What a moving and inspirational story. In addition, you've been helping others on this site, like me. I hope to do the same sometime soon. Thanks.

Hi Melissa, great story, Question? Did you have any SE from the Nal? I asked this because, as you have probably read, I have had trouble complying and I think part of it is the fear of the side effects. I tried it w/o the Alcohol and was fine, but as soon as I drank on it, it gave me horrible hang overs. Would you recommend trying not to drink on it? Or is that defeating the extinction process. Thanks for the encouraging story. Keek

Melissa has an awesome story, I have a story also, but not nearly as dramatic as that.

If you follow the naltrexone strategy, and actually take it an hour before, possibly keeping extra small pill bottles around your car, purse, workplace etc., it will work.

That great initial buzz that makes you want to keep drinking is blunted, and if you pause a bit, you simply are going to go much beyond that if you have a little patience. It wasn't hard to drink through the naltrexone if I drank fast enough, but what was I accomplishing doing that?

All I can tell you is, it took me over six months to really get things under control, but when I did, it was phenomenal.

There's a site called moderation management where people post about this sort of stuff as well, and there's some interesting ideas there, and some pretty sharp people who give you some great insights as well.

It's really neat to see people post about successes, and it's clear to me that few of them are likely to ever go back to that kind of drinking. I know I won't.

Read the cure for alcoholism by a Eskapa or the Sinclair method book in order to really understand it, it can't really be explained well in a few paragraphs.

No, I was lucky that way.



If you have terrible side effects, the guy you want is probably sideeffect2. He might be out enjoying the warm weather, but I'm sure he'll swing by soon enough.



That sounds more like a nal-over than a side effect per se. Many of us experience worse hangovers with naltrexone. We don't know why, though there are some theories.



Yes, you need to drink. You don't need to force yourself to drink every single time, if you take nal and genuinely change your mind, but you need to drink on nal in order for extinction to happen.

Try reading this:

http://naltrexonekey.blogspot.com/2014/ ... cohol.html

That should clear it up.

Thanks G & M, I do have the book, but I prefer hearing from the "trenches". Keek

Hey Melissa, are you an administrator for TSM?

Kek, knowing how well the NAL works, I wouldn't even think of going to baclofen or any other medication.

There's no way on earth I would even consider an abtinence 12-step program, because the end result of this is to feel just feel free of addiction, and in control.

Over time, I just simply lost the interest in drinking any more than one or two at a sitting, because the reward just wasn't there. Not that it is effortless, became easier and easier as time went on.

Perhaps most of all, if you're not going to get a great reward out of drinking, that is of course, before you go over the edge into oblivion, you just don't want to do it.

That's me talking to you from the trenches.

Yes. Do you have an admin need? If so, you can use the "report post" features or PM for help.

If this is the same thing you mentioned before, it's not any less work for me than it would be for you. If you really want it done, it's just a slog of doing it.

Hi. My side effects were pretty bad right after taking a pill, moderate the next day. In my opinion (as there are no studies to back this up) side effects can quicken extinction if and only if you accept that nal and the side effects are the new normal of drinking for you. I had a mourning period as this was sad for me. I believed the hype that i could become "a normal drinker", but the price of nal was too high. Now I dont drink at all.

Its very easy to allow the side effects to become an excuse to drink without nal. Compliance is key to tsm, without compliance you are doomed to fail.

I wish I could describe the process of accepting my fate, nal was just an amazing opportunity, a golden gift that I should not squander, even though it was not the way i would have chosen or was led to believe by the marketing. My knowledge of opererant conditioning (thank you psy101) kept me strong, if i stuck with nal it would work.

If you want to compare notes, one of my first posts here describes my experience of going through (surprise!) opiod withdrawal while driving.

Thanks, I'm still listening.....and I believe I have the resolve to take the pill beforehand..Melissa, how did you become an administrator?