My name is Matt, i need support and would love to hear from you :)
 

Hey guys.
Ok ive had addiction problems my whole life, started pot at the age of 15, moved onto amphetamines and opiates for a couple of years, then went off them for ages. I only started drinking late in life (around 24-25, im 29 now) and it has proven the hardest one by far. Im going pretty bad hey.
The worst is, i was hiding the habit (1-2 bottles of wine a day) from my fiance... it was getting so damaging.
Yesterday i just couldnt hide it anymore and i came clean and said how much i needed help. Shes very angry (understandable) but still supportive and helping. I saw a Doctor today and have been given Campral to help with withdrawals. I am supposed to start them tonight. So yeh thats a smallll part of my story guys i think this forum will be a big help to me and i would love to hear your stories, particularly experiences with Campral. Thanks :)

Hi Matt,
I don't know anything about the medication your taking but this forum and the great people here have been key to my sobriety. You will find so much support and information to help in your journey. It all starts with day one and a solid plan.

Teh,

Welcome. You can do it. I got clean med. Free 21 months ago.

I drank way harder that a 2 bottles of wine at times.

Ween off them meds asap, if you can..imo.

Get clean med free and u will truly be free.

It was hell for many months, but glad I got through it that way now.

Being sober is how we are built to live.

Drug are learned behaviors.

Unlearn them.

Thanks.

Welcome, Matt. You'll get a lot out of reading a lot, all over SR. There is really excellent basic info in the "stickies" threads. And if you read around a bit, you will get a lot of inspiration and see for sure that you are not at all alone. The stories abound!

i have background in pharmacy and medical science so i know a **** ton already, its the personal stuff im after :) thanks guy for the warm welcome so quick

No Campral experience , but welcome Matt :)

D

I've no campral experience either but I was on Naltrexone when I initially quit drinking and that really helped with cravings.
One day at a time, and stay close to SR! Glad you found us xx

thanks ill be checking in often

Hey Matt and welcome! There is great news, and that is that it IS entirely possible to get yourself free from this. Good job on seeing your doctor.
I took Campral and found it to really help with cravings. It lessened the frequency and intensity of the cravings and made them manageable if I chose to manage them. So what I am saying is you need to have a solid recovery plan in place for when the cravings hit. The medication won't take care of everything by itself, it is just a little boost.
And don't let anyone tell you that by using medication you are taking and easy way out or not doing "real recovery" anything that helps you stay clean is a winner in my books.
Make sure you take the medication as prescribed though. I imagine you need to take a certain number of pills three times a day, that is generally how it is prescribed. I found if I didn't take it exactly as prescribed the effect was less.

Hi Matt,

Welcome to SR! Going to see your doctor was a great first step, and I'm glad your fiancé is supportive as well.

I haven't taken Campral, so no help there. This site is incredibly supportive. Spend some time reading around. Check out the January 2017 class thread, you will find a supportive community of others who have also stopped drinking this month. Also, the 24 hour recovery thread is a great place to check in every day for 24 hours, and to meet lots of members on here.

You can do this!

Going to take my first dose in about an hour. Thanks heaps for all the support already

Hey Matt,
Lots in common with your story. Come from South Aus :) Hiding the alcohol, hitting the same drugs as yourself. It only got worse and worse for me to the point where I was nearly losing everything.
I'm about a year in, my path took me to AA. I was able to stay sober from alcohol immediately, but I couldn't stop self medicating with all sorts of other drugs. I was convinced that I needed sleeping tablets, or valium or anything else I could get my hands on, mixed with high dose prescription anti depressants. About 3 months in I met my current sponsor, and with his guidance and the help of my doctor and the program I handed it all over and have been almost entirely free of the drugs and alcohol for the remainder of the year.
I found it was becoming just as much of a burden to manage the drugs as it had been with the alcohol. My dishonesty to myself and my partner was a real challenge to overcome, I thought I knew exactly what I was doing but I was making myself more and more mad with the cocktails of drugs. They were really affecting my mental health, changing my mood and making me lethargic or unable to take much in. That and managing a constant second schedule of what I was hiding and where I was going to get it was just exhausting.
You are on the right path here, and with the help of your medical professionals and the resources you can find here you are taking great steps forward. Feel free to PM me if I can be of any support. I wish you all the best mate!

Welcome

I too am about to start campral :-). However I was told it helps with cravings not withdrawals, so be careful about suddenly stopping drinking and look out for withdrawal symptoms. Good luck :-)

Hi Matt,

I'm new here as well and have already found this forum to be very helpful. I'm struggling like never before, get very little support from family but found nothing but the opposite here. Plenty of support, suggestions and ideas. I think I read posts here for four hours yesterday! Great info, great people. Here to help.

Hi Matt!

Welcome to the Forum Matt!! :wave:

Taken my 2nd dose of Campral this morning. 2nd day of sobriety from alcohol. Another question is, what are some other ways of dealing with acute withdrawal if/when it hits, besides benzos??? Benzos are not a good idea for me to have around and i wouldnt be able to get them anyway. Campral has alot of conflicting info, some saying it helps through the WD phase, some saying its only good after. Thanks guys

Welcome Matt!

Hi Matt, welcome to SR.