Lobbyists against these meds include opioid manufacturing, Private Prisons and of course the Liquor lobby. A cure for alcoholism alone would cut profits by 25% at an absolute minimum.
Alcoholism is a symptom of a thinking problem, it's not something you cure with a pill and just goes away. The problem lies within every fiber of your body.
As someone who helps at a local A.A. group, I realized the problem for some people is that A.A. is about leaving up things to God. Control the things you can and leave the rest up to God. And for some people, a few I know in the group who are atheists, that can be hard when you don’t believe in God. I believe this medicine can help so much people and society in general. It’s strange how alcoholism is categorized as a disease but the treatment is rehab where people are sent to groups etc where they talk and A.A. No other disease is treated like this and it’s kind of baffling.
I am an atheist ex alcoholic. I take meds Naltrexeone it has been AMAZING medicine cut my drinking by 90 percent within 6 months. I still drink- but much less once a monthish ,.. It really helps with cravings
Thank you for sharing your experience I am in the process of trying to get help for my daughter with AUD and she is reluctant to join AA groups because they seem to be based around religion which puts her off as she is concerned that she is joining a religious cult! This is the first time I have heard of medication intervention to help and think we will be going down that route with CBT counselling - I just hope we don’t struggle to get hold of medication she needs 🥺😔
Thank God for this video. My friend has cirrhosis and not in a place to overcome the mental health issues which caused him to drink. I am panicking and desperately need to find a solution ❤
I’m a high functioning alcoholic. I definitely have over 6 on the DSM-5 test but never had any withdrawal symptoms. AA would never work with me. The cravings don’t go away. I’m Cali sober now meaning I just use Cannabis. I’m 6 weeks in and feel great. The thought of drinking alcohol makes me sick actually. We definitely need a new approach to treating this. AA has a low success rate. For those that benefit good for you.
I am an atheist ex alcoholic. I take meds Naltrexeone it has been AMAZING medicine cut my drinking by 90 percent within 6 months. I still drink- but much less once a monthish ,.. It really helps with cravings
@@aryangod2003 I’ve heard about that. Glad it’s working for you. I think part of the solution is a chemical one. BTW you’re never an ex alcoholic. It doesn’t take much to go back off the rails. Update: original was 6 weeks. Now almost 6 months and going strong.
@@culperjr.122Glad you're still sober. I've got 6 years, no AA, no relapse. I survived hospice somehow, I'm a one in 500,000 survivor, wish I had this help.
As someone who was sober in AA for over a year and then relapsed. I completely agree. AA focuses on shame and guilt and every meeting you’re expected to say everything that is wrong about you, not right. AA also talks a lot about getting rid of the ego, and from experience, being a speaker is the BIGGEST ego trip ever when you have everyone telling you how great you are after you’ve finished speaking
In AA's defense I will say that from 1939-1990, there were no effective AUD medications (even though Bill W searched his whole life for them). And there was a very poor understanding of the human brain from a neuroscience point of view. So the only option back then was 100% abstinence. AA used the "hammer approach" to frighten, shame and blame the patient for not understanding the need for immediate full abstinence even though the science now tells us that slower medically assisted tapering is more doable , safer and more long lasting for AUD patients. Now we know enough about dopamine and other neurotransmitters, the reward pathway, the brain learning, the behavior conditioning via Pavlov and Dr. John David Sinclair and that many modern medications (Dr. Harries) can absolutely help people with AUD. We've learned a lot in 80 years. For example, before 2000, Naltrexone was prescribed daily which is far less effective than when taken 1 hour before drinking ( via The Sinclair Method) etc. AA was a huge improvement from institutionalizing people. Modern AUD treatments are another huge improvement.
Hmmm ya I can see where your going there , I’m taking naltrexone and seems to help immensely, but still have to be conscious to the threat , I like to listen to aa speakers on RU-vid but not a fan of aa either , pray and learn some brain training , naltrexone and online therapy does wonders, can’t stand all the crappy change everything about you in Aa, not everything is wrong in my life …
Absolute nonsense. "What it was like, what happened, and what it's like now". The people who attend "Step" meetings, live in the "Now", which is happy, joyous, and free! You were obviously going to the wrong meetings!
This has been helpfull. I can grasp that there are life-threatening substances which mentally well people do not take. Even for recreation. 'The best medicine for the human heart is Hope.' - Notice spotted in a hospital.
I'm a alcoholic also an opiate addict and I don't no how to get out im 33 an been an addict since 14. I have lost.my kids most of my family I just keep hoping it may get better one day
I’m 66 years old and had the same issues. I decided to reach out to a Dr. specializes in Addiction Medicine. He was kind and informative and picked the right meds that worked. I had a brief relapse and returned to his office, was honest and told them I need more help, and they did. Finding the right Medical Professional is the key. Best of luck to you. You deserve a better life.
I feel ya man this shits ridiculous, waking up at 7 to have a beer, scared to text my buds because I don’t wanna look like a dirty bastard, meanwhile my boys love me yet I still don’t return their texts. Had a full time job just 3 months ago, now it’s…. what it is
My research shows the following that can help: - Topimarate (mentioned in the video) - Acamprosate - Disulfiram - Naltrexone - Gabapentin - Baclofen - Ondansetron
I'm 24 too and I too picked up a drink at age 13 I feel for you I'm killing myself I can't remember the last time I ate or slept normally or even what day it Is
It's not that "AA doesn't work for everyone", it's that "everyone" is not willing to put half as much effort into sobriety, compared to the effort they put into drinking! I know because I was one of them...until I got completely honest with myself. Sobriety is no different than being an athlete or musician. The more we practice, the better we get! After more than 28 years of continuous sobriety, I am more involved in the fellowship than ever...and have a great life to show for it! "Live in the problem, or live in the solution". Simple!
@@markg.4246 the fact is you don’t know that. I’m sure you believe it, but the evidence for the efficacy of AA is just as scant as the evidence for other methods. Same for success rates and the rest. You are moralizing because you (I assume) found a treatment that works for you. Have you considered the possibility that AA only works for the less serious cases ? And those that fail out may need proper medical intervention?
@@hssjz2718 no that man is absolutely correct the program works fine for people who take it seriously I was impartial on AA until I joined the program you have to want sobriety and be willing to do the steps
What medication is this or how can you get the help. I know I have a problem but I’m scared. I’m gonna lose my job or worse my life but I don’t know what medication.
My dad was Dr. Harries, and around the time this video was filmed, he founded the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society - you can find more information and resources at www.cauds.org All the best
There's a lot of moey in treating alcoholism. There's almost no money in curing it. That's why they use AA; it makes you dependent on the program for your entire life. And you will definitely relapse and have to come back through their detox and Rehab program again. And again. And again
So what are the six medications they’re referring to? I really need to help somebody even just by providing the options to ask their doctor might save their life. Thank you
I didn't watch the video so I don't know the context. Here is what I know about medications. For alcohol, naltrexone and vivitrol are the newest medications. Thy are essentially the same except naltrexone is a pill that is taken daily and vivitrol is an injection that is given monthly. They work by suppressing the craving for alcohol. If you drink while on either one there is no adverse reaction to the alcohol. The patient is started on naltrexone as there can be an allergic reaction to the medication. Campral is very similar to naltrexone. Antabuse is the oldest medication and has been around for decades. It works the opposite of naltrexone/campral/vivitrol. It doesn't suppress cravings but causes a violent reaction if you drink while taking it. Anti depressants can also be used
@@drcoronado Gabapentin works on the GABA receptors in the brain, as it is an anti-epileptic, it slows down the rapidfire synapses. Increasing GABA in the brain, causes a calming feeling, a less overactive synaptic response. Gabapentin worked for me for alcohol use disorder. I have ADHD, predominantly inattentive type, one of the worst things about ADHD is substance-abuse, specifically most of us who have it, use alcohol, as it slows down those overactive synapses in our brains. Gabapentin took away my cravings and it also slowed down my overactive brain, so that I wasn’t trying to self medicate to achieve the same goal. It also helped took the edge off that stimulant medication used for ADHD, is known to give. I am on Vyvanse and the higher the dose, the worst anxiety and irritability gets. So taking gabapentin and Vyvanse together allow me to not have an attitude or feel agitated/easily triggered and I can focus now and drink less. Gabapentin does come with the black box warning though, and which I was not informed of. After three months of being on, 300 mg, three times a day, I was suicidal. It literally happened overnight. I literally woke up and wanted to step in front of a truck and die. It was awful. It was wrong for my clinician to not have given me informed consent. I trusted her, as she is the one with the medical degree but she never told me the warnings to look out for on that medication. Not everybody goes through that but I fell into that category of people who did. They use gabapentin at the VA hospital for soldiers trying to get through alcohol use disorder. In the beginning, it made me sleepy but that wore off eventually. Plus the stimulant medication for my ADHD, I’m sure helped me to not be so sleepy after taking three doses per day. So Neuro typical brains I’m sure, will stay tired and might need to take a B vitamin for extra energy. Gabapentin affects people differently though. My brother takes it but he gets euphoric effects from it. He drinks alcohol but not out of control. He also has ADHD but he is on Adderall. Gabapentin basically makes my brother high, as to where I, just get calm…… not high, not euphoric, just not angst and triggered or easily irritated. It is a wonderful drug but every patient should have informed consent about the dangers it may possibly cause them, as everybody is different and no two people respond to that drug the same way. I have also been given gabapentin for my rat terrier, when he had a tumor removed. He could not stay on it though because it made him throw up, my dog has a very sensitive stomach. It was in liquid form that the veterinarian surgeon gave us. But yes, it’s a good drug, but people need to be careful. Most people that take it do wonderful on it. It can be taken in doses as high as 3000 mg a day. The other problem with gabapentin though is, it is also known to cause slowed cognitive function overtime. So I would not recommend somebody to stay on gabapentin for very long. Especially since alcoholism already causes slowed cognitive function and can lead to Korsakoff Warnicke syndrome, gabapentin can be actually irreversible. When someone stops drinking, their brain will heal and their neurotransmitters, specifically the dopamine, GABA and glutamate will return back to normal. The gabapentin, for some people, staying on it for years, those neurotransmitters never return back to normal and they end up with dementia basically.
I've heard that people going through severe and even moderate withdrawls get prescribed benzo's sometimes. Wouldn't benzo's just prolong the alchol withdrawls since they both have an effect on Gaba?
Benzos are usually given in detox to reduce the withdrawal problems and risk of seizure. They are tapered. When detox is finished, the alcoholic has been off benzos for a day or so
@@larryc7209 Okay I see. In your opinion do you think it is necessary or useful for a person with withdrawl symptoms that don't include seizures or delerium but include extreme anxiety, insomnia and brain fog etc to use benzos in small amounts for a a couple of days to a week? thanks
@@ddtt958 From the description I think so. Seizures would result from withdrawal from alcohol with no medication. The benzo is to prevent the seizure from happening. They should be prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner
Larry is right. Don't do as I did though: I was prescribed benzos for sleep and I didn't tell my doctor I was alcoholic. I didn't take more than prescribed, but I drank on them and became unknowingly physically addicted to the benzos. (I was already addicted to alcohol). When I finally detoxed, I had a seizure about week into the detox. The doctor told me that was from the combination of the benzos AND the alcohol, because my alcohol withdrawl seizures usually had a "danger window" of 72 hours after my last drink, and this seizure was a FULL WEEK after my last drink. He said the affect of the benzos and alcohol taken together causes something called "potentiation", the alcohol intensified the effect of the benzos and the same was true about the benzos intensifying the effect of the alcohol. I'm lucky to be alive, never drink on benzos. It can be deadly in many cases. I just happened to stop in time... mixing of potentially deadly combinations of medications is easy to do if you're already intoxicated and not thinking clearly. ❤️On a positive note: *I've been sober almost 15 years and naltrexone injections helped me dramatically. The brand name is called VIVATROL. It saved my life. It cuts cravings and eradicates euphoria and any positive reinforcing feelings that I used to get from drinking. It doesn't make you sick, you just don't get the response you're used to from drinking. I got 1 intramuscular shot per month, so I didn't have to remember to take naltrexone pills every day. The shots are also great because I couldn,'t intentionally miss doses. It is truly a miracle. 😘 I thought I was beyond all help. ,🙏
I would have died if I hadn’t used benzodiazepines for alcohol withdraw. Unless you wake up on the floor or somebody is there to know that you’ve had a seizure you won’t know that you’ve had a seizure. And yes you’ll die. If your hands shake your close to death.
I'm glad there's different approaches for quitting. But I must say aa has been very freeing for me. I don't feel shame. I feel liberated and know myself better. My husband needed counseling over aa. He does both. Whatever helps each individual stay off the hooch is what works for each person. The shame thing is not going to help anyone.
It's just another way that alcoholics get to skate around the inner work and behavioral therapy that's needed to defeat this pattern. Everyone wants a pill, magic words, program, support group, etc. but so few addicts actually get the real help and do the real inner work, its a shame. They tend to withdrawal use, detox for a short time, and then ignore the other side of the equation, the behavioral side and the learning and changing of one's patterns. They cause themselves to miss the chance to learn about their addiction, their issues, their fear or uncertainty of sober life, and never get a chance to learn new coping skills or how to nourish discipline. Their brain gets no chance to heal and no time to cement new behavioral patterns. They skip all the inner work and therfore its just a matter of time before they slip again. There's multiple sides to beating addiction, the chemical process, and the behavioral process. Stop giving addicts a way out of the latter half. It's ridiculous. If this works for some addicts, great, I want it to work but I'm tired of addicts being allowed to skip the inner work. Not being forced and helped along the way. So often they are forced by law or by family to detox but then it stops there.. its absolute madness!
@@patc2515 Naltrexone/vivitrol is a newer medication. It works by blocking the pleasure center targeted by alcohol or opiates. It stops the high that addicts are seeking. It should not be given without requiring counselling as part of the game plan. It is a very effective drug. It is not meant to be given forever. Most I've seen are on it less than a year. naltrexone and vivitrol are the same drug. Naltrexone a daily pill and vivitrol a monthly injection. It allows the addict to change their thinking and lifestyle without battling the cravings
My dad was Dr. Harries, and around the time this video was filmed, he founded the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society - you can find more information and resources at www.cauds.org All the best
How about a safer Approach To alcoholism. You see. There is a correlation Between alcoholism And allergies. Taking a Benadryl For example Lessens the likelihood Of wanting to drink alcohol. It's a much safer blocker
My partner abuses beer every day. He can't get ahead of it. One reason is that beer is everywhere. You can't even go to a gas station wthout it being in his face. So all is by design! This is well throughout the plan to make the industry very rich. Not to mention the money the courts and law in make in the process of this disorder. It's ashame!
am an atheist ex alcoholic. I take meds Naltrexeone it has been AMAZING medicine cut my drinking by 90 percent within 6 months. I still drink- but much less once a monthish ,.. It really helps with cravings
My brother is an alcoholic. 20 years of drinking. When i bring up the need of professional help subject, this is his answer: "you all don't undrestand. I like it. I like doing nothing and be given everything by you. That's not me who's sick. That's you. You go to work everyday like slaves and consider that smart, while i have home you give me, food you give me, and all the rest doing nothing. I wake up without thinking of any responsibilities you dumb people are loaded with. I dont suffer from beeing an alcoholic, as you think. I enjoy it". If there was a magic pill to cure this disorder, he would be terrified to find out that he can be cured. For him, and i assume not only, it is like taking away the glasses from the person with poor eyesight. My mom has five of us. He was born in 1986 next to Chernobl. He had as much radiation when he was born as to get killed by it ten times. Radiation did not kill him, but it damaged his lungs so first 16 years of his life, my mother fought for his life. He was the weakest of us all. Constantly hospitalized and brought back to life through the emergency due to the breathing problems. Right after that he got introduced to the alcohol like all teens once do, started drinking but unlike others - never stopped. There are definitely causes behind his addiction, and we understood it. We never ashamed him. We always looked at it as at a consequence of things out of anyone's control. But it really didnt matter. What mattered was how he looked at it. During his time of drinking he brought to our family that much suffering, it's hard to tell. I had to dig as deep as i could to find the true source of his addiction, to make us able to fing the right for him cure. He still can not avoid drinking, and im still digging, but the closest to the truth thing i could come across so far, is that almost every case is unique, and it almost always has to do with certain key psychological concepts that are rooted somewhere deep in the mind and appear to be wrong. Like if im a timid person, the wrong concept would be: " the alcohol is the only way to feel normal". I believe that soul - is what the mind is, and not a brain, so if a brain is something that can be studdied and measured, soul is more complex. I've met people who acknowledge and admit alcohol addiction, still struggle with it for more than 50 years. Smart and self-aware people. Not weak. They are loved in their communities. They have all the support and resources one would think is enough to overcome the problem. Still they have it and it's undefeatable. The only thing that brings a glimp of a reason to this after all, is that during such a rough journey, all involved who is not turning their back to the relatives, are learning something very important. It's like not all the problems are meant to be solved. Like some of them are meant to remain to keep bringing experiences that we can only imagine what for.
Trying to rename an alcoholic doesn’t make it better. You are what you are and you need to face facts. I’ll start, I’m Matt and I’m an alcoholic, I’m high functioning but I am an alcoholic all the same. I’ve been drinking for 17 years and it’s accelerated since my dad died three months ago from cancer. There is no sugar coating my drinking. I’m not looking for sympathy but changing the definition of an alcoholic doesn’t make it any better. It’s trying to make you feel better about your drinking.
We have a boat load of data but no idea or too many conflicting ideas. The bottoming is we don't know. But we have to go on what we do know for now. I could do an entire symposium on this that would take us decades into the future of beginning a proper treatment. Problem right now is insurance will pay for anyone saying they have an addiction. Thus creating a business for addiction. Creating false data and false results. Idk where to start its so overwhelming
I'm terrified on how people these days try to solve everything with drugs. Alcoholism it's the symptom of a deeper emotional an mental issue. You can treat the symptom, but what about the disease? the non-physical disease?
Hi Tricia, My dad was Dr. Harries, and worked very hard to raise awareness about these medications. Please visit the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder website - www.cauds.org for more information. All the best to you and your daughter.
Hi Tricia , an old medication from the sixties called Antabuse or Disulfiram has had some great success treating alcoholism , and also it has been repurposed and trialed as a possible treatment for some cancers , it works similar to naltrexone it will cause nausea if mixed with alcohol , do research it , Good luck .
Here's the list of meditations, comes from a link the website katie harries linked above: static1.squarespace.com/static/5f7513577ec8ef6141ffd3d4/t/60ca227102877941fe73deda/1623859825358/AUD+Medications+Table+-+August+2nd+2020v2.pdf
My dad was Dr. Harries, and around the time this video was filmed, he founded the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society - you can find more information and resources at www.cauds.org You can discuss these treatments with a primary care physician. All the best
My dad was Dr. Harries, and around the time this video was filmed, he founded the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society - you can find more information and resources at www.cauds.org All the best
For science, I've been drinking for about 2 weeks straight, from sun up to sun down. Until I'm puking every morning. Then, after waiting all that day and feeling my liver swell and seeing shadow people and stuff like that... I took 1 drop of morning glory extract. This morning, liver is fine. Cat is happy with me, drunken feeling is receding, and my vision is clear. I make my own booze so your results may vary, but as long as it is just ethanol and acetylaldehyde, it should be a cure for CHEMICAL dependency to alcohol. PSYCHOLOGICAL dependency is a different issue, and more in the scope of AA, or more intensive treatment options.
you're making your own booze but are sober? I'll have to look into the morning Glory extract. I had those symptoms before and went to the hospital. unfortunately decided to drink whiskey recently having to do this all my own. no way to moderate. Feeling shaky today. back is sore.
I’m an alcoholic and I’m literally forcing myself to watch this. I’m only less than a minute in.. I’m actually drunk watching this. 25 yo and desperately trying to fix this God forsaken issue. Don’t. Do. Drugs. As cliche as it sounds… don’t do it. You’re just creating another problem.
If you are watching this and you are a real alcoholic of the hopeless kind. Please read the first 164 pages of the AA book with a sponsor and work the steps. Stay committed and you will have the required spiritual experience in order to have a complete physic change which will lift your obsession to drink. It is the only way to treat alcoholism.
@@derekfletcher8934 Ah. Lou Gehrigs? My God. Ouch. Many apologies to him. And much respect to him, with his problem, working on one of the least sympathetic ones. He just sounds very drunk etc . . .and this video is about etc. . . That's unfortunate.
@@bradkohl6283 I don't know whether TSM uses vivitrol as part of the protocol but vivitrol is the injectable form of naltrexone. It's used widely in outpatient treatment settings
If someone is an alcoholic it's very dangerous to tell them that all they can do is turn to AA, which only works for 8% of people who try it. There are lots of other programs and various medications and psychotherapies available because not everyone is the same.
Give a person a medication that will hurt their liver? Increase depression? Make them dependent on medication? These are the same people that addicted America to pain killers over the past decade. They want to help you. Run!
This is what worries me. It starts with easily prescribed ADHD drugs and naively parents agree to that. Sometimes kids on amphetamines get into superior colleges, then they break down, pot, alcohol, opiates … all available and bringing disaster. It’s tragic to hear parents asking their youngsters if they’ve “taken their meds.” So many young people taking “meds!!!” Something is not right there.
@@solobano570 I totally agree with you in regard to psychiatric drugs and they blunt empathy and compassion as well, so makes it "easier" for them to kill others, which is happening on a regular basis nowadays, especially in the USA! 😢
