I am, sorry was, probably at the lower range of alcoholic, very functional almost never getting "fall down" drunk. Yet, not being able to stop drinking several times per week no matter how hard I tried, AND, once I had one or two unable to stop until about five to seven.

I felt like I could do so much better in life, constantly sabotaging my exercise and nutrition plan, waking up feeling groggy most days of the week, just not ever feeling on top of it. I noticed that it had been getting increasingly harder to control. When I was able to muster a week of no drinks then I would usually go overboard and the cycle would start again but worse. It was scaring me to the point that I made a deal with myself that if I absolutely could not get a grip I was going to break down and go the AA route as bad I didn't want to. I have absolutely nothing against it, and I've seen it do great things for some; I just personally did not identify with nor want to be 'one of those guys'. I just didn't want to be identified with a label- "he's a recovering alcoholic"...ug. Again, I was going in the direction that that would have been worth the stigma to be able to stop....I Googled like crazy to see if there was just anything else out there...somehow, I came across Sinclair. I think it was that Babylon actress' story. I immediately downloaded the book on Amazon and read it. It made so much sense I could not believe it would be that easy, made a doctors appointment the minute I finished it. Here I am 10 weeks later in complete and total control....it is absolutely unbelievable. I can't vouch for others or hardcore alcoholics, but I can say it unequivocally worked for me. There is just no way this is some kind of placebo effect- I just lost my taste for it...you can feel the difference when you drink.

I do not claim to have the answers. Alcoholism may indeed be a spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental disease for some. I can't speak for all cases and others may be different. I was not yelling at my kids, driving drunk, missing work, etc. etc. so my testimonial may not be apropos to all seeking help. But this experience has led me to lean much more than ever that, at least for me, it is at least simply 90%-100% a chemical problem. At the very least, I highly, highly recommend and encourage you if you are reading this to immediately get the book (what, $12 or so?) and read it, it could be the start of a new life for you. The fact that no one is hard selling it, the patent has expired so no one can make a big profit, and the fact that it doesn't take counseling, boarding, or anything else that can cost money I feel is the reason you've heard very little about such a life changing treatment. More people NEED to know about this.

In one week on Nal it started to feel different. That euphoric buzz did not seem to be there and drinking did not have the same payoff. Logic would dictate that the craving would cause you to dump the pill if it's truly an addiction, but it's not like that. Although I sometimes miss that euphoria, it put rational decision making back in my court. 'Missing' is different than 'must have'. Compared to the benefits of feeling clear, I'm dropping weight, no hangovers..I don't miss it that bad! My old self would not have been able to make the rational decision that was best for me. And frankly, not even really missing it anymore come to think about it...just sort of forgetting about it altogether.

I literally have total control over drinking. I had a beer in the fridge for 2 weeks sitting there. Last night I had it with burger because it sounded good. If I want to "cut loose", I'll have about 3 drinks and then stop, and usually over 3+ hours...so I can still join in without feeling weird, and then stop. I will probably not continue to post on this site unless I have some kind of relapse (highly doubtful) or anything significant to report. I just stopped tracking my drinking habits, it is just so under control and I have so little taste for the stuff now it just seems pointless...I felt it my duty to report my experience...TRY IT, AND FOLLOW THE DAMN DIRECTIONS IN THE BOOK COULD NOT BE EASIER...God bless.

chaar -- congratulations. Your experience sounds nearly identical to mine, so I know exactly how you feel. The confidence in your "voice" is palpable...what we're experiencing leaves little room for doubt. It's that profound and real.

I think one of the insights you have that's so important is that, for many or most drinkers, alcohol addiction is not a "spiritual, emotional" disease. I think the rehab industry gives WAY too much credit to alcoholism. They almost elevate it to the point of a Sacrament. When it works, the Sinclair Method demonstrates that, indeed, this is a pretty wimpy addiction when Naltrexone enters the picture. Critics of TSM will say things like, "Well, chaar may have stopped drinking, but until he deals with his spiritual problems, he's just going to be a dry drunk, blah blah." Do you feel like a dry drunk? Are you going around grumpy, lashing out at your loved ones because, deep inside, you're craving alcohol? Of course not. Like me, you're probably walking around smiling all day, feeling about as good as you've ever felt. Besides, if you want a debatable, esoteric concept, "spiritual" is probably tops on the list. It's not clear exactly what that means, and I've been pursuing such things my whole life.

They also will say, "Well, if chaar had a so-called 'cure,' then he wasn't really an alcoholic, just a heavy drinker. There is no cure for real alcoholism!" Again, very debatable. I assure you that, had you showed up with your insurance card at a $30,000 rehab, they most certainly wouldn't have turned you away after you told your story. They would label you an alcoholic and start the whole process. Remember, there's no such "thing" as an alcoholic. This is just a term we humans apply to a phenomena, and it is truly a loaded word. There is wide variation in all manner of attributes of drinkers -- some are selfish SOBs, some are dysfunctional in their lives, some are kinder than others, some have diagnosable mental illnesses, etc... So, I try to steer clear altogether from the term if possible. Still, this argument, which I've seen multiple times, is very tautological / circular. If you're cured, you never were an alcoholic, because there is no cure for alcoholism!

Anyway, the best to you and your fitness goals (fortunately, I never gained a single pound in the past 25 years -- always 155; go ahead and be a hater). I, too, have four kids and can tell you I feel like a much, much better dad over these past 3 months. I was pretty irresponsible and negligent there for awhile. I've just moved on with it and put it behind me. May peace remain with you.

Great post, thank you. So anyone reading this don't wait. barryb2 nor I have anything to gain sharing except knowing that others like us can get massive help - without admitting to being "powerless".

Hi Chaar .. this is a great post .. well done and delighted for you!! Its inspirational an huge help for those at the beginning of our journeys to read of success and I identify and agree with what you write about how you felt befor discovering TSM. I too felt like I was getting pretty desperate about being unable to "cut down" although most people see me as just happy go lucky Lorraine who likes a few drinks .. little did they know!!

You're so right - more people need to know about this .. especially in the UK where I think its even less well known.

Good luck with your future and great to hear how you got on

Lorraine

Chaar, Thank you so very much for this post, especially the hi lighted FOLLOW THE DAM DIRECTIONS in the book. I need to have this tattooed on my forearm.. It is so encouraging to read about successes and to know that if one follows the golden rule then successes are possible... Again, thank you,

I'm happy to read these posts, but sometimes I question their validity. But one of the merits of this program is that no one is selling a 30K a month solution. So it gives me hope.

William,
Good point -- there is actually nobody that makes much $$$ at all from this, except maybe the clinic in Florida where you can get controlled TSM therapy and counseling. Keep in mind, though, that the success stories like this seem more rare on this particular website. Also, keep in mind that Naltrexone itself is a very effective, well-studied drug that does it's job with near 100% efficiency. It's not like a vitamin or herb that supposedly does something.

I may not have written my story in this particular section as a separate thread but my life was transformed by TSM and I'm 2 years down the line now. I can drink if I want to, hell I can get drunk if I want to, most of the time I don't want to(drink alcohol of be drunk). I have done a lot of therapy and counselling alongside TSM, but without TSM I couldn't have got the emotional and physical space to do that. I think TSM gives you the ability to learn to live without booze and the drive to drink. Abstenance and 12 Step was only ever a battle for me.

Congratulations Chaar!

Chaar,

Congratulations, and thank you for sharing your story! You shouldn't apologize for not being an "advanced" alcoholic at the time you began TSM. I feel like no matter where you start on the spectrum of alcoholism, there's hope for recovery through TSM, and for me, it was great to hear that someone who sounds very much like me in her drinking habits has been cured. I am the same as you as far as not getting DUIs, losing my job, losing control as a parent, but I am also like you as far as realizing that I don't have control over my drinking.

I wonder if the length of time it takes for your brain to be rewired is in proportion the intensity and length of time of your problem drinking? If so, maybe it would explain why you feel completely different after just 10 weeks. Selfishly, that gives me hope that maybe it won't take me the year to 18 months that it seems to take some people. I will stick with it that long if I have to, but of course I would prefer a shorter road.

My question for you: Did you have any points along the way where you were worried about your progress? Any setbacks?

Hope you're enjoying your new life!

Valentine

Chaar,

I just found my way over to this site by way of mywayout.org. This post was the first post I pulled up to read, and my situation sounds *identical* to yours. So I, too, say "excellent post!" and congratulations.

I am on day 11 of TSM -- so far no changes for me, but reading this post has me very excited and hopeful.

Superbinger