New Here, My Baclofen Diary

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 14
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Jog 2 miles
Alcohol = A lot, unknown # of units. 3 Margueritas, 1 beer, wine at home. Reason for this binge? -- Last-minute happy hour after work. Can't turn that down, or not drink there, no way!

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 15
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Walk 2.5 miles
Alcohol = AF

Ok, due to my binge last night and eating almost no food, this was an awful, baclofen-fortified hangover. I felt like death all morning, and nearly broke my stretch of 37 days being caffeine free by having a cup of coffee. But, I suffered through without. Yes, I am trying to quit two addictive substances simultaneously (coffee and alcohol). Clearly I'm having better luck with the coffee.

SB

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 16
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Jog 2 miles
Alcohol = 13 units

30mg seems to have reduced my typical binge amount from 18 units pretty significantly. Unfortunately, the 13 unit baclofen hangover is just as bad, if not worse, than the 18 unit hangovers without baclofen. I feel lame complaining about hangovers -- just don't drink, dummy! Sigh.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 17
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Walk 4 miles
Alcohol = 15 units

Finished Ameisen's book today. Very hopeful and impatient to begin titrating up from 30mg.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 18
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Walk 4.5 miles
Alcohol = AF

[Hippyman]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

SuperBinger;1461308 wrote: Day 18
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Walk 4.5 miles
Alcohol = AF

AF...Great!!! Baclofen works best for me when I have NO ALCOHOL in my system. It kicks in and gives me the extra power that I need to say NO to the drink. It doesn't stop drinking for me. I had to do that but it took the over whelming compulsion away so I could say no.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 19
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Jog 2.25 miles, weights
Weight = 183.6
Alcohol = 8 units

Thanks Hippyman -- I love logging AF days, but 30mg isn't enough bac for me to change my pattern. I'm still binging on the weekends and a couple days during the week. I've noted that the amount I'm drinking during the week is a bit lower than before. So, the low-dose Bac seems to be helping me reduce my intake per session, but not reducing the number of days I drink.

Monday is the day I step onto the scale, I was pleased to see that my weight's dropping a bit. I attribute this to making an effort to get at least some exercise every day. The reduced alcohol intake definitely makes it easier to stick to that.

Biding time until my Doctor appointment and titrating up with the baclofen...

SB

[TexasAg]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Hiya SB,

I've gotta admire your patience. When I started, I realized this could be it and I wanted to hit the switch as soon as possible. I still titrated at 20mg every week and thankfully hit my switch at 160 (or maybe it was 120 but didn't realize it until I came down :H) With me my "switch" was not on/off, it was more like a dimmer switch that slowly came on.

Anyways, Feb 19th is just around the corner so hang in there. Hopefully he gives you the green light to titrate up to whatever you need to get to. I'll just throw my two cents in and say that the process is helped if you try to go AF, not necessary but easier. With me, during my process I realized that habits were sometimes harder than cravings.

Cheers!

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 20
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Jog 2.25 miles, weights
Alcohol = AF

Yo TexasAG -- You pretty much summed it up. I sense that baclofen is the answer, which makes it hard to wait in starting my titrating journey toward "the switch." I think I said in one of my early entries that I'm not in a hurry, I've been progressing in my habit for many years, so a few weeks is no big deal to wait. But I have to be honest, I really want to get going with this now.

If my doc won't give me a prescription that will let me titrate up on the gradual schedule I am going to propose (I may move up at 10 mg per week -- I need to look into this a bit more before my appointment), then I'm planning to go it alone with a baclofen supply my wife (posting here as MyNameIs) has already procured from Inhouse pharma.

A few folks here have mentioned that going AF while titrating up is the way to go. So far, my habit/pattern has resisted change, but I have to admit I have not brought much willpower to bear. I think I am just lazy and want a "magic pill" to just stop me from drinking. Lame.

"...habits were sometimes harder than cravings...." Interesting. I definitely feel that my situation is informed more by habit than craving, though they are related.

Thanks for the post in support.

SB

P.S. -- I lived in Houston from 1997 - 2000. I lived near Westheimer @ Eldridge. I miss Houston -- except for the fire ants.

[Sticky]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Hiya

Lazy and lame? I don't think so. I think it's awesome that you are attempting to stay AF and keeping up with the exercise. You and your wife doing it together, well NE and her hubby did that with success and each others support. Read my story if you want to be put off drinking while titratring up! Not to mention my 18 month far more detailed story on the TSM website which backfired on me.....

Cheers
Sticky

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 21
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = Jog 2.25 miles, weights
Alcohol = 10 units

Crazy day at work and preparing for Valentine's day excursion.

Sticky -- Thanks for a little perspective regarding my self-assessments. I still feel guilt for not being able to control my drinking with will power alone, and tend to verbally self-flagellate in my diary. Lame. Lol.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 22
Baclofen 2x10 = 20mg
Exercise = None
Alcohol = ?? 1 martini, 2 beers, 2 x Redbull + vodka

Fun Valentine's day dinner and rock show in Los Angeles with MyNameIs. Forgot to take 3rd baclofen dose before bedtime.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 23
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = 3 hours of mountain hiking
Alcohol = 14 units

Having missed the last dose of baclofen last night, I was curious to see if there would be any withdrawal symptoms this morning, or any different feeling at all.

There wasn't.

[SuperBinger]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

Day 24
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = None, but lots of chores done
Alcohol = ?? units. A lot. Invited over to neighbors for dinner and drinks. Several wines, a beer, a whiskey, Drambui, then more wine back home in the hot tub.

No AF days since last Tuesday. Ug.

[Hippyman]

New Here, My Baclofen Diary

SuperBinger;1464546 wrote: Day 24
Baclofen 3x10 = 30mg
Exercise = None, but lots of chores done
Alcohol = ?? units. A lot. Invited over to neighbors for dinner and drinks. Several wines, a beer, a whiskey, Drambui, then more wine back home in the hot tub.

No AF days since last Tuesday. Ug.

What is it about drinking alcohol that you like?