Monthly injections of a drug that stops the desire to drink alcohol helped an American drink addict lose 30 kilograms.
Jeff, the American who lost 70 kilograms Photo Buisness Insider
Jeff Horton, an American who started drinking at the age of 12 and became addicted to alcohol in his youth, claims that he was able to overcome the addiction in his 50s with the help of injections of drugs that control his desire to drink .
The man from the US state of Georgia reported on his experience in an article published by Buisness Insider.
I was not with my son Joel when he was growing up. He was asking me if I wanted to go to the park. “No, let’s stay at home and watch TV. I’d sit down in my chair with a beer in hand – and carry on all afternoon, getting to the countries like whiskey. I often passed out. Since 2021, I have given up alcohol, thanks to an injectable drug, which made my desire to drink disappear”reports the American.
The alcohol “tasted” from childhood
Alcohol has been a problem for Jeff Gordon since the age of 12, he reports.
“When I was in the fifth grade, I felt like I didn’t fit in with the others, but eventually I found my entourage in a group of kids that they would hang out with behind the school and smoke. It wasn’t long before I tasted my first beer. Then there was whisky, vodka and gin – whatever we could get our hands on when we were young. We were standing outside the liquor store and asking an adult to buy bottles for us. Or we would tell the store owners to sell it to us once”, writes the man.
In high school, Jeff says, he used to drink at parties and at friends’ houses. His parents found out and punished him, and at 18, they told him that if he didn’t give up drinking he would have to leave their house. They paid for him to be admitted to a rehab center in Florida, which helped him stay away from alcohol for over four years.
Then, in the mid-90s, one of his friends died of a heart attack, just 20 years old. At his funeral, he met his old friends, with whom he used to drink, and could not resist the temptation to return to his old habit.
On the verge of divorce, due to alcohol addiction
Jeff married Suzanna in 2002, but the beginning of their marriage was a nightmare, he says.
“On our honeymoon in Jamaica, I was completely blown away. I had to be carried to my room. He was ashamed. I caused a lot of scenes then. I would go to parties where I would get drunk, flirt with other women and say inappropriate things. I was an obnoxious, horrible husband who would yell at Suzanna and then run away. The next morning, I couldn’t remember anything.” write this one.
Things got worse with time. He started drinking during the day at work. At home, during the pandemic, I brewed my own beer in the basement, where I spent much of my time.
“In early 2021, our marriage was so difficult that we decided to divorce. We each spent $10,000 on lawyers, but somehow Suzanna, now 51, forgave me. We worked hard to save our marriage and gave up on divorce. But that summer, I passed out again from drinking. It scared me so much that I knew I had to take care of myself. I was on the verge of losing my job or even dying. I am 1.80 meters tall and weighed over 120 kilograms at the time. I was brave doing simple tasks like picking up leaves. My blood pressure and cholesterol levels were dangerously high,” Jeff reports.
Anti-alcohol shots
With the help of the bosses at his company, where he worked for 30 years, Jeff entered a new rehab program. A month into his admission to a center in Georgia, however, he knew he would need ongoing support.
In August 2021, doctors prescribed him a drug that helps reduce alcohol addiction.
“They explained how it affects the opioid pathway to the brain so you don’t get that ‘buzz’ from drinking. It made me not want to drink at all. It lost its appeal because it didn’t have the same effect on me. I told Suzanne to get rid of my distillation equipment in the basement. I had monthly intramuscular injections at a local pharmacy. They were injecting the extended release drug between my buttocks and hips,” Jeff reports.
The benefits have changed his life, he adds.
“I no longer have any inclination to drink and the calories I saved helped me lose 30 pounds. It changed my metabolism. I had a waist of 117 centimeters, and now it has reached 86 centimeters. I went from XXL to big and have more energy for my favorite sport, fishing. Suzanna and Joel, my 32-year-old son, are proud of me”writes the American.
