I'm a 46 year old female from the UK. I've been aware that I'm drinking too much and need to cut down for some time now but I'm never able to maintain it. I read the Allen Carr Easyway to give up alcohol book and that worked for about 6 months but I was always wanting a drink. As I seemed to be doing well I began to think I can just have one or two. Of course, as soon as I started to have the odd one here and there the craving intensified and I was soon back to where I started. Nearly every Monday I tell myself "this week I'll quit" but I crack by Wednesday when the little voice in my head gets too strong. I've spent so much time wondering what's wrong with me? and why can't I just stop? I try to frighten myself into quitting with the thoughts of all the harm it does or try to motivate myself with the thought of all the money I could save or how much better I'd feel but, of course, it doesn't work.

I've been seeing a counsellor for a while now (not specifically for alcohol problems) but that has helped me to see how I have used alcohol (and food) as a way of coping with unhappiness. My daily drinking really began about 8 years ago after my sister, whom I was very close to, died of a brain tumour. A glass or three of wine helped numb the pain and meant I didn't have to face the reality of her loss. Time has passed and the pain has lessened but I'm now left with a brain that is hooked. There is a lot of alcoholism in my family (I have maternal and paternal uncles who died from alcohol related illnesses) so I think I already had a genetic predisposition to problem drinking and I think the emotional stuff pushed me over the edge.

I average about a bottle of wine a day, every day (60-70 UK units per week). Although this may not be as much as others, I know that it's too much for me and I need to get control of it. I'm not sure if I want to give up alcohol completely but it would be great to get to the take it or leave it stage. Mostly I want to get away from the twitchy feeling when 5 O'clock arrives and my brain says it's wine time!

I found this website when looking for ways to help me quit and I read the book with great interest and hope. I ordered my Nal from Goldpharma and it arrived last week so I'm now on day 6.

The first two days were great. I started on 25mgs which I tolerated well with only a slightly lightheaded spacey feeling as a side effect. On day 2 I went out for a meal and ended up leaving my last glass of wine as I really didn't want it. However, since then I've been feeling really sick when I take it. I've cut back to 12.5mg but even on that I start to feel nauseous after about 30 mins and it lasts for the rest of the day. On the plus side I feel so yucky that I don't really want to drink! Today I've bought some anti-sickness tablets which I'm going to take with the Nal and hope that that helps.

Could someone please answer this question...If I've taken the Nal and then feel sick and don't want to drink should I have a glass anyway just so that the Nal has something to work on? Will it matter if I take the Nal and don't drink?

Thanks for reading,

Ruth.

Hi Ruth and welcome to the forum. If you don't get the answers you need from people who are active now, you might look through older threads for advice on tolerating Nal.

Nal is approved in the US as an anti-craving drug. MDs prescribe it and advise users to abstain from drinking.

The Sinclair Method is different. The idea is to un-learn the drink/reward pattern etched in our brains. The Nal theoretically blocks the reward system and booze eventually loses its grip.

According to TSM, So if you don't plan to drink, don't take the Nal. Sinclair claims that using Nal as an anti-craving drug is not effective. But some people report it doing just that. Sickness is not supposed to be the anti-craving methodology, though.

Some folks have reported that taking Nal on a full stomach is really important to avoid stomach upset. How have you been going about it?

Best wishes,

I'd also add that, in my opinion, there is some extinction that occurs when you take a Nal, feel very much like NOT DRINKING, and then don't drink. This has happened to me several times (where you couldn't have paid me to drink), and my brain seemed to associate the negative experience with alcohol. This would probably be more on the aversion side of things versus the endorphin-reward side, but it's still pretty effective. My problem now is that I have a bit of an aversion to Naltrexone. I haven't taken one in, oh, about a month! I haven't had a drink in about 11 days now, though, with no craving or even a real consideration of whether I'm going to drink or not. Not-drinking is my "new normal," so it's my default setting, if you will.

Thanks Tiller and Barry for your replies.

As suggested, I searched some of the older posts for information about side effects and nausea does seem to affect quite a lot of people. I've bought some anti sickness tablets (Motillium) which I'm now taking with the Nal and have cut back to 12.5 mgs. This is having the desired effect and I'm no longer having the sickness (hoorah!).

In the next few days I intend to increase the Nal to 25mgs and see how it goes. I really want to take the Nal as per the Sinclair Method it was just that after taking the Nal I felt so sick I really lost the desire for a drink...I still had one though to make sure the Nal could do it's magic. Let's hope I can tolerate the 25mgs.

Thanks for your help,

Ruth.

Unfortunately, my stomach has been well trained over the years and can handle just about anything. I didn't have any major side effects. I find it works better when I have it in an empty stomach for 1hr plus.

I also have experienced the effect of taking it on an empty stomach, because I was pretty sure I was going to have 1 on the way home, and then not wanting any at all.

I wonder if this is why the day after my first dose I felt very off, including in my stomach? I took my first dose just before leaving for work, knowing that on Fridays I usually have a beer as soon as I get home.

Anyway, good wishes to you, Ruth! Hope you can find control.

Hi Ruthie,

I'm new, too. Day 12. I'm a daily drinker, and I hope to get down to your level of 1 bottle of wine per day, at least as an initial goal, since that would be about half my current consumption.

I started with a couple of days of 25mg and now do the full 50mg every day. I was a little nauseous at first, but now I don't really notice any SE. It seems to affect everyone differently.

Anyway, hope you feel better soon and that we both find success here with TSM.

So here you are Ruth! Are you going to start a Weekly Progress Thread? I hope you are feeling a little better - at least good enough to drink I mean, so you can get started truly with TSM. But as others have said, every day that you don't drink is a good day. You'll get it straightened out, of course, and find the right path for yourself.

Tonight was an AF night for me and I was a really cranky bitch!! I had forgotten about that effect. Anyway, I hope to read more of your story and get to know you a bit.
Babs

Thank you for your responses. I've been away on holiday for a week and haven't been able to get onto the forum to post any replies so sorry for the delay in responding. Seems like there's been a lot of activity in a week and there's a bunch of new members and contributors which is great. It's always good to read other people's questions, stories and progress.

As an update, my sickness when taking Nal has completely gone away now. I slowly increased the dose over the first 3 weeks along with taking a Motilium (anti sickness pill). I then stopped taking the Motilium and just took the Nal. I'm now (week 4) up to the full 50mg an hour before any drinking and am not experiencing any negative effects. So, for anyone having problems my advice would be to slowly increase the dose but couple it with an anti sickness pill and not to give up!

Babs, I have started a weekly progress thread. It's called H.O.P.E. (Hold On Pain Ends) Ruthy's progress. I've only posted my first two weeks so far and am pretty happy with my initial response. I just need to get my finger out and update it!

Don't have much time today to read the forum but will update and comment during the week.

Keep up the good work everyone.

Ruth

Glad you're back Ruth and that you've started your weekly progress report. I've been on mine daily and it's been so therapeutic for me. I'm getting out a lot of the anger I've been "stuffing" for so many years. It feels good to have a place like this where others understand where we're coming from!!

I never had any bad effects from the Nal and I'm really glad yours have passed away. Onward eh?
Babs