AboutJan Edward Williams Expertise all questions related to drug or alcohol addiction, except those requiring the expertise of a physician or those relating to mental health problems apart from addiction. See my web site: http://www.alcoholdrugsos.com
Experience I have been working as a licensed addictions counselor for 29 years and am in recovery myself for 31 years
Organizations Licensed Clinical Professional Counselors Maryland
Maryland Addictions Professional Certification Board
Education/Credentials MS Counseling
Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Maryland
Expert: Jan Edward Williams Date: 8/6/2007 Subject: fiance's lifetime alcoholism
Question Dear Jan
my fiance has been ann alcoholic all of his life trying may times to stop this time he has been alcohol free for 12 weeks he also abuses rx drugs however he has chronic back pain fom a bothced back sx he also suffers from hep-c. He is on methodone for his back pain because of cost effectiveness and it's easy on the liver he sometimes goes into outer space and has conversations when no one is in the room or even in the room his mind just leaves he did this to a small extent when he drank but the methodone seems to escaltae it also I thought he was abusing the drug but after i took contol and regulated his meds this still accured. when the methodone is outof his system he is ok. two things when he takes methodone he has no desire to drink i like the drug for that reason #2 what is wet brain other than edema is it reversable can methadone cause it cand he get it after not drinking for some time? He wants help I am in alanon and he has 1 aaa group he attends regurlarly because he likes it. any help you can give me is so greatly appreaciated. thank you cindy and paul
Answer A person who is an alcoholic ahould, ideally, not use any drug that affect the central nervous system. Methadone may be cheap and relatively without serious medical effects, but it is addictive and clearly is causing adverse reactions for your husband. Also, his lack of desire to drink when on methadone suggests he is substituting methadone for alcohol. In my experience, an alcoholic does not do well on these medications. I suggest he try to use anti-inflammatory medications such as Advil and/or acetaminophen (Tylenol...have to be careful with this one due to effect on liver), and not use the methadone. Wet brain is a term used for brain damage caused by chronic alcoholism, not methadone use. However, an alcoholic has probably some damage to the reward pathway in the brain, not to mention the liver, and may react more severely to the methadone than a normal person. It is also difficult to get the full benefit of AA if you are still relying on an addictive drug like methadone. For more help go to my web site: http://www.alcoholdrugsos.com.
