u/bigboneded38

I'm a NorCal/Bay Area boy. I've never seen Malort in the wild. I am in a Louisville pizzeria doing a 5 day bourbon tour. I see Malort behind the bar. Tried to get my boss to have one with me. He says he's had it before and will not have one, so I go solo.

I've never heard a positive thing about it. I expected the worst. Old head at the bar said "fermented garbage."

The bar's consensus is that there is something wrong with me, BECAUSE:

I didn't hate it. It tasted, to me, like chewing on grapefruit peels. I will, probably, only ever drink it again in a social situation and won't seek it out or order it, BUT, it's not the worst thing I've ever tasted.

I finally ended 52 years of procrastinating and got my Dx last week. Started my Rx yesterday (20mg, slow rolling it) and had none idea what to expect.

- I started the day building a LEGO set as the med came on. Finished it in two hours.

- Normally I'll watch TV then get distracted by my phone. I found that I spent all day on my phone and was occasionally distracted by TV

- I work nights at a liquor store and my job is very social. I noticed when I engaged in conversation with customers, I got less casual and more detailed, kind of ignoring other customers more than I normally do. I can usually do two or three things at once. Yesterday I was locked in with each singular engagement.

- no real change to appetite. I also take Mounjaro (85lbs lost) so my appetite is almost non-existent.

- I have hypertension and I took my BP in the AM when I took my meds, and 7 hours later before work, and it was sky high. I'm gonna have to keep an eye on this.

BONUS

OK. Like I said I work in a liquor store. And I work at night. And sometimes take shots with customers. And my boss and I usually taste a bottle at the end of the night. And I have pre- and post- mopping the store drinks. And then a last drink of the shift. And then when I get home I'll drink about a pint. Or more. And maybe a hard seltzer or 4. And recently I have to drink to go to sleep, even if I wake up mid sleep to walk the dog, I have to pour one to go back to sleep.

Yes. I drink too much. And it's lately been worrisome. And I feel cravings which I never used to.

UNTIL YESTERDAY! I didn't crave any. All day. The 5pm customers that come in every day and we do a shot in the walk-in, I just let go in without me. Didn't drink throughout the shift. Didn't have my bad-excuse-to-drink drinks. Didn't drink when I got home. No cravings. No desire. Just the habitual thoughts that were easy to dismiss.

I know there are changes to how alcohol responds to the meds when you DO drink, and it doesn't sound great, but did anyone else get an IMMEDIATE change as far as their standard alcohol consumption?