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It's time to set yourself free
A professional, discreet one-to-one service
Introduction
Give me TWELVE weeks of your time, and let's see just how much of a difference we can make to your alcohol and anxiety problems
B4a
Welcome to the Baclofen 4 Alcoholism site of Dr Phillip Thomas, based in the UK, but providing help to alcohol sufferers throughout the World.
Providing dedicated one-to-one Alcoholism and Baclofen support to Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, Cheshire & Merseyside and throughout London, England, Wales and Scotland.
Through the internet and Skype video conferencing, you can also benefit from my B4a Baclofen Programme wherever you are in the World. Many of you already are. I have patients from as far afield as Mexico, the USA, Australia and South Africa.
Whatever the degree of your problem with alcohol, I can help you take control again.
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I qualified in Medicine in 1984, becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1988. I am fully trained in General Surgery and had expected to be Professor of Surgery at Manchester Royal Infirmary from 1995. My chronic state of severe anxiety and an increasing alcohol dependency unfortunately prevented this.
In the mid to late 2000's my alcohol misuse had progressed through dependency to frank addiction. This caused me to neglect the running of my otherwise successful private practice. This eventually resulted in my medical licence being suspended by the GMC. This was purely because of management issues with my practice (note keeping, taking photographs etc). At no stage was there ever any criticism of my clinical competence, which was always considered to be exemplary. Nor was there ever any suggestion that I had ever treated a patient whilst under the influence of alcohol, which I hadn't.
I have been informed by the GMC that I am free to apply for my licence to practice to be reinstated, and this I may do.
My alcohol and anxiety problem has cost me very dear over the whole of my adult life. I've lost relationships, careers, money, and friends. I nearly lost my life.
However, I am now completely well. My anxiety has gone. I no longer have any alcohol problem whatsoever. My grossly abnormal liver function tests and liver scan are now completely normal.
Indeed, my own General Practitioner has remarked that he has never seen such a change in someone with such a severe alcohol problem; and in such a short period of time. He has said that he would not have believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself.
And I owe it all to Baclofen and the 12-week Programme that I devised for myself.
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IMPORTANT !!
It is extremely important that you take time to read the whole of this web site from beginning to end BEFORE you contact me. It won't take long, and it has been expressly written to take you step-by-step through how I might be able to help you with your own alcohol problem.
Reading the whole of the site in this way should answer most, if not all, of your initial questions before you contact me. This is very important. That way, when we do meet, we will be much better able to work out how I might best help you or a loved one. We can then spend all of our time together concentrating solely on how to help you get better.
Further, by the time you have read and digested all the information on this site, you might well find that you understand both yourself and the nature of your problem considerably better. This is an important process to help you realise that there is real genuine new hope out there for you and the countless thousands of others just like you - and that includes me.
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The site is laid out in 6 distinct sections:
Introduction
An overview outlining why I believe myself to be functionally cured of both my chronic state of anxiety and the alcoholism it eventually caused. I have called this condition Triple-A Syndrome - a proper physical disease, requiring proper physical treatment. It also introduces Baclofen, currently the most exciting development for many alcoholics, and a proper physical treatment. It links to the Introduction to Baclofen & Me, a forthcoming book highlighting that anxiety leading to alcoholism was my own personal uninvited guest, and poses you the question - Who or what is your own personal uninvited guest?
The Practice
All about my practice, based at Carrick House - including 'Who Is It For?', the various Programme options; and the nuts and bolts of how it all works in practice;
B4a Programme
Describes a skeleton outline of the B4a Programme, and its use of my 8 Pillars of Sobriety. It is a programme that I have developed following:
Years of trying to develop a lifestyle regime to help myself;
2 years of taking Baclofen myself, and documenting every single aspect of my personal experience with it - learning from my own mistakes;
2 years of being extensively involved with alcoholism in general, and literally hundreds of fellow alcoholism sufferers and Baclofen takers in particular;
Inviting their experiences and helping them with their problems - and learning from their mistakes;
Collating and analysing all their experiences to form an unparalleled body of information about Baclofen and alcoholism;
Writing the B4a Baclofen Handbook as a detailed pocket-size guide for those taking High Dose Baclofen, in order to make their treatment as easy and safe as possible - and much more likely to succeed;
20 years of experience dealing with patients with similar related medical problems, and developing successful programmes to help them;
All of these have caused me to modify my 'gut feelings' and preconceptions about my developing programme. I've learned totally new things about Baclofen and alcoholism that, frankly, were never realised by anyone before. It is a new developing field of practice and, to be honest, we were all making it up as we went along. This has encouraged me to expand and hone my B4a Programme to be flexible enough to be invaluable to all fellow sufferers, whatever their needs or circumstances.
As things currently stand, I believe that Alcoholism-NorthWest is the only service of this type available anywhere in the world - certainly within the UK. I hope and pray that this does not remain the case for long, and that other healthcare professionals embrace Baclofen and make it available to those for whom they are providing alcohol support.
This Page also discusses 'Does It Work'? and links to more information about Baclofen, and also to how I used my own Programme to help myself beat my own alcoholism;
Science
A very basic, but nonetheless fundamentally important, synopsis about how and why many of us come to suffer from alcohol-related problems. Why alcoholism is a physical disease and how this might alter how we treat it. It links to a discussion of what Baclofen is, and how it might help us;
Alcohol & You
A brief outline of the implications for you individually and for society in general.
Media
References and links to Baclofen, and its role in Alcoholism - interviews, videos, books, newspaper & magazine articles, research papers, E-Zine articles, and other web sites.
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Introduction
My name is Dr Phillip Thomas, and I am a fellow sufferer who has been able to set himself free from many years of dependence on alcohol.
I now consider myself to be not only in control, but cured.
Too good to be true? Well, not quite. An analogy might help here. I am an asthmatic, for which I use inhalers daily and routinely. I have never had a significant asthma attack. I am still an asthmatic, but I do not suffer with asthma. If I stopped my inhalers, I would start to suffer from my asthma.
Through my inhalers, I am functionally cured of my asthma.
A similar statement can be made about diabetes and insulin; high blood pressure and antihypertensives; morbid / super-obesity and various medical / surgical interventions; and many others.
All are chronic progressive 'proper' physical medical diseases which can be very successfully managed to provide a functional cure.
And I believe that exactly the same applies to my anxiety and alcoholism. If I could find a treatment for my anxiety, and simultaneously successfully withdraw from alcohol, then I would no longer suffer from my disease i.e. no longer be addicted.
So why am I so sure that I am now functionally cured?
Simply because I have finally recognised that I have suffered a lifelong problem with chronic uncontrollable anxiety / panic / fear of failure - subsequently diagnosed as a Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Unrecognised and untreated, this caused me to seek the calming influence of alcohol as a self-administered anxiolytic (a 'medicine' used to reduce anxiety), to which I eventually became addicted. This was a concept that neither I nor the medical profession had ever even considered until the last couple of years. But now I am absolutely sure of it.
Be in no doubt:
Anxiety leads to Alcohol leads to Alcoholism
This process I have come to term Triple-A Syndrome, and it becomes a pernicious vicious circle. To beat your own alcoholism, we have to find out why you drink, and break the circle.
Exactly the same Triple-A Syndrome might apply to a wide variety of other problems (e.g. smoking, other drug addictions, gambling, over-eating, compulsive shopping etc) and where the term Generalised Anxiety Disorder might therefore be replaced by an ever-increasing number of other psychological / psychiatric conditions:
Abnormal Psychology leads to
an 'Answer' leads to Addiction
Until recently, doctors routinely prescribed Benzodiazepines (such as Valium) for chronic anxiety. This group of drugs was perhaps the most widely used and best anxiolytic medication available. Unfortunately, it has become universally recognised that they are also highly addictive; with many takers now suffering considerably more than they ever did from their anxiety. Medically prescribed Triple-A Syndrome in action. They are now no longer prescribed for any long-term management. Indeed, some are now legally categorised as 'controlled drugs' and may only be prescribed by a doctor by special prescription - in the same way as diamorphine.
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Thanks to a medicine called Baclofen, which after more than half a century of use is known to NOT be addictive, I am now fully able to fully manage both my anxiety / GAD and also the cravings associated with alcohol withdrawal. For people like you and me, this is perhaps the greatest double-whammy there is! One simple, safe, cheap drug doing two massively important jobs at the same time.
I am now wholly indifferent to alcohol. In truth, it appears that nothing could actually make me need a drink; and I've had plenty of significant stresses whilst taking it to test it thoroughly!! These life events and traumas just do not seem to affect me like they used to. It's amazing - just like being normal for the first time in my life!!
Further, I no longer ever really fancy alcohol, even socially. I can totally take or leave it, even if those around me are drinking. And the great thing is that my abstinence isn't forced and terrifying; it is calm and easy. And that is solely because I am managing the chronic anxiety that caused my alcohol dependency in the first place.
Through Baclofen and the B4a Programme working alongside each other, I truly believe that both my chronic anxiety and my alcohol dependency are now, for the very first time in my life, being properly recognised by my doctor, appropriately managed and treated by us both, well controlled, and for me ...........
Functionally Cured
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Through my past medical background, my own personal alcohol and Baclofen experiences and ultimate success, and by helping many others achieve likewise, I am able to provide a unique bespoke private one-to-one service to help fellow sufferers. For example:
People who may not want to go to group sessions;
People for whom such sessions have previously failed;
People who know that they need much more than just counselling or support;
People who want a discreet, private, personal approach dedicated specifically to them and their own particular needs and circumstances;
People who, as well as regularly meeting with their practitioner, also want to be able to contact him at any time for help and advice. Or maybe just a chat and a bit of reassurance.
Over the years, I have developed my own Programme that has, via my web site baclofen4alcoholism.com, already benefitted many hundreds of people throughout the World. However, one-to-one it can do so much more.
The success of my Programme is based upon the uncontrovertible fact that many people turn to alcohol as a means of reducing their chronic state of anxiety. This is an issue that almost all doctors are ignorant of, but there is now extremely powerful evidence that this is the case.
The reason almost all other treatments (such as counselling, group sessions, cognitive behavioural therapy, hypnosis etc) ultimately fail is precisely because they do not address this issue. What they focus upon is enforced abstinence. For those that have tried this, it is almost as horrific and tormenting as being an alcoholic. Fighting cravings on a day-to-day basis, whilst still suffering from chronic anxiety / stress / panic is one of the most emotionally disabling things a human being can suffer. That is precisely why so many people go back to alcohol.
What my Programme concentrates on is both the management of that state of chronic crippling anxiety and panic, and the cravings associated with stopping alcohol. Baclofen helps massively with both of these things, bringing you the real opportunity of long-term success.
The Programme has also had great success in individuals who prefer not to take Baclofen, and in those for whom their alcohol dependency is not anxiety-related.
Put simply, many of us with drink problems just cannot cope with the normal pressures of everyday life. Pressures that our more fortunate family and friends seem to be able to just take in their stride. We turn to alcohol as a means of reducing that stress; in exactly the same way as doctors use pre-meds before operations to alleviate the anxiety and stress of impending surgery. It is absolutely no different for us. And hence, perfectly treatable with the proper treatment.
And there is very good scientific evidence that we suffer from a genuine physical disease. We are not weak-willed or inadequate. We react like this purely because that is how our brains (or at least a very tiny part of it) are wired.
By recognising this, and treating it properly, then the very real prospect of a functional cure is made available to you. Certainly very beneficial long-term control (ie - significant moderation of your drinking and relative indifference to alcohol) is well within your reach.
That is precisely what my B4a Programme is about. Helping you to achieve that, and to get on living your life.
This web site will outline the scientific background to all of this; the nature and severity of the problem both for the individual and in the North West; what you can do about it; and the B4a Programme itself including how it will help you take control of your life, beat your alcohol problem, and finally set yourself free.
It's not always easy, but
it is most definitely doable
And I should know - I've done it
And so have thousands
of others just like you
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At this stage I would like you to read the brief introduction to my forthcoming book Baclofen & Me, which is an honest 'warts and all' account of my own personal decline into alcoholism, the disastrous effects both it and the anxiety that caused it had on my whole life, and how I used Baclofen to beat it. In a few words the introduction summarises both the problem and, for me, the solution. Many fellow sufferers who have read it tell me that they can identify with it perfectly, and that it succinctly describes exactly what has happened to them too.
Read the Introduction to Baclofen & Me
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