Hello??!! Am I on?? I can't believe it!!! I have been trying for days/hours to logon - ugh & now so exhausted w/ the emotional upheaval..LOL!! Thx N101CS for pulling me aboard...

I now have my nal & Campral as well!! But seriously - my stomach is in knots with all the frustration of logging on, I need to just take a rest and read what's going on...will check in again later.

whew - feel like I have just come down the chute...

Glad to see you made it. Not to make light but it was pretty wild watching you get here.

Well we are all afloat on the same log now. So what do we do now? It is almost like being survivors of a hurricane.

Well, having survived Ike - I'd say this is much easier!...well, mmmmmaybe...in a way...(ugh - gimme a drink LOL) I am really happy tonight- having finally gotten in...I saw you guys on the MWO forum tonight but I so wanted to be a part of this one...and having gotten the meds finally!! I am so stoked -

Of course, feel absolutely nothing...but the total fatigue you all had mentioned is true...was nodding off w/in 30 minutes...of course I was getting hair done... It will be funny b/c I am going to want to pick apart everything everyday...just sooooo thrillled & hopeful at this new prospect...and totally commited to the cure.

I am so full of myself right now!!! LOL - could go on & on..and very well might, so be prepared to see me popping up here & there. Thx so much for getting me here. Whooppee, kids!! It's going to be grand!!

Houtx -- Yes, your journey over here reminded me of the scene in Slumdog Millionaire. Only funny. (No spoiler here. It's a must-see movie.) So glad you made it!

Umm, about Campral. I am not an md. This is NOT medical advice -- just information sharing. Some asked about Campral on the Strictly Sinclair thread on MWO. My response was Campral is not part of the Sinclair Method.

The generic of Campral did not fare well in the COMBINE study. One study listed on the Research board on MWO showed naltrexone showed improved success for craving when taken with Campral. (remember: "improved" is a relative term; the literature is gelling that naltrexone is not effective as an anti-craving med) This is probably why your addiction doctor prescribed it w/ naltrexone as an anti-craving "cocktail".

The Sinclair Method requires that we indulge our cravings by drinking in order to extinguish them. If Campral gives you an anti-craving effect at all -- even short-term -- you will be impeding your progress in the pharmacological extinction process. Repeat: The Sinclair Method requires that we indulge our cravings by drinking. Every drink we take on Naltrexone re-wires our brain

So Campral will not help and may very well delay your progress IF your choice is to follow the Sinclair Method (which I assume it is after you struggled so bravely to hop on here). IMO you have no duty to disclose to your addiction doc whether you are taking Campral or even filling the rx.

I know it seems counterintuitive to say, "Avoid anything that interferes with the urge to drink." That's a big reason we need one another's support. I found my intake going up after a few days on naltrexone (not to the danger of alcohol poisoning; but UP). N101CS told me that Eskapa says this is fairly common. Don't worry about if you feel like drinking more or drinking less (as long as you're not artificially suppressing cravings). Just take naltrexone and drink as much as you feel like. For me that meant drinking like a sailor for a while there. But nearly a month in and I'm on my way. You will be too!

Another reminder: Many of us experienced diminished desire to drink the first few days on naltrexone. This is what Eskapa calls a "weak artifact" of naltrexone and almost all of us have found it to be fleeting. The real result takes at least 3-4 months and is not a process we can "feel" taking place in the brain.

Just remember:

DRINKING+NALTREXONE=CURE.

Again, we're so glad you made it! Lena

Thx for the info, Lena. I am putting aside the Campral for now...I don't think it's going to do anything while I follow the SM and continue to drink. From what I've read it is effective for some trying to abstain or need anti-anxiety meds...so will keep for later if needed. Maybe it also contributed to my blgghh stomach feeling today...

25 mgs last night and tonight and yes, kinda queasy (queezy??how is it spelled??I suddenly can't remember LOL) But I wasn't drowsy at all tonight & sat thru the symphony - but it was John Williams & Star Wars,etc - awesome!!

Just feeling very uplifted & hopeful. Feeling like I am doing this for ME - focusing on ME & my better future...could go into details about my past & my motivation for being here...but not sure exactly where...and it's not all that rivoting anyway. Would much rather read who the rest of you are...and I get alot in return from reading the struggles, thoughts, and details of what's ahead...

Love that Dr. Eskapa posted! I feel like we are a new trial going on here, don't you? The method may have been around for awhile but suddenly this book. I just happened upon it in the bookstore one dark, lonely night...feeling like everything was imploding around me...I saw it, stood there reading & thinking no way!! Took it home, started digging around on the computer the next day and...hello!