Tex wrote:

> On Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:58:41 -0800, Tim Bruening
> <tsbrueni@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >JoeRaisin wrote:
> >
> >> Tim Bruening wrote:
> >> >
> >> > jimbo wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> On Feb 2, 7:38 pm, Tim Bruening <tsbru...@pop.dcn.davis.ca.us> wrote:
> >> >>> What medications, if any, do you take to reduce your cravings for
> >> >>> alcohol?
> >> >> I've never taken a medication to reduce craving nor have I ever heard
> >> >> of one that works. Her best best would be to consult a physician.
> >> >> Jimbo
> >> >
> >> > How then do you resist the urge to drink?
> >> >
> >>
> >> I couldn't - at least not for very long. That was until I began working
> >> a program in AA.
> >>
> >> AA taught me to draw strength from my higher power in order to avoid
> >> that first drink. By staying sober for more than a few days to a few
> >> weeks at a time I continued working the steps and developed a new
> >> perspective on myself - a perspective that meant I could look at myself
> >> in the mirror without loathing. Once I became comfortable with who I
> >> was, avoiding the first drink became a lot less difficult.
> >>
> >> I will offer to you a perspective you may not have considered. If your
> >> friend's wife is an alcoholic she is not drinking for the same reasons
> >> as you or most other social drinkers. Most people drink because they
> >> like the way it makes them feel, alcoholics drink because they don't
> >> like the way they feel when they are not drinking.
> >>
> >> Slogans won't change that, nor will medications.
> >>
> >> If AA isn't her cup of tea, she could try Rational Recovery which
> >> utilizes "Addictive Voice Recognition Technique" in order to stave off
> >> cravings. The only caveat with RR is to try and avoid the anger that
> >> the program is darned near built upon. While reading the small book I
> >> get the impression that RR sobriety is more a case of staying sober 'at'
> >> AA rather than being sober to better one's life.
> >>
> >> In the end, however, it boils down to whether or not she 'wants' to quit
> >> drinking. If not, nothing you (or even your friend) can do to get her
> >> to stop.
> >
> >After nearly losing her husband last week, I believe that she now wants to
> >quit. The problem is that she gets a strong craving for alcohol after a few
> >days. Often, her stepdad shows up and takes her to a bar to drink double
> >vodkas. I was hoping to find drugs to reduce that craving so that her will
> >power would be enough to resist the reduced craving.
>
> Sounds like she doesn't want to lose her husband which ain't
> necessarily the same as wanting to quit.

I believe that the threat of losing her husband got her attention and caused her
to make up her mind to quit.