My descent into alcohol dependency and what to do about it?
Posted , 12 users are following.
Well, I feared it would happen - and am afraid it has.
A taste for alcohol (that was not dangerous for over 25 years) finally bcame toxic due toa series of seriousluy negative life events in close succession over the past year, resulting in several admissions to hospital (some necessary, some due to others' anxiety), at least one seizure, rib injuries, and me damaging my house superficially.
At the behest of others, I tried a locally, religiously-based rehab, but they were a law onto themselves and, to be honest, most of those there had been there many times before and got worse each time.
I have now referred myselkf to the NHS Community Addictions Team and am determined to access anti-cravings medication. In fact, I have told them that, if they won't prescribe it to me, I will buy it myself. I did actuallly manage to speak with an Alcohol Liaison Nurse during the week, and she was at least realistic enough to see that, while it would be idral to stop drinking altogether, much less would be much better than a continuation of regular heavy binges that are, sooner or later, bound to cause gradual physical health deterioration (which I have so far avoided) or a serious accident.
It relly does seem as if the rehab industry is built on a proposition of failure for repeat business. Spiritual mumbo-jumbo and scary DVDs about the curses of alcohol (and nicotine, gambling, illegal or prescription drugs) really don't work (IMHO). In fact, they would drive you to drink/nicotine/gambling/drugs.
The question is: which is the best of these anti-cravings drugs?
I honestly never saw myself in this position, but it has happened, and I just hope I can get out of the fix I'm in.
0 likes, 27 replies
gav44887
Posted
I told e medical practitioner that I would buy the drugs if I had to. I would see that conversation as practitioner/patient confidentiality, would only be using the medication for my own use/benefit, gain no profit from same, and not be supplying them to anybody else. Illegal or not, I doubt if I would be prosecuted - the defence of protecting my own life would be a strong one.
Anyway, we'll see what happens.
RHGB gav44887
Posted
If you buy benzos like diazepam, that is a C class controlled drug, then that is illegal. Not likley to be punished if it is very small quantities for personal use, but it is illegal.
ADEfree gav44887
Posted
Unfortunately, it seems few are aware of Natrexone or Selincro, let alone TSM. NICE guidelines lay out what's appropriate for when, but it seems community guidelines can override that.
PaulJTurner1964 RHGB
Posted
The people selling are more likely to be in trouble when it comes to benzos. I think the police would be more interested in where they came from than who had bought some. Having said that, it's crazy to buy benzos online because if somebody is selling those, they are clearly not reputable and you never know what you will actually get.
Misssy2 gav44887
Posted
That is a major problem for me.
I looked up a specific drug to purchase online and the price tag was ridiculous.
RHGB PaulJTurner1964
Posted
There's a place in Wales, that you can send a tablet to anonymously, they give you an ID number to send the tablet in with (you are not associated with this, merely for identification) to a laboratory, they check the substance and post the results online, and you can check them against your matching ID number.
It's called WEDINOS, it supported by Public Health Wales and Wales NHS. Google it. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to get legit (Actavis or Teva) diazepam within a couple of days.
PaulJTurner1964 RHGB
Posted
Oh I know it can be obtained and people should use a service like the lab you mention to check what they have, but most of them don't.
I could never recommend buying drugs like benzos online for many different reasons.
Robin2015 gav44887
Posted
gav44887
Posted
I posted this in another thread, but it is relevant to this discussin that I started myself, so I'm repeating it here ....
I saw my regular GP on Friday afternoon (16 September) and we had a lengthy discussion bringing things up-to-date. Unfortunately, he did tell me that a hospital doctor's letter to him (which I had not opened) indicated that I had had an apparent seizure, treated with benzodiazapines, on 17 August, so he said he had no option but to advise me not to drive and (as I knew having worked in insurance for a long time) that I would have to inform the DVLA (DVA in Northern Ireland) and surrender my licence, otherwise it would be revoked anyway.
He did talk me through various blood tests I had had and, while the relevant ones were strongly elevated on admission to hospital, they had all returned to within normal ranges, so he said that, if things remained "under control" (his words), there would not be any more seizures (as I do not have epilepsy), and there should be no problem in my licence being returned with blood tests being as they are now.
Incidentally, the GGT was never that high - about 150 on admission - it was the AST that was dramatically high on admission, but I had had been tried on an anti-depressant called Valdoxan (agomelatine), because my psychiatrist said it worked on melatonin and would probably help with my chronic sleep problems (which is how and why the alcohol problem started), but it has been implicated in liver problems and even liver failure, with particularly disturbing reports about it very recently, so, between my GP and psychiatrist, they agreed that I should stop taking that medication immediately as it WAS affecting my liver (the ALP and ALT were also well above normal, but the AST was dramatically high - over 400 units when I was admitted to hospital, but back down in the 40s within one week) without Valdoxan (and no alcohol, of course).
I did talk about the anti-cravings medications. He said I would obviously have to work with Addictions' professionals within the local health trust, but he would have no objection to me using them as part of my recovery and would continue to sign-off prescriptions for any of them if the Addictions people and psychiatrist were agreeable to me taking them in the first place. (He did say he had only heard of acamprosate (Campral) and disulfiram (Antabuse), but I said I wasn't encouraged by the fomer and, as I didn't want to die, I wouldn't take disulfiram (Antabuse)) and it was naltrexone or nalfemene that I wanted to try. I didn't mention 'The Sinclair Method' - I don't think he would have known about it.
I should also say that he was pleasantly surprised by my appearance and build compared to the last time he saw me. I am 6' 1" tall, but my weight had plummetted from 15st (admittedly a bit too heavy) and a 36" waist, to just 12st, and 32" jeans falling-of me, at the start of June, when I was clrearly malnourshed. I weighed myself a few days ago and was back to 14st 6lb. That'll be the lack of copious amounts of brandy and return to eating properly (probably a bit too much, as my anti-depressant has been changed to mirtazapine (which has weight gain as a notable side-effect and is acually also prescribed as an appetite stimulant)).
So, very early days but, so far, so good, except for the driving issue, of course. But, had I not had that seizure, the exceptionally heavy drinking could well have continued, and dear-knows where I would be now, so I should count my blessings.
Gavin.
vickylou gav44887
Posted
this site is driving me mad and thought it had been fixed. Just replied and post disappeared. Will copy and paste and come back on forum