Off-Label Baclofen Prescribing Practices among French Alcohol Specialists

[DonQuixote]

Hi Folks

I think this has not been posted yet:

• Off-Label Baclofen Prescribing Practices among French Alcohol Specialists: Results of a National Online Survey

Enjoy the free English fulltext :thumbsup: .

DonQuixote

[Otter]

Thanks for the post.

It's a funny situation. The paper conveys a sense of disbelief and wonder. Here is this drug which is being used by most alcoholism specialists, with little guidance, but then nothing is made of this. Then there is mention of home prescribing and the forming of lobbying groups. Must be because it works.

Then the conclusion... which seems to say nothing much more than, "this is all a mess which needs sorting out". It's symptomatic of the problem alcoholism treatment faces. The more successful a drug is, the more resistance it gets. I have held a belief for a long time that the reason for this is a kind of "drunk herd mentality" caused by alcohol being universally taken as a "drug of choice" and an across the board refusal/failure to accept the reality of the situation, much like an alcoholic in his early stages refuses/fails to see the seriousness of his situation.

Baclofen may not work for a lot of people because they actually enjoy drinking and a "cure" for alcoholism isn't accepted because to a greater or lesser extent, everyone is a bit of a an alcoholic and no one really wants to own up to it until they have to.

[Mentium]

There are also a lot of vested interests in the existing 'solutions'. The rehab industry with its money spinning revolving doors, to name but one, have no real incentive to promote real solutions. I'm not suggesting a conspiracy so much as a duplicitous inertia.

[Molly78]

I like "duplicitous inertia"! But I am also a conspiracy theorist at heart. I do think that the rehab industry in particular has a lot to lose if a simple treatment like baclofen became mainstream - imagine, alcoholics just being able to go to their GP, start treatment & then access counselling if needed while they dry out. What would happen to places like The Priory? They would just go out of business.

[Colin]

The competing interests of the contributors list a bunch of drug companies and nothing else. Dodgy?

[Otter]

I hadn't noticed that but, yes, if alcoholism is curable, in a large number of people with a drug which could be considered safe enough to be dispensed over the counter...Viagra, birth control pills are...then this is going to be a big "hit" on drug researchers and rehab.

What I find is that there is, where I am living now, amongst pretty much everyone this fuzzy idea that drinking is ok, fine...

"Do yooooo have a prrroblem with ddddrrrriinnnnk?, he said in his Scottish brogue as he sipped his wee dram.

[Molly78]

The trouble is, drinking IS fine for quite a lot of people. Those who can take it or leave it simply don't understand the addictive brain.


That said, a high proportion of the population who are not alcoholics are drinking more than is good for their health. Lots of stuff in the UK press lately about retired people drinking excessively, whereas alcohol intake in the teens & twenties age group is falling. Also the idea recently that cancer is caused mainly by environmental factors, among which alcohol intake is one of the most significant.

[Otter]

It seems to me that despite all the public health warnings and education, the prevailing attitude is that drinking is actually not addictive and is a very, very good thing. I can understand you saying that most people can drink, but I think it goes further than that and most people have developed a "I'm all right Jack" attitude which is perhaps a reaction to all the government action to stop them drinking it. It's a bit like prohibition and the criminalization of drugs. People do it BECAUSE it now seems "risky" and anti government telling them what to do. That's my perception at least. I grew up in a place where alcohol was only dispensed by government "liquor control boards" and the booze could not be displayed openly. You had to go to an outlet and fill a form out and they gave it to you in a brown bag. It was illegal to drink out of doors and women had to be escorted to drinking establishments and men drank separately from escorted women.

Now its available everywhere at any time of day or night in any quantity and that has done no one any good.

[_serenity_]

bump

[_serenity_]

bump

[DonQuixote]

bump

Thanks for bumping. Well done!

DonQuixote

[Wilson1]

Dear Serenity - I do hope and pray for you that find your switch again. You do appear to be someone who wants to help others. Thank you for reposting so many irrelevant posts - I know that art trying to people and Baclofen.

[DonQuixote]

Hi Serenity

Thanks for Bump!

DonQ

[Umpalumpa]

Hey Don, the French are really up on this stuff. I read an article on the internet about this.

Baclofen: the controversial pill that could 'cure' alcoholism | Society | The Guardian

[__serenity__]

bump! Thanks Don Quixote.