1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Alcohol Consumption

35 yrs drinkin

Posted , 9 users are following.

ben04843
ben04843

Started boozing at 13. About 34 yrs ago. Always been a way of life here in Australia starting young. I was a successfull student and went to the gold mines in the outback. Good idea at the time but in hindsight deing surrounded by drinkers all day everyday didnt work out so well. As time goes on we lose ppl friends family through death and self medicate. Lots of suicide and not understanding why. Alcohol has always been my friend through good and bad times. Its seems more so now that its a constant painful acuaintance than a friend. If uour need for booze outweighs your relationships with friends family partners then a problem exsists. I have spent endless money on treatment courses phycs etc but still in the same predicament. Id just like to say that you can keep trying and not give into the evil of this addiction. I feel your pain. If AA dosnt work whick it didnt for me over several tears there has to be an alternative. And its not a liver transplant. Stay strong ppl and know this battle is long and arduous. Im still confident i can win and hold onto that belief.cheers Ben

1 like, 34 replies

34 Replies

Next
  • Robin2015
    Robin2015 ben04843

    Posted

    Hi Ben. What life you have had...time to slow down?/Only one question: do you want to live longer and if so, try to stop...Robin
    • ben04843
      ben04843 Robin2015

      Posted

      Of course everyone wants to stop once you have reached a stage when you have lost everything. Ironically at this stage booze is still there. Tried everything and all pharmaceuticals make it worse
    • Robin2015
      Robin2015 ben04843

      Posted

      too true. The booze is everywhere and always tempting for certain. Even if you have no money then we will always find money to drink since it makes you dream and relax..that was then and now is now and I had to stop completely. Many people here have given you good advice and I do think that medication is the way forward and I am have no knowledge since I never took any. Sinclair Method is very good from all the posts I have read here the last 2 years....best of luck Ben!
  • ADEfree
    ADEfree ben04843

    Posted

    Ben, let me introduce you to what I used on my 30+ year alcohol addiction:

    https://patient.info/health/sinclair-method-for-alcohol-use-disorder

    I'll send you some links via PM too. I was at this for about 6 months and it took me from over 80 US drinks per week to under 6 per month. It backs the addiction out the way it came in, but rather more quickly. Not so quickly as detox, as I said it takes months, but people generally drink less each month without white-knuckling it or having to hold off the craving. I believe the Gov't will even underwrite part of the cost for the medication, but it's not terribly expensive in the first place, as the patent has expired long ago. 

    • ben04843
      ben04843 ADEfree

      Posted

      I have looked into that. Not so available in Australia. I dont like meds or pharmacy drivin rubbish but it sounds legit. Thats the problem. After so long drinking its hard to imagine a mass produced drug will help?? Who knows. Thanks for the advice smile
    • ben04843
      ben04843 ADEfree

      Posted

      Can you use these meds with chronic liver disease?
    • ADEfree
      ADEfree ben04843

      Posted

      That might be a tough one, but my own TSM doc said he prescribed it even in some cases of liver disease, as it was a ton easier on the liver than drinking was and the liver actually improved on TSM. Bottom line though, you'd have to check with a specialist that was familiar with using Naltrexone in cases like yours. You might want to have a talk with Paul Turner here on patient, he might be able to give you a little more info to go on. 

      Another approach might be to use Campral, but you have to detox and it takes a couple of weeks to kick in. But it has no impact on the liver afaik. With Campral, the stuff that would normally "drive you to drink" just bounces off and doesn't have you running for the bottle. RHGB is a member here that Campral, so you might want to look him up. 

    • ben04843
      ben04843 ADEfree

      Posted

      Tried capramal. No suck luch. Like you say it reduces cravings 2 weeks in and lots of nausea and the sh*ts
    • ADEfree
      ADEfree ben04843

      Posted

      You may have to reword that, Ben. The automatic moderation filters here are a bit quirky.

      I'll be hitting the sack soon, so I'll check in on this thread tomorrow morning.

    • vickylou
      vickylou ADEfree

      Posted

      ADE

      are you sure you're not on commission!!! I am joking, just some people have no sense of humour haha

    • ben04843
      ben04843 vickylou

      Posted

      Got the runs outa my behind? Seriuosly like alcos dont swear. Well i wont last
    • RHGB
      RHGB vickylou

      Posted

      I think that was meant for ADE. Ben had a post moderated, which I think has now been deleted. ADE mentioned to Ben that he would need to rephrase it.

      Ben's reply of 'Seriuosly like alcos dont swear. Well i wont last means, 'like people with alcohol problems don't swear, what do they expect, do they live in the real world. Well, it won't be long before I'm booted off of the forum then'.

      I am not making comment on the post, merely clearing the confusion.

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree vickylou

      Posted

      Lol, yeah... I've spent money to tell people, but haven't gotten any. To see someone pick up TSM or some other kind of Medication Assisted Treatment and finally stop being run around in circles when the traditional "just quit drinking" kind of "treatment" fails time and again, that's good payment right there.

    • gwen45436
      gwen45436 vickylou

      Posted

      Got to admit vickylou, I found your sense of humour "puzzling" when I first came on here - but it pretty quickly dawned on me that you tell it like it is and also mean well and want to help.  Now, you just make me laugh - and in a good way.  Ya funny girl smile x

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.