6 weeks on Bac

[shamrock85]

6 weeks on Bac

My doctor said his highest dosage patient is at 180, so I'm guessing he wont want to go up much further with me. That's great that you are barely drinking these days! I guess my cravings have subsided quite a bit, but when I do drink it's game on.... I can still throw back as much as I always did, but it is more out of habit... I'm hoping that at 120, the cravings will subside more...Lost, can I ask how much you used to drink back in the day?

[spiritwolf333]

6 weeks on Bac

Hi shamrock85 (and Randall) -great job on the Baclofen front. You and Rand all (Randall) have both posted some great success stories regarding baclofen and alcoholism. These are exactly the type of reports that other alcoholics need to have access to if they want to give Baclofen a try. Sounds like you both have had minimal side effects and are on the road to freedom. To help Baclofen succeed in the US, the majority of people will need to read posts like these -to at try baclofen.

[Lostinspace]

6 weeks on Bac

180 mg still gives you plenty of room for improvement, so I wouldn't worry too much. Before bac, I used to drink continuously throughout the day and night - well over a liter of vodka and/or bourbon a day, and usually more like a liter and a half. When I first started on bac, I forced myself to slowly taper off alcohol completely and stayed AF for five days before starting to drink again. So there was a huge amount of effort and willpower involved at first. This isn't necessary, but it's the path I chose, so I figure I should include this. When I started drinking again at 120 mg, I was drinking only at night and only two 200 ml bottles each night - one each of vodka and bourbon. At that point, I truly had no desire to drink any more than the small amount I was buying each day, and I never once woke up craving. Plus, as I mentioned before, even the smaller amount that I was drinking was largely out of habit rather than true craving at that dose.

Now at 160 mg, I've only been drinking roughly once a week, and the amount has ranged anywhere from one to two 200 ml bottles, never more. And I have a feeling that my current six day AF span will last even longer than my previous ones at this dose because the last time I drank, I wasn't even craving it. I only drank because my husband and his friend were smoking weed and I felt the need to dumb myself down to make them less annoying to me while we were all hanging out. It seems that the longer I stay at this dose, the fewer cravings I have, and the less intense they are when they do pop up. If you can manage it, try to get in some AF days. It really does seem to help the bac do its job more effectively. When I decided to do a little AF time after getting to 160 mg, that's when everything really started to change for me as far as feeling indifferent (most of the time)

And sorry to have written a novel. I know you just asked a simple question, but unfortunately, I can be rather longwinded at times.

[shamrock85]

6 weeks on Bac

Thanks, Lost.. I don't think you're long winded at all... I think AF days is great advice. I guess I'm just a little nervous because I felt such a great sense of relief at even a low level of bac and today (and the past 2 weeks I guess) have been shitty. My hugest sense of relief occurred when I first started....As I increase my dosage, I'm just not seeing a benefit. It's making me lose hope in a sense.

[Lostinspace]

6 weeks on Bac

Please don't lose hope. I don't think it's all that unusual to feel such relief at the beginning. Your body had never before been exposed to baclofen, so the effects were probably just more noticeable at the time. As you adjusted to it, it became more apparent that the low dose you were on is not enough to do the trick. That's what I imagine is happening anyway. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not. I know when I reached 80 mg (which I went up to very quickly), at first I felt like it was helping a little with the cravings, which I really needed since I was tapering off alcohol at the time. But within a matter of days, I was struggling so hard with cravings that I thought I was gonna lose my mind. The return of your cravings at such a low dose doesn't mean anything as far as how you'll feel at higher doses. Really.

[shamrock85]

6 weeks on Bac

Thanks, Lost! I spoke with my doctor today and he is fine with me titrating up to 150. I guess I'll try that. I'm on vacation starting tomorrow... I'm nervous about that (a no booze vacation- and for a week). This whole thing has me so mad at myself. Just wish I had my shit more together... feel like such a screw up. I'll have my computer with me and will be checking in... Hope you are doing well!

[Ne/Neva Eva]

6 weeks on Bac

A belated welcome, Shamrock.

Great news from your doctor! Man, vacation time for me always meant that I could drink without limits. What are you going to do while you're free?

Taking this medication can be a bit of a roller coaster, but it works so it pays to hang in there. Rather than thinking of yourself as a screw up or being mad at yourself, maybe you can take a step back and remind yourself why we take medication. This is a disease. It's a function of brain chemistry. Baclofen helps to sort out the brain chemistry and treat the disease. It's not personal. You're not a screw-up. You have an illness and you're treating it. That makes you incredibly smart and committed to a better and healthier life. Just like me! (Any excuse for a little pep-talk, you know? :H)

Hang in there, and keep posting. I like reading what you have to say. It's also a great way to get support and information.

[Lostinspace]

6 weeks on Bac

I know the idea of a no-booze vacation seems intimidating, shamrock, but it can actually be a good way to start an AF period if you go into it with the right mindset. I had a week long vacation (mostly a staycation) from work less than a week into my AF time, and I think the change in my overall daily routine made it easier to break up the day to day drinking routine. The key is to stay busy - and not just filling your days with a bunch of things for the sake of staying busy, but to plan out fun things that you actually look forward to doing.

You'd be surprised how great an AF vacation can be. Seriously. Outside of an overnight backpacking trip I did with my husband, I was home the rest of the week, and I actually enjoyed that vacation far more than any of my previous liquor-filled ones. For one thing, I actually DID things, instead of just lying around half-comatose on the couch while watching tv. For another thing, when you're clear-headed and remember everything, the days seem to last a lot longer. The week I had off actually felt like a full week, and I was able to go back to work truly rested for once. Anyway, I hope you have a great vacation

And to repeat what Ne said, there's no reason to be mad at yourself. You've done nothing wrong and everything right - you're actively working towards addressing your addiction. You just haven't reached the right dose yet. You will, just keep at it and keep the faith. It really does work.