OK, i have been using the sinclair method for nearly a week...

I have had immediate results, everything from drinks seeming "strange" and definitely no compulsive uncontrollable cravings (the first 2 nights i had an obsession about where i would get more but i think that was habitual), im down from the kind of drinker who would drink maybe 8 drinks a couple of times then bang - be on a bender for a week drinking litres of rum and litres upon litres of cider 24/7 morning noon and night for a week or so, to someone who went from 6 on the first night with the obsession, 9 on the second night with the obsession, down to 6 but ended up feeling like i was forcing myself to finish all 6 and fighting through tiredness to do so (again it felt like a habbit definitely no craving or real reward from drinking at all), pouring the 6th drink out!

to today - buying 5 drinks early in the day to see if i could finish the 5 and be settled the rest of the day but in reality what happened was drinking one and a half, throwing the other half drink out (MIRACLE), then about 4 hours later getting food and when going to the fridge subconciously lifting a bottle of fizzy soft drink rather than one of the cans there and thinking "huh?" lol... im drinking at such a slow pace its unbelivable, no cravings, no morning drinks, no benders, tonight im completely comfortable knowing that there is only one can left in the fridge out of 5 cans (which was nothing to me before and would be gone in about 2 hours), and know if i really wanted to i could go to bed and leave the final can in the fridge, but will probably drink it out of habbit...

so in the space of a week since not being on naltrexone my last alcoholic spree being absolutely unbelievable, going down to 6 drinks, no morning drink, 9 drinks, no morning drink, 5 drinks, and now 4 altho there is one more in the fridge but with absolutely NO craving or no worry about whats gonna happen when it runs out (in fact the beer is starting to smell and taste disgusting at times)...

This, to me, is a miracle... but what im concerned about is that people say there is a honey moon period and then it can go off again. i NEVER EVER in my life want to go through an alcoholic bender again, i feel in control at the minute, yes the compulsion to buy is there but the amount im consuming going down and non existence of craving when drinking and no worrying when its run out is such an improvement i cant even explain it, but i am not prepared to ever go through an alcoholic binge again...

my main goal through this is to loose desire and interest in alcohol completely, obviously i know that will mean finding new methods or hobbies to replace my drinking time, but since im seeing such drastic results so soon, im worried that it could all kick off before ive worked down from 5, to 4, to 3... or even 1.. because i did find that after 1 and a half drinks earlier i didnt even want to finish the second and threw it out, so its becoming more and more a possibility of cutting down and down and down to nil on the naltrexone but im worried - does it get worse again? or will i be able to use this method to get down to abstinence quickly knowing that if i have a week or so sober and then a craving kicks in and i take a nal before drinking it will be controlled like this or have people experienced taking a nal an hour before hand and a full blown bender happening again? That, i would not be happy with

Zany --

Welcome to the board! I hope TSM works for you. It's a good early sign that you are seeing a change in your behavior. Stay with it.

There is no guarantee that you won't see your drinking levels go back up. Some people report a steady decline from the very beginning. Many other ride a roller coaster. There's just no way to predict. But the honeymoon period seems to be a common experience.

Most agree this process requires a LOT of patience. Which is hard because so many of us are desperate to get the beast off our backs.

Two friendly suggestions for getting the most out of this forum:

-- Start one "progress" thread and do most of your posting there. Not only will it give you a centralized record of your experience and the answers to your questions, it will likely be easier for the rest of us to follow your story and help with your concerns than if you start a bunch of separate threads.

-- Read deeply in other threads. The Q/A section is good. It's also very helpful to look at the stories of long-timers who made it to the finish line (the "cured" list) and find those who did not fare as well. There are so many types of TSMers and many drinking backgrounds/profiles; it helps to seek out stories that are similar to your own history.

Best wishes!

Hey Zany

Your early experience with NAL and TSM is a very good sign.

Yes, alot of patience is required, because your drinking will likely spike back up to pre-tsm levels over the next few weeks. Remember to track your units. This is very important.

I would recommend staying away from hard alcohol if you can. Try to drink things that you can stand drinking, but are lower in AL content. NAL + AL tends to make most people sleepy and you will tend to drink less. If you lay into the hard AL, you will drink right through the sleepies and get drunk.

Good luck Zany and keep posting. Glad you are here!

Q

Thanks guys...

As mentioned before my goal out of this is not controlled drinking but complete abstinence...

I can say officially that even after 6 days the drink just isn't doing what its supposed to do any more... which is a great great thing... im sitting mulling over things in my head, but one major thing has happened, a feeling of "theres no point in drinking"... thats not to say that the impulse wont get the better of me at times to buy it and drink out of habbit but i will be sure to stick to the naltrexone. I am also staying away from hard alcohol, for an alcoholic i never even enjoyed being drunk.

What ive noticed is that i was definitely abusing alcohol on a 2 fold level - an addiction, yet now that ive reached the "theres no point" and been left with a NOTHING from the alcohol, its made me realise i was using alcohol to medicate how i really feel inside... This is the bit i dont know what to do about. In the end i was only ever drinking in the house and never in bars, parties or any social events, the social life was ruined with alcoholic drinking.

I generally use it to combat lonliness, boredom and have issues with anxiety & confidence and can get obsessed over certain situations that i want to happen for example, as if im never just content or happy in my own company and want to be with people or doing something fun (non alcohol related). This is quite personal but since no-one knows who i am here im comfortable to post it... i was adopted as a child and brought into a disfunctional family where physical but mostly verbal abuse was present from a young age, parents separated, was the "only" child but there was never any love in that house...

I had a girlfriend but by that stage my alcoholism had reached rediculous levels and all i ever wanted to do was drink , i was also starting to loose complete control and drinking hard alcohol, and getting very aggressive (never physically but verbally, jsut the same as happened to me as a child) and ruined that relationship...

Id moved in with my mother (adopted) when my mother and father split, but especially after ruining the relationship with the girlfriend, my alcoholism grew worse and worse to the point i was thrown out of the house, was in trouble with the law and eventually lived in a homeless hostel for a few months.. Im now living on my own, and my mother and i do have alot better relationship now and we see each other a few times a week when she comes down... Although my social life is non-existent now ... lonleyness is such a major factor in this. This could obviously come from much deeper rooted issues but i just have such a desire for a normal relationship so that im not sitting on my own all the time not knowing what to do and going mad when all my friends are at the bar, yet i dont know what to do about it - i dont know where to go or anything because i dont know anybody who wants to do anything except party and drink.

Alot of this has evened out now, my desire for alcohol after naltrexone is practically down to nil, this is through alot of determination and pre-contemplation even before naltrexone though and years of trying and failing but naltrexone has really been the final bullet i think to lead me to have the most pointless drink ever tonight... it did not kill the pain, i couldnt be bothered with it, and i dont feel any desire or craving for any more what so ever, after 5 cans, thats a miracle in itself... but beating alcoholism to the point of abstinence is going to be alot more than that for me...

I need to address my issues inside, i need to know how to pluck up the courage to ask out a girl i fancy for a coffee without feeling so lacking in self confidence that i dont even try, or the fear beacause im not living under a crutch of alcohol for confidence, and i only have 2 more chances to do that before il probably never see her again... There is probably a fear of rejection there too that comes from all of the above mentioned but mostly its a fear of even being able to ask in the first place. Any time ive ever done anything, its been glass or bottle in hand in a bar or a party. This is all a nightmare - but one things for sure on naltrexone, the alcohol just isnt doing its job any more. that im greatful for, but if anyone has any advice on life after alcohol or beating the deeper feelings that ive only now really come to the realisation i was using it for in the first place id really appreciate that, because not only do i want to be alcohol free, i want a normal good life where i can get a partner, go out for meals, coffee, normal things, travel, good career, a good life.. all the things i never had any experience in doing because i was always pissed since the day i started drinking and around bars, clubs, parties and alcohol even at home. I just dont know where to start, how am i supposed to go out and meet new people when every single person i know is out socialising in the environments i have no interest in any more - and that is all they EVER want to be doing, and because its all ive ever known, i dont have the confidence to go it alone or sometimes even any ideas what else to be doing with my spare time. Im also not working at the minute as a job was lost through drinking but i am a student and my course starts again in september, which is 2 nights a week - that will be something but what i crave the most is to fill this void of lonliness when im by myself. That was the job of the demon i now realise.

This might sound pathetic but its my story, and the honest feelings of a 25 year old alcoholic guy wanting out of the rabbit hole. The drink isnt really the big problem here, thats what im starting to see. I just want to feel content and happy - alcohol was my addiction and my crutch but the love affair is over and now its just a void and generally feeling lonely and down mulling things over in my head and no idea what to be doing with myself.

Zany,

Abstinence is a very good goal and one that is entirely within your grasp.

Prior to my backslide, I was abstinent for many months. Looking back on it now, I can't believe how much better I felt and how much less time I wasted being hung over. I look forward to reaching this point again.

Q

First step on your way to abstainence is killing the cravings, TSM will do this which will enable you to then make the move onto not drinking any alcohol at all. My goal was to be alcohol free, I've not acheived that however I maybe drink only 1 or 2 days a week, and out of those occasions only get drunk probably once or twice a month. I never drink to the same level pre tsm and never drink the following morning - I have gone out for lunch/early afternoon and had a drink after drinking the previous night, but that was planned and only because I had two social events lined up one after the other. I didn't drink right through from one to the other.

Hi Zany - welcome to the forum, and thank you for these detailed, honest posts.

One thing that I think you need to keep in mind is that you are so young. You have PLENTY of life ahead of you to get your boozing figured out, find a nice girl and have the good life that you crave. My advice would be to take it one step at a time, and not dwell on all of the existential stuff right now - it can be overwhelming (I've been there), and TSM can be mentally/emotionally/physically exhausting on its own.

It sounds like the honeymoon is going swimmingly, so continue to focus on that for now. As you progress, you'll notice that the other areas of your life will be easier to address once the alcoholic fog begins to clear, little by little.

Best of luck to you - I hope you stick around.

-H

Thanks for the replies guys. It feels so good to be able to share honestly without the AA mentality because i KNOW nal is working... i KNOW... they all insist its a load of sh1t and theres no such thing and read the doctors opinion thats what youve got (which was written in 1934 and probably true, although there is now a medication that BLOCKS the reward or "allergy" as they call it, and thereby eventually extinguishing the "mental obsession" aswell)...

Its been such a sunny day here and thats such a trigger for me to normally drink.. i bought four cans this time, four... we are now talking about the uncontrollable urge 2 weeks ago of buying 3 litres of cider and 4 pints of beer hoping its going to "be enough".. to buying four and being completely comfortable with that...

So sunny day, took my first half pint of beer and its just - nothing. All thats there from the half pint of beer is the taste, which is even starting to really not appeal to myself.. normally a half pint of beer is so unbelievably uncontrollably amazing that i would down the rest and be back for more within 10 minutes but its just, well, ugh..

The alcoholic fog has definitely lifted, my head is clearer, i feel better, im waking up in mornings after drinking without the desire to drink (after 9 cans on nal i was waking up with a hangover but even 9 cans wouldnt have normally been enough to "wet my whistle")... now im down to buying and not even drinking enough, and also drinking at such a slow pace that i dont even get drunk, so no hangovers... Waking up with no shakes or paranoia, no uncontrollable urges, not really enjoying my alcohol, down to an amount of alcohol i would have burst out laughing at in my earlier days, and starting to care about doing things around the house, taking care of myself, eating, the fascination is disappearing RAPIDLY its unreal...

But its just about filling that void, thats going to be the hard bit.. although i suppose the more and more alcohol starts to appeal to me less and less, doesnt do what i wanted it to do, and am thinking about it less the boredom it always took away is going to be there, and eventually il be forced to just find something else with the alcohol not working any more

I am beside myself with words with this medication. WHY are people not being given this tablet? Ive known about it for 4 years and only last week found a doctor who would give it to me for alcohol, where i live its only prescribed for opiate addiction...

Zany,

Very happy for you that you are feeling better now that you are TSM. It is a great feeling when that NAL starts doing its things.

Just know that this initial phase is kind of short lived. You will likely return to your previous drinking patterns for a short time before the real effects of extinction start setting in. Be mindful of this and be prepared for it. As I have suggested, take your NAL everyday and religiously track your numbers. Also be sure to journal weekly on here in an update thread about your progress during the week. This may sound trivial, but it is very important. Be honest with your struggles and successes during the week. You need some accountability to follow TSM and journaling here is that accountability.

I for one will do my best to follow your weekly progress and respond to you!

Q

Thanks Q

I ended up drinking one of the 4 cans id bought and felt so crappy after drinking it that i lay down for half an hour... called a friend and he called round after id gotten something to eat, he is a very heavy drinker but i ended up giving him 2 of the cans. he had 2 cans gone and i still had half of my second one sitting which i hadnt even opened for like an hour after the first...

However once he got the taste for it he said "i wouldnt mind a few beers tonight ya know" - i said well get some if you want im not really fussed anyway (which was true)... he bought a 3 litre bottle of strong cider for himself, and one more can of beer for me... it was a kind of struggle to finish the 3, but with him sitting getting paraletic drunk on the cider it started to feel really weird, can't really explain the feeling...

Is 75mg of nal too much? When i knew he was going to be buying alcohol i took another half tablet (but it was quite a while since the 50mg) just "incase"... i ended up in total having 3 cans of beer and about 2 small glasses of cider but was drinking so slowly and it was so strange that it was just not enjoyable.. felt kinda sick at times as well and was finding it quite difficult to laugh at a film we were watching at times as well, im not sure if it was the nal or because it is well and truely crappy being around someone who is totally drunk as a skunk (which he was), while i was a million times more sober...

I did sleep most of today and am awake feeling like i had been drinking last night, there is a craving but nothing out of control (i take acamprosate/campral every day to curb cravings), and I was able to sit and watch a couple of episodes of prison break after he left knowing that there was still a few glasses of cider left in the bottle without touching it... which is still here and since ive woken i haven't went straight to the bottle... which is a definite improvement altho i would have genuinely had a better night and felt much better if i had have just finished those 2 cans (the second was a struggle), him drank his two and not had any more alcohol or drunkenness with me at the time... i could have definitely stopped at the 2 but it was almost like i felt compelled to drink because of how drunk he was or i felt i was being "boring" but normally without nal i would have had those 4 cans and a full 3 litre bottle of cider gone myself, absolutely fall down drunk, climbing the walls unable to sleep and up at the crack of dawn scratching for more