Campral Moderation

[Positive]

Hi Guys,

Got onto this site by searching for info on campral which my doc just put me on - he did so somewhat reluctantly..

My drinking has slowly increased over the years, now up to 2 (and 3) bottles of wine per day & I'm just sick of it. Don't get really drunk, just a bit argumentative, swear at the TV news - that sort of thing - & put my wife, who really is an Angel, through stuff she just doesn't deserve.

Problem is I enjoy a drink and don't really want to stop completely; ideally 2 or 3 glasses with a nice dinner and maintain my normal (when not heavy drinking) good humour. But I've found it very hard to reduce, hence my request to the doc for campral & his reluctance because I don't really want to abstain totally.

My plan is to stop for a week or two then see if I can drink moderately. Is this realistic? Anyone out there tried campral in this way and did it work? Thanks for taking the time to read this...

[akgirl]

Campral Moderation

Hi Positive and welcome,

For most it doesn't seem to be realistic, but it is up to the individual. There are alot than have been able to mod. The book suggests going 30 days AF first. I have not tried Campral but was onTopa and it helped. Kudzu and L-Glut help as well.

Stick around and read, it will give you a better idea. Good luck to you!

Ak

[Kid Shelleen]

Campral Moderation

Positive...

Hi Pos,
I'm a long term moderator.
I haven't tried Campral. but I HAVE been in your situation. Are you planning on going "cold turkey" for this "week or two"? Have you ever flat out stopped before? If not ,make sure your doc is in on your plan. You are at the beginning of a journey that will be full of surprises.
We're here for you... Read everything you can on this site...
Make a plan...
Good luck!!
~Kid~

[vera-b]

Campral Moderation

Hi Positive,

I went on Campral some 6-8 months before finding MWO. I found it highly effective. It only took a couple of days to get the benefit, and it virtually eliminated my desire for AL. I was so elated and went AF for many weeks without having to put in much effort at all. As with all things, however, I thought a few drinks wouldn't hurt and my system began to adjust accordingly. I went back to my daily drinking routine and, while not nearly as bad before I went on the Campral, knew I was headed in the wrong direction. That's when I found MWO and took additional steps. They included ramping up my exercise, refocusing on diet, listening to the hypno cd's and taking a few selected supplements. It's been very helpful, and I've been successfully modding the last 4 months. I'm heading into the stressful Christmas season, and will probably take out the cd's once again to help me through. I'm no longer on the Campral, but will consider taking it again if I feel I need to. It's a medication that can be taken and still drink (unlike antabuse) and has minimal side effects.

Hope this helps - one of the things that any regimen is designed to do, including medication, is getting us out of our bad habits. In order to keep them up, we need to change our behavior. The point is they are a tool, not the answer. Good luck - hope to hear more from you!

Vera-b

[Positive]

Campral Moderation

ak girl, Kid & Vera-b thanks very much for your support. To be honest I'm feeling a bit isolated & going up-hill with this. I haven't told anyone, not even my wife and went to a new doc rather than my GP to get on campral. I guess this is to do with denial/shame or whatever, but that's where I am. Everyone knows I like a drink but they don't know about the 10am first, the bottles hidden in my office (I work from home) or the 3pm recovery siesta; my wife thinks the bottle with dinner is the first - and too much - she doesn;t know it's the 2nd or more.. Isn't it great to live a lie! Hey, it's confession time!

On Wednesday I drank a couple of bottles as usual and at 5am on Thursday started on campral & went the day without a drink. I did take an extra 2 tabs - not smart I know.
Last time I went 24 hr without a drink as 2 or 3 yrs ago when I was in bed with severe flu..

The desire to drink was still very much in evidence but the irresistable urge wasn't:
don't you loath yourself when you give in to that first drink? After that it's OK though..) Anyway, it's 11am Friday and feeling OK (11am for goodness sake and I'm thinking about booze!)

The real test will come from Sunday when I go to a bush property for a few days to do some work. I'm on my own and my nearest neighbour is 5kms away there's no power, tv etc so nothing to do except work & drink. My usual routine is to work straight through from 7-30am to 2-30pm then drink solidly till I flake out. Wish me luck!

Thanks again, I really appreciate being able to express my thoughts to someone.. it makes a big difference :thanks:

[Positive]

Campral Moderation

Kid - to answer your question, I've made a few attempts to stop/cut down - went to an AA meeting some time ago - they do good work I know but I didn't feel comfortable, I'm not a meeting/group type of person. I gave up smoking 40+ per day years ago & thought I had will power. But whilst I hated smoking my problem is I like to drink. I just don't want to drink to excess. That's why I posted in this forum - I hope to become a moderate drinker...

[LookingToGrow]

Campral Moderation

You must detox for 2 or 3 days before using Campral. I took it for 10 days and only stopped because of reduced appetite. Otherwise, I felt great on it. A srcript not to drink, aye?

[zed]

Campral Moderation

Positive,

Can't give you any info on the meds or Campral, since I'm not on them for now. But what I can you, buddy, is that you need to get 'this' going. Time and tide waits for no man, and the only person you are fooling is yourself brother. Sorry if this comes off as harsh (you know it isn't meant that way), but a lot of us have been in your position at some point or the other - although you seem to be going for the record - and so when I say what I say, I am saying it to myself as much as to you. The only people we fool, or think we fool, is our own lonely selves.

Anyway, I hope you let us know how it goes. When I read your post about the Sunday remote place plan, the first thought that came into my head (on Monday morning at work, with a clear head) was, "don't buy any booze to take up there with you." Easier said, than done, I know...

Ok it appears you are new on MWO. Stick around in the Long-term Mod section and we are here to help each other out. A lot of us struggle and are at various stages of long-term 'success', so you can feel welcome in our group.

I think Kid put it best - Make a Plan.... doesn't have to be set in stone, but something, anything, will be a start towards a healthier lifestyle. So let us know what it is, or if you need help with getting one together.

Hang in there (not you... your wife! An Angel is right... God bless her!)

Cheers.

[JAMMS]

Campral Moderation

Positive- :welcome: Good luck to you on Sunday. I would say the same thing as Zed, don't take any booze with you. Keep posting and check out the monthly mod forum there are ome good threads in there. Read the book. Good luck again!

[Eve11]

Campral Moderation

Positive,
Read my new post "Why I'm a Vampire Only Sometimes". Didn't find this post until today and had already posted the above title. Would have replied to this one instead if I had found it in time.
Anyway great full article (I only posted pieces of it) about campral. Look under Research on this board. My post tells you the title to look for.
Good luck. From the article it seems the campral really worked for the guy the article featured.
Wonder what the side effects of it are?
Keep us informed of your progress.
Eve11

[UKSean]

Campral Moderation

Moderation..

I too have tried the moderation route, you know the cutting back to just 2 a night and maybe 4 or 5 on the weekends, drinking a beer with less alcohol content, which work for awhile, but in a short time I am back to 12 or even 18 8oz cans a night.Hiding beer around the house, in the garage, in my car( you know I used to tell my girlfriend lets have something from the grill tonight because I could go in and out of the house and sneak more beers than she thought I was having which were hidden of course close to the grill) I have a high tolerance for alcohol and I usually drank at home so I was not "out there" getting D.U.I.s or things of that nature. However my health would start to deteriorate, I would miss work and would pick argument's with my ex-girlfriend. So the bottom line for me is that I show all the signs of an alcoholic, and to me moderation is not a choice. I applaud those who can moderate and if I am truthful with myself do envy them, but I AM an alcoholic and have to tell myself that every time I think I can take "just a couple".

Good luck Positive and know that if things don't work out just yet, please make sure you keep on trying. To give up and succumb to the bottle is to allow the bottle to win and to be beaten by an inanimate object is just not right.
Happy hogmany everybody ( hogmany is what the Scots call the new year.)

[Eve11]

Campral Moderation

UKSean;507237 wrote: I show all the signs of an alcoholic, and to me moderation is not a choice. I applaud those who can moderate and if I am truthful with myself do envy them, but I AM an alcoholic and have to tell myself that every time I think I can take "just a couple".

UKSean,
Great post! I'm on the mod board and am struggling with that question as well. Can I really moderate? Because one bad slip e.g. DUI, destroying a relationship, etc. would make me wish I had never believed I could mod. We'll see.
Positive,
I'm usually over on the long term mod board - come visit us over there anytime as there's lots of great info and a great networking team for those that are trying to mod and ofcourse UKSean and all other AF members are welcome as well. We can all learn from each other.
Have a safe and blessed New Year. I've made a pact on the mod board of no more than 3 tonight and I'm sticking to it!
Eve11