As a newb to NAL it is not clear to me whether one is supposed to "feel" the effect of the NAL when drinking. I'm going back and re-reading the Eskapa book to see if it is buried in there somewhere. But for now I would like to hear from the experienced TSM'ers. I took 50mg of NAL 1 hour before drinking yesterday and proceeded to "feel" nothing (except high). Furthermore, I proceeded to polish off a whole pint of Yukon Jack and a few beers over 6 hours. It's like the disease came back with a vengeance. I know first hand about the ADE and why I cannot seem to abstain for more than a year. Excepting one 12 year self imposed stretch after my first daughter was born. This was only my first day of using NAL correctly and I understand the cure is progressive but, worry I'm an non-responder because I don't really "feel" affect from the NAL e.g. revulsion, indifference, etc.

Let me know what you think.

Thank You!

Naltrexone by itself shouldn't feel like anything, and naltrexone + drinking just takes the pleasure or high out of drinking. It feels like being impaired but without the euphoria that usually accompanies it. Indifference to alcohol is not immediate upon the ingestion of naltrexone - it comes after the drinking behavior is extinguished (in 1 - 12 months) because there is no reward. That's why TSM can be very frustrating at first. You drink because you want to get high, but drinking on naltrexone doesn't get you high.

It's not that you feel something, but that after drinking on it you don't feel something you usually do when you drink, if that makes sense. Alcohol becomes a mere sedative, which is why TSM doesn't work so well on people who are drinking for the sedating effects of alcohol.

Like I said in your other post, I think that you just drank too fast and managed to bypass the nal or you need a bigger dose. Others here have had the same experience, so hopefully they'll chime in.

Magda,

Thanks for posting.

By too fast do you mean timing of the drinks or before the NAL had time to take effect? I waited exactly one hour after taking the NAL. And I certainly did feel euphoric. Why else would I keep drinking? Like the humorous ad goes, "when your really, really like it you want more!" However, if you mean the speed of drinking then that could have been a factor because I drank 3 1.5 ounce shots just within the first hour and the rest of the pint was history.

Sorry Magda,

I just re-read your other post and now understand what you meant by speed. And yes, all those factors were there e.g. empty stomach, slamming the shots, etc.

Thanks.

I received my first ship of naltrexone yesterday. I took my first pill tonight. I took 50 mg only because I'd forgotten to cut it back to 25 mg for the first few doses. I waited more than 1.5 hours after taking naltrexone to drink. I really haven't noticed a huge difference. As I type this, I am on my fifth glass of wine in three hours. I definitely feel like I've got a buzz going, but I'm not feeling the wonderful, "anything's possible" vibe I usually get from wine, and I feel really lucid. Normally, at this point, I'd continue to drink a few more glasses. Tonight, however, I feel like I'm done. In fact, I could have been done with my last glass. I feel very much in control, which is a welcome change. Anyway, that's the effect it has had one me. Good luck to you!

I am a 'fast responder' I think. I took 25mg my first time and felt nausea at first, then the beer tasted stronger some how. I drank much less than usual. A couple times, I've drank more than 3-4. But it seems to work for me. For others on here, they didn't have the same reaction as me, but over time, their units reduced. It just took time. Keep track of your drinks! Hopefully, over a matter of weeks (try at least 12 weeks), you'll see a reduction.

What I initially noticed was the lack of ability to taste the beer. Somehow it has never been the same since my first day on TSM. I'm not sure if I was able or am able to differentiate all the different emotions alcohol produces. Let alone introduce nal and contribute that emotion or that result to it. I mean, was it the euphoria that got me to initially start drinking? Or was it just a bad habit I and all my friends developed as we grew up? Was the euphoria no longer there with nal? I couldn't tell, I just knew something was different and trusted the protocol. What I did notice and became evident as I practiced TSM .....was a state of a little more awareness. I coined it "mindfulness" at the time. But to put it in context, I was still drinking to get drunk. I was doing stupid stuff, partying and having an intoxicated version of living life and having fun. Its a very subjective experience and hard for me to explain. All I know is it gave me back my life. As it probably will with you if you follow it to completion. It's obvious you started from a conclusion at your last drinking session. Green light to wasted as fast as you could. I'm just like you bro sometimes. So my words of advice, slow it down, pay attention to how the alcohol taste, how you feel during the drinking session and what are you looking for when you drink? The nal will do the rest bro. You are closer then you could possible imagine to a completely different relationship with alcohol. One where you will be the master. Effects of nal in the beginning for me..a little tired during the day, slight nausea, joint uneasiness. They all left with time. Good luck

Excellent post and enlightened words of wisdom. Thank you for those. Slowing it down was definitely in my next plan and noticing subtle changes. This, based on what Magda had said to me and now you. I think in my exuberance to start NAL I was of the "go hog wild mindset" and had I slowed down long enough to really notice what was happening I indeed may have noticed a very subtle difference in the taste/response. I went for a run today and am feeling a little better albeit food still seems like a foreign substance. Suffice it to say I will be AF for a few days at least. Thanks!

Day 1 - 20 drinks
Day 2 - AF
Day 3 - AF

Interestingly, the self fulfilling prophecy angle just occurred to me. Belief can be a very powerful component (my 12 straight years of abstinence for my kids) and thanks to Plantpr0 you helped me see this. I'm already going into this wanting accept the null hypothesis i.e. NAL doesn't work. Which is certainly doomed to failure and you have helped me see a shred of hope. The scientist in us all wants evidence and forgets to noticed what we're creating in the first place. We don't need evidence, we just need the right beliefs and agreements. Thank you!

Its harder to notice the absence of a feeling.

I didnt notice the lack of a buzz the first time, but when i took only 25mg the second time, i immediately noticed the feeling of the buzz. Since I had experienced drinking on the full dose, then the half dose, the difference was obvious. I also felt tricked - the buzz was the only thing keeping me hooked in? WTF?!

Keep on and have faith in the science.