AF for months... start meds now?

[shitshowmartinez]

Hey, I'm new here, just stumbled on your community after googling around about baclofen. I quit drinking 104 days ago (I have a counter...) I'm proud of myself for doing it. My plan was to continue just not drinking forever, until I came across this information about medication. I still think about alcohol all the time, about what I'm going to do each friday night without it, about how i'm the guy at the bar drinking diet cokes, and I often would like a glass of wine. And of course, I would often like to get shitfaced as well. Part of why I want that is to "escape" myself in some way I can't do while sober all the time. The idea of being a "normal" drinker is very appealing. On the other hand, I've already "succeeded" in some sense, in that I haven't had a drink in over 3 months.

Anybody else done this? Would it be stupid to consider taking the pills, continue to not drink, and then start drinking just to see if I can? The idea of not THINKING about drinking sounds very freeing, though of course less freeing than not drinking. Would love advice. Thanks!

p.s. the username is from my days as a drinker...

[Steady Hands]

AF for months... start meds now?

Hi Martinez

I wouldn't do it. The 3 - 6 month period isn't popular... I want to get to 1 year and see how I feel. There is countless posts of members who tried to moderate after 30 days AF or more and very quickly end up worse than before. IMO the medication would not help much. Esp if you still want to get shitfaced from time to time. But the choice is yours...

AL isn't as great as it seems! If it is a poison that affects you worse than others, why would you want to drink it? I know it is boring to drink the diet coke and your friends are happy and continue like they used to, but you don't want to be the joke anymore?? You don't want to lose the comfortable feeling of knowing what you did the night before. I wouldn't trust a pill to protect my new found dignity.

Normal drinkers drink very little. Not more than 2 a night. That is not worth it for me.
Life will be fun again. We have to be patient with the adjustment.

[spacebebe01]

AF for months... start meds now?

Hi Martinez, Im not sure what your asking, if you are getting bad cravings for drink that are making you feel like you will drink again when you dont want to then meds could be an option for you and there are a few different ones that all do different things, if however you are wanting to know if meds will turn you into a social drinker then I would very much doubt that, there are meds that people have managed to return to some drinking on but Im not sure whether they could say it has made them into a social drinker or not, if they chime in they can tell you more. How have you managed to not drink for 3 months, well done by the way. I for one and I think most others use meds because I couldnt stop drinking and stay stopped without them and I tried hard enough and long enough

[RedThread12]

AF for months... start meds now?

Welcome, Martinez! I'm still ciphering about how to read your full moniker :H. Anyway, I like it.

My thoughts are a little different, but only because of my own experience, which appears to be rare among bac users. I have been using bac since '09. I had been successfully, and with relative ease, AF for 3 years before. Then . . . "classic" relapse. One beer, and a rapid to return to all day drinking. I tried everything I had used before -no relief. That went on for several months, until I found MWO, ordered bac, and took my first 10 mg dose sitting in the parking lot of the Post Office. I'm sure I had already been drinking that morning, but I did not drink again that day until evening, and only 2 drinks.

And that was pretty much "it" for drinking alcoholically for me. From day 1, I never had more than 2 drinks; after a month or so I did 30 AF days with no problem at all. I did continue to titrate up to 210 mg (maybe a little more, don't recall exactly). The other "rare" part of my story is that I had no disturbing side-effects. I had experience from my younger days ("recreational" drugs) that helped make some of the SE's actually enjoyable, and stress relief and breathing techniques that managed all the rest. And, with a prescription from my psych from years ago for a med prescribed off-label for sleep, I never lost any, AND I never felt tired during the day.

SO - with this background of my personal experience, I would in no way discourage you from considering baclofen as a possibility as a "tool" to keep your sobriety going. If you start to feel as if you might "cave," or even want to have it around in case that feeling occurs . . . well, better prepared than steam-rolled again by this incredibly powerful disease. I think there's a high possibility that, should you earnestly and honestly feel as if you need pharmaceutical support, a very low dose might work perfectly well. No need, if you buy some and have it on hand, to plan on doing the whole, instense titration protocol that some of us who were drinking HUGE amounts during that process went through.

Just my $.02. I was totally blown away that baclofen turned me from, literally, an all-day drinking alcoholic one day, to NOT the next. I not only had those 3 AF years underneath me, I also had a full AF decade not too far before those 3 years. I think all of those factors weighed in to make it work so well for me, but that's just IMO.

I just knew, during that relapse, that if I had to make NOT taking a drink be the most important thing I did every day for the rest of my life, I was done with it. Desperate doesn't come close to describing how I felt. By the end of day 1 I was crying with gratitude, immediately returned to my work and a higher level of productivity than I had found during those previous 3 years. And I do, occsionally, drink a glass or 2 of wine. And I DON'T ever want more. When I remember waking up sweating, shaking, and craving AL makes my stomach turn, now.

I've experimented quite a bit with maintenance dose, lifestyle arranging and re-arranging. I'm aware that high-stress times no longer make me want a drink, but it's a good time to tweak my baclofen dose up a bit to stay far, far away from "that" kind of drinking. I know I will never, ever, in all of my remaining life, have to do that again,
and am on my knees grateful to Dr. Ameisen, MWO, and all of the incredible folks have
opened this avenue for me.

Long story, but basic idea is . . . you can't have too many tools, bac does not have to be horrible and CAN offer relief at low doses. Way To Go on your sober time. Keep it going however you can!!! Looks like you ARE finding your way out. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I certainly wouldn't recommend baclofen if AF is a breeze; but the fact that it draws your attention might just be a "heads-up" for a different possibility, should it be needed. Best of luck!!

[c0ffee]

AF for months... start meds now?

martinez, you should defiitely be asking these questions to a licensed professional in the medical field and not a group of people that just take it upon themselves to experiment with sundry drugs and with no supervision of an MD. over-intellectualizing, self-assessment and self-medicating is probably the most dangerous thing someone can do when it comes to addiction and comorbid psychological disorders or vise-versa.
sticking to the plan of 'just not drinking forever' is probably a good start for where you are now though.
-be good.

-paul

[spacebebe01]

AF for months... start meds now?

Coffee I dont know how you havent noticed but if the plan of just not drinking forever worked then none of us would have a problem in the first place would we, we would just decide not to drink anymore then do it, or did you just think that we all sit round over-intellectualising as you put and yet not think of that

[spacebebe01]

AF for months... start meds now?

I also have to add that I know and accept that taking medication without a doctors support is not ideal but after spending years trying to stop drinking and not being able to and also spending years asking doctors for help and not getting it I did decide to take matters into my own hands and have to say that it has been about the most responsible thing I have ever done. The most dangerous thing I can do would be to carry on drinking. I no longer drink thanks to the fact that I take medication and get wonderful support from some people on here.

[Steady Hands]

AF for months... start meds now?

Wow Red - Good info! Think you know a lot about AL addiction after 10 and then 3 years of sobriety. You got me thinking about the drugs. One's perception can change about using it or not depending on where you are.

[windycitylady]

AF for months... start meds now?

SSM, welcome!
And I agree with most of the opinions here. The meds all have side effects and can be expensive. As far as "normal" drinking goes, if you were to take baclofen to the point of indifference, you wouldn't want to drink. Yes, you could have "a" drink, but you wouldn't being occasionally getting shitfaced like a normal person.
Maybe try l gutamine or kudzu to help the cravings you're having now?
Coffee, if I could afford to see a docotor, I would. Self medicating is what I was doing with alcohol. And I agree with Space. It was much more dangerous than the meds I take now. I am AF for 3 weeks now, the most I've been in years.
I've also had success treating my "comorbid psychological disorders" with "sundry drugs".
If you're paying, I'd love to see a doctor. Otherwise I'm content being sane and sober rather than drunk and suicidal.

[woywoyboy]

AF for months... start meds now?

coffee- you sure sound like a troll or a god squadder. Would either of those descriptions be correct?

[eight days a week]

AF for months... start meds now?

The 'promise' of normal drinking led me to take Naltrexone under The Sinclair Method after six months abstinence...under a Dr who is a close personal friend of Roy Eskapa, who promised me it worked 100%.

It didn't - six months later I was almost dead (again). But at least he'd had a few consultations out of me at ?200 an hour.

Baclofen similarly might not work for any one individual, though I think the overwhelming anecdotal evidence is that it is far, far more successful than The Sinclair Method.

Having been right where you are now, I think the only sensible choice is to try Baclofen for your cravings - even go quite high on it to reach indifference - but in no way see it as a way to try to drink moderately. Be determined to continue on your path of abstinence. Otherwise you're playing with fire.

But, I think there's a huge chance it will help you with your cravings.

Good luck!!

[shitshowmartinez]

AF for months... start meds now?

Thanks for the advice

It sounds like I should keep pushing through with straight abstinence, though the thought of having some low dose baclofene around seems like it might be a good idea too. Perhaps i'll ask my doctor to see if I can get some of it. How are you guys getting it? By calling that doctor? I can deal with the cravings most of the time, but it can be tough once in a while, and other times just boring, and other times frustrating. I havent done AA or anything, Ive just done it on my own (though I did read Allen Carr's book, the easy way to stop drinking, after his stop smoking book helped me quit smoking). I'm realizing more and more that drinking was a way not to get close to people, which no drug i suppose can solve until I face that. But I really appreciate all of your guys advice, this is a great community!

[Bruunhilde]

AF for months... start meds now?

Martinez, sounds like you have your head on straight. Having some baclofen in your back pocket if you tend to drink when anxious might help, since it relaxes many people. I found that when I was drinking, I drank more on it, however, so beware - I wasn't the only one. Most people order it online. Alldaychemist, riverpharmacy, and rx.com I think are the most widely discussed here.

How long did it take for you to figure out that you were using alcohol to avoid intimacy? I'm just figuring that out myself. And it was a way of self-sedating my ADD.

[spacebebe01]

AF for months... start meds now?

Dustbin, the meds that you keep on trying to disuade people from trying, topomax, baclofen, naltrexone TSMhave actually worked for people when nothing else has. I find it perplexing that you choose to come on to the meds section of My Way Out a forum that was set as a pro meds site with Topomax being the first medication to be suggested on here for use off label to then try and advise peoplle not to do this. Surely if anyone was against the idea of using meds and not at a stage that they thought they needed them they would have used their own common sense and gone to a non med site of which there are quite a few.

For me I tried all the alcoholism services, detox units, doctors, rehabs, counselling, CBT, psychotherapy, nutrition, AA, holistic therapies and still drank and endangered my life, it was only when I came back to MWO and found a medication that worked for me that I have acually found my own way out from chronic alcoholism that was destroying my own life and that of those around me. I would not have thought of calling it a miracle cure myself as I am not usually so dramatic but sinse you used the phrase dustbin, it truely is a miracle that I am now sober and for the first time in my life happy and hopeful.

If you are having trouble finding anti-med help yourself dustbin I am sure there are other sites that could be of use to you, I would be willing to help you find one if you want me to as you seem a bit lost here.

[spacebebe01]

AF for months... start meds now?

No one has said do not go to a doctor. If you had read what I said Dust it was that I did go to see many doctors and got no help for my drinking that actually helped me. If my alcoholism could have been removed surgically like an abscess then I would have done that and it would have simply cleared up, unfortunately alcoholism is not as simple as an abscess and therefore surgery is not an option.

It has long been established that the majority of doctors do not either know how to help, are unable to help or want to help people with alcohol problems, that is why so many millions of people are needlesly suffering and dying through drinking. I am compleately aware that welf medicating is not great and would never have been my first choice but the truth is that for me buying antabuse online has probably saved my life, plain and simple, that I think the medication that has been used for the longest time for treating alcoholism but in the years I have been seeing doctors and in hospitals and a specialist alcohol treatment centre in a hospital it was never suggested and when I asked for it myself I was refused. Doctors failed me on this and they are failing many, many others. I would always advise anyone to see there doctor first, who knows they may be lucky and find a decent one, and obviously everyone should get checked out physically especially after damaging our bodies so much with alcohol.

You have not mentioned before that Red Bull worked for you, I would have thought myself that it would increase anxiety but Im glad you found your answer.