Looking for a little advice and support
 

Hi All,

I'm waiting for my doctor's office to open up. I'm hoping he'll approve me for another home detox. My question is whether or not I should try Naltrexone again or Antabuse? I know this isn't a lot of background information, however I'm primarily wondering about Antabuse. I was able to drink while on Naltrexone, which is why I stopped it. (instead of stopping the poison lol.)

I have made contact with a local support group and met with them three times.

Thanks.

Whatever you do, I hope this will be your last time, countrysix.

I didn't use any prescriptions to "help" me quit. I knew I could - and would have to - find sober ways to live life. Good luck, whatever you decide. Keep talking to us, and keep reading. This place can really help.

Pills may help. I don't have any experience with those. A support group was very helpful.

Disulfiram is a good tool to help you stay sober. I have no experience with that drug. I do take mood-elevating SSRIs and gabapentin which help me stay in a good mood without the fake joy of alcohol use. Feeling nice is a big help in my recovery. No blues to chase away either with liquid toxin helps.

I've used up all my excuses to drink. I feel lighter that way.

No pills to help me quit alcohol abuse/addiction.

Starting on 8-11-90 with a 28 in stay rehab and a
6-week outpatient aftercare attached then a recovery
recovery program taught to me and used on a daily
basis as a guideline has allowed me to achieve continuous
sobriety everyday day.:c043:

Find a solution to work for you making healthy changes
along your new sober journey in life. :c014:

I don't have any experience with Naltrexone or Antabuse but wanted to chime in on your support group. Personally, I could not stay clean and sober till I fully committed to the recovery program of Alcoholics Anonymous. Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more about that.

Countrystyx, honestly, it's ultimately you who is going to have to make the choice to stop drinking. The medication might be a tool, but it's really up to you. And, don't doubt that you can do it. :)

I have no experience with either drug, or any similar ones - but what meds to take is probably a question best asked of your Dr, CS.
Let us know how it went :)

I did use Naltrexone early in recovery and I'm just basing this on my own experience. You should talk to doctors about what meds to take (or not take) of course.

Naltrexone can be effective for somebody who truly wants to get and stay sober. But it's just one of many tools in the recovery toolkit and not a solution all by itself.

I do think it diminished my cravings for the first 60 days. It might have helped me sleep better, too. Part of it (for me) was psychological. When I felt a craving coming on, it was comforting to know that the Naltrexone would help me overcome it.

Yes, you can drink on Naltrexone. The idea, though, is that your cravings will be diminished, and you will be able to resist drinking. And that is what the drug is for.

Antabuse, on the other hand, works by making you ill when you drink, and it is difficult to get any pleasure from the booze. And ideally, you lose your desire to drink.

And honestly, dear CB, only you and your doctor can decide if either of these drugs is right for you; you are the only two who know your medical history. :hug: s

Sending you love, hoping that the home detox happens and we will all be with you. :hug: ❤️

I don't think either "helped me quit". That being said, once I was through the detox, Antabuse was helpful. It was an "insurance" policy if anything that when 5 o'clock rolled around I wasn't heading out to the liquor store after work. I took it for a few months. I did drink on it, it was NOT fun - hence why it was an added insurance or tool in my tool belt.

It's really good to hear people's' experience with these support meds. :) :hug: s

Took antabuse a long time ago. It did make me sick when I drank. But it was out of my system in a day or two. If I really wanted to drink I would just plan on not taking it.

If you do a search, there are a couple of good threads about Naltrexone. Venuscat makes a good point about seeing your doctor. Naltrexone helped me, but there is a high percentage of people who it doesn't work for.

I'll go out on a limb and say that all methods and programs be they rehab, AA, AVRT, logic, pills, or therapy all suffer from one main common flaw: For any one of them to work, you have to be totally committed to quitting alcohol for good.

I'll requote Anna here:
The choice to stop cannot be overstated. It is hard to grasp, easy to overlook, and learning how to turn that choice into a full blown commitment was one of the biggest hurdles for me to come to terms with. Success is not something from the outside. It comes from within.

Hi Countrysix,

I hope the doctor appointment went well. I tried Antabuse years ago during my first real attempt at sobriety. It helped, and I stopped for a few months (only took Antabuse for a short time of that). The problem was I didn’t have other supports solidly in place. When I stopped drinking for good I didn’t use Antabuse, but I had a solid support plan and SR was a huge piece of that.

If you and your doctor think this will be a good tool to try that’s good. I just think having the rest of your sobriety support plan in place is crucial to stopping drinking for good.

I was on Naltrexone for three months, until yesterday, when none of the pharmacies in the country had the drug in stock. I had to quit cold turkey, and I admit that it scared me to face life without that cruch. But other SR members assured me that I have it in me to stay sober even without Naltrexone, and I have taith that I can do it alone. And so can you. :hug:

Hi All,

Thanks for all your input. I am making every decision with the help of my doctor. Today is the second day of home detox. I'm not taking Naltrexone or Antabuse at this time. We'll see how things go and maybe that will change in the future, at least for a little while. I agree with everyone about having a plan and support in place. The only bad thing right now is all I want to do is sleep...

Thinking of you this weekend CS - you can do this :)

D

I'm thinking about you too. Hope you are doing well. You can definitely do this!