1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Alcohol Consumption

Advice for abstinence

Posted , 4 users are following.

keith02
keith02

Hi folks, I have been using nalmafene to cut down my drinking for the past 4 months after 10 or so years of daily binge drinking and got some really good advice on here when I started. I've managed to cut down to 2 pints a day from a mininum of 6 per day. 

I have the beginnings of fibrosus of the liver and the hospital (and my alcohol counsellor) have told me I need 3 clear months of abstinence before my next liver biopsy in October. Ideally, I'm looking to achieve a longer period of abstinence to see if my liver recovers and then maybe see if (perhaps using the naltrexone) I can become a light, social drinker....we'll see :-)

My counsellor reckons I won't need benzos and I just needed to set a date and keep using the naltrexone to control any cravings so I set Monday 27th as THE DAY. Yesterday I was coming back from holiday and driving late at night so I decided I'd use it as an opportunity to break the habit of going to the pub so I had a pint around lunchtime and then drank nothing in the evening, but when I got to bed, I fell asleep for about half an hour and then I woke up having what I think may have been a panic attack. I felt really anxious and all I could think was that I had not had a drink that night and I felt like I was going to explode. All I could think about was alcohol and if I'd had anything in the house I would have got up and downed it. The only way I could relieve the tension was to keep rapidly twitching my leg. After a few hours I must have drifted off to sleep.

This is making me worried about how I'm going to achieve full abstinence. Should I try to drink nothing today (as it's now nearly 24 hours since my last drink which is the longest period I've gone in years) or should I just stick with tomorrow as planned? I'm starting to think I maybe should have asked for medication to help with withdrawal or is it normal to feel like this on the first day without alcohol for so many years? I'm even wondering if subconsciously I'm just looking for an excuse to get one more day's drinking?

Would really appreciate any advice....

 

 

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • odishon
    odishon keith02

    Posted

    Hi,

    I've been taking Nalmefene for two months now. Haven't cut down much but have started having the odd day off. On the days off booze I have what I can only describe as 'jolts' of panic completely out of the blue. They only last seconds but are very unpleasant.

    I think it's inevitable there will be some side effects like this after so many years of booze. I think they will subside if you were to abstain for a longer period but I would reduce slowly down to zero if I were you.

    How long was it before you really cut down the booze on Nalmefene. Two months in and I'm not really noticing any differences?

    • keith02
      keith02 odishon

      Posted

      Hi odishon, thanks for sharing that. that's a bit what it felt like, pure panic and like I wouldn't be able to survive which obviously I did lol, just felt horrific at the time.

      I cut down instantly after starting the naltrexone, maybe a bit of wanting to change things along with support from the drug. I've had a few times where I've gone back to my old ways and gone for a total binge - maybe about 5 or 6 times in 4 months so not a disaster. i'm just struggling to make the jump from 2 pints to zero....i'd be happy to stay at 2 if it wasn't for my liver and the fact that I still can't manage an alcohol free day....

  • Robin2015
    Robin2015 keith02

    Posted

    HI Keith. This sounds serious and you are right in posting your honest opinion here. Lots of people will reply and help you and not mis judge you. It is perhaps a case of juding if you have hit ROCK BOTTOM and then evaluation your life: trying to stop complete since your plan is min. 3 monhts and then small levels or amounts of drinking...I did hit rock bottom and was on the road of completely destroying my family life, loose all respect and very poor health long term. That was nearly 3 yrs ago and I did stop completely and have never had a drink since then. YOu should carry on taking medidal advice and stop gradually since stone cold seems dangerous to you. Best of luck to you for certain!
Back to top

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.