Can you clarify harm reduction. Isn't doing the Sinclair method harm reduction in itself?
I will post later with what I plan to do.

Welcome back, wish it were under better circumstances.

The stats are still the same 80% cure rate. I think 50% remain cured at 3 years.

Since you have gone so long without drinking, continue on that successful path, but if you feel you are going to slip, take a pill first. I certainly wouldnt reccomend "drink as you normally would".

Hi there Neptune, sorry to hear about your run ins with the police......be careful man!!! Drinking to the point where you can't control yourself in front of a cop is dangerous business.

If I was you I'd try 75 mg and force myself to take breaks between drinks. Many of us find that the "hesitation" between drinks gives the nal a chance to bring about a loss of desire.

Also, bear in mind that the success rate for people who are compliant is actually higher than 80%. I used to think that 20% simply did not respond to Nal. but apparently that's not the case. Non-compliance accounts for a big part of the 20%. TSM is something you have to do for the rest of your life is you want it to work. Sinclair gave us a way out. the rest is entirely up to us.

One more thing

You're NOT a complete failure.

Many of us posting here have had DUIs, severe car accidents, marriages on the rocks, trust issues with our children family and friends......the list goes on and on. You aren't alone in that. Last spring I woke up in a helicopter over St Louis on the way SLU Medical Center after nearly killing myself wrecking my truck in a collision with a freight train. Hundreds of stitches mostly on my head and face, lacerated spleen, concussion, torn hip cartilage, dislocated shoulder. I was one scary looking mess for a while there, and the bottom line is I'm damn lucky to be putting one foot in front of the other. But the way I see it my troubles have a hidden value in that I find it very VERY east to follow the TSM golden rule.

Is the the golden , take nal one hour before drinking no matter what?

You are right
Right now I am taking naltrexone one hour before i drink, and I feel that is the best decision that I can make at the moment because white knucklin does work but not forever.
I look back and cant believe I stayed sober for 239 days!, that was due to AA, but mainly fear, fear of breaching conditions, but fear only lasts so long,
My big court day on Jan 15th, really scared, but I wish it was tomorrow, I want this over with, Ive been under the thumb of the law since dec 22nd 2013. thats a long time!

hi neptune,

sorry to hear you're having a tough time of it

here's a link to some Harm Reduction techniques:

http://www.hamsnetwork.org/hr/

the general idea is that if you're going to drink, then these are some ways to keep you safe(r), including removing the opportunity/temptation to drive whilst drunk

all the best

-badger

Harm reduction is a general term for arranging our lives such that our addictions do less harm. The good folks at HAMS, to which Badger referred you, have kind of a system (only kind of, it's more like a big pile of tips 'n' tricks and you pick the ones which apply).

DUI is probably the most common thing people want to avoid. A simple example would be a guy who always plans to take a cab home from the bar but always decides that's too much trouble once he's drunk -- this guy shouldn't take his car out drinking in the first place, and then he'll have to either bum a ride or call a cab.

If you woke up facing nine charges, it was probably more than a garden-variety DUI. There's usually one precipitating thing, though, with the rest falling out from that.



Yep, that's the one.




Yes, it is. Do you want to talk about it? Many of us here can empathize with alcohol-related arrests.

For the rest of your life.

Is tiredness a common side effect? Does that go away as the body gets use to the medication?