People in Moderation Management share experiences of naltrexone use

Diana's experience, starting naltrexone - mm@maelstrom.stjohns.edu - 3/24/2001

I'm a terrible drinker but rarely a drunk. I was averaging about a
bottle of wine plus about a half bottle of scotch or gin just about
everyday. (Yikes!)

I just didn't have any motivation to quit. My health is tip top, I've
got a great career, nobody thinks I'm a drunk, etc. So... as long as I
could get away with it, why not?

Anyway - recently, I decided that I was a total alcoholic and asked my
doctors to put me in detox. Unfortunately, I didn't meet
my managed care criteria. They don't care how much you drink. They
define an alcoholic as "one who is dependent on alcohol and continues to
drink despite physical, emotional or social harm." It was the harm part
that hung me up.

They (my psychiatrist and internist work together in managing my care)
asked me if I'd like to try naltrexone. It's an opiate blocker, stops
the "pleasure" part of drinking. With grave doubts, I started taking it
a couple of weeks ago. I was sure it was a death sentence, frankly. I
figured I'd drink twice or three times as much to get that high. But
the doctor said the theory is that the heavy drinker starts drinking
less and soon, none at all.

For me - it was true. From the first day.

Within a week or less, I just wasn't drinking. I still had that idea
pop into my head - "Oh it's getting to be sundown, what time do I have
to get up in the morning and how much can I drink?" But without the
first drink sending a signal to my brain that says "Hey... that felt
good - let's have another!" I drank less and less, until now there's no
point. So I don't.

As I told the fellow list member, I didn't so much quit as stop. No
amount of hand-wringing, soul-searching, self-loathing, weight gain,
talk therapy, analysis, synthesis, hypothesis or being plain unhappy
about my drinking made me stop.

I miss my old friend, booze, in a way, and I'm bored to death at night.
But I still take that pill. Everyday.