Hi everyone,
I have been a daily, heavy drinker for 20 years now. My life has gotten worse and worse and I am going through my 4th divorce. I can't live like this anymore. Tried to commit suicide a couple of years ago after a month of abstinence. I was just so miserable life wasn't worth living anymore. But I have to live......I have 3 children, 2 of which are still at home. I have to be around for them and I need to be sober in order to be the mother they need.

I just recently ran across the Sinclair Method while surfing the web looking for help. Is there hope? My psychiatrist ordered a prescription of Nal for me and I pick it up tomorrow. Keeping my fingers crossed. I have tried AA and abstinence to no avail. I think the longest I could abstain was 3 months. Now I have much more severe symptoms when I try to go cold turkey. They sound a lot like some of the side effects people describe with Nal. Nausea, dry-heaves, exhaustion, depression, insomnia.

Any advice for someone just starting TSM?

It doesn't sound like you have anything to lose in trying TSM. Just to reiterate a few points about TSM that are important in your case:
(1) When the problem drinker abstains, they often suffer from the "alcohol deprivation effect" whereby the cravings get worse and worse as time goes by, and the drinker usually returns to alcohol with a vengeance, gaining no ground in the process. For many people, like yourself, abstinence doesn't work.
(2) TSM is a "sane" and "ethical" method of alcohol treatment because it allows you to slowly taper down your drinking so that you don't have to suffer the terrible DTs. So, in your case, it's probably important that you methodically use TSM and methodically reduce your intake until you're at your comfort level (which may be "zero drinks, slight craving").
(3) Physicians often prescribe the on-label use of Naltrexone which is "abstain from alcohol and use Naltrexone to control cravings." Remember, the Sinclair Method argues that such a use of Naltrexone is not shown to reduce alcohol intake in the long run. You need to follow the simple golden rule: Take a Naltrexone + Wait an Hour + Drink Alcohol as Your Normally Would or as you Desire = Cure.

Best wishes to you. Many lives have been destroyed by alcoholism.