Meta !Sober//iZs joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 3 minutes later[^][v]#908,765
I haven't had a drink in three months! ?
Meta !Sober//iZs double-posted this 7 years ago, 5 minutes later, 9 minutes after the original post[^][v]#908,766
So I mean I can't try it because it would require me to drink alcohol (or else I'd just be popping naltrexone for no reason) but I hope it works for you man!
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 9 minutes later, 18 minutes after the original post[^][v]#908,768
Meta !Sober//iZs replied with this 7 years ago, 3 hours later, 3 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,809
@previous (A)
Willpower is part of it, certainly, but I think what helped me a lot was joining a support group (reddit.com/r/stopdrinking) and participating on a daily basis. I check in every morning and make a pledge not to drink that day. Every day. It doesn't seem like much but it helps keep me focused. You sort of end up replacing an addiction to alcohol with an addiction to recovery, but I have to say the latter is a lot healthier.
Anonymous C joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 14 minutes later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,811
> aabeyondbelief.org
It's cool to know there are secular AA groups out there. I wish them the best of luck.
> The Sinclair Method
That sounds mildly dangerous. I hope it works for you, but be careful.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 34 minutes later, 4 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,814
Anonymous C replied with this 7 years ago, 51 minutes later, 5 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,822
@previous (A)
As much as I love the sound of a drug that saps all the pleasure out of life, tinkering with your brain chemistry via opioid antagonists sounds iffy.
Naltrexone is an odd sort of medication. It appears to modify behavior. Actually any pleasurable behavior which releases endorphins is liable to get modified by it. Thus when taken in the wrong manner, it can lead to loss of pleasure in sex, eating, exercise or any other activity perceived as pleasurable, and thus a decrease in such activities.
Also, it doesn't remove the effects of alcohol.
The impairment of motor skills, reaction time, social interaction, and judgment remains as strong as without the medication, so there is still significant risk of problematic outcomes during the first few weeks of treatment. It is small comfort that someone was on his way to sobriety if he manages to cut the hopes short with a fatal car crash or some other unfortunate event during those first couple of weeks.
And the treatment doesn't end...
Patients need to keep Naltrexone with them at all times for the rest of their lives to the extent there is likelihood they will drink, so that they can take a pill an hour before drinking, if they should do so.
People drink for all kinds of reasons. People get depressed for all kinds of reasons. People fall in love for all kinds of reasons. And generally trying to pinpoint a single biological cause for any behavior is a fool's errand. What you can hope to do with drugs is usually just remove some of the feelings leading to these behaviors while you learn new habits, new coping mechanisms, new behaviors, or somehow stop the thought patterns that are leading a person to return to the problem state.
Naltrexone sounds like it could effective at targeting the pleasure you are getting from drinking and eventually moving you away from problem drinking behaviors. Just be aware of what it is doing and the end goal you are trying to achieve. Replacing a happy drunk with a sad drunk could cause more problems, or relying on a drug to take away the urge to drink without any effort could set you up for disappointment. I'm assuming you also have an idea about any interactions it may have with other drugs you may be taking, how it might affect existing psychological conditions, health concerns, and all that stuff you should have talked with a doctor about.
If you think it's right for you, then give it a shot. Just know what to expect. I hope it works for you.
(Edited 2 minutes later.)
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 10 hours later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,880
@previous (C)
It is proven to work, is the thing. Over 80% of people who try it either quit drinking completely, or come to a poin where they can have a drink if they want, and stop there. If done correctly, it does not sap the pleasure out of life: it just saps the pleasure out of drinking.
MR MIKE PENCE joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 1 minute later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,881
just eat those mushrooms that kill you if you drink alcohol
Anonymous E joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 5 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,882
Knock it off guys.
Anonymous F joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 13 minutes later, 16 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,884
Sheila LaBoof joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 3 hours later, 19 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,914
deep brain stimulation, the technique of putting a fine wire into the brain, may find more general use for compulsive problems.
though it may confirm Francis E. Dec's writings on Frankenstein radio controls
Meta !Sober//iZs replied with this 7 years ago, 4 hours later, 23 hours after the original post[^][v]#908,962
@908,822 (C)
So if I get this right, you take a pill that eliminates pleasure then drink. Eventually you learn to stop enjoying alcohol, like reverse Pavlovian conditioning? How does this work though because you know you're only not-enjoying your drink because you took an anti-joy pill before drinking.
I mean why not a shock collar? Just put on the collar and hold the remote in one hand and your drink in the other and just shock yourself every time the glass touches your lips and so you don't drink anymore because you associate wine with electric shocks? Or why not hire a dominatrix to supervise your drinking sessions and whip you when you try to drink?
Thinking about this, I don't see how it could work because you know you're in control of whether drinking is pleasurable or not.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 1 hour later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#908,971
@previous (Meta !Sober//iZs)
It works because you still feel drunk, but the opiod reward circuit after that is broken. And, here is the catch, your CRAVINGS go away. You have no desire to stop taking the pill and drink, because you no longer have a craving to drink. This is Day Two. I have no desire to drink at all. None. The thought of drinking is no different to me right now than the thought of, say, eating lettuce: perfectly fine, can be good, but no in the mood. I have not felt that way in decades. This shit really works!
Anonymous A (OP) double-posted this 7 years ago, 1 minute later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#908,972
Day Two: not a single drop, and NO DESIRE for it!
Anonymous H joined in and replied with this 7 years ago, 22 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#908,979
i was gonna say this sounds dangerous but now it sounds like Matt so I'm gonna say go ahead
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 4 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#908,980
Nice try fake fake bert. This fake bert lifestyle will be the death of you.
Anonymous C replied with this 7 years ago, 14 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#909,014
@908,962 (Meta !Sober//iZs)
An endorphin rush might help make drinking more immediately pleasurable in some people, but that's far from the whole story about what alcohol does or why people drink to to excess. This drug might be targeting something that is only loosely associated with habitual drinking. It sounds like it can help some people in a specific situation, but it isn't really a substitute for self-control and willpower.
> Just put on the collar and hold the remote in one hand and your drink in the other and just shock yourself every time the glass touches your lips and so you don't drink anymore because you associate wine with electric shocks?
As far as conditioning goes, removing a reward is a different thing than introducing a punishment. Also, some us here drink because we're self-destructive masochists, so this isn't really a path for everybody.
> Or why not hire a dominatrix to supervise your drinking sessions and whip you when you try to drink?
This sounds kind of hot. I would totally go out to club like this.
@908,972 (A)
One night and now you're better, huh? Truly a miracle cure. Well wanting to be sober is an important step, so keep it up and find some things to do with your new-found sobriety.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 9 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#909,015
@previous (C)
Self-control and willpower have been shown time and time again to lack the power to stop addictions.
Anonymous C replied with this 7 years ago, 5 minutes later, 1 day after the original post[^][v]#909,016
@previous (A)
Well if you believe you're cured and stop doing it, then it's functionally the same thing. Keep doing whatever you're doing if it's working.
Meta !Sober//iZs replied with this 7 years ago, 1 day later, 2 days after the original post[^][v]#909,221
@909,014 (C)
You'll still need enough self-control to take naltrexone every time you drink and keep naltrexone on hand all the time. I'm guessing you also need a few minutes for the naltrexone to kick in, so you need even more self control to plan your drinking around naltrexone. It sounds like a lot of effort.
Anonymous A (OP) replied with this 7 years ago, 22 minutes later, 2 days after the original post[^][v]#909,225
@previous (Meta !Sober//iZs)
Day three: not a drop of alcohol and no desire for it.
Anonymous A (OP) double-posted this 7 years ago, 25 seconds later, 2 days after the original post[^][v]#909,226
@909,221 (Meta !Sober//iZs)
It is a little effort, but I will take it over dying of liver disease in the gutter.
Meta !Sober//iZs replied with this 7 years ago, 1 day later, 3 days after the original post[^][v]#909,452