newscientist.com — A drug used to treat seizures and migraines may help alcoholics quit the bottle, according to a study in the US. And unlike other medications for alcohol addiction, sufferers can get help without having to completely dry out first.
Oct 10, 2007 View in Crawl 4
hollowmarkedOct 11, 2007
Your firsthand facts go against reams of medical journals done in scientific conditions.
forgisteOct 11, 2007
While I am an opinionated fool, how could a chemical imbalance possibly force someone to commit the act of physically feeding their addiction? An addiction may make someone want to do something, but it can't force them. You still have to put forth the effort to buy the alcohol and consume it.I think my point here isn't so much that addiction in general can be cured with willpower alone, more that some addictions are positive. Art for one. I've got quite a list of addictions myself that replace my old ones, but I did go through a period of deep personal reflection during which I was addiction free. I lived like this for a solid 2 years. And then I intentionally allowed myself to indulge in society once again. And here we are, addiction city. I found that it all started with an addiction to mass media (TV), and then by refusing to watch TV anymore I gradually replaced it with a plethora of other addictions. but these addictions do not actually cut into my free time. I've got so many of them in fact that they all kind of balance out my schedule. My health is not suffering. I still find time for exercise and personal betterment. Spelling and Grammar not included. I admit that I was a little presumptuous to spout my personal path out of alcoholism from the mountaintop, as though it would work for everyone. I just felt like sharing my personal experience, and I had grown a little angry from reading the other comments as I scrolled down. I'll do better next time daddy. I pwomise.
humptydankOct 11, 2007
I was with you right up until your last line. There's a joke in recovery circles (ask me how I know) that the secret to staying clean is "just don't drink." Many people are not able to take your prescription of just sobering up and going to AA because they are knocked out by their addiction. It has the better of them in every way. This drug is not for the people who can get themselves into re-hab, stay with a program, or stay clean, it's for the other people, the people who, despite sometimes life-threatening desperation, cannot find a way to stay clean. It appears this drug lessens the urges to drink so that they can stay clean long enough to learn more behavioral long-term skills in sobriety.I respect the problems you had on the drug, but if I wrote a similar couple of paragraphs on what my existence was like as a drug addict and an alcoholic, I think you'd come to the conclusion that the side-effects may be worth the risk.
Closed AccountOct 11, 2007
I was on Topamax for two years. It definitely made me uninterested in alcohol. I would pour myself a glass of something and then discover later that I had abandoned it somewhere in the house. I had no trouble with this drug. In fact, it improved my quality of life considerably. I went off it because I developed an upset stomach, which can happen with any med taken long-term.
jimsartorOct 12, 2007
I believe abandoning and losing drinks in the house is not only a cure for alcoholism, but ironically, it might possibly also be a sign of alcoholism.
punisher2kOct 20, 2007
Again, being an addict is not a disease. Never said it was easy but it sure as s**t isn't a disease.
satchimoOct 26, 2007
With a success rate so low for recovering Alcoholics maybe a drug tokick start a constitutionally incapable person to get back into AA mightbe this medication. Heck, alot of Bi Polar people take meds and attendAA meetings, some admittedly, some not. They find a higher Powerand a Spiritual Path despite their mental defects. Maybe the Authorof this thread was to vague but us true Alcoholics understand the mis-understanding.