Nowhere to turn to.. safe to do this alone??

Thank you for your support & encouragement and congratulations on your success ! Best Wishes. 

Hello and welcome.  Don't despair.  I have confessed to my doc who promptly referred me to ARC.  I feel the same as you - not going to happen - not prepared sitting  around in a group bemoaning how I struggle.

I have drank every day for 40 years and am still here by the grace of god and, without a doubt, being health conscious (sounds ridiculous I know) but healthy food and supplements to support immune and liver functions have saved me.

I have chosen to taper down - I don't want to stop completely.  I have done so with this group on here.  My first Xmas day 2016 was the first sober and not hungover.  That is because I now drink 2 small glasses of wine a night.  (The little diddy bottle!).  I was very proud of myself and felt good healthwise after a bit of a dodgy start with headache and foggy  head but day by day it passed.  I then ruined it all over Xmas due to hubs filling and completely stocking up his bar.  Talk about tempting.  I gave in.  Too many friends round and too many drinks ruined it.

So I am back with a  vengeance now to tapering.  I normally would have up to 15 - 20 units of wine nightly.  So I dropped slowly to say 10,9,8,7,6,5,4 and now 2.  Tonight it is 7pm and I don't actually want to have my first glass yet.  And I am even tempted not to have any at all.  But I do think because of the years behind me of alcohol, that would be dangerous.  So I will wait another hour, then sip my wine.

I understand your fear of exactly what you have said and cannot argue with you at all - awful to feel trapped in this way but so desperate for help - but from where????  You will find it here - you can taper like me, or with the requisite meds the guys will tell you about.  So don't feel alone, you are with  family now.  We totally get you.

Keep positive - I am doing - not going to leave anyone just yet thank you very much.

Hugs your way

G.

Thank you Gwen for sharing your story with me I feel so encouraged to take the meds when I get them and taper away! 

Thank you ! xx 

 

"I have confessed to my doc who promptly referred me to ARC.  I feel the same as you - not going to happen - not prepared sitting  around in a group bemoaning how I struggle."

Oh Gwen, you have missed out on one of the delights and great experiences of life, by not sitting in on a group session. You will not feel complete until you achieved this.

I agreed to do one session in return for them swapping my bi-weekly prescription into a monthly prescription, which they then promptly reneged on.

I promptly settled down into our group of about eight people and was offered a cup of coffee. This surprised me, because whilst sitting in reception previously, I had overheard a member of staff say, that the reason they didn't have a kettle, was in case one of the druggies grabbed it whilst full of boiling water and poured it over someone.

So, we went around the group and introduced ourselves. It was pretty much how I would imagine an AA meeting would be, except without the higher power bit. Hi, I'm John/Jane I'm an alcoholic and I haven't had a drink for two years, at this point I was tempted to quote them the dictionary definition of alcoholic, but didn't want to be disruptive - well actually I did, but manners prevents me from doing so.

It gets to me and I say, hi, I'm RH and I have an issue with alcohol (I didn't use the alcoholic word). At that point I felt that I had committed heresy and the Spanish Inquisition were going to enter the room at any moment. But, it is let go and people are invited to talk about themselves and one guy says he has been taking antabuse for six months and he drank on it and made himself really ill. But he was going to ask for another six month course.

At this point, I start looking around for a ligature point but then realise that I'm not wearing a belt. I check the windows,but as we're on the fourth floor, they are those type that will only open a couple of inches. I am fast realising that some of these people have become institutionalised, much like some long term prisoners that don't want to leave jail, because it is all that they know. They have swapped the addiction of alcohol for the addiction of sobriety.

The whole point of these places is that they should be helping people to get their life back on track and live a normal life. And then it was my turn, I've never bit my tongue so much in my life. I wasn't going to rock the boat, I just said that there was medication that worked and people should ask about it. I explained some of the medical side to some of them and explained that the shakes in the morning were to do with the central nervous system and the changing of the neural pathways.

Then the hour was up, there was another session (awareness something or other) in an hour straight after lunch and I believe everyone of them was attending it, unfortunately I had to make my apologies as I had to get home and cut my toe nails. Sadly I was unable to make any future sessions.

Gwen, I hope my story has convinced you that you would enjoy one of these sessions.  

Oh good grief is this what they put you through if you go to ARC ... I tried AA in the past but I was no good at that as I couldnt bring myself to  'share ' with all those strangers ! I used to come out feeling like I wanted a bloomin drink!

Well thanks for sharing this lovely  entertaining  post , gave me lots of smiles and tears !   I  was thinking of seeing if I could bypass the GP and self refer to ARC so I can get the meication on NHS ,,,,think I will ponder a while lol  

Not a lot you can say to that is there? No wonder my old man refuses to go again to Arc x Its why we are praying that Naltrexone will work for him

In the same position as me then Nat  

If only more GPs were confident and budget able t prescribe these meds. 

I will pay for it privately I believe and weig th ecost against what I'll be saving on teh dozens of bottles of wine! 

Well hey mate - you have just sold it to me good style - never never ever ever will I

p.s.  You  tell a bl....dy funny story though - you could write a book.

Thanks for responding......G.

 

Nat RH has missed his way - very entertaining guy - but still brutally honest - just what our fam needs

One thing for certain is that the meds will probably be cheaper than all that booze..I couldn't afford all the wine I was drinking ...Crazy isn't it !

Keep.posting and let us know how you are getting on.....Good Luck 😊

I just loved that post Gwen. Our family here sure needs some smiles like that

Well sure looks like I really have something to look forward to if my GP insists on me going to ARC before he prescribes aghhhh

Gwen, I've told him to write a book about his exploits and experiences with arc's. He's got a great sense of humour. I remember him posting his experience of his first group meeting last year. It was hilarious, basically taking the pxxx, but not in a nasty way. Having had to attend a weekly group meeting for a year, I could relate to his discription which was spot on

What I will say about ARCs and this is important.

I WOULD attend an ARC again if necessary and the reason is:

I did NOT have to attend a group session, I attended out of curiosity. I was repeatedly asked, but never forced. Although they didn't keep their promise about changing to a monthly prescription.

I attended an ARC because my GP point blank refused to prescribe and it was costing me £120 for a month's supply to order it in from abroad. I wanted it on prescription to save money. Because of all the other medications I take, it is cheaper to buy an NHS prepay card that covers me for a year's prescriptions, so it didn't actually cost me anything.

Going to an ARC is a pain in the @rse, but for many it is the only way you will get an NHS prescription and therefore at a decent cost. However, it will go on your GP record, they told me right from the beginning that they would write to my GP and also make them aware of any prescriptions. This may be a deal breaker for some of you. As I had already had a long stint in hospital - alcohol related, my GP already knew, along with my entire family and inlaws, so there was nothing for me to hide really.

It's pot luck with ARCs. You may get a good one, where you end up having a 45 minute chat each month and pick up a prescription or you might end up in a hell hole. I went to two, one in the rough end of Leamington Spa, where some bloke was drinking a can of white cider in reception and then I went to one in Stratford upon Avon, which is actually located in the hospital (run by the same company as the Leam one) and that was just like going to a doctor's appointment in hospital.

BTW, the bit about the kettle in my other post, that is true.

Well bud, just don't give in mid way through the sesh to go home and cut your toenails (had to say this RH) a laugh is needed when you are feeling down,  You have to go to report back.  In fairness - some must be better than others.

Go for it - I would if I had someone to go with just to test the water.

Hugs lovely x

Interesting RHGB. Means to an end.  

Bless you Gwen 😊I have to do something as can't keep paying for the meds and don't want to end up without any and back to square one ...Can't decide whether to see a GP first or try and self refer to ARC ..the thought makes me feel a bit sick !

I will have to go on.my own as not telling anyone , the only people who know are you guys on here .. fact ! ....I live in a small town so dreading bumping into someone I know at the ARC lol I need a decoy ! Oh well I'm getting too old to worry about what people think but will take my nail file and varnish just in case 😄hugs back x

Personally I would self refer, in fact all you do is ring them up and make an appointment and most of the bigger ones will handle walk ins.

If you go via your GP, they will probably put it on your record straight away. If you go to the ARC, you can see for yourself what it is like and whether you think they will help. They will ask you to sign a form so that they can contact your GP, you can delay them if they ask for this right at the beginning and just say, I want to hear a bit more first. Or when it gets to the end of the session, you can either agree and sign it or say, no thanks it is not for me.

Thanks RHGB for your sound advice... What you say makes perfect sense to me and yes I think I will take the more direct route to ARC and self refer ...As you say at least it gives me an option if I feel it's not for me ... I am not drinking much now due to the nalmefene so I wonder what sort of light that will be viewed in and if I get the help I am after ..... I best make that call soon .!