Antabuse

Antabuse is also known as disulfiram. It is a medication that reacts violently with alcohol so if you take it and then drink you can feel extremely unwell. The reaction can include vomiting, hot sweats, palpitations, headaches, shortness of breath and coming out in a rash.

Many famous people have been prescribed antabuse. George Best was one of them and look where he ended up. Actually, I am not dismissing antabuse that simply, but I do remember reading that George Best used to pretend to take it in front of his then girlfriend but would slip it under his tongue (or I think sometimes between his teeth) and then later spit it out. This epitomises the problem. You have to want to take antabuse.

Detox

After my first detox, I was asked if I wanted some medication to help keep me off the drink. I said yes and was asked if I wanted antabuse or Acamprosate. It was explained to me that Acamprosate would help me not want to drink. In that it would help with the craving and antabuse would mean I could not drink. It would make me ill – BUT I OBVIOUSLY HAD TO TAKE IT! At the time I did not think this would be a problem. I had just done a detox and knew I was happier not drinking; of course I would take it.

Route Cause

However, as I now know, I had not dealt with the route cause of my drinking and I was a relapse waiting to happen. I do know someone who took antabuse for several months because he really did not want to start drinking again. It kept him ‘safe’ in the early days of recovery. Not that firm in my recovery. I soon forgot how bad drinking made me and within 10 weeks I wanted to have a drink at an upcoming party.

So I looked at the information with the antabuse and – from memory – it said not to take it and drink within 24 hours. So I did not take it for a couple of days before the party – to be on the safe side. I was a little wary with the first drink but I was OK. (Beware though because I have heard of people who reacted violently after several days off antabuse. Some people react very differently to others and maybe I would have been one of those who did not react at all even if I had taken antabuse that day – but I was not prepared to test it to find out!

Medication is not the Route to Sobriety

After that I took my antabuse on days I wanted protection from temptation and did not if I wanted to drink. All a bit pointless really. In my experience, medication is not the route to rehabilitation from alcohol addition. Working the programme of Alcoholics Anonymous and staying sober one day at a time is. But that is another story!

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