Problem/Dependent Drinkers and Alcoholics (recovering or active) Support III

[ornamentalhaggis]

Time for a new thread already!

Welcome to the thread, the purpose of this is to give anyone who is having any trouble with their drinking, a safe place to come and post about it honestly and without judgement.

There are many of us that use the thread for support and encouragement: some in recovery, others just needing a place to share about their worries. It's been going on in one form of another for a while now and has helped many people.

Thank you to all of those who have kept it going thus far, and welcome to anyone who has decided the time has come to ask for help.

Everybody's welcome, no matter what stage your drinking is at.

Jump right in, the water's fine

kokeshi

Hiya, Brassic. I knew two people who were prescribed anatabuse, but both had to take it under court order for repeat drink driving offenses.

And because they also had to provide urine samples whilst a probation officer was in the bathroom with them AND they were definitely looking at custodial sentences if they failed their tests, they had extra incentive not to drink.

I hadn't ever heard of its being prescribed in other circumstances.

Sorry to hear you are struggling.

Thanks, teasle! Yes, Pomegreat is fairly readily available. If you can't get it, however, I also recommend brewing up a bowl of fruit tea. Then dilute it with sparkling water and add a twist of lime or some bashed mint leaves and you've got yourself a mocktail.

It did not remove the cravings from the two blokes I knew who took it.

Not at all.

It was more a passive conditioning sort of thing where they knew if they used they'd not only get terribly ill but also go to prison.

Expat I've never tried pomegranate juice - now you got my curiosity going!!

Sorry teasle but cranberry juice just makes me think urine infection.

the pomegranate juice isn't as sour as cranberry.

it's delicious.

on its own or diluted.

mmmmm.

even DD1 loves it. she calls it 'pink juice'.

Sold. Will throw some in the trolley at the weekend!

Sorry your having a hard time again BrasicMonkey, I have followed your story for ages, I'm sure you can get to that point again

Up again at 3am but mumsnet down and have just got on. Drank a bit too much last night. Really want to purge myself. What is good for a detox kind of effect. I just feel like my body is poisoned doesn't matter what time of the day it is, I just feel like I have poison running through my veins. (Only drink at night and have no urge to drink in the day). I feel like my body is starving, does that make sense?
I think my face is knackered (all saggy from dehydration). I look old when I'm not. I drink as much water as I can, I always have a pint (of water!) before I go to bed or else I wake early (didn't work today) with a headache.
I'm sure people look at me and say 'oooh she's had a hard life'
Sorry a bit morose today.

BM, Here's a blurb from the makers of Antabuse (Disulfiram) about what to avoid when taking the drug.

-----

Warnings

Disulfiram should never be administered to a patient without his full knowledge or when he is in a state of alcohol intoxication. The attending physician should instruct those tending the patient accordingly.

Patients must be fully informed about the disulfiram-alcohol reaction. They must be strongly cautioned against surreptitious drinking while taking the drug and must be fully aware of possible consequences. They should be warned to avoid alcohol in disguised form, i.e., in sauces, vinegars, cough and cold mixtures, and even aftershave lotions or liniments. They should also be warned that reactions may occur with alcohol up to 14 days after ingestion of disulfiram.
Precautions

AVOID ALL ALCOHOL INCLUDING alcohol found in sauces, vinegar, mouthwash, liquid medicines, lotions, after shave, or backrub products. A reaction to alcohol may cause flushing, nausea, thirst, abdominal pain, chest pain, dizziness, vomiting, fast breathing, fast heartbeat, fainting, difficult breathing, or confusion. Use caution when using topical products containing alcohol, such as cologne or perfume. Before using alcohol-containing products on the skin, test the product by applying some to a small area of the skin. If no redness, itching, headache, or nausea occur after 1 to 2 hours, you should be able to use the product.

Patients should be informed of the type of reaction which will be encountered if alcohol is taken overtly or as a component of food or other products.

Patients having a history of industrial contact dermatitis who currently work or have previously worked in the rubber industry should be evaluated for hypersensitivity to thiuram derivatives before receiving disulfiram.

Patients exposed to organic solvents which may contain alcohol, acetaldehyde, paraldehyde or structural analogues are at risk of experiencing disulfiram alcohol reactions. Such exposure should be eliminated prior to treatment.

It is suggested that every patient under treatment carry an identification card stating that he is receiving disulfiram and describing the symptoms most likely to occur as a result of the disulfiram-alcohol reaction. In addition, this card should identify the attending physician or institution to be contacted in emergency. (Cards may be obtained from Ayerst upon request.)

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You're supervised closely whilse taking so that you don't sneakily try to miss a dose (this is a commitment by the way, but for your own good), but once it's built up in your system it takes two weeks to be expelled so even if you have a sudden craving, there's no chance that you'll be able to indulge. By that time, hopefully it will have passed.

It's not a psychoactive drug, meaning that it doesn't interfere with ADs or any other medication that you may be prescribed for anxiety or depressions.

Glowwormish, you're likely to be deficient in B vitamins, as alcohol prevents absorption of these from our food, AND depletes the stores we already have. They participate in all important energy metabolism processes.

Thiamine (Vit B1) is crucial to brain and nerve function, long term deficiency can lead to Korsakoff's psychosis. Symptoms of thiamine deficiency include: depression, irritability, headache, lethargy, fatigue and weakness.

If you get your B vits back up to within normal range, you'll feel a hell of a lot better. Here are some more symptoms of a deficiency in the Vit B complex:

Once your body has been deprived of the vitamin B complex due to reasons stated above, it begins to show symptoms (signs) of altered, diminished or poor health. This is because the vitamin B complex (within foods, not vitamin pills) is responsible for such a wide variety of activities, including cellular differentiation, transmission of nerve electricity, health of nerve cells, heart pulse rate, muscular contraction, digestion, brain function, thought processes and energy production. Without adequate vitamin B complex from foods, you can experience one or more of any one of these symptoms:

• mental problems
• heart palpitations
• heart arrythmias
• fibrillation
• indigestion
• chronic fatigue
• chronic exhaustion
• paranoia, vague fears, fear that something dreadful is about to happen
• nervousness
• ADD (attention deficiency), inability to concentrate, irritability
• feeling of uneasiness
• thoughts of dying
• easy agitation, frustration
• inability to sleep (insomnia)
• restlessness
• tingling in hands
• tingling fingers and toes
• rashes
• crying spells, inability to cope
• soreness all over
• and so much more.

BM great to have you back! Sorry your anxiety is not good and please CAT me any time for a chat. Promised myself would not drink this week and did Monday. The rest of the week has been bad and not sure why. Feeling crap today as went out with friends last night and was not driving. Great to read all your posts sorry nothing helpful to post myself but it is good to share this.
XX

God OH, I have practically every one of those symptoms. Only this morning I told dp that I had a terrible sense of foreboding. He jokingly said that it was a delayed reaction to everything that's happened so relax!!!
I have known that alcohol depletes vitamins but you know what its like, don't really want to think about it. Guess its why this is such a good place to come.
On another note (which is maybe why I've felt c**p last few days) is the OB turned up today. Now I used to have REALLY bad PMT before children. OB has only been back less than a year due to pg and ex bf and I thought my PMT was cured..maybe not. I found that the only improvement in my PMT back then was cutting out tea. I am drinking SHED loads at mo. I also know that caffeine or is it the tannin, interfers with b vits and magnesium, which can agrevate PMT.
Why isn't there a vice that is good for you?

Flowertop, just post anyway, it's as much your thread as anyone else's and the whole point is it's a support thread. These problems don;t disappear overnight and every sober day shoudl be cherished as an achievement. When you're not feeling great, it's good to write down why in the hope that you can pin-point where you might lapse and be able to prevent it before you do.

Glowwormish, would you consider going to the GP and talking to them about your drinking/anxiety/depression? They may be able to point you in the right direction.

What happened to lulu41? Why was she deleted? I hope you come back soon lulu, we're a friendly bunch

How's everyone else doing today?

ps What, or who is OB? Sorry for ignorance or if you have explained before.

OB is expression on another website (i'm new to this one). Its your monthlies, it stands for 'old b*tch', why its called that I don't know.

I have considered going to gp's but my symptoms seem to be vague tbh and I wouldn't classify myself as depressed (yet!) I do know I'm under acute stress but what can the doctor do about that?

I seem to be contradicting myself here. I look at that list and suffer from about half to 3/4 of those symptoms (depending on the day) but I think I've put up with them for so long its like part of the furniture so why go to the gps? (This is my thinking)

Anyway I have put shredded wheat on the shopping list and just had a chamomile tea (my start at a healthier life style)

Thanks expat. I don't know of anyone who's taken antabuse - I've only heard of it through this thread actually.

Can a normal GP prescribe it, does anyone know? Maybe I'll have to wait until I'm referred where they can monitor me more closely.

Thanks for the blurb OH. The only thing on that list that I think might be an issue, is the topical lotions/creams that I use for my psoriasis. I'd have to check the packaging to know if they contain alchohol though, and even if they do, I don't HAVE to use them. I'm not sure about anti-perspirant, I could buy one from a health food shop to be sure that it's alcholol free. I haven't bothered to put perfume on for ages anyway.

The symptoms that I was most worried about were facial flushing and heart racing. I see that they are a reaction to drinking alcohol on them though, rather than side effects.

FT, I'll CAT you. Please keep posting. It's good to share

Oh, LOL @ Old Bitch. Some people call it AF or Aunt Flo on here glowormish . I think most posters just say period though.

It's worth talking to your GP about.

You need to speak to a professional who can better assess if this is appropriate for you.

Since it doesn't stop cravings, it's not often used even in fast and loose with the drugs America, because it isn't a quick fix, pop a pill and I can get over drinking sort of thing.

Like I said, it's normally used there as part of court mandated sentencing for people with drink driving offenses because they are a danger to others as they drive drunk.

The two blokes I knew who took it also had to go to mandatory alcohol counselling sessions at least twice a week - one went to AA. Still goes ten years later.

The other finished his course - he was my ex h's boss and also placed under house arrest for 9 months but allowed out to go to work - and moved into town centre so that he could continue drinking as he pleased and not have to drive to get home.

BM, it's becoming a preferred treatment option in the UK, just because of the sheer numbers who are presenting with alcohol problems. It's been shown as an effective solution, in the cases where people have problems staying sober for long periods or are chronic relapsers.

It's by no means the easy option, so people shouldn't think it's 'less than' any other solution. You have to be committed to long term thinking and make significant and immediate changes to your lifestyle in order to make it work. Drinking is just not an option, end of. I think in AA, we only have to say this is for a day at a time. Of course it builds up into considerable periods of days-at-a-time but that fear of 'giving up' isn't so acute I guess.

I think with the NHS, it's just not practical to refer every alcoholic to inpatient rehab or long-term treatment. It's pretty much an intervention and then up to the alcoholic/problem drinker which follow on support they find for themselves, whether that be AA or alcohol counselling, whatever.

I think GPs can prescribe it, but they'd have to supervise it: take regular blood tests and blood pressure checks because of the potential dangers it can pose.

I think it's kinda pointless to force it on anyone and unless you're ready to quit, there's absolutely no point in trying any of these treatments.

Someone asked previously what the difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic is? Well, personally I think none, it's just whatever you feel comfortable with. Labels are pretty useless IMO, as long as you reach a place that your life is no longer unmanageable, then it's all semantics. If you find you're pre-occupied with controlling your drinking or that once you start it's hard to stop then you're definitely not a 'temperate drinker'. A rose by any other name... .

Havalina - meant to say thanks for you post further down. How are you?

Expat and OH, thanks for your posts. Antabuse is just about the only thing I can think of that might help me at the moment. I can get sober and I can stay that way for up to a month. Lately I haven't been getting anywhere near to 1 month - I've been bingeing 2 or 3 times a week. I get so depressed when I'm drinking/hungover that I'm in more danger of deliberately harming myself than I am of developing an alcohol related illness - IMO.

I was going to AA meetings regularly and I still try and go with my Dsis/on my own when I'm brave enough. I'm so full of anxiety and fear though that I'm not getting much from meetings. If I could just sit and listen I know I'd get so much from being there. I know it's normal to be nervous but this fear is sickening and given the choice of a meeting or a binge tonight, I'd take the binge, because I'm so scared of interaction with other people when I'm sober. Even though I know I don't have to interact, I'm riddled with fear that I'm going to be singled out for some reason. It's irrational, I know!

My GP knows what's going on and I've been referred to an alcohol service at a psychiatric hospital. The referral is taking ages though - much longer than I was advised. I've been back to ask for some meds while I'm waiting - ideally something to help with the anxiety or just antidepressants - but I can't get anything because of my history with alcohol abuse and admitting that I used to mix alcohol with prozac. If I was prescribed antabuse I'd have to stay sober, whether I could access AA meetings or not and after a period of time my GP might feel confident about prescribing meds that will help me overcome my anxiety and I can start to participate in meetings and move on in AA.

I feel trapped at the moment. I have to have a period of sobriety behind me and be determined to keep it up, but I can't access any support!

Hope you can get into your GP soon and tell him/her what you've told us here.

It may be that anatabuse is for you, but as OH pointed out, it's not without significant side effects for some and probably needs medical supervision, so you're doing the right thing by wanting to talk to a professional about it.

Hello is there anyone out there? This thread seems to have gone very quite tonight.

Expat I bought your pomegreat juice on Friday and it is lovely. Not too sweet or too sour. Suprise, suprise my eldest didn't like it. However I think it will be featuring in my fridge for a long time to come.

HI I buy it too. Darn kids love it as well though.

My elder one likes it. Younger one pulled a face.

Aw, more for me!

I hide it from DD1 - I put it out in the laundry room.

I needs my mocktails.

How's the weekend been for everyone so far?