Hi, my name's Andrew I'm 53... Im a graphic designer and work for myself. I've tried several approaches to giving up and or reducing alcohol. and have mostly failed, so I am going to start TSM today.
Ive been prescribed Naltrexone before and after a few days of thinking I'd found the magic pill, I managed to override Naltrexone and go back to heavy drinking. I tried Campral for a day and noticed nothing. Also taking 2 tablets 3 times a day of Campral, seemed like a huge chore that wasn't sustainable.

The only real success Ive had with abstaining, was in October-November last year when I was misdiagnosed as having Cirrhosis of the liver. Wow, that was frightening. It might be interesting for others to read how that happened...

I went to my usual GP who knows Ive been drinking excessively for years now, and this time I said I wanted to try a drug such as Naltrexone. She, wisely, said that she wasn't equipped to deal with this and referred me to a D&A GP. This GP put me on Naltrexone and prescribed small dose of valium (which I rarely used). She also sensibly did blood tests and also sent me off to have an ultrasound. She had written on my referral slip to the radiologist 'Cirrhosis?'. Anyway the ultrasound cam back a week later and the GP told me I had Cirrhosis. I was stunned. I wasn't surprised, but I was stunned and in somewhat of a state of shock. So after going off on a huge bender that night which was a friday, I then decided I'd start abstaining and take Naltrexone as of the Monday. So I did that and went through huge turmoil and stress throughout the next 2 months while waiting to see a liver Specialist. I drank only on a few occasions over those 2 months. My relationship also was in serious trouble and I went through a bit of a 'baby out with the bath water' approach to my life. At one point my partner and I of 19 years had decided it was time to separate.
Anyway, it turned out I didn't have Cirrhosis. Perhaps a somewhat fatty liver as a result of excessive alcohol consumption at the time. I learned that the most accurate reading of the condition of a liver is a fibrodensity test, which as I understand is a sound wave is sent through the liver and the faster it travels through the less dense the liver is which is bad and the slower it goes through the better the liver is. A normal liver gives a reading of between about 3 and 6 and a cirrhotic liver can be up around 14-16. Mine came in at 4.5 which is right in the range of a normal healthy liver apparently. I was over the moon to hear this and took it as a huge wake up call and vowed to not return to drinking at the same levels.

Well, I don't think I've quite returned to those levels I was drinking at before but I have certainly gone back to a very unhealthy level. The only 'pat on the back' I can give myself is I am constantly thinking about my future with or without alcohol. I have locked our home bar/cellar and I do not have the key (however I did discover that I was able to remove the whole lock assembly with a screwdriver and then put it back without my partner knowing)... I'm sure I'm not alone in such cunning methods! Today I am going to drill out the screws so that I can't be tempted to remove the lock again.

I feel confident that TSM is going to work for me. I know that there is no 'magic pill' and this will require focus and determination on my part.
To not drink at all at this stage is too daunting... and it is the wanting of more more more that I really want to stop. That part is my downfall. Staying up till very late at night and then feeling like crap the next day and working very poorly.

I welcome any comments and input. Am pleased to have joined this forum. I am curious to know the amounts others have been consuming... I dont mean this as a 'war story/braggin' thing ... but I am reading posts and many seem so mild by comparison that I wonder if I need a much higher level of help than this? I would be around 10-15 drinks a day. Obviously sometimes more... Ive downloaded the drink tracker log file and have put down 110 per week as my level up until today. Id be interested to hear from other people who are familiar with this level.

Hi Andrew! Thanks for joining us, I look forward to reading about your progress with TSM!

Be aware that there is another community at http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/ in case there's a problem with this one, it seems to be more active and there are lots of stories to read there too.

I'd suggest you leave the bar as is, your treatment will take months but there are many that have been well over your range and done fine with TSM. The point of TSM is to meet the craving head on and not resist it, but follow the Golden Rule/One Hour Rule to take the Naltrexone when you crave, wait an hour and then drink slowly and mindfully. As you've already used Naltrexone, you probably won't have to adjust to the side effects, but do be aware that a hangover on Naltrexone can be quite inconvenient indeed. It doesn't happen with everyone, but in general, you won't have the same level of endorphins to cushion the hangover the night after drinking.

I was drinking 12 beers (at least) every night before I started TSM. It took me about 6 months to get to the point where a six pack would last me over a month. Generally, people take about 6-8 months to get to hit their final goal, whether it be to abstain or to drink within low-risk limits. There are indeed those that longer than that, then there are those that are done in just a few months.

Once you've been on TSM for a week, try pushing on the drinking habit to see if it "gives" anywhere, like starting later, keeping the drink out of sight so you have to get up to take a sip of it, keeping a NA drink close by you instead. Also notice when you drink more quickly and break that up (for some it's talking on the phone, smoking, watching TV). Throwing pauses into your routine will let the conscious part of the brain (that's not so taken with booze) to surface and vote on whether you really want another sip right then. I like to throw little tasks in the mix, even cruising the net (so long as you don't have your drink with you) to give you a chance to "forget" about the next sip. The "Lizard Brain" is where the urge to drink resides and it's the Lizard Brain that pushes you to reach for the glass again and again, your job is to start to question it's authority.

Again, welcome and we look forward to hearing more from you!!

Hi Joe, many thanks for the reply. I hear what you're saying, on all points and they all ring true. I'm feeling much more positive with this approach. The idea of TOTAL ABSTINENCE is, at least for me, a set up for failure.
Early days, but last night I had naltrexone at 5:30 (pm!) knowing I was visiting friends for a little while, where drinking goes hand in hand when with them and I had 2 glasses of wine and less than half a glass (didn't care to finish it) when I got home and that was it. I know the naltrexone helped with that, but having taken NAL before, I know that the first day or two can seem like I had found the miracle pill.

Oh and I drilled out the screw slots to the lock assembly on the bar. I just don't want that temptation available. It is now out of the equation.

Really appreciate you taking the time to reply and the advice I will re-read again and again.
I'll check out the community you mentioned as I've found it is rather quiet in here, although plenty of good info.

Thanks again!
Andrew
Ps. Not sure if it is apparent but I am in South Australia. Forgive me for any coloquialisms.

You're entirely welcome!

"Not sure if it is apparent but I am in South Australia."

If you hadn't told me I wouldn't have guessed!

Good show in any case, it sounds like you're getting a good confirmation from the Naltrexone that it's working. It's not unusual to get an initial drop in your drinking, followed by a rise (the Honeymoon Effect"), so don't let it throw you if that happens. Your numbers should roll off more slowly from there. There's often that back and forth with TSM, but if you keep an eye on the months you'll see your levels dropping as they go by.

Ah what I meant was, that I wasn't sure if I had said in my profile info that I was in South Australia.