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Post Info TOPIC: antabuse!?


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antabuse!?
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Starting antabuse tomorrow. Does anyone know if you can still drink O'Doul's while taking that medicine?

~Melissa



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Hi Melissa. good luck, sincerely, with taken antabuse.  Drinking NA beer is not recommended, it contains up to .5% alcohol. Some of us are allergic to very small amounts of alcohol and others it's just too suggestive. Sobriety is about breaking the obsession (Love to/Have to) to drink alcohol. There are so many associated behaviors that the alcoholic does, along with drinking, that prompt us to drink. Mainly because we drank while we did just about everything. We even decided to do or not do most things based on whether we could drink during them. An activity that was prohibitive to drinking, well, we're not going there. Little did we know that alcohol was enslaving us, and after awhile, we didn't leave the house often. So drinking NA beer is just too familiar, right down to it being in the store right next to the real beer. Sooner or later, we're going to reach slightly to the left/right and grab the real thing. Relapse happens in an instant, but subtly we're just acting out on our Reservation to drink. Wanting to drink NA beer is in indication that we have not surrendered to our powerlessness over alcohol. I tried it several times, during my 2 years of trial and error. Even tried to drink my little NA beers right along with my drinking buddies. It wasn't long till I reached into their bag and got the real thing. Have you taken this up with your sponsor?

My observations, with antabuse, over the years, is that it didn't work for whoever was taking it. They may have eventually got sober, but it didn't seem to keep them from drinking. Either they drank and got sick or stopped taking it and drank. It's an outside force trying to block the willful desire of an alcoholic to drink. In our experience, this is what a "Higher Power" is for. Hopefully others will post that have had taken it personally or known others that did. It's archaic imo. If the situation is that dire, it's probably time to go to a detox and/or a treatment center.





-- Edited by StPeteDean on Thursday 23rd of February 2012 08:32:28 AM

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I don't know for sure but alcohol-free beers still have alcohol in them - just a very small amount of the stuff. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

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Thank you, you are very right! I need to just give it all up, too tempting to even have the NA beers!

Thanks,

~Melissa



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If you don't get your mind straightened out you will never get your life straightened out!

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I take antabus to prevent relapse while starting to work the 12 steps with a sponsor. I have proven myself to be a chronic relapser so for me, it is key to do a combo of things to get some time and some spiritual practice under my belt. It doesn't STOP me from drinking, because I have drank on it in previous attempts to get sober, but it does allow me to give more thought for now to if it is worth it to relapse. Getting so sick is really not worth it and I understand I need to get sober or I will be unhealthy and emotionally/spiritually. I understand some may think that it can be seen as "cheating", but for me it is helping immensely to not drink. Which is the most important thing for me.

I would personally avoid even NA beers and go to meetings instead. Stay away from functions where the focus tends to be around alcohol. This is likely one of the harder things for alcoholics to do, because I hear you need to change all your habits and go out of your way to avoid social situations where alcohol takes a priority.

I will continue to stay on antabus for a few months to really get deep into my practice and then go from there. I honestly feel do whatever you need to do to stay sober for today.

- Katie



-- Edited by LucentSunbeam on Friday 24th of February 2012 03:14:04 AM

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Great advise Katie!



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I would avoid the near beer for reasons state above by both katie and dean. I think they even recommend going light on cologne and not suing astringent and stuff when on antabuse so I REALLY think near beer woudl be bad cuz of the small amount of alcohol in it.



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I agree with everything that was said, Melissa. You might be substituting "NA" beer for the real thing -for now, but who knows what you'll substitute next. The next is when you??? Let's leave that part alone, shall we? And focus instead on recovery. It's where the true miracles happen, Melissa. And you're next in line.

~God Bless~



-- Edited by Mr_David on Sunday 26th of February 2012 02:22:29 AM

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Mr.David


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First of all, nonalcoholic beer -- or NA beer as it is sometimes called -- is not really totally free of alcohol. Typically, most brands of nonalcoholic beer on the market today contain about 1/2 of 1 percent of alcohol.

 

Antabuse is designed to cause anyone who drinks alcohol while taking it severe discomfort. By interfering with the normal metabolic process of the alcohol, Antabuse can cause a wide range symptoms from mild to very severe.

Typically, anyone who drinks even a small amount of alcohol while taking Antabuse will experience nausea almost immediately.

Antabuse is so sensitive to any intake of alcohol, people have reported having reactions even after rinsing with mouth wash or using after shave containing alcohol....whisper.gif



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Daniela Pavelkova


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Actually, anyone who takes Antubuse and drinks alcohol is taking an extreme risk. I was on it for a while, and drank not even a half of a beer, and thought I was going to die.

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