I am having a heck of a time getting my prescription refilled. I abstained yesterday, I can pretty easily abstain today, and I hope to get the prescription filled tomorrow, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to.

Hypothetically speaking, if I'm a few weeks into the program (I haven't really felt any different BTW), how far would it set me back if I drank one night without a nal?

Sorry you're having a tough time with the prescription, Astrid! What seems to be the hangup?

Drinking without the Nal runs the process backwards, as your opioid receptors are upregulated and the addicted part of your brain gets a big booze=pleasure message. That being said, one night isn't going to set you back too badly.

Are you keeping a drinking log? Here's one with a graph built in:

http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/ ... graph-tool

Thank you! It's a long boring story how things took so long. Thank you so much for the log!

You're quite welcome!

NB, forcing abstinence can cause rebound drinking even after you resume taking the Nal (Alcohol Deprivation Effect), so maybe make a plan to cap the quantity and/or slow the drinking pace. Have a meal and a large glass of water before your first drink, that can help considerably. Working strategies like that can really help smooth out the TSM ride, which is normally a "rollercoaster" as many on this board have noted.

There's a 4 month graph on this page:

http://www.cthreefoundation.org/options ... self-sober

That illustrates the up and down nature of TSM. Most people take 6-12 months to get to a point of indifference towards alcohol, so mentally adjust the graph accordingly.

Did you notice an initial reduction when you started TSM?