I did not get a response to my question about beer drinkers so I experimented on my own. I am sitting in a hotel room in Quito, Ecuador as I write this. Great place but it is also where I almost lost my life to alcohol and did lose about 7-10 friends to booze.

But I have had a few bottles of beer since I arrived and I have noticed that it hardly bothers me or even gives me a buzz, the Nal stopped giving me a buzz also. So I pretty much can report that I can have a beer with friends and on a couple of occasions, two beers and nothing happens. Sometimes I feel a little but mostly not much. I do still like the taste of beer though and especially if it is hot. I walk around the streets here a lot because places I go are close enough to walk to but it does get hot even though we are at 9,000 feet and a beer tastes good but I can have one and leave. Not bad for a guy that used to drink 18 or more hours a day.

See you soon, I am here for about another month.

Great report! Glad it continues to go well. Enjoy Quito.

Glad to hear that, having decided to give TSM a go, it seems to be working out okay for you. First month, of course, so statisticians would say too small a sample, but I call it positive news. Any more effect from alcohol at 9000'? My first several months of TSM was at 7500', and it seemed to me I was getting that "furry forehead" feeling after only a drink or two, but can't say if that was altitude related. Keep on keepin' on.

Well thus far I have limited my intake to beer and wine. In fact I will try my hardest not to tamper with my favorites, scotch, rum and vodka. Always were my downfall because they went down easy.

I have mostly limited my beer drinking to the evening but sometimes at lunch I have a small beer, here they sell a beer named Pilsner and it comes in two sizes, roughly 12 oz. and a bigger 20 oz. I have mostly limited myself to two of the small ones but did take on two of the larger size but did not finish the second. Another thing that i have done is eat something before drinking. I made the mistake of buying a couple of packages of these really good roasted peanuts but the salt made me drink fast so I cut that out.

I had to stop altogether yesterday because I had been having a problem with a tooth, first time since I was 25 and it reached the point that i had to have it pulled and I am on antibiotics because it was absessed and the dentist said not to drink until I finished the four days of pills. I still have not craved a drink like I used to and when I stop for the evening I do so without the slightest desire to stay and drink, also a first for me as I was always almost full in after just one drink. One drink meant 10 in the past.

To answer ellpee, the altitude does not seem to increase the punch either. In fact I am not sure just how much of a buzz if any that I am getting from the small amount that I am drinking.

So that is the update. I will try for a beer on Sunday but it is sort of a tricky thing because this president has shut down the bars on Sunday and restaurants can sort of get around it if you stay inside, can't drink at the outdoor cafe's.

I had to cut my trip to Ecuador short and returned after only two weeks and only accomplished about 3/4 of 1 thing that I went there hoping to complete. But that is a second story.

So I have discovered something very interesting, I think. Since I started this journey back into the world of alcohol intake I have experienced ZERO negative consequences. But I have taken Nal exactly as directed and usually with a little food. Thus far not one episode of craving another drink after I reached my self imposed cutoff. Not once have I fudged or felt the same euphoria that I remember from the past. So far so good.

I do try to analyze the reasons I am being successful but do not obsess on them. I now take for granted that there may be a combination of reasons that I am drinking without consequence. I believe that the Nal is definitely doing its job, I think that changing my environment keeps me from falling over the cliff and finally I believe that the long period of abstinence healed my body and mind and I am almost like a person without a deep rut in his road that allows me to travel down a path of excessive behavior with no brakes.

So today my wife is preparing an Ecuadorian meal that I love and I bought a nice Italian red from the authentic Italian Market. It is a "house wine" imported from Italy and based on my past experiences with Italian house wines they were delicious.

More to come.

Reading back over the last few postings I seem to be in a rut with my comments. By that I mean that I have nothing new and exciting to write about, no new revelations or bits of wisdom to pass on. BUT, the good thing is that my postings remain positive, no negative effects to report.

Most recently I am limiting my drinking to meals only, my trip to Ecuador proved to me that I can go to a bar and have a couple of cold bottles of beer without incident and now I am confident that I can continue to enjoy a nice glass of wine with a good meal or a beer with a hamburger or other meal when wine is not the best drink to accompany the food. I have also taken to drinking a nice glass of Port with a coffee and dessert after my meal. What I have not tried and may not attempt is demon rum or vodka, both were my downfalls in the past. Since I am not trying to push the envelope here I will continue to treat my ability to consume alcohol with some respect for its potentially devastating effect on me.

What I continue to experience is some kind of reaction to the Nal itself, for example this past weekend I became a bit irritable and hot, had to change shirts, and that lasted for some time after lunch and then I felt like I needed a nap. But I do not seem to feel the effects of the alcohol like I used to, no real euphoria or giddiness from the booze.

Well that is it for now, nothing but positive remarks from me regarding my experiences thus far with Nal. I am now calling it the miracle drug and will tell anyone that will listen that it is a savior for alcoholics.

More later.

Thanks for continuing to post. Glad it is all working out. My 2 cents is to stay away from the hard stuff and stick to beer, wine and port. It's a slippery slope.

All the best

Gotthegene, thanks for the comment. I agree that the hard stuff is a dangerous step to take and do not really have the desire to test that water again.

So I continue to have success taking the Nal before having a little wine or beer. But I also seem to continue to experience some Nal side effects, namely a little light headedness and a mildly upset stomach. I have also been taking just a 1/4 of a tablet so I guess that is a good thing. I wonder if taking a larger dose would make me ill although in the past I took a whole tablet and a half tablet and never got sick just a little goofy.

That's all for now.

Hi sailor box, I stumbled upon your post after reading about taking Nal while not drinking. I have started TSM on a number of occasions and usually slip up because I am afraid of A severe hangover. After reading your thread I decided to take a quarter of a pill just to see how it affects me. I am an hour into it and I do have a foggy feeling, but this way I can determine if it is the Nal or the wine that is giving me the hangover. Perhaps if I will be more apt to take the Nal as prescribed if I know it's not going to make me deathly ill. I will continue to follow your post just to see how the Nal affects you and do hope that you can continue with moderation. Keek