Guest Thelema Posted August 20, 2002 AFTER reading goms' alcohol segment in psy.ex i thought I might mention this drug. Apparently, acamprosate (CAMPRAL) is on the PBS list in OZ for specifically "alleviating craving associated with alcohol" studies have indicated that people taking this are TWICE as likely NOT to relapse. Yet its not GHB related. The direction for the GP is "that it is to be given only in conjuction with an "alcohol-therapy". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gomaos Posted August 20, 2002 Thanks for the advice, thelema. I'm doing fine without campral. I think the doc gave that to me a couple of years back, i took it for a month. I think it helped. Yet after being on these forums for almost 2 years, I have found things that are way better... BTW why didn't you post that in my thread? Scared nobody would read it? (hehe) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spaced Posted September 5, 2002 Another option is naltrexone but this may be more of a problem if you have liver problems which could be a result of long term high dose ethanol consumption. I don't think they're quite sure on how an opiate antagonist reduces alcohol consumption but one theory is that the release of endogenous opioids triggered by ethanol leads to, amongst other things, a pleasure response. Hence blocking this would mean in theory that drinking alcohol wouldn't make you feel good. I wonder if some people drink alcohol to make them feel bad. Studies on drugs like acamprosate and naltrexone in so called double blind studies have typically involved a combination of therapies including counselling. It is therefore questionable as to whether someone taking the drug in a real life situation will get the same benefits if their dr just writes a script and wishing them good luck... If one was really serious about breaking the habit (s)he could try disulfram which prevents complete ethanol metabolism leading to an acummulation of waste products in turn producing throbbing headaches and intense flushing which can be life threatening. As I say you'd have to be keen to quit as you could stop taking the pills for a few days in anticipation of a bit of a binge. Another option would be to grow your own shaggy inkcaps and consume these on a daily basis as they have much the same effect when mixed with ethanol. Shattered relationships, a shorage of food, money and a roof over the head may be more pressing concerns and I can't see how a pill can fix them. Teaching the man to fish by offering productive ways of rebelling against the system through permaculture and self sufficiency would address all of these issues and would help the most shattered of mankind's relationships - that with the mother earth. Alcoholism can also lead to B vitamin deficiencies - as a result of the ethanol itself and the subsequent lack of a balanced dietary intake. This can, quite appart from the roller coaster of hangover and intoxication, lead to irritability, depression etc as B vitamins are necessary for the synthesis of the mood chemicals, specifically serotonin - the target of much pharmacoeconomic exploitation. At any rate, taking a multi B supplement may be doing more than turning your urine yellow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
