turned in for foreign trade?

[nomoretime]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

BTW

I guess I shouldn't tell you what my withdrawl symptoms are because I haven't been without for quit some time. I wonder about seeing things that aren't there because when I have
n't been drinking I jump at any sound and am terrified at any loud noise.

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

I get my baclofen "dirt cheap" in the states from virtuouslabs.com. This liquid bac is the real thing but the company sells it for reseaech purposes only, hence the cheaper price. From my experience, I know it's the real thing.

This company does not come without controversy. A huge player in the business, "Bill P.", a reknowned chemist/doctor who found baclofen as a cure for his own alcoholism problem has reportedley given alias posts aliating and "threatening" certain members giving rise to his progressive disease.

I sent a note to virtouslabs.com concerned about his status and they stated that he had to leave for "neurological problems" but they were fully in business after the changeover. From my experience, it is authentically the product it professes. Some have said that because of Bill P's problems then the product may be tainted, but my experience since these questions has decidedley differed since personal orders after these accusations. I believe it is very pure product at an unbeatable price.

[RedThread12]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

Baclofen Works!

When I was where you are, NMT, except, being self-employed I just quit working to drink all day long, I had a MIRACLE occur in my life from the first day I took baclofen. Not everyone's experience, by any means, but sometimes it happens.

AND undertaking the baclofen protocol is not to be taken lightly. Chili and I are on the same side of a huge controversy that has kind of brought the bac-board to a screeching halt, but long before Virtuous Labs was invented, I ordered baclofen from AllDayChemist - Prescription drugs, Generic medicines, online indian Pharmacy and had immediate cessation from drinking all day, every day.

Yes, there are concerns about withdrawals. It may BE that you should seek medical treatment. But, in the meantime, do whatever you can do get your hands on some baclofen, and start the process of titrating up. I started in Oct. '09, back in the "olden days," when it was suggested to start with 30 mg/day, divided into 3 equal dosages. I had immediate relief, from the first 10 mg I took in the parking lot of the Post Office where I picked up my shipment. Don't expect that, but don't be surprised, either, if you notice immediate effects.

Seems the recommended protocol these days is to begin with much smaller doses and titrate up very slowly. If you take the time that you NEED to take, to read back through the threads of the MWO baclofentists, you'll see that everyone does it differently. As will you. I think I've seen references to published papers suggesting that baclofen helps to deter withdrawal effects.

However, if you're already seeing things that aren't there, that's a GOOD sign that you may not even notice the side-effects of baclofen that are so disturbing for some people! Again, if you need medical care, seek it immediately. But do not pass go in order to get your hands on some baclofen, and start taking it according to a protocol that makes sense for you. I've ordered online, had my Dr. prescribe up to 80 mg/day, and have a huge prescription from Dr. L., in Chicago. And yes, I prefer Virtuous Labs baclofen. But it really doesn't make a shit where you get it from, unless it's one of the manufacturers listed in LoOp's thread, "Bad Baclofen." Just get some and try it. Okay?

Best of luck. Find your way out!!!!

[spacebebe01]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

When you order baclofen you are going to have to wait for it to be delivered anyway, you should probably start reducing the amount you drink each day, you can start this now, do not just stop drinking if you are having withdrawals. The advice I was given by a doctor was, dependant on how much you are drinking now, start at at say 12 cans spread out over the day, the next day 11, then 10 and so on but you can spend more than one day on the same amount if you are feeling bad, so if you get to 9 cans and are feeling very ropey you can do 9 cans for around 3 or 4 days then go down to 8. If this method doesnt work then you need medical treatment immediately, and should go to ER. In any case you should go to see a doctor but some may not help you detox and with others your have to wait, with the cutting down method you can start now, you should start at just under what you normally drink. Then when the bac arrives you will be in a better state to start taking it. Is there anyone who can help you, do you live alone or have friends family who could help you in this.

I am not a doctor but I have detoxed both in hospital and as an outpatient using librium, and done the reduction method I mentioned above with doctors advice.

Whatever you choose to do you need to look after yourself, you need rest, some vitamin b's and other suppliments, plenty of fluids and to eat small and often.

Take care

[Ne/Neva Eva]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

(This is copied from the other thread in which you asked about side effects--SEs.)

First of all, what they all said! ^^^^^

Hi, No More Time, and welcome!
I understand your fears and concerns all too well!

There are SEs for many of us and they range over a great big spectrum. They can be truly awful or simply inconvenient.

I understand the urgency. In my humble opinion, the faster you go, the quicker you need the results, the more you are drinking, the worse the SEs are. I think some of the advice on there was sound.

It seems to me that I've experienced similar conundrums. I lost jobs because I was trying to quit drinking and I've lost 'em because I couldn't quit drinking. If you're in a place where you can help yourself by maintaining a routine in terms of taking the medication and getting some of the stuff that's so important to getting well (food, some exercise, etc) then it sounds like a good place. But if you're in a crater... (I locked myself in my 'office' with dark blankets over the windows so NO light got in--all so I could concentrate...On Buffy the Vampire reruns and online word games...And of course, the booze. True story. I am very thankful I found a place to go and dry out with the help of a staff.)
So...There is help and hope. Almost always but especially now. You can and will get well. But you've got to give yourself a fighting chance. That may mean a hospital detox and some time sharing a room with some other drunks... Or something in between maybe.

Hope and help. It's right here and all around you, too. Even if it doesn't feel like it right now. Hang in there NMT. There IS time. :l

[Ne/Neva Eva]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

And the last package I got from overseas had some foreign writing on it maybe? But it's not anything that screams out, "I'm doing something about my drink-problem!" My postman doesn't look at me funny. (I'm pretty sure he's like us. I'm very tempted to tell him about what he could have delivered to his door!)

It depends on what country you're in, of course. But never, not once, have I heard of anyone getting in legal trouble for ordering bac. (There is one guy in Florida who was dealing other drugs and had baclofen on him--when they arrested him they charged him with the bac, too. I think he had ~40mg at the time. lol. Not even enough, I don't think, for someone looking for a really messed up high to find it. I digress...) The feds (or whomever) are not going to show up at your door.

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

I think that in some states, if you are found with scheduled 1-4 drugs, you can also be charged with possession of drugs/meds which you don't have a prescription, even baclofen or viagra for that matter.

But, my mind goes back to nomore's original post. Nomore, if you are shaking from putting on your pants, then this is affecting gross motor skills, not just fine, which tells me you have a major alcohol dependency problem like myself. This should require medical intervention. You can try titrating down from alcohol, like one ounce per day until abstinence, buy IMHO this does not work for most alcoholics, including myself.

Basically, once "we" or me starts drinking two or three drinks, it gets to the point of no return and you just keep drinking. But the one ounce less per day will work for most only if you are incarcerated and have no other choice. This may have been done in the wild west or old days.

My addiction specialist, after detoxing me, told me that this was the easy part, but long term abstience would be the hard part.

Baclofen works greart for long term abstinence and anxiety problems, no doubt. However, I never used it for acute withdrawal symptoms, but research has shown it may be promising.

You alone must assess your situation. What you originally described tell me immediate hospital or doctor intervention. My two cents.

[nomoretime]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

Thank you all for you input other than "wallyworld" who wanted to sell me whatever he/she had? Going to order from River and hell with what the postmaster thinks....that is probable why I am like am I right now....too worried about what everyone else thinks. To Wally....Shame on you....this is a site where we are trying to get help, people like you are bottom suckers.....I'm not one to swear so take that with a grain of salt that will forever irritate whatever sore you may have.

Does anyone know how to stay sober on days off of work? When I know I will have days off I start drinking the moment I wake up till I go to bed. When I work I dont drink till I am off work. These are the days I want to take bac (starting cause I don't know about the side effects_ but am afraid of the side effects with alch. OR AM I JUST FOOLING MYSELF?

[Chilipepper]

3 yr viewer in need of help ASAP

I've ordered from River Pharmacy before and found that it is a legitimate company that sells what it claims to sell. Nobody will knock down your door and put you in cuffs.

That said, baclofen works to lower your cravings as you titrate up. You can search on this forum and find hundreds of successful ways to titrate the dose to effective levels. So, at some point you, more than likely, will reach a state of indifference to alcohol, work days or not.

One thing that has helped me on free or vacation days is engaging in a hobby I enjoy. I was a track runner during my college years, so I've begun running again. I also enjoy gardening, walking the dog, and outdoor grilling, etc. I know these seem like mundane activities initially, but after years of being in a clouded, unproductive, drunken stupor most of the time, these have become most enjoyable times for me that are in full color and give life some meaning.

I don't want to be to philosophical here, but return to things you always did in your spare time or develop new interests. At age 54, I plan to learn to play guitar. Like the Nike ad, just do it!