Please help

thanks leslie and paul i'm goi ng to speak with my employer and gp regarding taking a few weeks off and possibly starting a programme. advice much appreciated. 

Your drinking style sounds like the "binge" style, wherein one might take days or weeks off from drinking, then drink for days on end. The Sinclair Method that Paul mentioned can be very good for this. I had a daily drinking addiction for over 30 years that I gradually wound down using The Sinclair Method. It took me about 5 months and in the end I just didn't care about alcohol anymore. Month by month, I drank less and less as I felt like stopping sooner and eventually not drinking at all on some days. That expanded to not drinking at all on most days and only having a couple on days that I did drink. Booze ceased to "speak" to me as it did in the past and I've largely lost interest in it. Now, it takes me a month or more to drink what I used to drink in only one night. 

Good luck with your employer 👍🏻 It's the best thing I did was hard but worth it 😀

I couldn't agree more with you Amanda. Jimmy needs time away from his work to sort himself out and he will probably have to make sacrifices in the meantime to do it. In fact, I would say that he wil have to. Get better first Jimmy, then get a job. 

Before I went into my last de-tox and re-hab centre,I applied for a job. The rehab' prog' was estimated to be for about 12 weeks in my case. 3 weeks into re-hab, I had a message to tell me that my job application had been successful; I was keen to get on with a normal life again and back to work so I told the doctors that I would be leaving.

Their response was to ak me if I wanted to get better or not? I turned down the job offer, finished re-hab, went to live in a half way house (I'd already lost my home) with other recovering alcoholics for a year, went back to University and never took a drink again. It is difficult not to think about work, especially if you have family and financial responsibiities but they would become more of a burden (or you would to them) with more chance of losing everything if somone in that situation carries on as a 'functioning' alcoholic.(an oxymoron if ever I heard one).

My wife was about to leave me anyway;I was in debt, my family, apart from my mother had disowned me, I had no friends left and I know for sure that if I'd gone back to work, things would have become worse.I know because I'd done the same thing twice before- fool that I was.

I did lose everything more than once but I got better and my life improved over the years..It doesn't happen overnight, but stop drinking or find an alternative method, work hard and it will all come back - but only if yu remain sober,

Jimmy, pease think seriousy before you take the next step. It could very well be the most important decision you make in your life.

Take care and good luck; I hope you find the right path for yourself.             .    

Hi All, thanks for your comments. not been drinking now since Friday morning. been rattling about full of anxiety for two days now. i'm pretty lucky as my wife is so with me and supportive. i really appreciate all your comments as i was feeling im in this myself, i really want to stop drinking and think the Sinclair method would be best for my situation. Would my GP know about this method or would it be a specialist that id need to speak to?

How Jimmy ... Well done ! Thats good news Am so glad ypu have the support and understanding at home .I have just this week started TSM .. I did mine through an Online doc initially as thought i'd try the Selinco and see how I got on before song my gp..It's expensive to buy tho so my time like that is limited ...Took first tablet Fri and now on day 3 .Had a couple of drinks every night and had no urge to drink more ..Also side effects from the medication have been minimal for me... I feel great too and got so.easy control back so I know its really helping me ..I would be interested to know what your GP says about it ...Take it easy and Good Luck

Try your GP Jimmy. Unfortunately many won't prescribe Naltrexone or Nalmefene, but it has to be your first port of call because some are willing to. They are unlikely to know it as The Sinclair Method though. I would recommend asking for Naltrexone and maybe tell the doctor what you have read. Maybe even print off a brief summary of the method to take with you (nothing too long or it is likely to be ignored.)  If you can't get Naltrexone, the GP may be willing to prescribe Nalmefene but the side effects of that can be more difficult, so try for Naltrexone first.

Part of the support I offer is to look up the local NHS guidelines for your area.  This will tell you who your local NHS has deemed to be the best person or organisation to prescribe these medications.

If you wish to, please feel free to PM me the town and county where you live and I will be able to look up any guidelines specific to the area you live.

Joanna.

Hi, I tried talking to my doc about TSM - she was totally dismissive of it and said she had never heard of it - told me not to go there as she did not like the sound of it. 

When I came clean with her about my problem this year she referred me to Smart Recovery and I asked her if she drank alcohol - and if so what would life be like, to her, if she was told she could not drink anymore; her reply was that life would be very boring and she cannot imagine it - well that empowered me a little - I felt like I was interviewing her lol.  But yet again I went to see her on Friday for another issue unrelated to drinking and she was off sick - AGAIN - which makes me think that me talking to her about TSM got to her - like the saying goes The Lady Doth Protest Too Much.

What I am saying is that if your doc does poo poo TSM, don't feel defeated, not with this site, there is no need.  I would gladly dump my doc for these guys.

First start is being honest, and you have, like all of us - blooming hard to do.  Now you stay on here no matter what your doc says (although you may be lucky and have one that is literate with TSM) then it is onwards and upwards with our family - we will get you through. 

Very best to you

G.

Hi

I'm having problems with my GP too. I have been on Antabuse for years ( hadn't heard of others medications until I came on this site ) . I have other problems too but my doctor will not prescribe me anything other than Antabuse!!!!! Not happy but I'm not drinking im sober and healthy BUT the urge to drink is still there

Bypass your doctor and self refer yourself to your local alcohol recovery service.  Nearly all accept self referals.  Attend the initial information gathering appointment, and the request an appointent to see the prescribing physician there.  Discuss the treatments with him/her.  In the UK, the NHS has approved antabuse, acamprosate, natrexone and nalmefene for prescribing in the treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder.  Under the NHS Constitution, you have a LEGAL right to be assessed for any approved medications to see if they are suitable for you.

By not referring you on, or assessing you himself/herself, your doctor is violating your legal right as written in the NHS Constitution.

Just because your GP doesn't feel comfortable prescribing anything other than antabuse doesn't mean you should be an addiction specialist.

You wouldn't expect your GP to prescribe you a course of treatment for cancer BUT you would expect your GP to refer you to the consultant who specialises in cancer, wouldn't you?

Sorry, typo. That should read....

Just because your GP doesn't feel comfortable prescribing anything other than antabuse doesn't mean that you should not be referred to an addiction specialist.

This annoys me so much. That doctors feel qualified to tell you that treatments they know nothing about are no good. Yet they are happy to refer you to services which have less than 10% success rate and are not based on ANY science.

What I really fail to understand is why, with it being so easy to look stuff up in these days of the Internet, that professional clinicians do not go away and read about these things. We are now living in times in which many patients are far more knowledgable about their condition than their doctor. This means that the days of doctors dictating should be in the past and medical treatment, where possible, should be a partnership between the patient and their doctor.

I would be ashamed, as an alcohol treatment specialist, if there was a method of treatment which was proven to be effective and I hadn't heard of it. Like when I first heard about TSM, I read about it and thought about it and, although I initially thought it might be rubbish, I looked into it enough to see that it made medical sense, then started using it with my patients. It's common sense! If something may work better than what has done before, it should be considered.

Agreed, Paul.

I know there are some excellent doctors around, but from my experience, I have heard some shocking, shocking statements about what I have been told by people.

The worst was maybe a lady who emailed me and said that her doctor told her that nalmefene was still in testing and 10 patients in her area where being treated with it experimentally and it wasn't giving good results so far..... What?????  Really????  This was maybe 2 months ago, and the patient was absolutely fuming when I sent her a link to the NICE approval from way back in November 2014.

Doctors like that should be investigated and disciplined.....

Thank you for all the information ( get more information from people on here than I do any where else so a huge thank you 😊 x ) I honestly thought that Antabuse was all there was !!!

Agree with you Joanne 😀 I believed everything my GP said to me and that's why I said yes to Antabuse

Yes, it doesn't treat the problem at all. It stops some people drinking but it doesn't stop cravings. It can also kill those who give in to the cravings

That is what I worry about on a daily basis the cravings because as I still have them . Feeling confident about changing my medication as now I feel Antabuse isn't for me going to try again with GP and if I am unsuccessful I now know there are other channels I can go down into changing. Thanks 🙏 everyone

I can understand anyone who believes that life woud be boring without using alcohol. For me, taking the path towards total abstinence increased my vigour for life, made life so much more enjoyabe in so many ways and life became more fun and precious than ever it had been before I became a drinker, let alone an alcoholic. To go for total abstinence brought more pleasure into my life than anything I could have imagined and a great part of being totally abstinent is having the abiity and wilingness to help others whether they be alcoholics or not. It was the best thing I ever did and I used to be one of those alcoholics you hear about who drank meths, aftershave, mouthwash, brasso and so on - anything that contained alcohol. everyone can find a way if they're serious enough about dealing with the problem.and good luck to everyone who finds the path that suits them.

For a very long time,I haven't had to think about seeing a counsellor, doctor, which medication I should take and when. I'm sober, it's a wonderful life and I don't miss alcohol one little bit. I haven't missed anything from life because I don't drink; I've gained more from life than I could have ever imagined possible.      

That's really interesting ...I have bought my first pack of nalmefene from a reliable online source but plan to see my GP after Christmas to see about getting it prescribed as can't afford to keep buying ..I will choose to see the GP who I think will listen but what I didn't know is that you can self refer to the drug and alcohol services ..so much to learn on here and I thought I knew it all ha ha .not really !

Hi

Totally agree as I thought Antabuse was it but so much information and help on here 😀 Feeling positive about going to GP

Well until recently I thought there was only antabuse ..I took it years ago ..I have only been on here a few days but gosh am I learning...It's great to be able to discuss and chat with people with the same issues...It can. be a lonely place so.etiquette.especially can't it ....

I have a GP at our surgery who really listens and is quite empathetic although I have never discussed my all alcohol issues with him.....yet ! I am.hoping that I can get nalmefene prescribed especially if I can tell him it is already effective... I guess it's a cost issue too ...cheaper tho than having patient with alcohol related illnesses coming on as the years roll on..

Totally agree my GP knows all about my alcohol problems but has never mentioned any other medications other than Antabuse . Going to make an appointment in the morning 😀

Good luck Lesley ..be interested to know how you get on with your GP ..A previous reply I sent to you has been sent to be moderated ! ...goodness knows why ..probably predictive text that says something awful 😑... can't think why otherwise

Good luck Natalie I agree about it being a false economy saving money now to then have to pay more for treatment of complications later.

Thank you Natalie 🙏 I have made an appointment with GP and I have an appointment on Monday ( will keep you posted) 🙏🙏🙏

Hi he listened but he thinks my perhaps I want to come off Antabuse is so that I am able to drink if I chose to ??? As he knows I struggle at this time of year .... he will see me again next year HOWEVER I have made an appointment with an alcohol counsellor who I used to see but was never really truthful with her but I'm HOPING to discuss alternative treatment to Antabuse. I'm feeling hopeful???? Thank you for replying to me xxx