"Regained control and cured" are basically the same thing. Some of us don't like the word "cure" for a number of reasons so we substituted "regained control." It basically means we no longer crave alcohol like an alcoholic and are are drinking at healthy levels.

This is a great thread! Thank you for the time and energy you put into gathering all this data. As Nick and others have said, if we knew the age of the members and thier drinking history- how many years drinking, how much, how often (daily V binge) etc... this would also help, but that kind of information would be very difficult to collect on a forum like this as we can't get people to fill in a form, or can we? I wonder too if sex influences the RC (regain control) rate? Are men "cured" faster ? for example....

Thank you!

Curi

As Nick wrote regained control and cured are the same. What that means to each of us is our individual goals for TSM. It might be no binges and less than 21, 14 or 7 drinks per week or even abstinence. For me I wanted to consistently consume less than 21 units per week, to have a couple of AF days per week and to be able to comfortably not drink or moderate as needed. I started to feel this way around 21 weeks but was sure I had regained control by week 33. That extra 3 months of control before I declared was my margin of error. I think it boils down to deciding what you would like life to look like and making that your goal and then going after it. Naltrexone will help reduce your craving enough so your rational brain has a chance to be heard, but you will decide when to be AF, when to say no thanks to another drink and in some cases when to completely walk away from alcohol altogether. Nal-on!

StV and Nick - Thanks for the clarification. I'm glad I saw the topic and everyone's comments, since it certainly puts things in perspective. While I have absolutely no intention of quitting TSM, I have been a bit disappointed that I did not see faster results (although as I mentioned, I certainly feel more in control). It's good to know that there is no reason for me to expect faster results (especially given that I'm 49 and have been drinking for over 30 years!).

Before I started TSM I was essentially in a state of panic - I felt I was going down hill and the problem was accelerating. I no longer feel that may.

I like your comment "Naltrexone will help reduce your craving enough so your rational brain has a chance to be heard" - that's an excellent observation. TSM and Nal aren't magic, at some point you have to say to yourself "why am I drinking this stuff (or so much of it) when I'm not even enjoying it". Nal just makes it easier to say!

Thank you for this! It is so encouraging and helpful. I will show this to my husband to make him better understand the realistic timeframe for TSM to truly make a long standing difference.

Yes, that cured/regained control is much too subjective to use in data, IMHO. E.g., I am close to 100 weeks and 1) drink almost daily; an average number of AF days per week is now below two; think of drinking daily as well BUT 2) I only drink a little over 14 units per week (holds pretty steady between 12 and 16) and that is 6-8 times less than where I was before TSM.

I don't call that cured, without a doubt it is much improved control level but what really matters to me is this: am I the same now as non-alcoholics? No, not even close. For two reasons: 1) I still drink more and more frequently, 2) unlike non-alcoholics, I need a help in a form of a pill.

By some definitions I regained control but by others I merely reduced a dose.

Nutella, I wouldn't be so down on yourself. I'm not sure if you're M or F, but 14 units in the US is considered standard/healthy for men, as far as I've ever heard from doctors. If you're hovering around there, even if you feel like you have to take the nal to accomplish this goal and possibly think a little more about drinking than you'd like...I don't think that makes you an alcoholic. And I don't believe there's this great gulf between drinkers - as though non-alcoholic drinkers NEVER had a problem drinking night, or never used alcohol to cope, or never thought about drinking a little too fervently. It sounds like you're describing some sort of zen-like detachment from material things. I think about food a lot. I not just about nutrients and bare subsistance. I don't have an eating disorder of any sort nor have I ever had. I just enjoy (good) food, that's all. It's possible you just enjoy having a drink or two every day. And if someone tries to take that away, well, that's unpleasant.
Now maybe I'm reading too much into your comment, but I just wanted to be supportive and say that a) your progress is great and b) even if you're not exactly where you'd like, I don't think it sounds like you're exhibiting alcoholic behaviour (from way over here
EL

Nutella, I was glad to see your post. When I was compiling this list I did searches of "cured" and "regained control" to try and get my unscientific "sample" I didn't include you on the list(although I wanted to) because you never really claimed regained control. You hinted at it but never came out and said it. I didn't want the responsibility of deciding who had and hadn't regained control. It's a personal decision. If someone wrote on the board they had regained control I included them. You are a curious case. You had an initial drop and your numbers have stayed low. You don't drink every day, you are close enough to moderate levels that you may extend your life expectancy versus an abstinent version of you. But...you still think about wine...daily. I read recently that men think about sex every day. Based on my experience I would say that is true. I don't have sex every day even though I think about it and would probably like to but society, laws, time management, work and parenting responsibilities interfere with my desire. That said, just because I think about sex every day doesn't make me a sex addict. My rational brain has to manage this primitive brain desire much the way my rational brain keeps me from over-eating. You've set the bar pretty high for yourself if not thinking about AL is integral to your definition of regained control. You may be as cured as you need to be. The enemy of the good is the perfect. Glad to see you posting; I for one have missed your keen-eyed posts and analysis. Nal-on!

This information is soooooooooo helpful for especially the newcomers on this forum.

Let's put this post at the top where I feel it truly belongs.

Nal on,

Ketchikan1

Hi everyone. It felt good to see my "handle" ,BGH, on the cured list - and good to be back after a long time - and my goodness, how great to see so many new people, and to read some success stories - like Andy's - so good!!

I'm still chugging along - having lots and lots of AF days, decide to drink once in a while, never more than my usual two - I really feel it the next day even with only two so never go over that.

Can I just say, though, that in my case I needed to use psychological means to help with my addiction, and lots of prayer, and lots and lots of white knuckles. Naltrexone gave me the breathing space I needed but I was not successful until I realized I could ride out the anxiety I felt. Once I did that I could have many AF days in a row and feel fine. Not using alcohol to help with the anxiety became easier with practice, but I did need to plow through it many times.

So tonight, ribs on the BBQ, film noir on the box, DH and Dog to cuddle with, and two glasses of red. Then back AF for the week. Life is good. I thank God I found Dr. Sinclair and the Sinclair method.