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Old 09-26-2014, 02:12 PM
  # 16 (permalink)  
Aellyce
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 10,912
I agree with everyone that the suggestion to drink after building up a strong therapeutic level of Antabuse in your system is odd, to say the least, and potentially dangerous. I am not a doctor but I work with psychiatrists who treat addicts. Your doctor does not seem to be very well-informed / up-to-date about alcoholism and addiction. The effect and the individual reactions to Antabuse can be very unpredictable and if anything, I am surprised that your doctor suggested to drink on it on your own at home.

Also, negative reinforcement is famously not very effective in active addicts (or only after a few days of sobriety). In the core of the whole mechanism of addiction is "compulsive engagement in the behavior, despite adverse consequences". It sounds like you have had relapses, so it's even less likely to be very efficient in your case and would just re-expose you to your "drug of choice".

If you think that you can benefit from some indirect negative reinforcement in early sobriety (I did!), I suggest coming to SR daily and reading posts about relapses, or if you have access, volunteering in homeless shelters, a rehab, or elsewhere you can have a chance to see active addicts in a bad shape.

Also, I am sure you know well that it would be a better choice to avoid those bars and karaoke places for a while because they would achieve the opposite" reinforce your interest in drinking in a positive way!

The way to go is changing your habits to positive and sober experiences.
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