hello everyone . not sure if im posting correctly , I have started taking namlefene 18 mgms 9 days ago . I would be quite happy never to drink again if this is works . it would be nice to drink at special occasions , just to pass myself off but if thats not on , so be it .
i am very worried that this wont work , that i ll have messed around with neural pathways and my brain and just make things worse. i m very scared by reading some posts where people find they are drinking as much as ever ?
I drink every day , im always trying to watch my weight so try to limit wine to 2 glasses a day but had noted my intake was up , i was waiting for the drink every day and was occasionally getting very drunk . i m very unhappy about my preoccupation with alcohol and i think it s become my go to occupation . i just want to sit , drink , read and be alone .
not very healthy . i ve tried trying to abstain but cant do it , like trying to diet i suppose but there is definitely addiction
so recently i had a hypnosis session to stop . didnt work , i m too embarassed to tell the man i m still drinking . on the plus side , i am determined to sort out this problem one way or another . i am not going to have alcohol control my life . it would just be too sad .
the forum is very interesting . thank you all .

one other thing worrying me is the stuff i have read about upregulating opiod sites . i run most days . i dont want my natural highs to be lost to nalmafene ? will i become a binge eater if these sites are blocked and upregulated and then i go mad on sugar once i stop alcohol and dont take a pill ? am i overthinking this ?
thankyou

You may want to wait 2 hours after taking the pill before you start drinking. That seems to work better for Selincro. Have a look at this link:

http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/ ... hints-tips

Eventually, you'll probably want to switch to Naltrexone as the NHS will only give you Nalmefene when your drinking is between such and such a range.

Especially note what Joanna says about mindful drinking.

What have your drinking habits been like?

Are you logging your drinks? That's really important.

hi Joe , thank you for your reply , I do not have a problem getting a script for Selincro ,I live in Ireland and the drug is available on the GMS here ie free for medical card patients . My gp is interested and my pharmacist was very obliging so I dont have a problem with supply .
I have been keeping a note of drinks in my diary over past year or two but note im not being truthful
I fudge a bit once I go over 2 glasses of wine
I intend to keep a strict log of same now
reading over this site today , it seems it is a good idea to consider alcohol free days ,rather than just take a pill , drink away and wait for the magic to happen .

sobering but helpful . I m going to have to knuckle down to this , as someone has mentioned here , the pill is a tool , no more.


however ,these last 9 days and reading over things here have clarified for me that i definitely am addicted to alcohol and that i definitely intend to get myself sorted out .

i take the selincro well in advance of a drink. i am trying to be mindful , which sometimes just make me very irritated . i note i need a hit when i reach end of tether .
last week , on friday , after a busy , demanding but fulfilling day there was one more family demand that suddenly became a last straw .. i put down the phone ,went to a supermarket , bought a naggin of whiskey and took a few slugs.
the thing i noticed was not the amount ,, but the sheer rage , the violent need to get a hit .
and it worked .
within minutes , i felt better .
thats the problem
thanks joe .

That sounds like the GABAergic effect from alcohol. It stimulates your GABA receptors (steps on the brain's brake pedal) and blocks your Glutamate receptors (lets up on the accelerator pedal). You might look into some L-theanine for it's calming effect. Doesn't work for everybody, but when it does, it works well. Not having had a drink in awhile can cause you to be hair-trigger too, as the receptors and neurochemical levels I mentioned aren't in their normal state after you've been drinking. It takes them some time to normalize.

Do the family members in question drink too?

Glad you came over to hang with us, Rosekid! Look forward to hearing more from you.

Not so sure about brakes and pedals Joe . I am not used to taking medication for anything . Nervous enough about the selincro but i know i ve got to stop the alcohol messing and i just dont seem to have cracked it by abstaining ,it just hasnt happened . I ve been full of good intentions in the morning and by 6 pm its like a switch , abstention seems like the stupidest idea ever .
since i started the pill , its been wonderful to find i lose interest in wine after one glass . one large glass ,
suddenly , it tastes awful . i end up pouring it back into the bottle
but its far from plain sailing
i still really really look forward to the glass of wine with my cheese and toast once work is done
this afternoon , i was feeling good about things , decided to delay the pill .. i think i was half contemplateing an AF day .
work finished unusually , an hour early . suddenly , at 5 pm , i had and unmerciful crave . i took the selincro and to my utter amazement could hardly wait the hour out . i was horrified
i still had just the one largish glass of red but something had happened to me . I felt terrible . low . i wanted sugar. i went to the shop and bought a choc ice , some cheese cake and some biscuits and i mowed into them .
what is this about ?
i was sitting there thinking . you are mucking about with your brain receptors . block off the alcohol high and your brain just drives you another way .
it was unnerving and depressing .
i have settled down now , if i had a whiskey here id definitely drink it but i cant face the wine .
what are we doing , taking this drug ?
i feel very lost

the family issue was not drink related ,,,

" abstention seems like the stupidest idea ever . "

What frequently happens with that is The Alcohol Deprivation Effect. When you cut out alcohol suddenly and white-knuckle against the cravings, a tension builds up. When you go back to drinking, you often run well past your previous drinking levels. This happens quite often as abstinence is the route that's offered over 90% of the time. And it's the most destructive option possible unless you can successfully abstain without medical assistance. Only about 10% that go that route can keep that up for 4 years, with many relapsing even within a month.

Have you read The Cure for Alcoholism?

Wine drinkers have often remarked that Naltrexone spoils the taste for them. Some that mostly drank red can't drink it anymore and switch to white.

As you go along, there will be periods where your drinking will go up, usually before it drops down a notch further. The addicted part of your brain will be reaching out harder for it's old pal, so don't be surprised if that happens. It's unusual when it doesn't happen, actually. That's how TSM usually goes, up and down and up and down, but if you plot your numbers on a graph, you'll likely notice that it's all on a downward slope.

If you continue to have extreme emotions, let your doctor know as he may want to add something to the mix. Otherwise, take it easy with the whiskey and use it only as needed to keep things in bounds. Like I said, your brain is going to take time to adjust to being without the calming effects that alcohol can initially bring.

The sugar craving is part of the alcohol withdrawal for many people. I started in with cookies part way into TSM, where I was usually indifferent to sweets. Alcohol carries a lot of carbs and can deliver them like a sledgehammer.

Do you understand how Selincro works?

i dont really think though Joe that i can blame alcohol deprivation effect since i drink every day .
I understand the theory of Selincro .
I also know from the ten days I ve been taking it that it definitely alters my experience of and behaviour around red wine .
I m just worried about other effects it may be having that are not yet known . for instance , i note that i sweat more . I note that i was feeling very odd and down this evening . I m sure the sweating was due to the selincro but was the downer ? or was that just me ?

I would welcome a nalover , as described on this forum , hell bring on the clockwork orange .. whatever works ..

once i had to take tramadol for dental surgery and i took it for a week and i will never forget the downer the next week .To this day i feel nauseated at the thought of tramadol . THATS how i d like to react to the prospect of alcohol .

Meanwhile I suspect I ll be struggling along in the much greyer area of this method . Which takes time , perserverance , and a bit of faith , at this juncture ..

welcome to the forum. I too, run nearly every day and in my experience Nal hasn't taken away from the pleasure of it. good luck!

"i dont really think though Joe that i can blame alcohol deprivation effect since i drink every day ."

Ah yes. I think I was reading that part wrong.

The sweating might be a side effect, though I don't recall anyone in particular talking about that. I can see where it might happen from a sudden reduction in drinking and I've read that quite a bit. If it's from the Selincro, it may well subside in another week. Some have talked about a down mood with Naltrexone too, but a decrease in drinking can do that as well. The side effects from Selincro can be tougher to get used to though.

The benefit of The Sinclair Method is that it eventually erases the compulsion to drink that's lodged in the addictive part of the brain. If you should start drinking without the Selincro again, that compulsion will be re-established, but otherwise it will simply cease to run you around. So yes, time and perseverance. It sounds like you're getting a pretty clear confirmation that Selincro is having the desired effect on your drinking.

Welcome Rosekid ..... I wish you all the best with TSM. It took 11 months for it to work for me - but gosh, once it did, it really did! I was a daily drinker - only ever drank Guinness - and have not had a drink now since middle of Jan. I just do not want one. The only thing I can really say is to always always take your tab - never drink without it. BTW, I never noticed anything different when I exercised or whatever, so please do not worry too much about that. We are all different - we all react so differently to the Naltrexone (or Selincro). I laughed at your saying you wanted a Nal-Over - trust me, you don't! Take your worst hangover and multiply it by 10! I never used to drink enough to have hangovers - used to joke that I 'didn't do them' - but was in bed for a whole day when I had a Nal-Over!

As for AF days - do not worry about that yet - we do not suggest that anyone 'white knuckles'. When you are ready for an AF day, then try for one - but you are very early days yet!

Hugs to you, Maggie