Antabuse question
 

Can you go to a walkin clinic and just ask a doctor for a subscription. I mostly live out of the US but am in Florida for 2 weeks. I have a good job on a boat going to the Bahamas soon, Captains sober so can't hide my drunkenness after he has given me chances. Basically at this point been sober more than drinking but there is always that little voice in the back of my head that says one little rum and coke or a beer while fishing is normal, that leads to 10 or 20. I'm at a bridge where I don't trust my own decisions and know if I take a pill that will get me violently ill if I drink I will not drink. Will it last forever, not sure. Just need something to make me not screw up a job in the Bahamas for the next 6 months, and hopefully change my way of thinking to be sober permanently

I think that meds like that should be prescribed a hell of a lot easier. I know in the UK at least that would be a non-starter, which is an absolute disgrace imho. But I hope you find what you're looking for in less authoritarian countries.

I got mine an rx through my family doctor. For me, it was an "insurance" that I wouldn't/couldn't drink and did help me get over the initial hump. It's worth a try at a clinic. Do you have a family dr or any dr who knows of your alcohol struggle? That would be my first suggestion, but a clinic should be able to help as well.

No, I usually work 80% of time out of the US in remote places. I have health insurance worldwide. Just want to be able to walk in to a random clinic here in Florida tell them what I want, not wasting time or money

Antabuse isn't suitable for everyone - I think you'll need to ask for it, rather than tell them you want it?

D

I was offered it, but decided not to take it.

My father took it, and drank on it. That's my father for you. That was my father.

It made him really sick.

A rum and Coke, or a little beer, is not normal for an alcoholic. It always leads to abnormality, and next minute you're dead in the water. Deluded that you're 'normal'.

Chef! Good to see you, I was wondering about you the other day.

I have no Antabuse advice- but I do know that playing the tape forward was helpful in keeping me from drinking in the past. One drink is too many, 100 isn’t enough so why even entertain it is what it really comes down to.

it sounds like some work on your plan is in order, let go of the lie alcohol tells- it’s a life and dream thief. Enjoy that gig you have! I know it’s hard work, but it sounds like a great job.

IIRC, my doc did a liver function test before prescribing it. It is uncommon, but Antabuse-induced liver injury is a thing.. And drinking on it can be dangerous. When I did Antabuse monitoring for parolees, if a parolee had a reaction, my instructions were to call an ambulance first, and then his parole officer.

I found taking Antabuse helpful in temporarily removing the obsession. When it ceases to be a choice, my mind moved onto to other things, like dishes and laundry.

No worse than drinking a bottle of rum a day, I can stop maybe, have done it before when I have a reason. As forever, not sure, but I know if I take a pill knowing I will get instantly sick It will give the AV no choice for 6 months

I doubt if you'd get Antabuse from a walk-in clinic but I think you should try, and let us know what they say.

As Tetrax said above, medication that can help with addiction should be much, much easier to get than it is.

They all me Antabuse can be hard on your liver, so the prescriber might want to check baseline liver tests before starting you on it, to make sure it won't be making your health worse. Whether they do things like that in a walk-in clinic, I don't know.

If you do give it a try, please report back.

When does the AV ever listen to or use logic? When did I ever let the fact that alcohol could make me violently ill, kill me, and make me do stupid things deter me from drinking?

Didn't work for me. If I wanted to drink I would just plan not to take my daily pill.

My GP was dead against the idea and talked me into looking at Campral instead. Their thinking was the side effects of antabuse were too much to take, and I’m a fairly fit guy.

Antabuse has its uses, but it should only be seen as a short-term fix. Glad to see you back, Chef, but I’m sorry to read of your ongoing issues. My ex-wife was a chef and said drinking was a big problem. I’ll say again is it worth moving into another type of chef job on terra firma until you’ve achieved some long-term sobriety? The stress and exposure to alcohol are clearly a factor.

Yeah, its hard not to be tempted with my work situation, I work on a yacht so their is 2 fully stocked bars never more than 100 feet away from me, about 200 bottles of wine, and I have my own cooking wines and liquors in the galley 24/7. It's not the job for me though that makes me drink, its me. And if I quit this job, do something different on land would still have to drive past a liquor store everyday so its something I need to dig down deep inside to want to be sober for me and my life

Hi again chef, you’re right. It’s more of a mindset to stop drinking. It’s a bit like being in a bad relationship and one day you just suddenly decide it’d be better to split. But four years sober, if I was put into your job (unlikely), I’d almost certainly relapse with the stress, lack of routine and close proximity to booze. I’d imagine it’s not a permanent salaried position, so time out working in another environment could be key? Just a thought, but I’m not sure many of us on SR could stay sober in your shoes.

I could not stay sober till I fully committed to the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I have come to conclude that there is a type of alcoholic for whom A.A. is the only solution. I don't know whether you are an alcoholic or, if you are, whether you are the type (like me) who can only stay sober via A.A. -- but I encourage you to keep an open mind about the possibility that you may be both. If you are an alcoholic of the hopeless variety that I'm describing (again, like me) then my experience suggests you'll end up drinking even if you're on Antabuse (I've never used it myself, but I've heard testimony from enough real alcoholics to reach that conclusion). If you can, I'd suggest the following: (1) Get to as many A.A. meetings as you can before shipping out, (2) get a clean copy of the Big Book and read at least the first 164 pages (the rest of the book is primarily personal stories that can serve as mini meetings while you are at sea), and (3) get some A.A. members' contact info so you can call / email / etc. from the boat when you are able. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about any of that.

I don't have any useful knowledge about Antabuse.

I second the idea on the big book. That program may not be for everyone. Its a darn good program but its not the only way to get sober. I think some of this stuff is the best sort of science that we currently have on alcoholism. By sort of science I mean millions of alcoholics of different types and whats worked and what wasn't hasn't. I think just reading some of the literature can help keep the mind grounded in the reality of our condition. Its not the complete solution, just read the BB everyday, but I think it helps.

I don't know much about cruise ships either but I would think a pdf or hard copy would come in handy if you can't get reception.


Its not going to solve all your problems but maybe trying a new hobby could help combat the obsession to drink. Its like there is so much free educational stuff on YouTube , I'm not sure we even need colleges any more. Maybe take up some kind of craft, learn to play an instrument, or maybe a computer programming language. Also, I would think they have some kind of gym/workout facilities so I would definitely take advantage.

Antabuse can be a wonderful tool, and like all the medications around that can help with substance abuse I feel they are massively underutilized.
I'm not sure you'll be able to get it from a walk-in clinic. My primary doctor prescribed it to me, but only after doing liver and kidney tests. Antabuse on a healthy liver poses little to no risk, but if your liver is struggling, it can be quite dangerous. Also as other's have stated, many people continue to drink while taking it. I specifically asked my doctor to prescribe it, as I'm emetophobic (fear of vomiting) and knew it would stop me from drinking. I always urge anyone looking into medications to talk to their doctor about all your options. Naltrexone has been shown to help a lot with cravings for alcohol (and opiates) and Acamprosate can also be very helpful for some. Of course, all of these medications have a better chance of helping if you are also receiving mental and or chemical health services.

I hope you find what you are needing. It's always a good idea to have a primary doctor and to stay up to date with annual exams. Maybe get that scheduled (even if it's with a new provider) and talk with them?

Hi Crazychef.

In one of your earlier posts you say you can quit entirely if you have good enough reason. I'm wondering what that reason might be?

Sometimes we don't get the chance to choose our reason, because all choice is removed.

Sounds like you have a good employer, and him being sober sounds a really good thing. I hope you talk with him about it and quit looking at all the bright sparkly bottles housed in the galley, the bar. :) They're not as pretty as you think.

Sounds like your job could be in question?

Do you want complete sobriety Donny? Or do you want two bob each way?

If you're an alcoholic,it's a losing bet. Only needs enough time before the old nag comes home. :)

This has been my reality at any rate.

I've been sober over 3 years and am now working in the recovery world. I'm always open to opinions, but the fact is medication assisted therapies can be very helpful and save lives. I also don't understand how me using Antabuse for the first 3 months of my recovery is a bad thing, or is somehow keeping me from "complete recovery", whatever that is.

I learned a long time ago to not take digs on my recovery from other people personally. Medications and their effectiveness is a conversation for someone to have with a medical professional, even the big book tells us that. This person asked for personal experiences on a medication and i provided mine - I'm sorry that has upset you to the point of questioning my recovery. Have a nice night

Hey, Donny I worked in the recovery world too. 11 years teaching hospital. Got burnt out.

I think we must have got our wires crossed, or I've expressed myself badly. I don't have a problem (at all) with the use of medications in early recovery. All I said, was I decided not to use it. But that's just me.

No problem with methadone in the early days, either.

Not one bit am I opposed Donny.

I'm sorry if I didn't express myself properly.

People have said to me how I can be an alcoholic, but still have worked in recovery world. My son piped up for me once, and said, "just because you're a real estate agent, doesn't mean you have to own a house". :) Thank you, my son. ❤️

No worries. Communication is tricky sometimes in this virtual world. Have a good night

You too, Donny. Sleep tight.

- Steely x

I think I totally screwed it Donny. And I am sorry.

It's about keeping the person alive in those early days as was pointed out by Zen Cat in article he posted.

So, no problems here. :)

No worries :-)

Still haven't drank anything, but having a hell of a time trying to figure out the best way to get a prescription. Been doing a bunch of research and antabuse sounds pretty harsh on the body. Also as a chef use vinegars and cooking wines. Apparently even the vapors steaming off can give you a reaction. Alcohol is mostly cooked out while boiling but it would mean me never really being able to taste anything that has any wine in it just in case their is a trace of alcohol left. If I'm on a charter with people paying 100 k for a weeks vacation I can't really take the risk of all of a sudden being violently ill and down for the count. Also on yachts we don't use all purpose cleaners or anything with bleach while cleaning and sanitizing. I use a spray bottle with cleaning of isprote alcohol and water. When I spray a whole counter top to wipe down their is vapors in the air, enough to make me cough sometimes.

I decided on naltrexone, but I'm reading horror stories of people getting denied for insurance for health future issues or when applying for new insurance policies getting completely rejected. Based on the type of medicine it is as an opiod blocker and for AUD addiction treatment. It's considered a pre-existing condition and high risk for the insurance companies. As most people know in the USA, Insurance companies have full time employees where their sole purpose is to find any reason or loophole to deny claims.

I actually have good worldwide insurance through my job but am afraid to use it. I also read that even though you might not use your insurance to see the doctor for your prescription, It's actually the pharmacies databases the has your prescription records and thats what the companies use to get their records. It's the internet so you never know what actually true. But did read life insurance is even harder to get if not impossible if you are on these meds or have been in the last 5-10 years.

At this point I'm even looking at pharmacies online in Canada or Mexico that don't require a prescription from a doctor. But there is a risk involved of them being completely fake websites that just take your money,the pills being fake and not knowing what they are. I know obamacare can't deny you for preexisting conditions but obomacare seemed like a joke when I looked into it years ago. It's great if your on welfare but ridiculous deductibles and not really designed for people who actually have a decent job. The whole healthcare system in the US is a joke. Basically with addiction your damned if you do and your damned if you don't. Instead of taking care of the issue and getting the physical and mental help you need you get punished for it. Guess its better for them to just drink yourself to death and die before your 50

We have a no politics rule here I’d like us all to keep, thanks.

The bottom line here is CCyou’re probably going to be disappointed with any med you self medicate with and buy without prescription. You might even find yourself in some level of danger.

I don’t think you’re on to a winner with this kind of thinking.

D

I’m never convinced by the insurance argument, chef. I’m in the UK and took out a life insurance policy a few years back. The thing is I’d previously ‘fessed up my GP about my drinking, had (limited) counselling and (limited) medication. I say limited because it was literally one counselling session and a few weeks of Campril. Nevertheless it was on my medical records, so I reasoned if I died of an illness and hadn’t declared my drinking, the policy mightn’t pay out. I had to go through a few hoops, but in the end it made no difference to the premiums or the cover.

To be blunt, medical insurance might not be worth a great deal if someone is drinking to excess. Some medical conditions will be directly linked to drinking, and an insurance company may well baulk at paying up.

It’s far better for your health and quality of life to get this addiction under control. You’ll be way healthier and less likely to need that medical insurance. Going under the radar isn’t the way. I hope you get it sorted, chef. All the best.