Lonewolf22

So, my aim is to go to the GP this week and ask if I could be put on medication to help with alcohol problems.
I'm going to be broke for two weeks so I know these two weeks are going to be an absolute drag. I know when I'm unable to fill my time in with things I enjoy doing my ideations for drinking come strongly to the forefront of my mind. I know that once this fortnight is over the temptation to go wild (with booze) will be strong.

The problem is I just remembered that the last time I went to the GP they said I had to start a program of recovery before I could be considered for them. I did start a program and was disheartened after a month or so. The majority of it was group-oriented and with my social anxiety, that becomes way too stressful for me. Plus the trip to town where I have to pass pubs is always a concern too.
This trip to the doctors is only just going to lead to more frustration I can see. I've been trying for months now sometimes believing I can and other times that I can't successfully stop myself from drinking and here I am still finding myself in the same hole I'm trying to get out of.

RoverVA

GP can give you meds for few days during the initial withdrawal to keep you safe from DT etc. May be you should ask for that. Once you are over withdrawal and detox, and alcohol is out of your system, you can focus on not drinking one day at a time. SR is a great site for support, just as good as going to AA.

Keto

What meds are you expecting?

Lonewolf22

Possibly naltrexone ? Something to ease of the cravings or prevent me from drinking ridiculous amounts in one go.

teatreeoil007

Unfortunately, many Dr.'s are not all that well versed on the in's and out's of addiction...or even psyche issues. Many nurses aren't either. I'm not sure why this is...It's almost as if they are "afraid" of it. But the reality is psyche issues and addiction issues touch many people's lives! I think there needs to be more awareness and LESS stigma. I've been wishing for that for many years now. I see it SLOOWWLLLY changing. Very slowly.

Lonewolf22

Yep this site is really helpful. The only issue is I can't afford the Internet just yet so will only get a few days out of my phone data.

Dee74

All you can do is plead your case like you have here.
Many of us managed to quit without meds tho, so don't be disheartened

I think a good recovery plan really needs to include things other than meds tho., anyway?

If social anxiety is a problem have you considered online meetings (many approaches have them now - like SMART and LifeRing, not just AA).

Rational Recovery has no meetings at all - it relies a lot on their books but you can glean a lot from their website and there may be RR material in your local library.

Your library may have free internet access too

I know your options are limited - but be careful you don't whittle things down to the point I did where drinking was the only thing I was prepared to do more of.

D

Lonewolf22

Yes, I notice that when I go to a GP too. To be fair though, I haven't been to any professionals in these fields that seem to have great insight. Unfortunately this leads them to simply put the onus on the person desperate for help with a sort of 'sorry this all we can offer what more do you want. That is because treatment seems to divided separately on multiple social and psychological problems one may have and the fact it is difficult to get through the obstacles for change to happen.

This trail of thought ends up getting into politics so I'll stop there lol

I've just been frustrated with my experiences when it comes to seeking help comprehensively to be honest. Maybe I expect too much and should just focus on what I can do, I don't know? But years of just scraping by at the bottom of the pile with MH issues and alcohol problems eventually weakens your mind and body further when you feel you are constantly fighting but getting no where.

Lonewolf22

Well this is the problem, when I end up bingeing, I end up broke and can't afford to put the things in place to at least manage my various issues. And after two weeks of doing bugger all I'm wanting to explode ha! So this is the reason I think meds would be good temporarily because all the other resources are out of reach without the funds.
Hopefully I can get through these two weeks and manage not to pick up a drink and then have the funds to put the help I need in place.

Dee74

I've had periods of financially induced sobriety.

If nothing else join the local library - plenty to do there for 2 weeks

D

Lonewolf22

I only live in a small village so I'd need to get a bus to the local library in the nearest town I'll just need to survive these two weeks and be sensible when I receive my benefits. And here was me saying a few month ago, I want to be back in work by the end of the year ha! Nevermind though, I'll get there eventually

teatreeoil007

I don't know if you would be able to be referred by your GP to see an addiction specialist or if that is even available where you live. Or a psychologist or psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are usually fairly "comfortable" prescribing meds as well as being comfortable dealing with dual diagnosis. Well, in some cases it's more than strictly 'dual'....but they still often refer to it as "dual diagnosis". All that really means is there is more than one problem....and realistically....isn't that the case with most people? Especially the more you get to know them? It's like there can be layers and layers of issues...which I suppose is why there are no quick fixes.

Gerard52

What about walking to the next town to visit library and use their wifi.

MantaLady

I don't know where you are in the world but assuming UK? You can contact local alcohol and drug services in your area and they can help with support and funding for recovery activity. Exercise is a great way to manage cravings and clear the mind, it's very important in recovery so as Gerard suggested maybe walk to the next town and use the free wifi in the library? If you're not working at the moment then this will fill some of that free time up and get you fitter at the same time.

GP's won't prescribe many detox meds to take at home unless you have been reffered to an addiction service and been given a session with a psychiatrist. This can take time, especially considering the state of the NHS at the moment.

Are you looking for medication to take you through until you get your benefits and then start drinking again and trying to moderate or are you serious about quitting and recovery? I am not making any judgements here, just wanted to understand where you are at and what direction you want to go in?

xx

Mireille

If your doctor wants to put a condition on you getting meds, maybe you should tell him what he wants to hear.
While I'd not take the risk, I wonder if internet forums would cut the mustard for him? Most put no stock in them whatsoever. Very unfortunate.

Also .... so very many people don't use any "programs of recovery" to stop.

Anyways, I just couldn't help but think of my doctor saying "not giving you blood pressure meds till you are eating a healthy diet and exercising" and "not giving you cholesterol pills to mask your bad eating habits so you can get blood pressure meds". etc etc

I also know what it's like to be broke, not live
in a town that has a library, buses, taxi's, grocery stores, walmarts...

It CAN be a quandary. I truly understand when people mention these many things us in rural communities deal with.
My whole life has been about getting what I need while out and about and then
using what I have, jimmy rigging what I don't and making do till.... whenever.

take care

VigilanceNow

Hi Lonewolf,

I am a proponent of medications like Naltrexone for alcohol abuse as long as they are accompanied by counseling/treatment. Many places won't even prescribe them without being enrolled in an addiction counseling facility. Does a facility of this type exist near you? These days, even most small towns have centers for addiction and even resources to help you get a ride there if you can't drive.

Any kind of outpatient treatment will involve group therapy, and having gone through it myself, I can assure you that there will be others in the room with social anxiety. This should not be a deterrent to giving it a shot. I don't have social anxiety, but talking about my alcoholism in front of complete strangers made me a nervous wreck; this quickly subsided, however, as I got to know people and began to see parallels in our stories. It can be a really valuable experience if you give it a chance.

Additionally, oftentimes (this was the case for me) these facilities have doctors on staff who can prescribe drugs like Naltrexone, Vivitrol, Campral, or even Antabuse. They understand the value of these drugs when used in conjunction with some kind of cognitive therapy. I see these drugs as a supplement to recovery, not the solution. Think about it this way: even if you're taking Naltrexone or Antabuse or both, the AV is there. It can easily convince you to simply stop taking the pills and drink again. Exploring the reasons why you drink and strategies to remain sober are what we need as alcoholics. The medications are just to help in that process.

Hope this helps!

Lonewolf22

Hi guys, I'm kind of reluctant to explain how I feel because it often sounds like I'm dismissing everything and making excuses but it is just based on what I know of myself and my experiences with trying to overcome alcohol problems and mental health issues. I thought I'd answer your queries together as they are all interlinked but I have read through your posts.

Firstly I have tried counselling in the past and I was also in a residential AA rehab.
Many times over the last ten years I've tried to overcome my social anxiety by exposing myself to environments where I'm pushed to socialise. Unfortunately these experiences didn't seem to make much difference and they often made me feel worse about myself. For example when I was in rehab, we were required to spend most of the time with each other. So if we went shopping we had to go as a group to ensure no one acted on the compulsion to wander off. Also in the houses we were allocated to stay we were also expected to avoid spending time on our own isolating ourselves. Now, like so many therapeutic measures it seems good in theory but in practise I realised, for me anyway, that it is far from ideal.

I began isolating myself more as recovery progressed. I just couldn't even force myself to talk to people because I felt so exhausted by the constant being around people. As I became happier most others in rehab were happier. They built a bond between one and another. That just made me feel more worthless as I didn't share the same sentiment or the same feeling of progressing forward and seeing big changes in myself.
I also got frustrated because I questioned AA principles and what it suggested quite often and I felt that that was a hindrance to other people's recover and it was unwanted. So I struggled to know what to think or do. If I just went along with the program, I would be just pretending I agreed with it and that it resonated with me and I questioned, I felt like I was having an argument with everyone and it felt quite hostile. Yet I understand why people would be frustrated with my doubts because they were as desperate and reliant on the program for recovery as me. So being in rehab became a burden. People progressed, and I just felt I was getting no where.
It was required of me to go to AA meetings each night as well as live with people and sit in a classroom with people along with that. Now as you can see, this could be ideal for some people but due to my SA, I felt constantly stressed each day knowing I had to be around people. I felt despicable and misanthropic and scared and out of place and judged. I started to get annoyed with the people around me and I started getting frustrated with myself for not being a part of the group and not able to enjoy the times when people were jolly.
There is a huge list of other things that I could go on about that I found very difficult too but I hope this gives you at least an idea of how it was for me.

So I'm very wary of being in groups for similar reasons to the example above.

As with the counselling, it was a similar frustration that I had with AA. I felt the advice or suggestions were repetitive and generic. I mean, I don't think this is because I'm stubborn or unwilling to accept certain things I'm told, it's just I don't find it insightful or thoughtful. So I find I learn much more from reading good literature or researching subjects of a similar sort and making my own mind up about it. I think in groups or therapy, there is this burden on both the therapists and the clients part of something being at stake for each of them. So I found engaging discussions very difficult. I found exploring a topic of discussion impossible as it was based on a problem/ solution kind of dialogue. I can't do that, I need time to think things through and hasty responses didn't allow that.

So now I feel the possibility of using meds whilst I'm not very stable at the moment and using resources locally such as MH services to get involved in activities that are less intense, work towards employment and socialising in a manner I find comfortable and safe. If I don't have that preventative in place, I don't get use out of these resources because I always fall back both mentally, physically and financially with the alcohol before they'vd had a chance to improve my position on life and well-being.

I hope this answered your questions without sound like one big moan lol

teatreeoil007

Excellent, Lonewolf! You've expressed yourself well including some of your struggles with traditional treatment programs. I don't have social anxiety....but I do find being around people too much taxing and wearisome like I need a break from it. I don't feel anxious around "too many people" so much as I feel myself getting "irritable". I didn't used to be this way as much as I am now, so I don't if this is something I've developed over the years or if it's just a trait handed down genetically from my dad who was way more comfortable being a "lonewolf". He wasn't TOTALLY antisocial...but could have been borderline antisocial. His saving grace was he lived way out in the country with good dogs for constant companions.

The "problem" I see with problem/solution dialogue is that when it comes to psyche issues it's not black/white. You can't run lab tests to verify/quantify how well the therapy is going. So, it can be hard to measure whether or not you have actually arrived at a solution.

Lonewolf22

Well I will give you an example of which I find really unhelpful advice that you find in traditional ways of thinking of alcohol. The peculiar thing is, many people who are outside the circle of recovery speak of alcoholism in the same.

So this was my conversation with a recovery Worker when I visit a recovery facility because I wanted meds and was told I had to work with a drug counsellor. I ended up being there for 6-8 weeks and still I wasn't given meds.

So the conversation went something along the lines of this:

Me: (explaining why I 'feel' the need to take meds)
Her: You won't recover if you 'really ' don't want to
Me: I do want to. That's why I'm here.
Her: Well then why do you keep picking up a drink?
Me: Well.....
Her: Meds will do nothing for you if you don't really want to give up drinking. It has to come from you.
Me: well....
Her.... Let, me give you an example. There was this guy who came in a while back and I asked him why are you here? He says (she says) because I don't want to break up with my partner. So I said (she says) so you don't want to quit? Or he replied no, not really. So she told asked him what he was doing here then? If you don't want to give up for yourself then you won't be helped.
Me: (quite shocked and dumbfounded and angry) Well doesn't everyone with an alcohol problem seeking help still kind of want to drink?
Her: not if they really want to get help
Me: yes but that guy was in a vulnerable position. His urges would have been sky high, he would have been confused as to what he wanted. He would have been wholly unsure of himself and you didn't give him an opportunity to have that chance.
Her: but he didn't really want to change
Me: maybe but at least give him a chance
Her: he had a chance, the doors are always open
Me: some people who struggle sometimes need a little push or a helping hand. I don't think convincing him that he 'really ' doesn't want to give up when he has a drink problem is helpful. It doesn't give anyone hope or a chance.

So after about 6-8 weeks of sitting with this woman once a week, staying sober (desperately doing so by telling myself after this week I will be closer to getting meds). 4 weeks went by, and I asked if I could go on Meds anytime soon? (It was my golden carrot) and she told me she wanted me to go onto a PSI class and I said haven't I already been on one? She told me no, they were just group talks and SMART groups. I said when will I be able to start PSI. She told me the guy who runs the PSI class was off (for some reason), he should be back in a few weeks. A couple of weeks go by and I'm told the PSI classes will not be going ahead for a while due to changes to the management of the facility?
Like that is my frustration with the attitude of old traditional methods of recovery. It's like when you are struggling with faith and you've tried so hard to reach God but can't and someone says, well you can't be trying hard enough?
It relieves the adviser of any responsibility for your recovery. It made me think, why am I even here or why does recovery programs even exist if they just have this attitude that it is down to you? Why on earth are they even in a the job of recovery? It is monumentally frustrating and ignorant and arrogant.

Keto

The more you talk about and obsess with meds, the less likely you are to be ptescribed them.....