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

Ahh that's brilliant Kentish ..That's pretty much how I felt when I started the Selincro , a liitle bit odd and whoozy and no gushing desire for the glass of wine ...isn't it great and slightly bizarre when we are so used to downing 1 or 2 bottles in a sesh lol ...Well done you sounds like a fab start x

So happy it didn't completely turn you off and you are willing to continue trying this method. Keep us posted on your progress.

Good job at taking that pill.....I know it is hard to start new pills in fear of how they will make us feel.....Keep it up if you can!

Less is definetly better.

Thank you Julie Anne,

Just reading your reply to another friend here "My hubby has to decide what is right for him too. As it is the taste of a nice beer that he misses and not being able to drink socially"

These were exactly my fears & reasons I've started my TSM path rather than abstention, I couldn't bear the thought of never being able to have a drink again. I couldn't imagine having a meal without a glass of wine or going to a pub without asking for one. Also the stigma attached if I asked for a non alcoholic drink everyone thinking ( correctly lol) I was a recovering alcoholic.

But I desperately wanted to be able to have a glass not as I usually do a whole bottle to myself. And then asking for a dessert wine when everyone else is ordering a coffee!

TSM I'm hoping is the miracle cure, 4 days in & working so far. Praying I get to 4 years in ... !

I know you've said your hubby is waiting for his liver to improve but I did read somewhere that Nalts effect on the liver is overstated & equivalent to a paracetamol ? Could be rubbish but I'll try & find the article for you ..

Hi Kentish. So glad all is still going well for you. Hubby is in a funny place at the moment. He is still finding the thought of drinking repugnant so is sticking Campral. I have bought some Naltrexone as a safety net because of his history. Joanne has said she will guide him at that point. His GP is more interested in getting the Campral to work at the moment, and as that is what he wants to do I have to let him. We have had a chat about contingency plans tho, so at least he acknowledges the need for one. The point is I do not want him to crash and burn again, he is getting old, his brain won't take much more. His bloods have come back liver seems to be getting better x

Thank you for your support. Thinking of everyone on here as always x

HI again JulieAnne. The Campral sounds like it's really doing the job , so long may it continue.Am being inquisitive here (nosey is more correct lol !) .I buy my Nalmefene online at the moment as you know but never been able to find Naltrexone.Do you buy it in uk or does it come from the states ? Although I have never really had bad side effects I do get some vaguely uncomfortable ones and I know Naltrexone is said to be better in that way so pondering whether to try and source some .

Hope you are feeling a bit calmer and hard as it is , not worrying yourself too much .You are both working so hard at this x

Generally, you can get Campral and nalmefene on NHS prescription, usually with a bit of a fight with an ARC. RH goes into comedy mode:

ARC: Hello

RH: I have a problem with alcohol, I've read that there is good medication that can help with that, called Selincro/Campral, please help me, I'm quite ill and not coping very well.

ARC: Have you tried a drinks diary?

RH: I don't need a diary, I know how much I drink and it is far too much. That's why I am here.

ARC: But a drinks diary will help.

RH: Really? You're sh*tting me? I don't need a reminder, it is 9:00am and already I have had a 'livener' just so I can write my name properly on the application form.

ARC: A drinks diary helps, we've found it works the best.

RH: The best for who? What independent research has led you you to that conclusion.  BTW, how old are you and does your mum know that you are not in school today?

ARC: Call for security please.

RH: Security? What, you mean that spotty 19 year old YTS trainee (yes, I'm showing my age ) in reception? He looks like he will be as effective as your advice on giving up alcohol. Don't worry, I'm off to Wetherspoons, they're open and at least they are polite to people who walk through the door.

Back to the post.

Some lucky people get it from their GP and Joanna has had some success in getting some people switched on to naltrexone, but that is after they have been on nalmefene.

Generally, if you want naltrexone, at this stage, it is a private GP/consultation or order from abroad, from my experience.

Oh RH you have given me a good laugh once again .I love your posts .Think I might stick with my private prescription for nalmefene online at mo and try and convince my GPat some point I.m holding back on it as I am scared .It all seems such hassle too . I have looked up my local ARC .It is described as 'A vibrant centre with lots of facilities , needle exchange and a breakfast clubs' RH you will know better than me what that means translated into English ! I perish the thought but might pop along and have a peek before I step over the threshold then I can tell my GP when I finally go that he can't do that to me

Why the he'll do we have to fight for these meds on the NHS . I'm finding nalmefene so good that I am beginning to forget sometimes that I have AUD so hope that's not a danger sign

I got absolutely nowhere with my GP - she had never heard of any of the meds and referred to me ARC.  Well I aint going there.  I cannot imagine wanting alcohol in the morning - what a load of tosh to ask for a drinks diary - what will that achieve?  I would just laugh at them and tell them to stuff it, then walk out.  No point in that at all.

I will continue with my 2 units Monday to Friday, but Sat and Sunday I need some zzzzzzs so will have a bottle each night.  Severe lack of sleep is just as dangerous as too much booze.  Just keep doing what works for you.  You are doing really well.

G x

Fantastic black comedy there RH the unfortunate thing is, it is all too true 😡 but great post. I'm still chuckling to meself x

Sorry, but I need to pick your brains about Campral again. When you have taken them for the recommended length of time, can you go back to drinking moderately again or does it mean you should remain abstinent? Thanks for your advice

Ha ha why  why do they think  a drinks diary would help... we all know we drink too much so why would we want to write it down and look at it LOL lunacy and I agree its a load of tosh Gwen

Well we all carry on the way that suits us best and we all have our different ways but its good to talk. As I said to RH I am going to do a bit of research and take a peek at the local ARC ( well not that local 20 miles away) and see what I might have to contend with if push came to shove 

I think you are doing so brilliantly well Gwen tapering back like you have, its somethinhg I have found impossible to do inspite of good intentions as once that first drink is past my lips I am on my way for a sesh.It doesnt even make me sleep well  in fact has the reverse effect.weird how it all is ,Even my couple of little glasses I have with my nalmefene makes me wakeful but ican handle that 

So glad its working for you Gwennie, you have been up against such a lotta odds with those optics twinkling at you,,, Well done you,take a bow  xx

Generally if someone has been a heavy drinker and I don't mean a bottle of wine a night, I mean a lot everyday of the week, without fail, then the advice is that as soon as they touch alcohol again, they get the taste of that old friend and end up back where they started.

Unfortunately, the worst thing you can say to someone that had an alcohol problem, is that you can never ever have another drink in your life. It is like telling them that life is over, existing is all that is left. No going to the pub with your mates, no celebrating birthdays or Christmas, watching sport is alcohol free and there is no point in going to parties, because it will be toture watching everybody else drink.

The thought of it, is enough to make someone start drinking immediately, so you have to deal with this one carefully. For me, I have the occasional drink, birthdays, Christmas, eating out. Somewhere where it will be in a controlled environment. For example, if eating out, most people (men) might have a pint whilst ordering the mean and then a couple of glasses of wine with the meal and then leave.

Going to the pub, for me is right out. The only purpose of that, is to get drunk and have a laugh with mates. And after the first couple of pints, I am not going anywhere until I have had my fill.

So for me, I can have drinks at social occasions, but I have to pick and choose carefully. For me, pyschologically, that helps with the never drinking again. The fact that I can have a small amount, is enough to stop my willipower cracking and stocking up in the off licence.

I remember when I was at one ARC, mentioning that I had mananged to stop for about 12 months, but then start again. The lady there, said that that was very common in people that had stopped. They try to test themselves and see if they can go back to controlled drinking and it pretty much ends in failure, as it did with me. Which is why I had to come up with a different strategy the second time around.

Thank you for your encouragement - yes the darn optics - very nearly fell foul of the pesky things last night - don't know why.  So I gave myself an extra portion of dinner and was really full.  So when I opened my diddy, I sipped it for a few hours then went to bed and read a book.

So glad I did today, as feel so much better.  This is the feeling that we forget about when we sesh it up every night, feel great at the time but 'orrible next day.

Keep going hunnie x

So so glad for you that you overcame those demon optics Gwen , perilous things but so good to hear you have your coping strategies.

.a good book.is meaningless when we are p*****You are very strong. Love the wonderful feeling of feeling hangover free and clear headed .. It's bizarre when we sesh cos we know how awful we will feel when we wake up in the morning but when we poured the booze down and loving it we thought we would be fine, madness Demon alcohol 👹

Keep strong 💪and never lose that sense of humour😀

Hi RH thanks for that. Looking back on hubby's pattern of drinking, I would argue that drinking even small amounts in a controlled environment isn't going to work for him. So I believe (if he still wants to do it) that TSM when Campral has finished is going to be the way forward.

I am glad that you have found a method that works for you x

Thinking of everyone on here as always x

Those optics must be like a beacon to you! How you are resisting them, I don't know. For me, it's like a bar of choccy sitting in the fridge-I just have to eat it! xx

Much admiration gwen xx

Thanx J - 2 reasons why I am resisting; one is just bl   dy minded determination that I will not be controlled (which is real hard at times) but two is the fact of my lil ole diddy.  I could not do it without my 'reward' before I go to bed.  I so look forward to it and take pleasure in sipping it slowly and making it last knowing I am not going to wake up in the small hours with alcohol anxiety until I get up at 7 and then feel awful and downright angry at what I have done yet again.

It is what works for me - if I was told - absolutely no more, I would have to replace it with probably a chocolate bar (which I am not a choccie girly) or a blooming famly size plate of cheese and biscuits which I love.  I  have to be careful of my cholesterol so that would rise off the scale and I would get fat!!!!  I obviously have an addictive personality so, for the moment, DIDDY RULES LOL - thanks for your posting, love em all x

Gweny.