Nalmefene: anyone tried it?

[MarmosetsInSpace]

I have an alcohol problem. Nearly a bottle of wine per night, every night. I'm being prescribed Nalmefene, which will apparently eliminate the rewards of alcohol. This is a sensible idea, but I'm inwardly so pissed off about it. The only reason I can face posting this is because I'm a glass of wine down. (Prescription hasn't arrived yet, so I'm still drinking.) I have the opportunity to begin psychodynamic therapy soonish to address the very very very many reasons why I drink, but still. I'm pissed off. I have to do this, but I so don't want to. Has anyone else used this drug? Was it helpful?

Those deleted responses: what did they say?

@MarmosetsInSpace I tried it about 2 years ago (private prescription). It did work in the sense that I did not get a buzz at all when I drank. There was no “reward”. However, I just kept drinking anyway because I knew I would still end up drunk/numb.

I simply wasn’t ready to stop drinking. I think it would maybe be different if I tried it again now as I do now really want to stop - but I am too scared to drink even one drink just in case it sets me back and it doesn’t work if you completely abstain.

To be honest, I think you really need to address your underlying issues and try to let go of the “why me” anger or else you are likely to just drink through it, like I did. You sound very similar to me and the way I was feeling back then ❤️

(I didn’t see the deleted responses).

@Youdontseehow , thank you. And yes, I do need to address the very many underlying issues. Sigh.

I hope that you too get the help that you need.

It's a bit shit, isn't it?

@MarmosetsInSpace totally 💩 I’ve spent years feeling sorry for myself that I can’t drink “normally” - why me, why do I have to be the one with the problem, why do I have to miss out on all the fun yadda yadda yadda.

I’m trying to think of it like this - some people get diabetes, some people get asthma, some people get arthritis etc - I’ve got alcohol use disorder. That’s my luck of the draw. So just like a diabetic can’t eat sugar, or an asthmatic can’t be around cats or whatever, or an arthritic person might need a ton of painkillers - my problem means I cannot drink. If I was diabetic on insulin, I wouldn’t be able to “eat sugar normally” and I’d just accept that and get on with my life, eating other things. So I need to accept I can’t drink alcohol and get on with my life drinking other things.

I’m only on day 11 after a million day 1s but I am throwing everything at it because I just cannot let my family and myself down again.