what does the baclofen switch feel like?

[neophyte]

im up to 125mg a day of baclofen, it seems like each time i go up in dosage, i feel a little less addicted, a little less anxious, a little less obsessive. Yet i do still have a compulsion to drink though i do not want to.

what was it like when you reached your switch, how did you feel different? what dosage were you at?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

I didn't want to drink anymore.

Freedom.

[Samandkatharine]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

Bounce- I'm interested too. There are newbies like me who are anxious to know.

:thanks:

[kronkcarr]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

For me the switch didn't feel like anything. When I started on baclofen I wanted to be able to have a drink here and there. By that I mean every once in awhile not every night like I had been. I didn't keep alcohol in my home and I didn't get drunk once I started baclofen. My dr started me at 30 mgs and allowed me to go to 60 mgs initially. Then he let me go to 80 mgs and no higher. When I started at 80 mgs I had a night where I desperately wanted to stop at the store for wine. I really fought my impulse/habit/craving and didn't buy the wine. A few weeks later still on 80 mgs I realized that I no longer had thoughts of using alcohol to escape. That was how my switch crept up on me.

When my birthday came around I wanted to get a buzz probably out of habit. I didn't. For me I don't think I can get drunk on baclofen. After almost 9 months on bac the thought of drinking to escape is foreign. A drink is now really just a drink to be social or to celebrate.

[Juan BH]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

I feel relief because I get another chance at life and I'm not sick anymore. It's subtle, but powerful.

[joanna_d]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

joanna_d;1425234 wrote:
but i felt so awful physically from the hangover, i couldn't even enjoy the outcome, just felt so sick of it all.

fortunately had no obligations today. couldn’t have done anything really. walking my dog, reading, watching tv, no more in store for today.

then at 4.45 pm as every day i went to the store to buy a sixpack of those 8.5%.
before I went I was thinking, hm, do i really crave beer right now? it took me 15 mins of just lingerging on to decide okay, let’s go. couldn’t just let go, i have to test it, and actually experience my loosing interest with beer right under my nose.
they had only special packages, with some stupid bottle opener of the brand, so instead of 6,5 euro’s, it cost me 10,10.
i thought well what the fuck, this is all bullshit anyway.

the first beer took me 2 hours to drink. i even went for a walk with my dog while it was only half empty.
i thought o my god, it’s starting to happen. what the fuck do I do now???!!!! .................................... :H
next one (yeah, I know…): after an hour I threw the last half of it away and switched to tea.

i have 4 left in the fridge! i’ll probably just try one again after walking my dog (he’s doing his ‘victim of neglectant horribly cruel woman’ thing right now ), cause i can’t believe this.
and later
joanna_d;1425234 wrote:
i'm cleaning up my house now. i want it to be nice and clean, and i'm gonna get myself some nice (expensive!) take away (indian food) tonight.
i'll have to figure out what i'll be drinking from now on.

don't know if i'll try the beers that are still in the fridge. if i will, it'll be knowing i just don't like it anymore, and i'm only trying to wrap my mind around that...

didn't believe what was happening. i went from an average of 18+ (you can take that "+" very serious) to 3, to zero.

[Clipped Wings]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

Clipped Wings

After a week at a lower dose I'm starting with 60mg today. Minimal results yet, but after reading your posts I'm very hopeful I can win this war with my XXXX best friend " Alkie ".

Please keep posting it really helps !!!

[neophyte]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

Clipped Wings;1556081 wrote: After a week at a lower dose I'm starting with 60mg today. Minimal results yet, but after reading your posts I'm very hopeful I can win this war with my XXXX best friend " Alkie ".

Please keep posting it really helps !!!

keep at it man, 60mg didnt do much for me, when i got 100mg plus, thats when it started to happen for me, i didnt realise it at the time, it creeps up on you. Also i found it takes about 5 days for the new level of indifference to settle into me. I'm on 150mg at the moment and i still get some cravings. I'm only about 6 weeks in, so take what i say with a grain of salt. look at all the posts from the vets, i read nearly all the pages in this forum.

[neophyte]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

I'm on 150mg now, and i think i've hit my switch, didn't really realise until i was 7 days AF and gave the bac a chance to work. Yesterday was the real eye opener, i went out to a friends BBQ, they were all drinking wine, and a friend with a drinking problem (who hasnt come to terms with it, brought a liter of vodka). Normally i would have drank a whole bottle of wine to get me into my drunk zone ASAP and then cruise from then out.

I actually had no problems resisting the booze at all, i got wiffs of the red wine and it just smelt disgusting. I never really have enjoyed the taste of alcohol other than the high it gave me when i drank enough of it. Normally i would just fill a tall glass up with scotch or vodka, drink it with a straw in about 30 seconds to by pass any taste and to get that fast rush of euphoria when the alcohol warms me up from the inside.

I actually enjoyed the conversations a lot more, i felt like myself from 6 years ago where i could come up with funny anecdotes on the fly and be an asset to the conversation, rather than just being drunk off my ass and not saying much at all and wanting to go home because i was tired.

Best thing of all is waking up in the morning, i feel euphoric and i can actually lie in bed and relax a bit. Before i was jolted awake full of "the fear" and regret and loathing over everything i said or did.

another side effect seems to be my long winded forum replies :H

but i guess i ended up answering my own question about what the switch feels like. It feels like i just dont want to drink. Never thought that would happen ever, the cravings i had before were relentless. Now there is no alcohol, i feel like there is nothing i can't do.

In summary, the switch makes me feel happy and in control, anxiety free.

[kronkcarr]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

neophyte,

Isn't it just cool? How nice you reached the realization at 6 days af. I like your description of how you feel in the morning. Congratulations.

[Dosage0]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

I remember feeling the switch when I was sitting with a beer. I didnt want it.... I didnt care about it.... I just sortof felt indifferent to it. It was amazing to me... absolutely amazing.

[neophyte]

what does the baclofen switch feel like?

neophyte;1551091 wrote: im up to 125mg a day of baclofen, it seems like each time i go up in dosage, i feel a little less addicted, a little less anxious, a little less obsessive. Yet i do still have a compulsion to drink though i do not want to.

what was it like when you reached your switch, how did you feel different? what dosage were you at?

I can answer my own question now basically one day after some AF time of nearly 2 weeks at 295mg on NYE I decided to have a few drinks after a bad day. I knew i shouldnt, i didnt particularly crave it, but i wanted to be relaxed even though i knew i would regret it later, but hey, it was NYE and it was time to celebrate a shit year and hope for a better 2014. I struggled to finish 1 beer. i looked at the other beers, I drank another 2 and opened the 4th, it just sat there and i didnt drink it. A few days later, i was tested in a HALT scenario and i just didnt want to drink, i just couldnt be bothered.

Indifference is just that, indifference. Theres no amazing wow i dont need to drink, you just say to yourself, alcohol just doesnt interest me and then you think of something else. A year ago i would have thought there would have been some amazing realisation and a time for celebration.