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[Ne/Neva Eva]

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beckty;1662616 wrote: Guilt/Shame is so counter productive!

YES! Guilt and shame are more the enemy than booze. Fight the enemy!!! Figure out a way to love yourself.

Keep in mind that some stranger on the internet thinks you all are superheroes for battling this demon on your own with only other internet strangers for support. I did it. I know.

[hopefulinOz]

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Thanks Ne!
The trial is 12 weeks and I'm only 2 weeks in. I've told them that IMO the titration is too fast, but what would I know right...

[Ne/Neva Eva]

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hopefulinOz;1662822 wrote: Thanks Ne!
The trial is 12 weeks and I'm only 2 weeks in. I've told them that IMO the titration is too fast, but what would I know right...

Two weeks!?! Oh, Hopeful. This takes time. And 75 mg in two weeks, if that's what you're taking, is very fast. But faster has been done, and it will settle down after a while. Really.

Spirit's post is wrong. Baclofen works even if you drink. You will undoubtedly feel much better, physically and mentally, if you can maintain abstinence, but it is not a requirement for success. The vast majority of us drank. I drank alcoholically during my entire titration. I don't suggest it, because it's painful. And drinking alcoholically sucks because booze is toxic to body and brain. But baclofen works regardless. (I want to be clear: Spirit's a great guy and a kind soul, but the info in that post is wrong.)

I would strongly suggest that you read a lot of the older threads! (Not mine. It's too long and too messy. But some of the others...I'll leave it to you to choose.) Two weeks and 75mg is not enough to base your chances on. Please hang in there! And STAY HOPEFUL!

[hopefulinOz]

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I'm so confused.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

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hopefulinOz;1662911 wrote: I'm so confused.

I understand.

Think of this:

The goal is to stop drinking. Focus on the goal.
It doesn't happen overnight. Every change, every single one, takes time.

I spent my time focused on the things I wanted to do, that I couldn't do because I drank too much. Like cleaning the kitchen after dinner. (I was usually too drunk to care and always made coffee in a messy kitchen. Blech.) And going back to school! (I have been a full time student--successfully--for 3 years! No coincidence!! It was just over 3 years ago that I quit drinking alcoholically.) (I'm 44. :H)

You don't have to make any decisions right now about if or what or how much or why or when you'll drink. You can't! It's not possible to understand what it is to not care about booze, until you don't care about booze. And there are lots of ways to get there, not just baclofen. But baclofen works like no other, and you're taking it, so go with it!

People told me all the time to stop over-thinking things. It's the best advice I couldn't take. :H

[hopefulinOz]

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So, can you give me a quick summary of your journey Ne? Your thread is so long I can't read it all. How much did you drink before bac, and then what happened?

[hopefulinOz]

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Off topic but can anyone tell me where to update my location? I cannot find it anywhere in the settings.

[StuckinLA]

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Hi Hopeful.

I have no idea how to update locations. I did look but couldn't find it.

As for Ne's story, since I'm here I'll summarize and she can correct me if I'm misremembering. She was drinking her daily norm and about to give up at around 280 due to SEs. But she's feisty and stubborn, so instead of giving up she bit the bullet and pushed up to 320 in a week or so, and the rest is history.

I was sober titrating up to 150 and then drinking after that, and on the verge of giving up at 180, 200, and 220. At 240 I was indifferent to alcohol.

Side effects suck - a lot. No one here is saying that baclofen is easy. But drinking alcohol has no effect whatsoever on the switch. Enough baclofen + enough time = indifference.

[Eloise]

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Just a comment: my mother was prescribed baclofen some 6-7 years ago for spasticity related to MS. After a few weeks all she talked about how she suddenly had the desire to give up alcohol for no apparent reason. She just all of a sudden decided she did not need to ever drink wine again- cold turkey- now that is will power she said!

I did not tell her baclofen is also prescribed to help people stop drinking, why upset her moment of inner strength?

I am convince it certainly does work for many people.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

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hopefulinOz;1662917 wrote: So, can you give me a quick summary of your journey Ne? Your thread is so long I can't read it all. How much did you drink before bac, and then what happened?

I drank 1.5 bottles of cheap white wine every night after work. More on the weekends. Much more on holidays and vacations. Brunch was a good enough reason for the first drink. I usually passed out after about 2 bottles, though.

Three rehabs. The last one for about 6 weeks, in 2005. First time sober was in AA for a brief period in the mid-90s. Before baclofen, I had never had 30 days of continuous sobriety. Possibly in my adult life! Now it happens frequently, though I have no idea because I don't think about it anymore.

I found Dr. Ameisen's book in the library in 2010. Read it and thought it was malarkey. Spent a ton of time on google and my way out. Wrote him. He wrote me back. Started and quit three times before I started up a fourth and final time. (Horrendous side effects and fear.) After four months I (finally!) stopped drinking against my will. That means, that I woke up one morning and thought, "I don't want to drink tonight! I won't! No matter what!" and then I actually didn't. It happened again and again until I finally admitted it worked and I was free! Woohooo!

The periods of time that I was abstinent when I was titrating up were really pleasant. The periods of time that I have been abstinent since indifference have helped me tremendously. I figure that there isn't any way to figure out how to live without the stuff, if I was still living with the stuff every night. Right?

That was in February 2011. I've been drunk, on purpose and not on purpose, a couple of times a year since then. Being drunk sucks and the hangovers are what any 40+ year old non-drinker experiences. Brutal, brutal, brutal. So I tend to avoid that at all costs.

I also exercised and tried to remember to eat. I took the pills religiously. (Consistency is not my strongest attribute. Neither is eating. But I married a chef, so I have a lot of help with that.) I got a therapist, too. And I still see her when times are tough, or I want to share an accomplishment. She makes me think. And smile.

Just keep doing what you're doing, Hopeful. Don't let the kerfuffle distract you from the goal. :l

[NeedMoreInformation]

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new trial

Good luck hopefulinoz

[NeedMoreInformation]

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Good luck!

[Molly78]

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Isn't it depressing how low the doses of baclofen are in those trials - I looked at the first 2 completed/has results (not that I could see the results, expect I didn't follow enough links) - 10mg 8-hourly! It is licenced in the UK for up to 100mg daily for relief of spasticity, given in divided dose 3x daily, which would normally be 6 hourly.

You get the impression that they don't want to give it a chance. maybe the researchers are being paid by the manufacturers of the other almost useless treatments such as Campral & naltrexone!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

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Hi, Molly. And welcome to the forum! I saw your post on the other thread, but I didn't want to say hi there.

Molly78;1664775 wrote: Isn't it depressing how low the doses of baclofen are in those trials -

It is sooo frustrating! On the other hand, I know that they have to be cautious. The problem is that for some of us, the low doses didn't have any real impact. On the other hand, I think many of us felt "something" early on. So there's that! It doesn't have to be perfect to be progress. Thank goodness.

How are you, Hopeful? I woke up thinking about you this morning. I hope it's going well. I also hope that you'll keep posting about the random stuff they're making you do for the research!

[hopefulinOz]

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Hey all,

Still plodding along. I've seen a reduction in my drinking but nowhere near what I want it to be. I went in and saw the doctor yesterday. I asked her what prescription she would give me at the end of the trial. From the trial point of view, some have been on low dose, some "high" dose and some on placebo. She said she'll start off with 30mg a day, and the people who have been on the high dose will notice the reduction quite quickly.
My craving is definitely less, and I could probably get through the evening AF if I could go to bed at 6pm but because I can't, I still drink. Yes, I know that's an excuse. My life feels miserable and I'm self medicating at the moment.