deleted by BGH

Hi BGH,

Many thanks for your kind words of support and encouragement.

My best wishes to you.

V.

Hi Virgil!

You sound very upbeat, and I like the way you've identified the main reasons you find for drinking. It's amazing how much our environment has to do with how we crave and consume alcohol. I suppose it's our crutch to navigate through the 'real' world with all the associated triggers. It's amazing that you've been able to get off all those medications - that can only help to simplify things. I'm curious to see how the supplements will affect your progress. Good job on keeping those complaining skills sharp!

Hi V,

Interesting as always to read your update. I too admire the strength and determination you've shown by withdrawing from the benzos, and now the seroxat. May I ask why you're waiting to come off that completely before introducing the dietary supplements? I thought you'd been considering them as, in part, a preparation for, and support during, withdrawal?

Good to hear you're challenging the NHS when they screw up. Through past experiences with someone close to me with a serious illness and mistakes in their treatment it's become a bit of a thing of mine to keep them on their toes wherever necessary. Even if it doesn't help me, it will undoubtedly help others in the future. But, it's not just the NHS, I've just had similar problems with a private hospital (luckily I have a limited level of cover for some things through my father). Actually, scrap that - I think these types of things are just typical of modern Britain - they seem to pop up everywhere! But in the health field they are, of course, of much more importance.

I'm looking forward to reading anything you care to share about your meeting with the Alcohol Specialist. I've never seen one, but did go through NHS inpatient detox at a specialist unit, and the focus was very much on abstinence and 12-step programmes (much the same as the private detoxes I had actually). It'll be interesting to see if TSM has been picked up on the radar yet, if that's something you choose to share with them.

All the best

8

Hi K1,

Yes, I am upbeat despite the lack of success with TSM. I think that's because I am actively investigating the alternatives to TSM. I agree that it is quite an achievement to be withdrawing from the medications and that also helps to keep me upbeat.

All the best to you.

V.

Hi 8,

No problem whatsoever with your asking why I'm waiting to completely come off Seroxat before starting the supplements. The reason is that Patrick Holford, in his book How to Quit... pages 329 - 331 gives instructions for withdrawing from antidepressants; stage 3 talks about 5-HTP and I am following his alternative option where he says "Alternatively, don't take any 5-HTP until you have stopped the antidepressant drug completely". As I want to take 5-HTP to boost my almost certain dwindling serotonin level, I have chosen to withdraw from Seroxat beforehand. As I am virtually finished with Seroxat, I think this is my best course of action.

I saw the NHS Alcohol Specialist today and, overall, it went well. Needless to say, she had not heard of TSM nor baclofen in the treatment of alcoholism. But, having said that, she asked a lot of pertinent questions and she was very understanding. The fact that she is a Psychiatric Nurse obviously helps a lot. I have been advised to continue as I am already doing and see her again in three weeks' time. I was also advised to increase my dietary intake of thiamine. To this end, she will write to my GP recommending a suitable dose as I was told that your average multivitamin would not supply an adequate dosage. So, all-in-all, I felt that I got something out of the appointment and there will be at least one more to come (but probably more).

All the best.

V.

Well, I spoke too soon! Last night, I had two dreadful dreams. In each of them, I was being seriously tormented by other people. My emotions were being pulled and tugged from all directions. Fortunately, I eventually woke up from each dream, which is like a safety valve coming into play.

On a separate note, I have decided to exercise willpower in an attempt to reduce my alcohol intake. I cannot rely on TSM alone. So, my goal is to reduce my weekly intake by 4 UK units as every week passes by. If I am successful, I will have reduced my weekly intake to just 60 UK units by the end of the year. I would be very pleased with that. Furthermore, with the help of the supplements I plan to introduce, I'm hoping it's possible. Watch this space!

V.

Hi V, thanks for your reply. I haven't got that far in the book yet - unfortunately my reading time is in bed before sleep, and my units recently have been too high for much of that!

Reducing by 4 units a week sounds very doable and an excellent idea.

It's very good to hear that the Alcohol Specialist was open to TSM.

I'd be interested to know how much thiamine you're recommended to take. My GP is not on board with any of this, and in any case knows/cares little about vitamins and such. When I was in detox they gave us quite high doses, and were told to continue for weeks afterwards. Reading up on thiamine after you mentioned it, this is something I should definitely be taking daily I think, it seems crucial for alcoholics, but I have no idea at what level.

All the best to you

8

Hi Jim,

That's ingenious!

I'll remember that - I prefer the word 'Honorable' in this instance as it seems more appropriate.

Good on ya!

All the very best.

V.