Early onset alcoholism can take a different path, via the GABA receptors rather than the opioid receptors.

It might also be a good idea to get your testosterone levels checked by a MD as hormone levels can have an impact on drinking too, as well as aggressive behavior. Hormones in general can have an impact and it might be about absolute levels or about ratios. Women have noticed that when their progesterone levels are increased, it has a big impact on their drinking. Progesterone has a GABA-like effect on the brain.

What did you notice about your drinking and things in general when you started the testosterone building herbs?

Gabapentin can be a good addition to Naltrexone, can lower anxiety levels and is an alcoholism med itself. You might want to get a copy of A Prescription for Alcoholics:

https://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Alc ... bc?ie=UTF8

Linda goes over a number of drugs for alcoholism and the research behind them.

L-theanine is a GABA boosting amino acid that crosses the blood / brain barrier and can help with anxiety. When it works, it works well.

Can you buddy up with someone on your next drinking session? Someone who maintains ok and can help you walk away from drinking for the night after (for instance) 3 or 4 drinks? One thing that seems to be a problem for bingers is finding that control that comes from the prefrontal area (which gets numbed by booze). Engaging that prefrontal area would be doing things like mindful drinking, stopping between drinks and noticing how you're feeling and how you would feel about stopping after 2 drinks, writing that down, repeat that for the 3rd drink, etc. Plan something else to do after a few drinks and notice how you feel, but get away from the booze for a few hours and watch for your brain to tell you it's had enough for the night. If it's something you can't manage yourself, get a buddy to help you out. Two important things here: Throwing a hard interrupt into your routine and noticing how you're feeling (that will tell you something about what your brain is doing).

Benzos may cause problems for TSM, but it seems you're using them so little that it's not likely an issue.

Why it does, I don't know, but some people have gotten a big shift in their relationship with alcohol by reading This Naked Mind. Wolfie here really liked it, so did Smootie. Never read it myself.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f56dg880pmxun ... e.pdf?dl=0

You can skip the prompt to create an account then use the download link to download it to your desktop or documents folder. It's also available on Amazon if you prefer something you can hold in your hand.

What say you?

How goes it, LastResort?