Beating addiction and alcohol

Good luck. The meds are another tool to help stop drinking. But I suggest you continue with other resources; AA meeting, sponsor, therapist, etc.. The more resources / tools, the better your chance of staying sober.

Laurie

What is the name of the meds?

I agree with Laurie. There are countless Zoom AA meetings available. Getting a sponsor and attending 90 meetings in 90 days are good starting points. Calling another recovering alcoholic BEFORE picking up that tempting drink helps the urge to pass. I wish you well in your sobriety journey, Heartbeat.

Hello @heartbeatz22 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can tell that you are pleased to get some medication support to help you deal with alcoholism.

As other members, @roch and @joiful, have wisely mentioned, the more supports you have in place the more successful you are likely to be. Are you also involved in AA meetings and/or working with a therapist?

As you are comfortable doing so, could you share a little about your history with addiction?

There are multiple drugs to help with alcohol dependency.

The following is from Mayo's webpage:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369250
Oral medications:
A drug called disulfiram (Antabuse) may help prevent you from drinking, although it won't cure alcohol use disorder or remove the compulsion to drink. If you drink alcohol, the drug produces a physical reaction that may include flushing, nausea, vomiting and headaches.

Naltrexone, a drug that blocks the good feelings alcohol causes, may prevent heavy drinking and reduce the urge to drink.

Acamprosate may help you combat alcohol cravings once you stop drinking.

Laurie

I don't know if this available where you're (but they are also on zoom) but Refuge Revery, which is an alternative program to AA centered around mindfulness meditation. Refuge was invaluable to me when the AA program didn't work, and I've been sober over twenty years now

Has anyone tried Ibogain treatment or any other psychedelic for AUB? I have been looking at treatment centers in Mexico and Canada because it is illegal in the US.

Best wishes, I went through withdrawal in a coma,most don't have that option. Been sober 33 plus.

All I have to share is my experience and that is my life changed when I discovered A.A. I’m sure there are other ways but the people and the steps of A.A. saved my life.

I drank and took drugs from 11 to 17 when I got arrested and was given a year to get my act together or go to prison. After about 8 months in treatment in two facilities I was released, that’s when I began my AA. journey. I stayed sober until I was 50 (32years). At 50 I started drinking again, not because I thought I could, but because I wanted to die. The medication I was taking for bipolar disorder was ruining my life so I stopped taking, bad idea.

I lost my wife, my children, all of my assets and my freedom in three months. It’s been 10 years and I’ve been sober since. I am now dealing with my mental illness but that is another story.

What has always helped me is talking to someone who understands. I think any program or treatment plan built on that fundamental need can succeed.

Best of luck on your journey.

I have been attending AA for 40 years. I was always told by the 'old timers' that the cravings were sugar cravings. Where I attending meetings there are several bowls of small candies to suck on. The body wants that sugar I used to give it. It depends on what you drank, at the end I was a win o and wine contains a lot of sugar. I had cravings for about 3 years. A piece of candy worked for me as there were no medications for cravings my first 3 years of sobriety. Another new aid to help with my Major Depressive Disorder was taking a blood test and that test determined what psychotropic (which I do not need) and antidepressant worked for me. Bupropion was my answer, and this old medication is the best for me for sure. It works. I haven't had an episode for 2 years now. No side effects or withdrawal when I decide to quit taking it--because I do occasionally think I am cured haha! The mind is a great tool to use for solving math problems, but the mind has not been my friend when it comes to making life decisions. I appreciate your story and as a young person when I first got sober was more challenging than someone who had drank 40 years and hit bottom. Until I hit a hard bottom, I was not able to stay sober. Good luck to you and keep coming back!