New here! This Sunday 4/5/15 I'll be getting my 30 day chip. Just got out of treatment for my OD, and this Friday will be starting treatment for my alcoholism. During my 3 week stint including a few days IP on psych ward and then doing a 3 week intensive outpatient program to deal with my Bipolar II, I start a 3 week stint for chemical dependency for my alcoholism. During interim I was put on antabuse. It's worked as I've been sober a month. But I'm wondering what everyone's experience w/antabuse has been like. I take it 3x a week, first I was given it during treatment now I'm taking it at home, and I've noticed I'm sleeping between 10-12 hours. This is totally unlike me. I'm nervous because I'm starting work soon and obviously can't sleep that long. Does this go away? And the urge to drink is completely gone. How long do people usually stay on this stuff? Any advice would be helpful!
Welcome to MIP newlysober, ... glad you're here ...
The only thing about 'antibuse' that I know of, is what I've read ... I've heard it works if you take it as directed ... but, if you do drink while on that stuff, you get violently ill ... For me, the urge to drink was only curbed by going to, and actively participating with others, in AA ... the meetings offer a program that has a REAL solution to drink'n ... and that, is a spiritual solution that solved all my 'life' problems as well as the drink'n ... (you have to change the way you think) ...
Antibuse would only be a 'temporary solution' ... until you could learn how to live a new way ... if you don't change how you think, then noth'n you are do'n now will ever be 'long-term' ... it took me years to learn that ... but once I started living the program of AA, I've managed to put several 'sober' years in my life and they've been the best years of my life ...
Hope the best for you and suggest you stick with AA for a more permanent solution to your problems ...
Love ya and God Bless, Pappy
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'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Newlysober, Antabuse worked for me. I started taking it a few days after I got sober. I took one pill a day for 8-9 months. I noticed a sleepiness side effect, which I did not like. I went from 5 hours of sleep a night when I was still drinking to 8 or 9 hours a night (and I was still tired). I consulted thoroughly with my doctor about Antabuse. It was not to be a cure-all and was not to be permanent. It was to be a safety net of sorts for me. And that approach was successful for the high risk of relapse period of the first 6 to 9 months.
I was a little apprehensive about ending the treatment. But I knew I had to and I was working a good recovery program. One that is still keeping me sober today. I never did get back to 5 hours a night. I do 7 to 9 a night now. That leads me to conclude the new sleep level was due to something other than the drug.
There is no conflict between Antabuse and AA. It's not either or.They each can work together or separately. Antabuse can also work with other alcoholic treatments.
Best of luck, Newlysober. Let us know how things develop.
Here is a prior thread on the subject that may help inform:
http://aa.activeboard.com/t50323492/antabuse/
-- Edited by Tanin on Sunday 5th of April 2015 03:16:03 PM
Hello newlysober! Congrats on your 30 days...way to go! I haven't had any experience with Antabuse, but I can say that lots of meetings and a sponsor made a miraculous difference in my alcoholism recovery. I wish you the best, sounds like you're off to a great start! You can do it, one day at a time!
Aloha newlysober and welcome to the board...make this a daily stop to read and post...we are all in this together. I am not familiar with anabuse either to help me get off and stay off alcohol though I am familiar with others who have been told to use it. My experience now is that I am almost chemically resistant in life. I am I guess you would say gun shy or fearful of foreign chemical and so will usually take or use a more natural path to healing. One of the things I found out in my recovery was that as a human body I am most naturally chemically tolerant and therefore require more of what is prescribed to get a "usual" affect. For me sticking with the doctor/prescriber and knowing yourself is very important on how to do it best. Again welcome to the board.
