“I always felt fully in control of my drinking. Right up until the stage where I had to concede this simply was not true.
The odd day each week missing work feeling too rough to get up early is fine surely? The odd day (or two) on weekends waiting for a sensible time to have a drink to take the edge off the night before is what everyone does right? Nights spent out with friends, where the booze is more important than the company – surely that’s fine too?
Slowly I began to realise that I seemed to be the only one missing days due to the night before. My true friend had become alcohol and before I realised it, everything else had taken second place.
The idea that I would have to struggle through the rest of my life as a recovering alcoholic seemed much worse than continuing to give control up to alcohol. Therefore I turned to Google and started to research options. One day, I came across a TED talk by Claudia Christian who described a medication that over time brings alcohol consumption back under your control. A drug that does not stop you drinking, nor make you ill, nor require you take up a lifelong struggle to resist the urges.
A well-researched drug called Naltrexone that has a much higher success rate which has been used with great success in Finland for many years.
A cure for addiction.
It all sounded too good to be true, but the more I read the science and understood it, the more sense it made.
Armed with this information I went to my trust GP, having full faith in the wonderful NHS which we all pay towards. Without going into too much detail, this route led to increasing frustration at the lack of understanding about this treatment. I have bounced around a number of different medical practitioners over a couple of months and still no closer. Needless to say, this only made my drinking worse, much worse.
Luckily, one day whilst wallowing in the depths of my own drunken despair, through a social media group I found Bruce and Alcohol Recovery Scotland. Finally, I got to speak to someone that understood exactly the issues I have faced. Finally, someone that not only understands the science of Naltrexone and believes it, but who has seen it work for numerous people on the programme.
With help from Bruce, I started treatment within the week and every day since has seen an improvement. Bruce is always available when needed, but is never intrusive. I have found he appreciates that in many cases alcohol is the cause of psychological issues rather than the other way around.
Without Alcohol Recovery Scotland I would still be in a very dark place and heavily reliant on alcohol to get me through each day. Over 6 months later after first speaking with Bruce, I can have a drink without it becoming a race to oblivion. Most days I don’t even consider a drink and certainly, during the week it holds no appeal whatsoever.
A couple of my friends have died from alcohol abuse, and I only wish I knew about this treatment a number of years ago. Without hesitation, I can say that if Bruce had been there to help then their deaths could so easily have been prevented.
Put your trust in Bruce and the programme and take your life back. “