Stigma Around Naltrexone
I 27F recently started taking 25 mgs of naltrexone for alcohol-use disorder. I have struggled with binge-drinking for the last 10 years, and also work in the nightlife, so I am faced with a lot of peer-pressure to drink. I am able to stay sober for a few weeks, sometimes months, but as soon as I have 1 drink I black out, every single time. My friends and co-workers know that I have struggled with binge drinking, but when I have expressed that this is a significant issue to me and I want to be 100% sober, their responses are the same “you’re not an alcoholic, you don’t drink everyday” etc. My binge-drinking is the reason I am still doing my undergrad at 27, and the reason I have blown through enormous amounts of money, but it’s not that bad because I don’t drink everyday, right?? Now that I am on Naltrexone I have disclosed it to a few friends/co-workers because I haven’t been feeling like myself, and for the first time ever I was able to have only 1 glass of wine at dinner which I was excited to share with others. Not only has the Naltrexone helped me with binge-drinking, but it has also helped me with my generally impulsive behaviour. My peers are not reacting positively to this, they are treating my choice to medicate like it’s a skill issue or a character flaw. I have received unhelpful and unsolicited advice, such as “You need to find ways to control yourself without medication,” “try exercising,” “just limit yourself to 2 drinks.” I find this so unbelievably ableist and ignorant, and am curious if anyone else has experienced the same thing?