I am new to this as well and have been taking the nal for 1 week, not drinking for 2 weeks. I'm wondering if I should just start drinking even though I don't feel the need to. Maybe I'm experiencing the so called "honeymoon" period. I'm having fairly bad Side Effects though. I know that what I'm currently doing isn't TSM and supposedly counter-productive but just hoping for a reply from someone who has had similiar experiences.

Hi dmgin and welcome.

You have made it to the TSM board. TSM is method in which we only take nal atleast an hour before we drink. The Nal blocks the over endorphin rush we alcoholics get when drinking alcohol that reinforces our behavior so much. This non reinforcement essentially gets us to the point where we can take or leave alcohol under our terms. For me it has taken away any cravings I have for it, and it has given me alot more control over the amount I choose to consume when I do drink. (Im leaving alot out, but thats it in a nutshell)

Here's the thing, when on Nal, your blocking any and all endorphins from any activity, you could find yourself losing interest in healthy activities. Just my opinion, but I wouldn't want to be on Nal consistantly. If you plan on following TSM, then this is the place. However I would be interested to see if when you went off the Nal your cravings came back. By no means would I ever tell someone who has been comfortably sober to start drinking again.

The only advice I could safely give is, get the book, read it, read this forum and then decide your next move.

All the best,

hap

Read these excerpts from the book here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6

Hi dmging,

I got your PM -- Welcome to the TSM Forum.

As you saw I had posted sort of a similar question earlier in the week after my first night of Wednesday Apr 6th of which I took my first Nal dosage and was very sick on Thursday Apr 7th as it was maybe my first day afterwards....
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2290

At the time I had not received the book as yet either; and while I had been an idiot at first and taken the full 50mg Nal right on the first night, thanks to a lot of assurances from this board, I did get myself used to it somehow in only a couple of days... and I kind of "titrated" down (and I hate to say this word because this is more of an "Ameisen" Baclofen term) and ONLY took 12.5 mg the very next "crazy/paranoid" day which was thursday or perhaps I should say 'thurs'night in the PM because technically it was the same 24 hour period.
On Friday night *before drinking* I took 12.5 mg at first, but then I took another 12.5 before going to bed because I was fairly determined to get used to it.
On Saturday I took about 25mg at first and then I took another 12.5mg before going to bed... totalling I guess about 37.5mg.
On Sunday Evening I popped the whole 50 mg all at the same time (because it was so damn time to get used to it all ), and went Grocery Shopping. .... All was good. I didn't even FEEL it!
I have to tell you and concur that the first couple of days were indeed horrific! Paranoia ensued like nothing I have ever felt post-hangover or anything else of the sort. I didn't even want to answer the phone haha... I was chained to my couch for two days. I tried to hydrate myself though.. and someone suggested that I take a lot of deep breaths -- while this may sound funny, it really did help me -- especially lying in bed when I couldn't get it together because of some sudden unfound morbid fear -- I was kind of hallucinating and felt like I was about to evaporate and I just opened my mouth and kept breathing deep into my stomach... my plan was to just keep making it through it till the next morning and I did make it through thankfully -- it was tough though and I won't lie... but the good news is if you dosage yourself up and down as needed hopefully you will make it -- after years of different dosages of alcohol this can't be so hard right

I strongly suggest you read the book "The Cure for Alcoholism" by Dr. Roy Eskapa -- mine had finally arrived on my doorstep after I showered, shaved, and dragged myself out of my place to go to the gym on Friday night after two days fighting tolerance, demons and god knows what. I took it with me to do Cardio that night because that was all the time that had left to do anything till the Gym closed at Midnight. Once I started reading it I was so inspired and rolling like you wouldn't believe. It was so true -- everything made so much sense from a scientific point of view.
I really do believe that if you are going to take Naltrexone, please drink a little now and then and once you read the book you will understand why perhaps its better to try to keep abstaining (if that's what you want) than take Nal and NOT drink. Although I understand if you can't drink because of work or something, in which case you gotta figure something else out to "train" your brain. Out brain's electronic pathways have been built through years of conditioning and learned behavior and it is not something you can change overnight. But remember Naltrexone is NOT A CHEMICAL TOOL to CURB YOUR CRAVINGS -- there are other things for that -- this is an opioid antagonist which is used to ... well, now I'm really getting way much too out of our way .. read the book, and google, and you shall understand

Hope I helped some at least.

All the best.