Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

[Solo]

Hi

I've posted here before because I was desperate to stop drinking, and wanted to try Baclofen, which i purchased on the internet and still have.

I never started taking it.

I was on a slow diazepam (valium) withdrawal since December of last year, and somehow found myself in a rock and a hard place, where I'd started drinking spirits staight and then upped my valiums in an attempt to stop drinking.

PMS plays a big factor, not in how I drink, but in my actions if I do. 2 weeks ago I woke up in a London hospital in the Critical Ward. i kept going in and out of consiousness, and I couldnt remember anything of how I'd got there, or at the time even what year it was or where I lived or any of the questions they asked me. I woke up on Thursday at 3pm after where I remember some parts of it like being terified I was going to die., and there was lots of doctors there, and I thought I could hear what they where saying and that it wasnt good. And I remember crying I dont want to die. i was hooked up to all kinds of machines and drips and could not move at all even to go to the toilet (they had a tube there)

I later found out that I was admitted through A&E at 7am on the Tuesday morning. I have no memory of that entire day. According to my flatmate (and ex-boyfriend) I had been drinking and he found a bottle of brandy hidden in the food cuppord. He left it there and by the evening it was gone. I went to the shop and got more. Then by about 10pm I was screaming and he found me in the bathroom with foam coming from my mouth and begging for help. He has seen me like this many times before. He gave me some water and I came around. But then he heard me go to the shop again. I guess I drank another bottle of brandy. I started screaming and shouting and he tried shut me up, which resulted in the police being called and him being asked to leave the flat. After that I guess I drank more. But even worse I think I tried to kill myself while I was drunk. I had 100 baclofen tablets, but when I came back from the hospital there where less that 70 left. One of things they told me at the hospital was that I had told them I'd taken Baclofen.

Horribly, since then I've been drinking. I havnt been able to stop.

Please what can I do?

I'm still taking valiums (about 10mg a day) and my doctor has now prescribed me Citralopam which is an SSRI.

Is it safe to take Baclofen.

I'm scared for myself

[red67]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

I so wish I could say something to help you. I can hear the fear you have and I understand. At the point you are at I think you need inpatient treatment. Do you have that available to you? Most important is you have to really want to quit. With the Valium and alcohol you have a very dangerous combination. Can you talk to your doctor and be completely.honest about your problem. I told my doctor and she understood and really wanted to help. In the end, after 10 years of daily drinking I finally said enough. I spent a week and tapered down. I quit for good and My life couldn't be better. That was six months ago today.

Please don't try to do this on your own. You most likely will need medical help to taper down the Valium and quit drinking. But you can do it.

I really pray you can find a way out because it is no way to live.

[Nichau]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

Solo,

I don't know how to respond to your query, except to say that there are many, many people here who can assist you, whether it is sharing their stories, or offering plans of action, or assistance with getting you hooked up with a good doctor to ease your emotional and physical pain.

Stay on this site. There is a wealth of information here, and no one will condemn you for what you're going through.

Hugs,

Nichau.

[Kaslo]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

I think the advice to get some medical help is a good one. You are typing like a normal person, and yet you have had enough booze and dope to seriously harm you. So you are pretty habituated and withdrawal without med help is going to be tricky. Get thee to an emergency detox clinic if you have one available there. I sure hope you get some help soon.

[Jolie]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

Solo - please get help. Is there a family member or friend you can reach out to?

[RitaNow]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

Solo - this is no time to fly "solo". The fact that you've typed this story out is proof to yourself that you are ready and you are being totally honest with yourself. That is a good starting point. I agree with all here and you need some help to get on the path of a sober life. The more involved the more accountable you will be. Do you have a AA meeting you can go to?

It's time - your going to do this ... and please let us know how you are doing. :l

[mama bear]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

we had a close family member here that od's on Bac and alcohol last year....please be careful hun

[Road to Recovery]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

mama bear;1188578 wrote: we had a close family member here that od's on Bac and alcohol last year....please be careful hun

Hmmm, I am not sure that is an accurate statement - that the member OD on bac and alcohol, but I was not told what the exact cause of death was. As with any med, if you take a boatload of pills all at once, it most certainly can negatively effect your body. I have never heard of anyone OD-ing on baclofen, but maybe you know different? These are just my thoughts - please don't take what I have said as fact.

[music man]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

Yo Solo...

Hang in there my friend.

[sunshine&rainbow]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

Hi Solo, I think you definately need to at least see a doctor, I have been where you are and needed in-patient detox, but have aslo have at home detox with a community nurse comming out to me and last time I stopped drinking I reduced over several days with a family member doing the drink supply (I could never do that myself). You can do this, most of us on here have, I can guarantee to you that if you manage to get a few days away from the drink you will feel so much better you will be amazed, but please get help asap

[Life After Addiction]

Nearly died 2 weeks ago, but I cant stop drinking

About your recent experience...

Solo;1178892 wrote: Hi

I've posted here before because I was desperate to stop drinking, and wanted to try Baclofen, which i purchased on the internet and still have.

I never started taking it.

I was on a slow diazepam (valium) withdrawal since December of last year, and somehow found myself in a rock and a hard place, where I'd started drinking spirits staight and then upped my valiums in an attempt to stop drinking.

PMS plays a big factor, not in how I drink, but in my actions if I do. 2 weeks ago I woke up in a London hospital in the Critical Ward. i kept going in and out of consiousness, and I couldnt remember anything of how I'd got there, or at the time even what year it was or where I lived or any of the questions they asked me. I woke up on Thursday at 3pm after where I remember some parts of it like being terified I was going to die., and there was lots of doctors there, and I thought I could hear what they where saying and that it wasnt good. And I remember crying I dont want to die. i was hooked up to all kinds of machines and drips and could not move at all even to go to the toilet (they had a tube there)

I later found out that I was admitted through A&E at 7am on the Tuesday morning. I have no memory of that entire day. According to my flatmate (and ex-boyfriend) I had been drinking and he found a bottle of brandy hidden in the food cuppord. He left it there and by the evening it was gone. I went to the shop and got more. Then by about 10pm I was screaming and he found me in the bathroom with foam coming from my mouth and begging for help. He has seen me like this many times before. He gave me some water and I came around. But then he heard me go to the shop again. I guess I drank another bottle of brandy. I started screaming and shouting and he tried shut me up, which resulted in the police being called and him being asked to leave the flat. After that I guess I drank more. But even worse I think I tried to kill myself while I was drunk. I had 100 baclofen tablets, but when I came back from the hospital there where less that 70 left. One of things they told me at the hospital was that I had told them I'd taken Baclofen.

Horribly, since then I've been drinking. I havnt been able to stop.

Please what can I do?

I'm still taking valiums (about 10mg a day) and my doctor has now prescribed me Citralopam which is an SSRI.

Is it safe to take Baclofen.

I'm scared for myself

Hello Solo,

Last December I went through a similar experience. I'd been on high-dose baclofen since the previous August, but due to enormous stress had still been drinking heavily. I landed in ICU for several days where I was intubated. The physicians told me later the reason I'd felt like I was dying and the reason I had amnesia about much of my experience leading up to hospitalization was that I'd ingested a lot of baclofen with a lot of vodka. Baclofen is a safe medication, but you can have serious side effects if you take too much while drinking heavily.

I've also been in similar straits in terms of being desperate for a solution to alcohol abuse and dependency. I've taken benzos/opiates to detox on my own and all that happened was that I began to abuse these medications along with alcohol.

I'm not a fan of treatment centers at all, however, it can be very useful to be professionally detoxed and then work on your addiction after your release. If you look at it solely as getting medical help during your initial detox, I think you can make going to a treatment center a positive experience.

When I left the hospital I started taking the baclofen protocol again. This time I was careful not to pound alcohol, although I continued to drink until I arrived at the right dose to be indifferent to drinking. A miracle in my life.

Even if you are too afraid to try high-dose baclofen, taking it in low doses is still helpful for detoxing from alcohol. Many treatment centers give their patients baclofen during the first several days they are there. Baclofen significantly decreased my anxiety and I didn't go through that awful "white knuckle" stage.

Baclofen does work if you are careful to titrate up on your dose as advised. I was able to stop drinking when I was taking 100-120 mg. even though I continued to have cravings. The cravings were tolerable at that dose and I forced myself to stop hoping I'd hit an indifference point sooner. A few weeks later, at between 140-160 mg. I did.

I stayed at that dosage for a few weeks, then slowly titrated down (by 10 mg. a week) to 80 mg. of baclofen. My psychiatrist prescribed 50-75 mg. of topamax (which also decreases cravings) and I take both medications now. I also take 100 mg. of seroquel, an anti-psychotic prescribed in low doses for insomnia. I've been alcohol free for five months. I would never have believed it was possible, but this protocol has been the answer for me.

I hope you will post again and let us know how you're doing. There is a lot of support here from others who have found their way out and want the same for you.