antabuse: pros and cons
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: appleton, WI
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antabuse: pros and cons
hey everyone. a fellow recovering alcoholic asked if i'd share a little bit about my experience with antabuse. so here goes.
when you're as severely addicted to alcohol as i am it is a very good insurance policy for the beginning stages of abstaining from hell in a bottle. when i began taking it i thought it would be the magic bullet. the 'cure' for alcoholism so to speak. even though my doctor(s) assured me that this was not the case i went ahead and made myself believe that it was. you have to have a rock solid commitment to stop drinking in place before you even consider taking this drug which i did not on my first go around. after being on it for about 30 days i grew restless and on a particularly bad day when the cravings were too much for me to bare i said to hell with it and i drank. within minutes my head felt as though i had just stuck it in the oven. my face turned beat red and i was completely flushed. i developed a ghastly taste in my mouth. something like sucking on a mouthful of nickels and dirt. to say that it was unpleasant would be putting it quite mildly.
i went into it thinking that it would essentially be forced will power. unfortunately, it didn't quite work that way for me. i don't think it could work this way for anybody. will power cannot be purchased at the the local wal-greens. it can strengthen your will power for a short while but unless you're regularly going to meetings and working the steps and getting the support you need there really is no point in taking this drug. i am taking antabuse again but this time i'm doing it in addition to going to meetings and working the steps.
the big book talks of a 'complete psychic change' that must occur if one is to kill his/her demon. antabuse does not provide you with a complete psychic change. it provides you with a circumstance. drink and you'll be sick. that alone worked for me for awhile but it did nothing to help me battle the demons within that made me drink in the first place. the only things that kill these demons are honesty, open mindedness and of course, your higher power whatever it may be.
in a nutshell, the idea of antabuse is a good one but only if you're actually ready to take the necessary steps to reclaim your life. antabuse will not do this for you. i learned this the hard way.
thanks for taking the time to read. gotta go now. i have a meeting in 15 minutes.
love and hope,
janitorking
when you're as severely addicted to alcohol as i am it is a very good insurance policy for the beginning stages of abstaining from hell in a bottle. when i began taking it i thought it would be the magic bullet. the 'cure' for alcoholism so to speak. even though my doctor(s) assured me that this was not the case i went ahead and made myself believe that it was. you have to have a rock solid commitment to stop drinking in place before you even consider taking this drug which i did not on my first go around. after being on it for about 30 days i grew restless and on a particularly bad day when the cravings were too much for me to bare i said to hell with it and i drank. within minutes my head felt as though i had just stuck it in the oven. my face turned beat red and i was completely flushed. i developed a ghastly taste in my mouth. something like sucking on a mouthful of nickels and dirt. to say that it was unpleasant would be putting it quite mildly.
i went into it thinking that it would essentially be forced will power. unfortunately, it didn't quite work that way for me. i don't think it could work this way for anybody. will power cannot be purchased at the the local wal-greens. it can strengthen your will power for a short while but unless you're regularly going to meetings and working the steps and getting the support you need there really is no point in taking this drug. i am taking antabuse again but this time i'm doing it in addition to going to meetings and working the steps.
the big book talks of a 'complete psychic change' that must occur if one is to kill his/her demon. antabuse does not provide you with a complete psychic change. it provides you with a circumstance. drink and you'll be sick. that alone worked for me for awhile but it did nothing to help me battle the demons within that made me drink in the first place. the only things that kill these demons are honesty, open mindedness and of course, your higher power whatever it may be.
in a nutshell, the idea of antabuse is a good one but only if you're actually ready to take the necessary steps to reclaim your life. antabuse will not do this for you. i learned this the hard way.
thanks for taking the time to read. gotta go now. i have a meeting in 15 minutes.
love and hope,
janitorking
Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,279
Thanks JK, much appreciated (and well written). I put it in the same category as you have in regards to an "Insurance Policy" or a forced moment of time between bad decisions (wanting to drink one night but giving yourself time to reflect before doing so).
I will be seeing my doctor next week to discuss antabuse. This article seemed to have some good information. Antabuse-Disulfiram Facts for Alcoholism and Addiction
P.S. Thanks for the other thread... I was literally laughing out loud when I tried to post back to you regarding your "balls"
I will be seeing my doctor next week to discuss antabuse. This article seemed to have some good information. Antabuse-Disulfiram Facts for Alcoholism and Addiction
P.S. Thanks for the other thread... I was literally laughing out loud when I tried to post back to you regarding your "balls"
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