Hi All,

I really tried for an AF day today but cracked around 8pm. Took a Nal and waited but I'm disappointed I'm not there yet on AF days. I started at the end of March so not yet 3 months or anything - it's been pretty amazing but I need to crack this milestone and go AF for a bit. A day at least!!

A friend has offered me some Campral, he says it gave him a bad stomach so he was not able to use it so has some spare. Should I take it to force an AF day and would it help? I'm pretty clued up on TSM now but have only the beginnings of understandings on GABA pathways and pills relating to them.

If I take some Campral do I need to do the 3 x 2 per day for it to work or can I take 2 at around 5pm (when work ends and cravings start) and hope my evening cravings will abate? Is this wishful thinking? Is it cumulative? If I take some and the cravings are too hard and then take a Nal and drink are there bad interactions?

And finally (thanks everyone in advance!) does anyone have a briefer on what GABA is and how to understand that? I'm pretty sure I don't want to go down the Baclofen route but I'm keen to move things on and disappointed in myself today.

I'm in the UK and it's late here, I'm posting this now and hoping for an AF day tomorrow, maybe with or without the Campral, your thoughts would be fantastic.

Tish x

Tish - my feelings on reading your post were that you need to slow down and give it time. You did not get where you are today over night and it is not going to change over night even with Nal. It might take a year or two - just be patient and let it work for you. yes you could try all the other things but from what I have heard, Baclofen is wicked stuff - I have a couple of friends who have tried it and I would not touch it with a barge pole. (just a personal thought ) As for the Campral, I have no idea - I have never tried it nor do I know anyone who has.

Without using Antabuse, it took me a while to have an AF day - it will happen - just keep trying !! And re the Gaba - do you mean the RX Gaba ? Again, I have no info on that ..... I had a friend who gave me some and I remember taking it for a few days but do not remember it doing anything for me at all.

Hugs, Maggie x

Hello Tish - I used to take Campral a few years ago (another of my failures!!) It didn't actually do anything for me. The problem is you have to take it religiously 3 times a day for at least a month for it to begin to work and silly as it sounds, it's quite hard to make sure you take two tablets three times a day. I was always forgetting. Campral is supposed to take away cravings and to be honest, I think that Selincro (or Nal - whichever you are taking) does that more effectively.

Be patient, you are early days. I'm 7 months TSM and still not anywhere near cured - but trying to stay positive.

Be patient. Relax. Too soon to force anything. It will happen.

Campral doesn't work like that and it is subtle.

Here's another way to look at 'caving', caving is a choice. When you said you gave in, what did you do?Did you have alcohol in the house?Is there anyway you can help this by removing alcohol, putting PJ's on and refusing to leave the house?Rather than "I'm not going to drink", "I'm not leaving the house and nor am I asking anyone to bring me any"?

Just some suggestions which may or may not work in your circumstances.

Hi All,

Thank you SO much for the support. I guess we all want to see a linear progress graph and having had some success want to build on it, not seeing a backslide or a plateau. Like many on here I guess after years of working with being a functioning alcoholic (with periods I have to describe as non-functioning) I'm just so pleased to see something working and a possible way out, so it is scary to think it might be waning. But you are right I'm sure, no one promised an overnight cure and I can't expect one, also I understand work needs to be put in too as well as just going "come on then cure hurry up!" (much as I might like to).

Life just isn't like that though is it? Whatever we do, booze or otherwise, has good moments and bad and if the last few days have not been a triumph then I should remember that the place I am in is so different from where I was last Christmas.

UK Blonde, yes having no booze in the house would be good but my partner is a drinker and I have to accept that there will always be some. In terrible moments he's locked it away from me and has been supportive but for the moment I'm not in any sort of crisis so there will be drink in the house and I work with that. But I know your plan of pyjamas - I've done that years back when I was single and in a bad phase, it does work. Thanks for the suggestions and I am thinking about your idea of what caving in actually is. It's a good idea to break down each actual thought like this. I've found the CBT thing of talking to your midbrain is helpful.

Maggie, as ever you've been great - thanks again, you are right and that bit further ahead so know what I'm going through.

hugs xx

Tish - it really ISN'T waning - we just have plateaus and then another dip - and eventually it will work - I KNOW it will - and I do not care how long it takes because this is going to happen for me !!! To me this is the only thing that will eventually do the deed !! I have tried too many other things and this one makes sense. But we all want it now - obviously. So, we just continue with the Golden Rule and try and do our bit too - even though that is hard sometimes as we have such an ingrained habit of having that drink .....

Hang in there - really !!!

Hugs, Maggie x

Acamprosate is an anticraving drugs. It enhances GABA neurotransmission and therefore mimic the CNS depressant effects of alcohol.