I got a message from LoOp suggesting I check in, thank you. I have been meaning to.

So here's the deal: After being on the naltrexone for one full month I had only been intoxicated 1 time and that was deliberate. Since starting the the nal, everything has changed for me. I finally understand the phrase, "a new lease on life." I have been nothing short of amazed. I hope this doesn't come across as banal given my lack of participation on the site, I've just been so consumed by, well, life - and it has been very good.

I'm currently drinking like a perfectly normal person. I have 1 during a brunch or breakfast, and 2 -4 over the course of an evening. I do not drink everyday. In fact I might drink 3 nights a week if that. During the first month I drank every night, but that was because I felt that I had to in order to reach extinction. In the past couple of weeks, there have been occasions when I've taken the nal and just didnt' feel like drinking.

If I have more than 2 drinks during a meal/evening I definitely feel a bit hungover the next morning. Isn't that crazy?! At this point, I can't believe I used to drink 12 - 20 drinks in a night, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT! 2 drinks and I get an upset stomach. I'm shaking my head in utter amazement.

I have been telling a number of my doctor/pharmacist friends about this and they all nod, "The alcohol is the bell!!" The Pavlovian bell that is.

Here's the best part of all for me: I am not afraid of spending my life slowly dying an alcoholic death. My father died an alcoholic death, and I've been in the hospital a number of times due to accidents, over doses, and other such events. I don't think that will ever happen again. In addition, my mind is sharper, my weight is down, my family life is stable, predictable, and loving. I have not embarrassed myself or my loved ones. I make my bed in the mornings, do my dishes, have taken years of unneeded items to Goodwill, keep up with personal hygiene, bought new clothes, I could go on and on. Life is completely different. I had no idea it could be like this AND I could keep drinking. It's just incredible.

I never upped from the 25mg, didn't feel like I needed to. I take it in the late afternoon and it covers me through the next morning (I do a lot of brunches). I have no lingering side effects from the treatment.

What is completely baffling is the fact that this treatment isn't more widespread.

Thank you for maintaining this site and giving me the opportunity to share. I will continue to spread the word with my doc friends, I have a lot of them. Thank you, thank you, so much, Dr. Sinclair. I'm so pleased to finally have a life I feel is really and truly my own.

I knew there were some of you out there!!!! I'm soooo happy for you! Thanks for coming back and sharing!

Wow, talk about cured. This is fabulous, now why not me?

Hi Alfie - I don't mean to sound anyway judgemental (God knows I'm in position to be judgemental! ), but all 'perfectly normal' people I know don't drink alcohol with breakfast. Did I misunderstand you, or is that some kind of type?

Thanks for coming back and sharing that because it's such an encouragement to us. aLifetime can you answer his question about drinking at bruch? If someone said to you you can never have another drink could you say ok? My goal is abstinence so I really need to know.

It's not great to drink in the mornings as an everyday thing, but plenty of people have a mimosa or bloody mary as a breakfast drink on the weekends. If it's doing a shot as an eye-opener before work or something, that's probably not so good.

Welcome and thank you for the story. Unless I missed it somewhere, it would be very helpful to others if you could describe yourself a bit more: your age and how long you've been drinking heavily, for example. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!

Nick

the person didn't say they woke up and drank every day. and they said they drink maybe 3 days a week tops. so a champagne brunch is fine. it was mentioned that this person does a lot of brunches. cheers to that. if i drank at brunch without TSM, I would keep going all day and it used to get ugly on those days i did do brunch