Starting Acamprosate today.

'The cravings have virtually disappeared! The odd thought crosses my mind but I can easily shrug my shoulders and think, no not for today.'

It just kind of creeps up on you. The great thing for me, is you don't even get depressed over not drinking. As you said, not today thanks.

With more and more people posting about the lack of cravings when taking campral, how long will it take for the powers that be to become more alert to its success? Far more cost effective than numerous detoxes, relapses, inpatient care. I fail to see the point in gp's referring patients to alcohol clinics who only seem to want to know about Antabuse and filling in weekly, then two weekly drinking diaries. It just prolongs recovery.

It doesn't work like that Vicks. Like most things in this world, it comes down to money. The whole recovery industry is based around money and the funding comes through crime prevention and dealing with people through the probation service.

Drugs are primarily funded through street crime, alcohol addicts tend to fund their own addiction without resorting to crime. That's not to belittle the latter in any way, just we don't tend to put a brick through an offie window to get a botttle of vodka. We're quite ashamed of what we are and avoid anything that may bring us in to contact with the police/courts and publicity.

GPs won't deal with it because the mental health budget funding goes to ARCs, and the GMC have given them strict instructions to be very careful about dishing out diazepam to anyone. Anybody that says what has mental health got to do with it, just look at the top of this page and see which section alcoholism comes under, a clue is mental health.

If tomorrow, the government promised to quadruple the payments for treating alcoholism by patient, you can guarantee you would become important because you would have a monetary value attached to you. The same way that if GPs were given financial incentives to treat people with alcohol porblems they wouldn't be turning them away.

As I'm in the 'at risk' top 2% at my GP surgery, I am amongst other things entitled to a free flu jab since the age of 48. I am harangued every year about having it, and I'm asked if I am 'refusing to have it', note, not declining to have it. They get about a tenner for each jab, plus obviously the medication is supplied on the NHS.  Block book people, at the rate of say 8 - 10 an hour with the nurse, and it is a handy income at what might othewise be a slow time.

I'm not knocking my GP surgery, they have been good to me, merely stating how the world works. It doesn't matter how many people Campral works for, it is how many people it generates money for, that judges its success. It is what Joanna (waves at Jo, I did know and do understand this) was saying to me the other night, the makers of Selincro may have nobbled naltrexone, but it they weren't making money, they wouldn't be pushing governments and the NHS to have it available.

Somebody needs to be making money for us to have options and the makers of Campral have the worst marketing department I have ever seen (IMHO). You actually have to go out and sell your product, and having worked in middle management (sales & marketing) for a top 50 international company, it borders (IMHO) on almost criminal the lack of action in this department.

Great post RHGB.

I absolutely agree that Alchohol problems and Mental health are related.

GPs and ARC need to have far more of an understanding of a dual diagnosis. Both conditions need to be addressed at the same time. This unfortunately very rarely happens on the NHS.

Yes, show me anyone with an alcohol problem and I'll show you someone who is at least slightly suffering from depression.

Make sure you read the bit at the end.

Go to your GP (sober, book an early AM appt.) and say, fine, I will go to Addaction (hey listen, I had to do it and I have a 9:30AM appt.with  them tomorrow) but you want acamprosate and you expect your GP to issue them with some guidance. Don't let him fob you off with he can't get involved, remind him that he is your primary care provider and it is his/her responsibilty to ensure your care.

Tell him that Antabuse is out of the question and that was all you were offered last time. That you expect him to stand up and be accountable for your care that has been soley entrusted to him, as your GP. If you are cognitive, say that you will make a complaint to the GMC if he is unhelpful in this matter.

Ask him for a letter of recommendation to take to them for acamprosate.

BUT, I don't think you are ready for Campral, you need to be detoxed first and you really want to be sick of drinking and be able to say goodbye to it - to others reading this, saying goodbye to alcohol may seem hard and very final, it certainly scared me. But if you work with Campral, you will begin to wonder what all the attraction and fuss was about it. Very calming is all I can say.

Back to PF, I feel you are more ready for Selincro, but again, you have to stick with it. My main concern is that you're looking for a 'magic' pill and it doesn't exist. You have to really want to stop and want to work with medication. Anyone who wants to carry on drinking with Campral is going to be able to do it easily and with no side effects.

You need to have a sit down and think first.

Hi Paper/RHGB...I think that Campral works different for every one...at the end of your post RH..you said anyone who wants to carry on drinking with Campral is going to be able to do it easily......

Yes, I was told that by my GP...that I would not get sick like the Antabuse. 

But, I would like to point out a fact for me has been that Campral...has stopped me from WANTING to drink at all.

I have had some seriously stressful, over the edge days when I KNOW I would have in the past taken a drink or 100 drinks...AND to my SHOCK....I did not drink....

So I think the fact that I am trying to state is that the drug will not work the same on everyone.  Campral may work very well for paper...as it has for me.  And it may NOT work well if she is still driven to a drink.  Again, I have definetly been DRIVEN to drink....and I have not drank and I give 100% credit to that...to CAMPRAL.

Now, though for me...I think I am in search of another "magic pill", due to the weight gain Campral is giving me...which you may NOT be gaining weight.  Its all different for everyone.

I agree..we want a magic pill..and there isn't one...but I really think Campral WAS a magic pill for me....

The doctors told me at the hospital that I did not have to be detoxed first to start it...but that is the PREFERED method.