I am in the beginning of the fourth week of TSM.

Sometimes I don't really feel like drinking, but I feel like I need to drink along with my medication to progress the extinction process. Extinction cannot occur with Naltrexone alone, so I need to take my medicine and drink, right? Opinions?

No need to drink more often that you normally would. Just take the Nal before you drink, whenever you do drink. that's all. however I know the feeling of wanting to rush the process along. and if you seem to want to drink more for whatever reason, take the Nal and don't worry about it.

key phrase here "don't worry about it" don't overthink it.

Nal+Al (+patience) = cure. that's TSM. we drunks tend to make mountains out of molehills. I spent 15 years pole vaulting over mouse turds.

I was given this advice in the beginning and wasn't alble to totally chill out, but it helped. hope it helps you.

edit: and you are aware that you don't take Nal on days that you don't drink right? sometimes I take it just in case and don't end up drinking, but I'm 5 months in. but yeah don't feel obligated to take Nal or drink daily

To reinforce what Joe said:

If you don't feel like drinking and have not yet take your Naltrexone, then don't drink and don't take Naltrexone.
If you feel like drinking, then take your Naltrexone and still feel like drinking, drink as you normally would.
If you feel like drinking, then take your Naltrexone and then you don't feel like drinking, don't drink (don't feel forced to drink).

The 3rd one used to happen to me sporadically post-cure. I guess it still does, but I haven't felt like a drink in a month.

Bob

I know exactly what you mean. I have been taking it every day and drinking just to speed up the process. But I had another reason to want the process to go as fast as possible: I've had the DT's before (shaking because I needed a drink) and when I recently got a DUI, I knew I was going to have to do a couple days in jail. I took the Nal+Al every day and when I did 2 days in jail I not only never got the DTs, I never even thought about alcohol (but maybe that's because I was too busy worrying about getting killed) . I asked my doctor for Nal over a year ago but he wouldn't give it to me. I finally discovered how to buy it on-line from India. I was on ~ Day 31 on Memorial Day when I got my DUI. Had my doctor given me Nal when I first asked him for it, quite possibly I would have never got that DUI.

It really makes me angry to hear that there are doctors so shortsighted and ill-informed that they keep people from getting better. Pretty sure they took an oath to do the opposite, but many docs - GPs especially - don't really keep up with newer developments in medicine. Guess it's up to us to get the word out.

" I spent 15 years pole vaulting over mouse turds."

I think that's my favorite thing anyone has ever said.