Hello all,

My wife and I began abusing alcohol several years back. It actually all began with dieting (this will probably make no sense to anyone but I am typing it out anyway). We have struggled with weight for years and actually had success on low calorie diets.

At some point we switched to Atkins and when socially drinking with friends we would do shots of clear liquor because it was permissible and had less calories than a beer or glass of wine.

I won't say it snuck (or sneaked) up on us but at some point we started consuming large quantities of liquor. Needless to say that this has become problematic in our relationship. I won't even begin to describe how we have treated one another while under the influence of alcohol. But frankly between the two of us I have had the hardest time convincing my wife we have a problem.

We currently are consuming a 750 ml bottle of liquor between the two of us daily. On weekends when we are feeling very ambitious we often consume a couple of handles. We constantly make pacts that "we won't drink tonight" and consistently fail to keep our agreements.

I bought two copies of the "Cure for Alcoholism" a couple of weeks ago. My wife talked to her GP about prescribing the pills but he said he wasn't comfortable doing that but that if we were to go to "AA" etc. Needless to say my wife and I are not really interested in that.

Well I bought the Naltrexone through an online pharmacy (apparently they have a good reputation) and it arrived last Thursday. We started taking the pills while drinking on 9/7/13 and did so through the weekend.

I think the pills are making me feel funky. It gives me a headache and has been making my wife Nauseous. Does anyone else have this experience?

I am hoping not to drink this evening (we haven't had a sober evening in over 2 months). Currently I don't feel like I need too. My wife said as much yesterday and everything was ok until she started craving at 4 pm. She was fine until she wanted a drink and I told her she had to take a pill and wait an hour. Boy that did not sit well with her but to her credit she did it.

If we can get through this it will be worth it to really get our lives back. I'm so tired of my hands shaking when I try to hold a salad fork. That was pointed out by a friend of mine recently at a networking luncheon and I lied and said it was nerves. I'm probably not fooling anyone though.

One final question. How do you list the drinks you have. Should I list it by the number of ounces of liquor I consume. 2 beers = 1 glass of wine = 1 shot = number of drinks?

-Hopeful

Dear Hopeful,

Welcome to the forum, and yes, there are many here who have and are successfully changing our drinking patterns. Too bad your Dr. isn't educated and enlightened enough to give this scientifically-proven method a try. They are all too rare. There's a thread somewhere that lists Doctors who do prescribe Nal, but I'm not sure where that resides. If you happen to be in the Northwest US, my doctor is a strong proponent for TSM.

Your 'shaking fork' comment struck home with me. I was definitely that bad at the worst of my drinking, which was 2+ 750ml bottles of wine a day. Not fun.

In terms of units, one bottle has 25 oz, and 5oz of wine = 1 unit (US), so I count one bottle as 5 units. I can't remember how much straight liquor is, but that is detailed in the book.

The more time you spend reading through everyone's stories - esp. the Weekly Progress and Cured threads, the more you'll learn and realize how much we all have in common.

Feeling funky/nauseous at first is pretty common, but usually goes away within the first week or two. Some start at a 1/2 dose of 25mg until they feel they can tolerate it.

I just started reading about the Atkins Diet, and I'm hopeful it will be another incentive for me to greatly reduce and or eliminate alcohol so I can follow the program to the letter. Right now, still too much wine in my diet but I have started eliminating the other obvious carb sources.

Good luck to you and your wife. Hopefully you will be a source of support and inspiration to each other. Just be sure to follow the Nal protocol every time you plan to drink and be patient. This isn't a quick fix, although for some the initial responses are dramatic. Listen to your body.

For me, I'm happy and encouraged that my numbers are down somewhat, but I still have a long ways to go, and part of that involves a more proactive approach;forcing myself to be aware and not let habit and emotions propel that drink when the craving really isn't there. Easier said than done, right, or we wouldn't all be here! But Nal is a great too to help us get there.

Take care, start tracking, and keep reading and posting!
Sheryl

I think it's great that you and your wife are doing this together. I dearly wish I had someone close to go through this TSM journey with me. I have dozens of friends that would be perfect candidates, however, I have not reached out.

My wife is a very controlled drinker, and very rarely lets loose. So there is no issues with her or need for TSM. She knows I'm a work in progress, and occassionally comments on how "It must be working" due to much much less sloppy drunken episodes.

I can't help much on comments about side effects. I have had very few negatives.

Worse hangovers drinking less than before. Occasional acid reflux, but I think I probably would have had it anyway.

Unit calcs using my past drinking calculator that I would use, to justify my vodka consumption. I would equate it to 12oz beers being 1 unit in the USA.

Roughly
A half pint = 5 units
A pint = 9 units (You think it would be 10 if a half pint is 5, but it's not.)
A fifth = 18 units
A handle = 38 units

Here is a link to a calculator to run your own numbers.

http://www.cleavebooks.co.uk/scol/ccalcoh3.htm

Welcome Mr. and Mrs. dmmdcc13

Hey There,
I've been on TSM for a little over 5 months now and I am now starting to see major progress! Like you and the wife, I like my liquor too. I was pounding down a fifth or more a day for about a year. Before that I was sober for 5 years then the relapsed happened and it was like I never stopped. The hangovers are worse with Nal I think but you get use to it or you adjust to the medicine is what I am thinking. Like you I want my life back. Am I completely sober? Nope! But am I having Alcohol free days now and I am remembering going to bed. So I feel like I am regaining control and getting my life back. The way I see it, I didn't get into this overnight and I ain't getting out of it that way either. Hang in there though, and you should see progress. Don't mean to sound like a coach just my observation taking Nal so far. We are with ya!