Is There Medication to Stop Drinking?

When trying to recover from alcoholism, people often look for the path of least resistance. As a society, we’ve been raised to believe that there is some type of medication or substance out there that can solve each of our problems. Those who struggle with alcoholism found that solution in alcohol.People who struggle with anxiety, depression, loneliness, boredom, PTSD and other difficulties in life may have found alcohol as a way to make them feel the way they’d like to feel. Eventually, the solution they found in alcohol becomes the primary source of their problem. When they realize this, they may be wondering if there is a medication to stop drinking. This question does have an answer.

Naltrexone: Is the Medication to Stop Drinking Too Good to be True?

Alcoholism is an extremely powerful disease that’s been affecting people for thousands of years. Since the days of ancient Greece and Egypt when we were still crushing grapes for wine with bare feet, people have suffered from alcoholism. Within the last century, there have been many scientific studies about alcoholism and drug addiction. Not only has science been able to find that addiction is a legitimate brain disorder, but many medications have been created to help people with the recovery process. Dr. Sinclair of Finland helped with a medication called Naltraxone, which he believes is the cure for alcoholism.

Naltrexone works as an opioid antagonist, but many people use it who suffer from alcoholism. Dr. Sinclair believed that this was going to be the cure for alcoholism, so he did many clinical tests. The idea is that you take the medication about an hour or two before you begin drinking. When you start drinking, you lose the desire to continue drinking after one or two glasses. Amazingly, an 80 percent success rate was recorded, and these people were able to stop or moderate their drinking. The problem is that the other 20 percent suffer from a more severe form of alcoholism, so this medication to stop drinking isn’t a cure-all.

The Medication to Stop Drinking Doesn’t Cure Everyone

Alcoholism is a disease that centers in the mind. It largely has to do with a person’s inability to think logically once they take the first drink. Even if they don’t want to drink, they continue drinking anyway. This is why Naltrexone didn’t work for everyone. The common signs of severe alcoholism can include:

• Drinking even when one doesn’t want to
• Taking the first drink without thinking
• Continuing to drink despite consequences

In most scenarios when a person suffers from severe addiction, the only way to fully recover is to completely abstain from alcohol and drugs. There is no known cure for someone who suffers from addiction. Even if a person maintains sobriety for months or years, they lose control once they take the first drink again. The medication to stop drinking can greatly help with the recovery process, though.

Using Medication to Stop Drinking for Long-Term Recovery

Although Naltrexone may not cure a person’s ability to control their drinking, Naltrexone and a medication called Antabuse have been shown to greatly help anyone recovering from addiction. These medications can also help as an alcohol withdrawal medication. One of the most difficult parts of early recovery is dealing with the mental obsession and physical craving to drink or use. Even while in treatment, the cravings to use can be quite intense.

These medications help quiet the mind so the person can gain enough of a foundation for their recovery that they learn a better way to live. And once sobriety is achieved we offer an aftercare program for addiction, to continue your recovery while attending to your life. Here at Beaches Recovery, we help our clients understand addiction and learn to live a life of recovery with or without medication. The number is to get help with addiction is 8666050532.