Why do you take medicine? The average person takes it to make them feel or get better. Alcoholics can run into danger somewhere in between the getting and feeling better. I used to take NyQuil when I had a cold. Yes, it helped me get to sleep, but rarely stay asleep. I had to be honest with myself if NyQuil was making me better or making me THINK I feel better. After that, I saw it better to no longer use it when I had a cold. Simply put, I had to ask myself why I was really taking it.
I have many sinus problems stemming from allergies, change of weather, pollution, etc. I take Allegra D when my sinuses are bothering me. It helps for colds also. I believe in medicine when it does its job to help take care of the problem. I also believe that with an alcoholic mind I need to pay attention to signs when taking medication to make sure I'm taking them for the right reasons.
NyQuil has alcohol and a buzz factor so it can obviously trigger something bad in me. Drinking was only a symptom of my disease. With the knowledge and spirituality AA has given me, I can decide whether a medication is actually necessary. Within that knowledge, it is also my responsibility to ask the doctor if the medication he is giving me can have physical addiction possibilities, and to ask questions if he is writing me a prescription.
With all the over-the-counter cold remedies, there are plenty of alternative medications out there that do not have things in them that are addictive. The best is to ask your doctor what they are, and make sure you have a pen and paper to write them down.
And as others have stated, half a bottle of NyQuil sounds like a problem. Us alcoholics when actively drinking, think were being sneaky trying to find "exceptions to the rules." Better time can be spent following a program of action, where we are working towards a solution of the bigger problem that lies in our heads.
Tom