Hi, haven't been posting too much lately but really felt compelled to chime it. I totally agree with Kris. Your wife needs to concentrate on herself and not what the establisment thinks. She is delicate right now and doing really well with tsm. These people in the re-hab business and some doctors may twist things around and have her doubt this method, that would be a big shame. For her to obstain at the gathering, etc. sounds so positive for someone just starting, especially with what you have told us of her story. One other thing I would like to interject. Those of us here on this forum have had ups and downs but this group has helped us so much on this road. We are truly cyber friends and very connected.
It would be wonderful if she could chime in and feel the love and support here first hand! If you find a post that would resonate with her maybe you could help her post to get connected. It would be a major help especially if the honeymoon
period is what she is experiencing right now. I hope you consider all these good posts on this subject and good luck. She is very lucky to have your support, most of us do not have that either.

Thanks for the advice. We followed it and she kinda told fibs to the therapst but is still doing extremely well with TSM. A little over two weeks into TSM and our life has changed. This past week, 3 alcohol free days and no cravings. Big night tonight as we have another family event. This is her "coming out" party with her family. We have passed literature on TSM to her parents and closest sibling and for the first time in years, she will drink in front of the family instead of before, after or during when no one is around. Should be interesting. I think it will go well as everybody would like to see her "normal". Last week was a family get together with my side of the family, where no one knows of my wife's problem. Things couldn't have gone better despite my anxiety when she had her first glass of wine at about 3 in the afternoon (she took nal an hour before). But I quickly got over that sinking feeling as she had probably two or three more glasses during the next few hours. Then she stopped. We went home and had a normal evening. No hidden vodka, no drama, no cravings. This still may be the honeymoon effect but I am enjoying having my wife back and thinking about getting our social life back with the help of nal and TSM. Will keep everyone updated but working well so far aND I AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE FEEDBACK, COMMENTS AND SUPPORT.

That is incredible news, helpful!! It may well be a honeymoon effect as you say, but isn't it so incredibly encouraging when you see early signs like that that are so positive? I can't wait to hear how things have gone tonight, but I guess we should never expect too much. As those who have gone before us here who are now CURED have told us time and time again, there will most probably be backsliding, times when the drinker will have more than even before, perhaps a long plateau - but those glimmers (my new favourite word!) are already there. Wonderful!!

Yes, this is fantastic news and proof positive TSM is working for her. Expect a bit of a roller coaster but expect an ultimate cure. Congratulations.

helpful spouse - wow, this is great. I think the fact that you passed out literature to everyone is fantastic....

I am in a big family as well and the family gatherings are (or were) killers. Nal makes it almost effortless now, but I did have good days with family and bad as I was going through the treatment. So, if she doesn't do well tonight, remind her how great she is doing. The best thing you can do to help her is to keep telling her everything that you noticed that has changed...and to remind her it may take 4 to 6 months and that you support her. My husband helped me tremendously when I felt like it wasn't working - he kept telling me it was definitely working and he never doubted that I was sneaking or anything like that. That's a huge deal - faith and trust from your loved ones.

Good luck to you both tonight, keep us posted!

Wonderful news Helpful!

I'm SO happy for you both!

Three and a half weeks into TSM and things are still going extremely well. The last family get together went well and another one this weekend with no anxiety on my part, or my wife's, about getting together with family and enjoy drinking "normal". Perhaps we are still in the honeymoon stage but TSM has worked beyond my expectations. I'm sure there is both a physical reason (nal surpressing the cravings) and a psychological reason (the pressure of forced abstinence is off and social situation become more normal) why TSM is working for my wife. Regardless, the return of normalcy for the last three weeks plus is a blessing. From what I've read, TSM isn't for everyone but for our situation, it is just what the doctor ordred, so to speak, so far. Will continue to post progress and even no progress as we get further along in the hope that someone else can benefit from our real life experience with TSM. I still can't beleive I fumbled across this method of dealing with the problem of alcoholism. It should be widely available as another option for those with the disease.

We are now four weeks into TSM. We started four days after her last three day stay in detox after a five day binge, and I do mean binge. I have a hard time believing that this plan is working so well for us. Other than a 10 week stay on antabuse, I can't remember my wife going this long without being drunk. We are going four days a week alcohol free and drink, but not to excess, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. There are no cravings and I am thrilled that we have a "second chance" at a normal life. Again, it is only four weeks but things are going extremely well. Consider what my wife told me yesterday. She had two real bad days at work and she told me that if there was ever a time that she would have started drinking again, it was yesterday. But she didn't! Her renewed ability to drink "normal" I'm sure has played a major part in her thinking. But I think that is part of TSM. Not only does the nal help reduce the cravings, the ability to drink normally contributes positively to the psychological conditions that set up her binges. This is my opinion only based on what my wife and I are experiencing now. It will be interesting to see how we progress getting back into the social circle of old friends (who enjoy drinking as part of a night out) who know my wife had a drinking problem and are conditioned to think that the only response to alcoholism is abstinence. Four weeks of progress and looking forward to four weeks more. I have confided in couple of friends about what we are trying and they seem a bit skeptical as they have never heard of anything like this. After I explain TSM, it makes sense to them. Especially the part about the relief my wife, and others, feel about being freed from forced abstinence (which wasn't working anyway).

Congratulations! She is well on her way to being cured.

You hit the nail on the head with that observation. As we here see TSM working, at least for others, and we start to see glimmers of change in ourselves, it is liberating. Tis alone alows us to throw off the yoke of guilt and shame; no more feeling we are inflicted with a character defect. Instead, we feel we are back in control of our lives, having made the decision to do this.

You are a wise and empathetic spouse to have picked up on this shift in perspective. Continued blessings for the pair of you.