Where is everybody?

[Alky]

Where is everybody?

StuckinLA;1651647 wrote: If someone is worried about their "recovery" then don't drink. If they're not worried, and don't have health concerns related to alcohol, and they want to have a drink then have a f**king drink.

Then why even bother with bac?

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Where is everybody?

StuckinLA;1651647 wrote:
Having cake and eating it too still gives you diabetes, ya' know what I'm sayin'? Drinking alcohol is bad for you - it just is, alcoholic or indifferent or neither of the above.

Oh and EDIT: I'm still here, too.

:H

Exactly!

Glad you're still here, Stuck.

[StuckinLA]

Where is everybody?

Ne/Neva Eva;1651652 wrote: "I'm only going to drink on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sunday through Wednesday."

:H:H:H

:l

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Where is everybody?

Alky;1651654 wrote: Then why even bother with bac?

Freedom.

[spiritwolf333]

Where is everybody?

BetterAndBetter;1650765 wrote: I wrote a longer answer but decided against it. I've arrived at where I am with baclofen after years of personal experimentation. What you may see as a "pitfall" I see as an awesome option, provided by a pharmaceutical, that I'm thankful for. Baclofen didn't "save" me... it's not a 12-step program in a pill... it's just a great tool for accomplishing control of my drinking. Mission accomplished! I wish you well in your journey. You seem like a sincere soul, ya ol' houndawg!

Rut-Ro B&B -Wow, I did not even read your post-back until I just read NE's reply post.

First, please let me thank you for recognizing the fact that none of what (NEVER) post is intentionally meant to harm anyone. (Some occasional sarcasm, etc.)

Perhaps I need to continue to work on my writing skills (and other skills) in light of the fact that I (we) are primarily posting as nameless-faceless-headless writers, and possibly our true communications intentions are not really know my the intended readers.

Please understand this; I do not see your option to drink or not to drink as a "pitfall". I look at this option as a real -potential- course of action for myself -at some point in time. Your testament to Baclofen being a true medication for the reversal of the "brain" disease of alcoholism is powerful -and trust me, I have now read every word. I guess I have just not reached that much confidence in myself to really "test" the waters on a continuous basis.

My question really was one of wondering why you would choose alcohol to change the way you think and/or feel if you were 100% satisfied with the feeling when you are not drinking. In no way was it intended to be anything otherwise. If you spoke to me, you would no what I am telling you is my truth.

Regardless, I think you probably understand where I am coming from (to some degree) and I hope you respond back.

And, I really would have liked to have read your longer reply (once I got past the bashing-lol). I would imagine that you have a LOT of real and true experience that could help many of us tread our own paths.

Thank You
SW

[Alky]

Where is everybody?

Ne/Neva Eva;1651659 wrote: Freedom.

Freedom to do what? Continuing to get drunk but feeling like you're finally "doing something about it???"

[StuckinLA]

Where is everybody?

Alky;1651699 wrote: Freedom to do what? Continuing to get drunk but feeling like you're finally "doing something about it???"

EXACTLY.

edit: let me amend that to say "continuing to get drunk" is what we're accustomed to think but that ain't indifference. who said anything about "drunk"? Ne's talking about having a drink or two every once in a while - inconceivable before bac, totally possible with bac, and that's the freedom people are talking about.

[neophyte]

Where is everybody?

im still here, just not posting as much, baclofen still working great and so is my baclofen, not drinking (much) i guess i have a healthy relationship with booze now. ill have a few beers when my friends come round or i go out, but i wont down a bottle of scotch on a weekday anymore.

other then that, im just dealing with anxiety, unfortunately baclofen did not reduce my anxiety. i just recently added mirtazapine 15mg along with zoloft 50mg and it seems to be working pretty well.

[Samandkatharine]

Where is everybody?

Alky;1651699 wrote: Freedom to do what? Continuing to get drunk but feeling like you're finally "doing something about it???"

Did you change your avatar?

I CANT get drunk on baclofen. That's freedom, Alky. Two beers and I'm done. I hate having to get up and pee during the nite but that's the chance I take with two beers :upset:

Sam

[Fred_The_Cat]

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Samandkatharine;1651734 wrote: Did you change your avatar?

I CANT get drunk on baclofen. That's freedom, Alky. Two beers and I'm done. I hate having to get up and pee during the nite but that's the chance I take with two beers :upset:

Sam

For real- if I stick with beer it's 1 1/4 and pour the rest out. And peeing at night is bad for your sleep- I have an app that proves it!

[YouKayBee]

Where is everybody?

Ne/Neva Eva;1651652 wrote: Agreed.



Very good points. Particularly the part about risking the recovery by drinking just because one can. (Or, to Alky's point, because one thinks one can.)

I would add to the very worthy notes of caution and reasonableness two salient points:
Baclofen and booze don't mix and it's a great way to make the whole process absolutely brutal. (Most people quit.)

Moderation doesn't exist. I don't "moderate" my drinking. I rarely drink. When I drink, it's because I want to and I don't have to think, "I'm only going to drink X number of drinks" or "I'm only going to drink on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sunday through Wednesday." If I had to (or you have to) moderate or control my (your) drinking, I (you) shouldn't be drinking. Alcoholic is when thinking is replaced by drinking. Normal (or whatever) is when there isn't any thinking needed about drinking. Or something like that.

Point is that I'm still wary. Booze is the only thing that ever kicked my ass, and it did so soundly and without effort. It doesn't own me anymore and it never will again.

My drinking 'normally' didn't involve a plan as such, or saying I'd only drinkg x amount - most of the time I just realised I didn't want to drink any more than a certain amount, if at all.

Recovery to me involved learning to live again as well as engaging in personal therapy rather than simply "not" drinking. It was quite different to previous episodes of just 'not drinking, or cutting back on intake.

Stuff happened, things changed inside and out. They still are.

[Samandkatharine]

Where is everybody?

Fred_The_Cat;1651751 wrote: For real- if I stick with beer it's 1 1/4 and pour the rest out. And peeing at night is bad for your sleep- I have an app that proves it!

I have that app and the app f#%ks with my sleep every time! Sleep cycle? Hate it:damn:

Sam

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Where is everybody?

Alky;1651699 wrote: Freedom to do what? Continuing to get drunk but feeling like you're finally "doing something about it???"
I drank while titrating up on baclofen. I don't recommend it, but I know the reality for most of us is that we will continue to drink. And when I stopped drinking against my will, I still drank too much about once a month for the first year or so. (I also went from 320 mg of baclofen to 100 mg of baclofen in about a month or so. I really don't recommend that.)

Since then? I've experimented with my baclofen dose from as low as 80 mg to as high as 200 mg. I've never once returned to alcoholic drinking. The last time I drank too much was in late 2013 (November? October? I'm not sure). I had 4 margaritas and I was sick for two days. That's not conducive to productive life. It's not alcoholic, though. Not even a binge, when you get technical about it.

Freedom to choose means that I know I was stupid for ordering another margarita(s) and not doing the same thing again. It was a mistake. I learned from it. But alcohol doesn't own me anymore.

YouKayBee;1651790 wrote:
Recovery to me involved learning to live again as well as engaging in personal therapy rather than simply "not" drinking. It was quite different to previous episodes of just 'not drinking, or cutting back on intake.

Stuff happened, things changed inside and out. They still are.

Yes. Thanks, YouKayBee, for the clarity of your post. Baclofen gets rid of the addiction to booze. Recovery starts there.

[YouKayBee]

Where is everybody?

Ne/Neva Eva;1651904 wrote: I drank while titrating up on baclofen. I don't recommend it, but I know the reality for most of us is that we will continue to drink. And when I stopped drinking against my will, I still drank too much about once a month for the first year or so. (I also went from 320 mg of baclofen to 100 mg of baclofen in about a month or so. I really don't recommend that.)

Since then? I've experimented with my baclofen dose from as low as 80 mg to as high as 200 mg. I've never once returned to alcoholic drinking. The last time I drank too much was in late 2013 (November? October? I'm not sure). I had 4 margaritas and I was sick for two days. That's not conducive to productive life. It's not alcoholic, though. Not even a binge, when you get technical about it.

Freedom to choose means that I know I was stupid for ordering another margarita(s) and not doing the same thing again. It was a mistake. I learned from it. But alcohol doesn't own me anymore.



Yes. Thanks, YouKayBee, for the clarity of your post. Baclofen gets rid of the addiction to booze. Recovery starts there.

Which is exactly what Naltrexone did for me.

[BetterAndBetter]

Where is everybody?

spiritwolf333;1651676 wrote:
Regardless, I think you probably understand where I am coming from (to some degree) and I hope you respond back.

And, I really would have liked to have read your longer reply (once I got past the bashing-lol). I would imagine that you have a LOT of real and true experience that could help many of us tread our own paths.

Thank You
SW

No problem, SW. I hear where you're coming from. In my experience, I think it would be better for someone to abstain from alcohol, but baclofen seems to create the allowance of moderate consumption in some people. One reason I drank a lot was because of anxiety which was longstanding and aggravated by the alcohol. Baclofen really addresses that for me so I'm physically not compelled to drink. I neither have "next day" effects from alcohol or persistent generalized anxiety. I feel very fortunate that this one drug helps me so much. In fact, I have an esential tremor... causes a mild to severe shaking in the hands... had it since childhood... father, sister and kid all have it... anyway.. I used to shake severely on mornings after drinking even moderate amounts and one of the only ways to stop it was more alcohol. Baclofen, strangely enough, eliminated the shaking caused by the essential tremor... aggravated by alcohol... making it even easier for me to abstain. I'm just a lucky person who has gotten great benefit, on a lot of fronts, from baclofen. Using it low-dose is perfect for me and I can drink without fretting about it because it addresses my specific needs. I just choose not to drink much because it is a toxin and not good for me in amounts greater than moderation. I tried high dose titration, while drinking, initially, and that was pretty bad in terms of side effects. I tried high dose not drinking and still a lot of SEs. For me, 60-80mgs a day divided-dose seems most ideal for me. I get all the benefits of bac and no side effects at all. It's really just been about personal experimentation and I suspect the effects will be similar but different for each person. Without an attentive MD we all have to figure out how to personalize this, IMO, amazing pharmaceutical tool for ourselves. All the best!