I would just like to introduce myself, im Chris and am from the UK as I believe many of us on here are.
So my own situation, and I’m sure many of you who have been on here a while will probably have come across it before, is that I am a 53 year old guy, after spending a number of year’s drinking to much (at the maximum 2 bottles of wine a night or 4 cans of lager and one bottle of wine) I discovered Nurofen Plus by chance after pulling my back playing golf.
That nice little buzz I got when the 2 tablets got to work was so pleasant…… , you can probably guess the rest.
Within weeks I was taking 16 at night and this quickly increased to 3 lots of 20 each day (morning, afternoon, nighttime), with 12 Benadryl Relief Plus taken at the same time for each.
The financial cost alone is horrific. I have worked it out and have a spreadsheet running that shows me the total amout I’ve saved after each day.
I have tried to stop maybe a dozen times over the last couple of years, always cold turkey, which I know is the only way I will ever stop, but never getting past day 2 or 3.
However, I picked Nov 25th as it would mean I could say 1 month clean on Christmas Day and I am just completing Day 7. Enough is enough.
No nausea, no real dioreah (spelt wrong!!), for me it’s the tiredness, listlessness, and inability to sleep due to restless legs and body.
I have got 4 days of Zopiclone sleeping tablets from my DR today and hopefully these will help me sleep short term and get over the worst of the restless legs without replacing 1 addiction with another.
When I look back at the amount stuff I was taking I am amazed I seem to be in relatively good shape, I have bloods all the time for various things and they never pick anything up, I have been scoped a couple of times and they found nothing more than a small hernia, I must, despite appearances, be a tough old buastard (maybe related to Keirh Richards haha)
Anyway, Day 7 today and a bit of energy coming back, trying to eat healthy and put on some weight but that will take a while as my appetite is seriouly down, but I’ll get there, before these damn tablets I was running half marathons and thats the goal again eventually, maybe by the end of the summer, although I don’t think Eliiud Kipchoge will have much to worry about from my time !!!
So all in all and considering, I feel it is going OK, no real craving to nip to the nearest pharmacy etc. I know the pitfalls all to well but feel this time (to paraphrase from one of my favourite books) I am the master in a way the the tablets never can be.
I’ll keep reporting my progress every few days if anyone on the forum would like that and my message to anyone in the very early stages and getting hit by withdrawals or those who may be to worried to begin is thats its certainly possible, all are different but here I am a heavy use for a reasonable period and at times I am feeling almost normal.
You can do it soldiers, strength and honour.
Chris