This really is a brilliant observation but I never really thought about it in these terms until reading the two prior posts. It is absolutely cathartic to be able to have a few drinks and stop and feel in control. I have used the word over and over again -- "control" -- to describe how I drink on naltrexone. But I never really thought about its implications. As in, I don't feel like a drunken, out-of-control, reckless loser anymore who only cares about my next drink. As in, I am taking matters into my own hands now. Instead of letting **** happen to me over and over again, I'm directing myself in a positive direction.

Great posts on this subject. BTW, day 4, no drinks and no cravings.

WOW!!!

I wish my spouse (in my case my wife) was like you.

She thinks its a get sober pill...

Thats ok. I'm so happy to hear your news and know as I write this at 1.27 AM I would normally be loaded. Instead I am 8 units in over 5.5 hours. Barely feeling anything. May have 1 or 2 more...Maybe. Busy day tomorrow. Lots to do. I am starting to realize that I too have a choice. I realize that this could be honeymoon,..but why not enjoy the fruits of my early labor and what may come in the future...just wish it was the future....oh well. Thanks helpful spouse ...keep posting...AA had me feeling sad and depressed when I came back (4.5 years sober in AA), you have me standing proud thanks to you and all on the board. With AA booze scared me...I embrace it now without fear...Never again? Who knows,..but then again maybe.....that was the quandry,...when would that trap door open and I would fall?

Am so happy to hear your story, one more marriage saved...I hope mine will be too..bEst, Jim

Hang in there Jim. Going on six weeks with my wife using TSM and things are still great. I doubt that the honeymoon period lasts this long but if it does, then thats fine also. In discussing progress with my wife, she tells me that her compulsion to drink in gone as are the cravings and that she will never have another drink without first taking nal an hour before. On Thursday, she marveled at the fact that she has gone four days without drinking AND never thought about drinking on those four days. We abstain, by choice, during the week and drink on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for relaxation or socially. The most important part now is that when we have that last glass of wine, it is the last glass of wine. Prior to nal, my wife could not control her drinking. I can't count the number of times that she would be unable to stop drinking, although she was trying AA, counseling and total abstinence. Too many instances where she drank around the clock for days and sometimes for weeks. Hidden bottles of vodka and those little bottles ( 6 oz.) of wine hidden all over the house to sustain that compulsion to drink. (As I write this, it all comes back too real.) She missed more time from work last year (and probably the year before) due to drinking than I care to think about. She came close to losing her job and went into work under the influence, again, more times then I want to think about. My marriage was on the brink, as she would get very abusive when she got drunk. To be honest with you, I am still stunned that TSM has worked so well for her. I no longer drive home from work and wonder who will be waiting for me when I get home. The craziness that we went through for a long time has ended and hopefully for ever. Six weeks in and her life, and mine has changed. I am still annoyed however, that I found out about TSM by researching the internet and that TSM was never mentioned as a treatment or alternative to what was obviously failing for my wife. One friend my wife made in detox has tried nal and failed, but it was prescribed by her doctor but as usual, told to be abstinent while taking nal. She "slipped" several times while on nal and trying abstinence. She had never heard of TSM and is skeptical. A good friend of mine who has been sober for close to four decades, through AA, to me that cravings "are all in her head." I have told him that my wife is doing well on nal but have not mentioned TSM. He would not approve. The majority opinion on alcoholism is that it is an incurable disease. TSM and nal really blows that thinking away. My wife is proof, yes only six weeks, that even the toughest alcoholic can regain control over their life. TSM may not work for everyone but there is hope and an alternative to AA and total abstinence.

Powerful post. I too remain outraged that I had to find about naltrexone on my own. I remain even more outraged that when I found out about it I received nothing but negative feedback from my doctor. And now, I am curing myself with no help whatsoever from anyone, other than my dear friends on this board.

I am totally blown away by your wife's progress in so short a period of time. Amazing & awesome!! I am so happy and excited for you both - words cannot describe how moved I am by your particular relief that this has worked for her. Wonderful!!

Just a little wishful thinking on my part...:-)) Good luck as it progresses forward - have no doubt the future is bright!

Thanks houtx, I am amazed also. From reading many posts on this board, I know the speed of my wife's success is not the norm. But it is as accurate as I can be. This board and the nal has been a life saver. I went to al-anon for a year and a half to try to get some relief from dealing with my wife's problem. It helped and for that I am grateful. But it helped me. The nal has helped my wife which in turn has negated the need to continue al-anon. This board, which I have now dubbed nal-anon, as helped me also. It was one of the first resources that I found when researching naltrexone and after reading many posts, I thought that this could work for my wife. Into our seventh week and things could not be much better for her and the entire family. Even though she has shown extrodinary success, I am quite sure she is not totally unique. For anyone with an alcohol problem or a friend or relative with one, and other methods of stopping drinking have not worked, there is hope with nal. Not neccesarily to stop, but to be able to control their drinkling. This is the story of my wife so far. If I am still posting this type of success in a year, this will truly be a medical miracle (this from an atheist!).

Sounds great helpful. I know that a big part of your wife's success is your support and love for her.
My spouse is still a bit skeptical but I believe she is ssssssssssslowly coming around.

Again, I still have to hide,...my wife is pretty upset.

My personal counselor is on board as is our marriage counselor. I'm so happy for you helpful,...please keep posting,..best, Jim

Jim,
You got a counselor onboard. Not an addictions counselor, if it was you'd have to share how you took over their mind.

Today marks eight weeks of TSM for my wife and all I can say is, "This is life changing!" My wife has regained her life and her control over alcohol due to nal. I am still amazed at the reaction of friends who knew of my wife's struggles, when I explain to them that she has found a "cure" although I do not use that word. Not one single person I talk to has ever heard of TSM or nal and I'm sure are a bit skeptical. I learned through my wife's struggles that no one knows what tomorrow will bring but I am confident that my wife will continue to use nal with the same results. We are unsure of how to handle two situations though. The first is my wife being truthful with her doctor. He prescribed nal but with abstaining from drinking. We had already decided to do TSM and it has worked better than we could have imagined. She has a prescription for a six months supply that will last more than a year but my wife feels as though she should be truthful with her Dr.. I said if she wants, I would suggest that she give him downloaded material on TSM, specifically Dr. Sinclair's paper (January 14, 2000 entitled "Evidence about the use of naltrexone and for different ways of using it in the treatment of alcoholism" published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, Vol 36, No 1, pp 2-10, 2001) when she sees him next . Each visit he asks her the last time she had a drink and she has to fib. Still debating on how to handle this.
The other problem that I have is that during my year and a half in Al Anon, I met some wonderful people who were dealing with their daughters serious alcohol problem. She is a professional woman in her late thirties who has pretty much lost it all trying to stay sober but continues to have devastating bouts of binging. Since I no longer go to Al-Anon, I would like to meet them outside of the meeting and pass information on about nal and TSM as an alternative to what she has been failing at for years. Her story is not much different than my wife's and she may benefit from TSM as others, including my wife have. Still not sure what to do but almost feeling like going to the rooftop and shouting out that naltrexone may be an answer to alcoholics who have failed with abstinence based programs. I feel truly blessed (again, this coming from an atheist) that we found nal and have our life back, but still pissed that I had to stumble across TSM while researching nal. Believe me when I tell you that thposts that I have made are not hyperbole but reality. I will stop my weekly progress reports on this Board but will check in periodically to read posts and give updates. I appreciate all the support and comments that I received on this Board.