Alcohol

[barq2]

i've been struggling to put down the booze for a couple of years. it's strange, i used to hate it, think it didn't feel that good, but it sortof crept up on me when i eliminated some other habits. the only success i've had is when using my ADHD medication there is a significant drop in consumption for me but i never seem to fully get rid of it except once... i was introduced to an obscure supplement call phenibut i once took for two weeks straight and it eradicated my alcohol problem in that time, it was almost too easy although as a fair warning i was taking very high doses and i did go through a very weird  and unpleasant withdrawal fromt he phenibut that lasted a few days but once i stopped taking it and the benzos i started supplementing it with to cut the dosage, and made a stressful move and life change the booze crept back because i didn't have anything else to calm my nerves and my habit got worse than it was before i quit and i don't know why but the supplement stopped working for me after that one-off experience. so... any vets that have tips or tricks for quitting i'd love to hear, if anyone would care for me to elaborate on what has and hasnt worked for me and why, i'd be happy to help as well.

Phenibut is extremely similar to baclofen, which some people use in high doses to eliminate the desire to drink. Dr Olivier Ameisen tested baclofen on himself and wrote a book about high level baclofen treatment as a "cure" for alcoholism (the book is called "The End of My Addiction" and is quite an interesting read - although it doesn't mention phenibut specifically). They are so similar that you might find people with equivalent experiences to yours among the "baclofen community". At the moment this is still an off label use for baclofen. So I suppose you might consider if baclofen is an option for you - but please do your research - I'm not necessarily recommending it! There's loads of good info online and proper scientific journal articles (those concluding it doesn't work generally are lower level baclofen trials).

As an aside... I tried baclofen a few years ago and it worked at high doses (~200mg). I could genuinely take or leave alcohol - have a sip then put down the glass and forget about it. But the high doses of baclofen were making me pass out. I was writing a book at the time and I was regularly passing out on the keyboard. I'd either wake up with a keyboard imprint on my face, or fall off the chair. Inevitably I eventually injured myself quite badly, and ironically everyone assumed it was a drunken accident. It was annoying because I hadn't touched a drop for ages!

For me I couldn't continue with the baclofen but some people get great results. Currently I drink in a moderately controlled way (more controlled than before, but not great). It is an unhealthy level, but stable, and I'm not drinking to the point where I do stupid things (yet - as the AA would add). I control what I have in the house which makes a big difference. Long term I want to quit totally, but I'm not in the right place yet.

Hope the baclofen suggestion sheds some light on your phenibut experience.