I am about to start TSM and am wondering about effect of Nal on exercise. I am a regular runner which is obviously an endorphin generating activity and according to the Eskapa book it is best to stop positive behaviours reinforced by endorphins while on Nal. I want to keep running - anyone's experience with this issue would be greatly appreciated.

The naltrexone would tend to extinguish running.

I'm guessing you're not a daily heavy drinker, since you can manage regular running. If so, you can simply schedule drinking and running. Ideally it goes in a three-day cycle:

1.) Nal + drinking
2.) Nothing (since you might still have some nal sloshing around in you)
3.) Running

With this schedule, the running will give you even more of a runner's high since you're rebounding from the naltrexone and will have some upregulation of the relevant receptors. Some people do this to train themselves to exercise-seeking behavior. In your case, you'd just want to make sure you don't unlearn the behavior you've already learned.

You can also run on nal days, if you just do the running first and let the exercise high wear off before taking naltrexone.

Let us know how it goes. I'm going to set up a schedule like this for myself soon. I already broke my alcohol addiction, but I need to do something about the junk food problem.

I consume at least 5, and an average of 8 units of alcohol every day and often a lot more especially on weekends when I have a hard time waiting until noon to drink. I have gone a day without drinking about 10 times in the last 10 years plus one full month on one occasion about 8 years ago, so It feels like heavy drinking to me.

I have however remained reasonably functional, with a demanding job, family and regular exercise at least in warm months, less so in winter. But as the amounts of daily consumption have gradually crept up and natural aging takes hold (48 years old) it is all beginning to unravel and I was very happy to happen upon info about TSM. Anyway, thanks for your reply. Where would I post info about how the running works out?

You're an interesting case. You drink considerably more lightly than most of us, but can't (or rarely do) skip a day.

Hmm.

Given that this is important, it might be wise to just resign yourself to the idea that you won't be running for a month or so. You'll see progress before the actual cure, so alcohol-free days won't seem so unattainable after you've followed the protocol for a few weeks.

I am surprised to hear I am a relative lightweight. I know I am not quite at "Leaving Las Vegas" levels, but I drink a minimum of a bottle of wine a night and that is a rare good night. Usually it is that plus 3-4 shots of vodka, consumed covertly. And sometimes more. And I have found going even one day off extremely difficult. Don't know why.

Anyway, thank you for your thoughtful response. It occurred to me after I wrote that I should just keep running and see how it goes and if it gets extinguished it can be relearned; which is essentially what you are saying, I think. One way or the other, I have the naltrexone and am starting tomorrow, albeit somewhat trepidatiously. So we'll see. The running is really just a subplot.

You are the first person I have ever had a direct and honest discussion with about my drinking, strangely enough. So thanks, melissa1928.

No prob.

What country are you in? I'm in the USA, so I was thinking of US units. If you're in e.g. Australia, the 5-8 units might be a lot more alcohol.

Yeah, maybe it's not worth sweating the running too much. Even if you extinguish it, it's always easier to relearn a once-learned behavior. You'd probably be back at it in a month -- just as most of us would be back at the bottle in a month, if we drank without nal.

Canada and you are right I was using different units based on metric. Based on the Eskapa book's measures a typical day would be 10-12 units, more on weekends.
Hopefully that will start dropping soon....

Dreamweaver, you sound almost IDENTICAL to me -- 5-8 drinks per night, vodka in secret, running in warm months only (ugh, hate running in cold), no AF nights for years, in his 40s. I bet we would have a lot more in common, too. (BTW, 5-8 drinks per night is NOT light or even moderate drinking; that's at "dangerous" levels and I've seen people who drink less than that end up with chronic alcohol-related diseases. The people on this forum are often extremely-high level drinkers -- 10-20 drinks per night).

Look, I'd bet money that Eskapa has no personal experience with exercising while on Nal. I did it many times and found absolutely ZERO difference when either weight lifting or running. As your drinking levels go down, you will likely find you exercise more vigorously and enjoy it more. Plus, as Melissa said, if you aren't exercising 1-4 hours after taking Nal, then there's no extinction involved. I suppose if you took a Nal, waited an hour, and then went jogging, you maybe, possibly, remotely might all the sudden not like exercise. I'm sure you're smart enough to get around that. Since you seem to have so much in common with my patterns, I assume you either run before your drinking sessions (e.g. in the morning or around 4:00ish) or after you've "sobered up" at night before bed. I use to have two vodka minis waiting in the backyard for when I finished my run to get the party started!

"Units" and "drinks" are different measures. 5-8 US units per night would be moderate. 5-8 drinks per night is high.

I think he was saying drinks. One bottle of wine plus three shots of vodka = 8 drinks.