Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

[XWino]

I have plenty of it which I bought last summer. I don't want to drink, but afraid I will relapse. I get an urge and decide to drink and don't try to talk myself out of it. I'm afraid of the sickness if I use Antabuse, but guess I'm afraid of anxiety and "needing" to drink. Maybe if I go through some withdrawals. This is my 3rd day sober of a four day binge. So far I'm ok. Do I have any logical reason not to start it? I do want to stop for good!

[XWino]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

I answered my own crazy question and took it! Now, I'm looking for success stories!

[YouKayBee]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

I think Cinders and Doggygirl use this medication very successfully.

[Struggles 106]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Hi Xwino

I take antabuse, but I'm not sure what you mean when you say that you are afraid of "the sickness". Do you mean what happens if you take it and drink?
You should be afraid of that. It's dangerous and makes the point of taking it moot.
K9 and I both have had a drink while taking it and it is not pleasant.

I take 125 mg a couple of times a week and it has been a lifesaver for me. I have said before that I don't see a down side for me. I have almost 5 months and this would not be possible for me without it.

I strongly advise you not to check out what happens if you drink. I take a low infrequent dose and when I was dumb enough to have a beer I got flushing of face and neck and rapid heart rate. Enough to let me know how dumb it was. If you research what is happening physiologically you will see that it does work, and how it works.

Good luck with it and I wish you well

[Snapdragon]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Hello X-wino

I think I understand totally what you are asking here, because it is exactly the question I asked myself before I started taking Antabuse - and I did a lot of soul searching and it sat in my cupboard for quite a few days before I took the bull by the horn and actually started taking it.

Do I REALLY want to give up alcohol long term? Do I really want to be completely AF forever (that's one hell of a long time!!) Or am I thinking that this will just be an attempt at getting control of things before going back to the occasional drink (which I know for a fact will bring me straight back to square one?)

AB isn't a short term thing (at least it shouldn't be - you must have felt you had quite a problem to even be considering taking it). It is a long-term commitment and needs a lot of thought and planning before you decide to take it. I would equal it to the decision to get sterilsed and not have any more children (I know that sounds dramatic - but for me it had to be that serious a commitment in order for it to work). By taking AB I had made the decision that I will not drink alcohol again.

I didn't want to play games with myself once I had taken the decision to take AB - it is a serious drug and can have very serious consequences if not taken properly, so if you think you might play games with yourself and give yourself little 'AB holidays' I personally wouldn't advise it.

There are lots of AB success stories in MWO - it's early days for me, but I consider myself to be a very early AB success story (I don't want to be complacent). I have been taking it for 43 days and it's still hard, I still have cravings (although not as often), but I know i CANNOT drink, so whilst it's a brief thought I know for a fact it won't happen.

In the first few weeks, I did think about having a 'little breaks' and even stopped taking it for a day a couple of times because I decided I had had enough and wanted a drink so bad. The good news is that AB doesn't leave your system for a while and it isn't safe to drink alcohol for at least two weeks, so I came to my senses quite quickly and started taking it again before I let myself backslide.

This is my own personal experience and the questions I asked myself and the battles I had before taking the plunge - but I am so glad I did. In a short space of time my life is feeling so much better.

[Cinders]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

x-wino,

I heartily agree with the posts above.

Taking AB needs to be considered a serious tool, not a cure. I, too, took AB a while ago and decided to quit taking it. I waited the requisite two weeks before drinking. I ended up in the ER. I suffered the redness, flushing, plus muscle spasms all over my body, rendering me unable to move, incredible headache, vomiting due to the spasms, etc. It was alcohol poisoning because AB does not allow your body to break down the alcohol into non-poisonous components.

I started again March 15 this year. I am now two months alcohol free for the first time in a very long time and one of the few times when not in lock down at rehab, etc.

I am praying I can take AB for a minimum of a year and even longer if I feel I need to keep taking it in order to stay AF.

But, AB is not a cure. It is a tool. One thing I have noticed even in the Baclofen threads is that very few people are completely "done" when sober. A few, but very very few. So, I am using AA meetings, a sponsor, the whole deal AND a counselor AND changing my life so I now have positive goals, etc.

The lack of drinking is only a small piece of evolving into a happy, serene, sober person, even though it is a critical piece.

My $0.02 worth, at least. :-)

Cindi

[XWino]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Thanks, everyone for your posts. I know AB is not a cure and will work some kind of program while on it. I am not being monitored by a dr, so I am a litle concerned with the possibility of liver damage, especially after my many years of alcohol use. there is also the fear that i might use while taking the drug. I want to get through the summer alcohol/drug free and remember there is more to life! I don't plan on taking off days to drink. I want to be done with this.

[Snapdragon]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Cinders;1505043 wrote: x-wino,

Taking AB needs to be considered a serious tool, not a cure. I, too, took AB a while ago and decided to quit taking it. I waited the requisite two weeks before drinking. I ended up in the ER. I suffered the redness, flushing, plus muscle spasms all over my body, rendering me unable to move, incredible headache, vomiting due to the spasms, etc. It was alcohol poisoning because AB does not allow your body to break down the alcohol into non-poisonous components.

Cinders - thanks for sharing that horrendous experience. It has certainly reinforced how serious AB is - and I will certainly remember this everytime temptation creeps in.

Wishing you well on your AF journey :thanks:

[Siren136]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

I've been on Antabuse now for 21 days. I would not be 21 days sober without it. I would not be over the daily, hourly struggle to drink or not drink without it. I do not want to be on Antabuse forever. I'm hoping that my brain can be re-trained to not constantly think of AL and that I can remain sober off AB. But I will continue with it for now and commit to 100 days AF before I re-evaluate and try to stay sober without it. If I then go back to the constant daily struggle of wanting to drink then I will go back on AB in a minute.

[MtnMomma]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

I just posted on the I Did Not Drink Yesterday thread. Today is my 60 days. I, too take Antabuse daily along with AA, a sponsor and regular counseling with a Therapist. A commitment to say the least. I have a husband and 3 kids as well so keeping my focus on my family, work and sobriety all at once is challenging but at least I'm not drinking. If you want alcohol out of your life you have a lot of work to do. It will be worth it. You can do it!!

[Snapdragon]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Siren136;1505067 wrote: I've been on Antabuse now for 21 days. I would not be 21 days sober without it. I would not be over the daily, hourly struggle to drink or not drink without it. I do not want to be on Antabuse forever. I'm hoping that my brain can be re-trained to not constantly think of AL and that I can remain sober off AB. But I will continue with it for now and commit to 100 days AF before I re-evaluate and try to stay sober without it. If I then go back to the constant daily struggle of wanting to drink then I will go back on AB in a minute.

Hi Siren - like you I don't want to be on AB forever. My doctor will only prescribe it for 6 months anyway. Like Cinders said, we need a holistic approach. The AB is just buying time for us to adjust and change the pattern of our lives. I'm also having councelling (just once a fortnight) - I have to go to get each new prescription, but talking things through face to face with someone who understands and doesn't judge is very helpful. Also posting and reading here often.

I've been tackling social events head on and have now survived a wedding reception, BBQ with friends, a weekend away with friends which involved a pub night out with live music and a few meals out with friends too. Each time gets a little easier and a little less daunting.

I have been surprised though by how long the 'struggle' continues. It is really only in the last week (at around 35 days or so) that I started to become less 'obsessed' by alcohol (thinking about it all evening and missing it!) and was seriously beginning to think that I could never achieve an alcohol free life without AB.

Just a week later that fear is starting to lift. I'm not sure why - perhaps having a weekend away with friends which I had been dreading for so long but actually turned out to be much easier than I could have hoped for helped.

It's a journey and a long learning curve, but I still have four and a half months to try and re-programme my brain completely!

[damo180]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Hi all,
I am strongly considering AB, but only for, maybe a month, to get me through the early stages.....I believe and hope that if I get to 30 days+ the feel good factor and all my other tools (mwo, meditation , exercise, reading self help books etc. ) will keep me going on AF.
I have had up to 5 AF periods with my longest being 9 months, but have been drinking since last July with no "real" success, I think I got to 20 days in January, but no more than 3 days since then.
I am a serial secret drinker, but seem to manage/cope with my drinking life but am really sad with my drinking habits. And at this stage I probably will NEVER have a rock bottom, just a general crap feeling all the time.

I am planning to go to my doctor and fill him in, and go for the AB.

Thanks for this thread.

Damo x

[hadit]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

I pretty much agree with all of the above.I am af on day 6 with AB. I know that IF I wasn't taking this drug I would not have got one day AF! I tried it in Mar 2012 and notched up 40 days AF. It was all going well,to well. I thought I could now moderate. Stopped taking the tabs and finished up drinking everyday to excess.Me Moderate? I am an alcoholic and can never mod. Its a great drug but you do have to be totally committed to giving up the booze. I once drank when taking AB. It felt like all my hangovers were happening at once!!! I don't want to keep taking AB any longer than necessary but I know it will be at least for a 6mth period before I can consider it. It may have to be longer. It just depends I guess whether after 6 mths I am still having strong cravings! I do think though the cravings are not as long or as severe after a few days on AB. It seems to me that the question of DO I DRINK or DON'T I is taken out of the equation as you just CANT and for me the cravings seem more maneagable. Time will tell. Thanks Guys

[Siren136]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

When I decide to go off it for a while, I plan to transition slowly. I plan to have absolutely NO booze in the house at all (not easy when you live with a drinker who makes home-made mead). I will need to pay careful attention to my thought process during this time. If I start having a lot of AL thoughts and cravings I will be back on AB right away. I want to be free of this struggle forever.

[hadit]

Why shouldn't I start antiabuse?

Exactly Siren, I will be treading very carfully and if I have those thoughts, will be back on AB as quickly as possible. I guess we won't know until we get to that point in the months ahead.