Klonopin instead of alcohol

[Anonymous]

OP the fact that you want to go from one substance to another is a sign you aren't doing the work to deal with the substance use disorder itself. In addition to the kinds of detox the MDs recommended, get yourself to a GOOD substance abuse counselor, stat.

- someone who's probably soon-to-be-ex spouse went from substance to substance to substance, and that has destroyed their lives

[Anonymous]

These drugs (benzodiazepines and alcohol) have similar targets in the nervous system, so you would not really be getting off alcohol as much as you’d be transitioning onto Klonopin.

Librium was what was used for this transition in the inpatient rehab my family member was in. It is also a benzodiazepine.

If you are not physiologically dependent enough to need that substitution (as your doing dry January suggests), you probably don’t need medical detox, but rehab would be a good choice for you, because willpower is not addiction treatment.

If you are in the DMV, Kolmac does this as an intensive outpatient treatment program done at night (so you don’t have to tell work).

Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

I also have anxiety and used alcohol to cope. After quitting anlcohol, my doctor put me on alprazolam (Xanax). I wish I’d known how addictive it would be. A few years later, a different doctor helped me very slowly taper off the alprazolam and onto Buspar, a much safer anxiety drug.

Unless there is a hugely compelling reason to take Klonopin, I would suggest you do what you need to stop using alcohol as a crutch, and ask your doctor for a safe drug for anxiety.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No doctor would prescribe it for this unless you are actively withdrawing from alcohol. Most likely you could do gabapentin (we treat with high doses) and naltrexone. It’s great you want to quit and there are tons of resources and support of there. Good luck.

-MD

Thank you! Can I see my GP for this or would I need to see another specialty?

Ideally you’d see a doctor who is specialized in addiction medicine.

[Anonymous]

There's a really great podcast called Sober Powered, done by a former biochemist who developed a drinking problem in grad school (had never drunk at all before then). She explains all the science behind why drinking is bad in very easy-to-understand ways and gives suggestions and shares experiences about how to go about quitting drinking, all the stages of it, talking about it (or not) with family and co-workers etc. Anyone who wants to stop drinking or is just interested in the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol should check it out. It's really excellent!