How to Quit Drinking Alcohol Using Antabuse

Antabuse is a prescription drug used as a last ditch effort to get alcoholics off the bottle. Known as Disulfiram at the pharmacy, this substance prevents the normal metabolizing of alcohol, and results in hangover-like symptoms that occur virtually concurrently with the imbibing of alcoholic drinks. Learning how to quit drinking alcohol using Antabuse may save you or a loved one from a life as an alcoholic.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Set up a physical exam. During the course of the exam, explain that you are in need of help to stop abusing alcohol. Request to be evaluated for Antabuse. There are several health conditions (see the Warnings section) that preclude you from receiving this prescription.

2. Request a referral to a psychotherapist or family counselor who specializes in treatment of alcohol dependence. The FDA has released a statement indicating that Antabuse alone does not cure alcoholism, but that with concurrent therapy there is a high likelihood of successful and permanent withdrawal.

3. Enlist the help of a friend or family member to purge your home of any substances that contain alcohol. Other than the obvious booze in a bottle, this also refers to your liquid cold and cough medicines, mouthwashes, aftershaves, perfumes, and cooking wines and sauces.

4. Understand completely what will happen if you choose to imbibe alcohol during your Antabuse treatment. The effect of alcohol on a metabolism fortified with Antabuse mimics that of a body recovering from an overindulgence of booze. You are going to feel like suffering from a hangover, but you will do so within minutes of taking a drink.

5. Start your treatment on the first day of the month. To help you set a steady goal, resolve to not take an alcoholic drink for 30 days. Mark day one on a calendar and take your first dose of Antabuse in the morning. It is a high dose, containing 500 mg of the active ingredient. Continue this treatment until you mark day 14 on your calendar.

6. Go onto the maintenance phase of the Antabuse treatment after day 14. Depending on your physician's advice, you may still be given a total of 500 mg, but it may be broken up into two daily pills of 250 mg or four doses of 125 mg each. In some cases, your doctor may try lowering the dosage, especially if you are encountering side effects like marked tiredness.

7. Work together with your physician and also psychotherapist or counselor to determine when you are ready to let go of Antabuse and become self-reliant in your sobriety. The duration of the actual drug therapy varies for each patient, and it depends on a number of factors—such as exhibited self control, a supportive family environment or circle of friends, and a measurable commitment to the success of the therapy—that influence the decision to discontinue treatment.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not take Antabuse if you are concurrently taking Wellbutrin, Zyban, amphetamine-based drugs like Adderall, methylphenidate-containing prescriptions like Ritalin and Concerta, or if you are abusing cocaine.

Resources

• Visit the FDA website and learn about the suggestions concerning the use of Antabuse.
• Alcoholics Anonymous is the most famous organization devoted to helping people attain sobriety.
• Learn more about the actual drug Antabuse at the MedHelp.org website.