Alcoholic patient

[Dale Moss]

I have an alcoholic patient, male in his early 60s, who has a good career, a loving family, lots of support, and every reason to live. But he relapses when things are going well in his life, then goes into the "I'd-be-better-off-dead" line. Someone who cannot accept praise and seems hellbent on proving he's not worth loving.
I'm looking for ideas on this particular pattern of relapsing when good things happen. I don't have enough experience in treating alcoholics to know if this is common to the disease or something close to an SRP.
Peace,
Dale

[Jean Doherty]

Ref Works

The patient can have Aurum type suicidal thoughts, but more commonly the depression is expressed like this: The patient feels worthless, he may say or think: 'It would be better if I were no longer on this planet, I have no mission, no usefulness on this earth, I feel like a burden to my family. An important addition in the Synthetic repertory from Kents Lectures: S.Rep p.371: Delusion, unfit for the world. One remedy: Aurum.
Other characteristics from Aurum Met. seen in patients cured by Aurum Arsenicum: The feeling that they will fail in their undertakings (S.R. 282: Delusion, fail, everything, will). A great fear of failure and excessive sense of guilt (S.R. 386: Delusion, wrong, has done). Also, sometimes, the feeling they have not done their work properly (S.R. 327: Delusion, neglected his duty, he has). A depression with forsaken feeling (S.R. 546). The feeling that nobody cares about them anymore (S.R. 231: Delusion,
Aurum also comes up in alcoholism
Mac Rep Alcoholism recurrent and Delusion unfit for world brings up Aurum.
Just what found, Jean

[Sherill]

Relapsing when things are going well is not unusual with this disease, however, it is not a default behavior either. I believe you can use it as characterizing sx for him.
Sherill (CCH, RSHom AND CACIII)
From: minutus@yahoogroups.com [mailto:minutus@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2016 9:52 AM
To: minutus@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Minutus] Alcoholic patient
The patient can have Aurum type suicidal thoughts, but more commonly the depression is expressed like this: The patient feels worthless, he may say or think: 'It would be better if I were no longer on this planet, I have no mission, no usefulness on this earth, I feel like a burden to my family. An important addition in the Synthetic repertory from Kents Lectures: S.Rep p.371: Delusion, unfit for the world. One remedy: Aurum.

Other characteristics from Aurum Met. seen in patients cured by Aurum Arsenicum: The feeling that they will fail in their undertakings (S.R. 282: Delusion, fail, everything, will). A great fear of failure and excessive sense of guilt (S.R. 386: Delusion, wrong, has done). Also, sometimes, the feeling they have not done their work properly (S.R. 327: Delusion, neglected his duty, he has). A depression with forsaken feeling (S.R. 546). The feeling that nobody cares about them anymore (S.R. 231: Delusion,

Aurum also comes up in alcoholism

Mac Rep Alcoholism recurrent and Delusion unfit for world brings up Aurum.

Just what found, Jean

[Jean Doherty]

Also China comes up in alcoholism is periodic and can have delusions tormented unfortunate.
ANXIETY doubts success Lac caninum. Jean

[Dale Moss]

Thanks for the suggestions, Jean. I haven't found him "heavy" enough for Aurum. If he has the delusion he's unfit for the world, he's managed to hide it well, except for those times when he's been drinking.
I left out some salient points: the first is that he's relentlessly cheerful in how he comes across; the second is that the drinking has left him with pronounced peripheral neuropathy. I'm thinking perhaps Germanium, but have had no experience with that remedy. The last remedy he had, Opium, appears to have had no effect according to his wife.
Peace,
Dale

[Jean Doherty]

Haliaeetus leucocephalus [Haliae-lc.] Comes up in reps and has tingling peripheries and cheerfullness.
So interesting, Jean

[Didi Ananda Ruchira]

Just a word... some good MT or low potency rx's are good for weaning off
alcohol -

strophanthus
lobelia
quercus

Also you may have heard of Fobustier's(?) small pamphet on Alcoholism.

also a complementary practice is NADA 5-point ear acupuncture for addicts.

lastly, I never treat an addict/alcoholic unless they agree to commit to
AA or other counselling.

regards
didi

[Rochelle]

I always use Quercus herbal tincture and Avena Sativa also in a herbal tincture
Rochelle
From: minutus@yahoogroups.com [mailto:minutus@yahoogroups.com]
Sent: 20 May 2016 10:33
To: minutus@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Minutus] Re: Alcoholic patient
Just a word... some good MT or low potency rx's are good for weaning off
alcohol -

strophanthus
lobelia
quercus

Also you may have heard of Fobustier's(?) small pamphet on Alcoholism.

also a complementary practice is NADA 5-point ear acupuncture for addicts.

lastly, I never treat an addict/alcoholic unless they agree to commit to
AA or other counselling.

regards
didi

[Dale Moss]

I agree, Sherill. But I'm not sure how to repertorize this without falling into more speculation than makes me comfortable (e.g., what drives this behavior?).
Peace,
Dale

[Dale Moss]

Thank you, Didi. When I first started treating him years ago, the alcoholism was well hidden, from both me and his family. It was difficult to make sense of his symptoms (and his apparent lack of response to well-indicated remedies) until we learned of his drinking.
He is in AA and receiving counseling (though query whether the latter is frequent enough and aggressive enough).
Good to know about the acupuncture. I had ordered Quercus for him, but this and some of the older recommended techniques for inducing a distaste for alcohol seem to me more geared to physiological dependency than psychological. Maybe by this stage there's no line between them, however, and any complementary approach should be embraced. If I can get him to do it -- I've used FE with this man but doubt he takes them regularly. These are not the most compliant or regular of patients...
Peace,
Dale