Just curious how many have experienced success using TSM and how many haven't? Please indicate how long you have been using TSM.

Thanks

Started TSM in . . . um, early November 2013? Maybe? Rapid responder; called myself "cured" after five weeks or so. I don't drink and don't want to.

Bcd
That's a totally unscientific way of evaluating TSM. There have been multiple clinical trials on this method which have shown effectiveness. The tiny, tiny group of people that use this forum are probably not representative of the whole population.

Still, I'll bite. I had dramatic success with TSM starting last January. I got off Nal for 6 months, kind of relapsed, stopped on my own will power, and now have more no-drinking willpower since I started drinking at age 12 (I'm 44). Without TSM, I'd almost 100% guaranteed be way worse off in my life than I can imagine, maybe even DEAD!

I've spent many,many hours on this website. I'd venture to say that about 25% have dramatic turnarounds, and up to about 85% of posters have some sort of significant reduction in drinking without achieving full sobriety. Who knows, though, because it's hard to follow-up on people as they tend to only post in the beginning.

Yeah, this.

A just-curious poll is fine as long as we don't mistake it for science.

You can ring the bell for me. 3 pills, one scary bout of hallucinations and done. 2 months af now.

But yeah, totally unscientific. The trial had an 80% success rate.

Follow the golden rule. No cheating, ever. Read the info in my sig.

Obviously if I was looking for a scientific study, I wouldn't use a random internet poll. I read the book and know the estimated success rates. I would just like to hear more directly from those who have used TSM.

Thanks

The tricky part is the number of people who post for a while and leave. We can't even really guess how many gave up and how many were cured, so we can't get even a reasonable guesstimate.

This is indeed purely anecdotal evidence, but that's not valueless if taken with the appropriate grain of salt.

I started TSM just after New Year's 2013 and noticed mild improvement within a few months, then more dramatic improvement shortly after I increased dosage to 75 mg in May. I experimented with a return to 50 mg in December (River Pharmacy is expensive!) but felt cravings returning, so I went back to 75 at the beginning of the year. My drinking is now pretty situational. For example, last week I had one cocktail at a cabaret show on Wednesday; it wasn't as good as it sounded on the menu so I didn't finish it, and that was my only drink for the evening (I considered joining some friends who were supposed to be nearby, but I didn't see them at the bar I thought they were at and I didn't feel like tracking them down). I didn't have another drink until last night (Tuesday), when I had a couple of mixed drinks at a play ($15 for a bourbon and ginger; good lord) and then three beers at a bar afterwards as I mulled over what I'd seen. Pre-TSM I would have been drinking nearly every night, especially over the weekend, and wouldn't have stopped anywhere near three beers.

In general I'll sometimes consider taking a pill and having a drink, but if there isn't a social occasion involved, I won't bother--the need to wait an hour has close to eliminated my spontaneous drinking. Sometimes I'll also consider having a few more drinks by myself after a social event, but more often than not I'll lose interest on the way home (whereas I never seemed to be able to resist dropping by the bar before). I'll leave drinks unfinished if I don't like them or decide I've had enough, which is new. I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've blacked out (once a common occurrence) or had more than a mild hangover. Better, I can't think of a recent time I woke up and was mortified by what I had done, or suspected I'd done, the night before.

I think some people would argue that I'm not cured because I haven't stopped drinking and don't plan to try; it's still a source of pleasure (but more proportionate than it was), and I'm in a fair number of situations where I'd feel awkward not having a drink. But the concern that prompted me to try TSM was less that I was drinking per se and more that I was drinking so much I was jeopardizing my health, my finances, my career, and my personal life. That's not true in any respect anymore.

Have you checked out the Cured list?

I'd say you're more cured than I am, actually. You're still getting enjoyment from it, and that makes you closer to normal.

"Cured" is in the eye of the beholder, perhaps.