Hi, I'm new on this board and have been reading it for the past 2 weeks. I first heard of TSM on HAMS bought the book read it with my husband went to our doc and he just prescribed the medicine. The medicine should come in a few days and we can't wait to start using it. I drink a bottle and half of wine a night and my husband drinks 24/7 there's no night or day for him. I'm getting desperate and there are times I just want to run away from him and the AL, even thinking of this taking maybe 6 mo. makes me want to cry. Ok, enough of the pity party.

Hi, and welcome cork. So are you and your husband going to be doing TSM together?

yes, I know I can follow what to do but I'm not sure he will like I said he is almost 24/7 so his mind isn't really there most of the time. I'm what you would call a functional AL he is not.

Welcome Cork. Hopefully once he sees your improvement with the method, he'll want to try it too. When you get the nal, beware of side effects that will probably hit you hard but they go away almost immediately -- usually within the first week or so. Nausea is common -- take the first dose on a full stomach and take 25 mg the first time. Once the side effects aren't bad, increase to 50 mg. Sleep disturbance is also common the first week or so also, and sometimes longer than that for some of us. But, as I said, the side effects do go away rapidly.

Welcome and good luck.

Nick

Hello to all of you I feel like I've known you for a lot longer than the two weeks. Thanks for the support. I think the only reason I'm not as full blown as my husband is I feel like I'm the only one holding things up. I guess that's not all bad, but sometimes like I said earlier I would like to run away but I worry non-stop about him. It's so awful watching someone you love dying in front of your eyes! I have been asking God to make a way of escape for us and here is TSM. Ok, I have a few questions like I said I've been reading just about all the threads on here and one is the 12% that TSM doesn't work on. Is it someone who has been an AL for a long time? You also mentioned that my husband can take two Naltrexone twice a day is that 25mg. or 50mg.?

No one knows for sure why the 12% don't get cured by TSM. However, the length of time you've been a drinker is not an indicator if you will be in the 12%. BTW, if you follow the proper protocol (nal one hour before drinking) the success rate is closer to 90%. If your hubby is a 24/7 drinker, I believe Dr. Eskapa has suggested one 50 mg dose in the morning and another 50 mg in the evening to ensure 24-hour coverage.

Good luck. I really hope this works for you and your husband.

thanks.

Welcome, cork, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed for you both. Glad you found us as this is a wonderful support group, as you have found. Keep posting - we care!

Hi Corkit
Welcome to the Board, I too have recently joined having just started the 8th week on TSM. I would encourage you to proceed with this, I thought I was a hopeless case having tried all of the conventional abstinence based methods over the last 10 years with very limited success. although I am only 2 months into the TSM I have already noticed subtle differences in my attitude to alcohol. There have been times when I felt like I could take or leave the alcohol, although generally on these occasions I have 'forced' myself to take some to strengthen the pharmacological extinction process. I too am a 24/7 sipper like your Husband, although I could 'sip' over 140 UK units per week (Pre TSM). My intake is currently around 15 UK units per day in early week 8 without much effort on my part, although, as is common to many TSM ers I did experience a 'spike' in my drinking over weeks 6 to 7 up to 168 uK Units per week this is common and normal so please don't despair if it happens When I first came across TSM, like many, I thought it was too good to be true, as time goes on, I can sense my control over alcohol WILL return ( been a problem drinker for 26 years). Please take courage and be rest assured that there are many friends here to help you on this board and share experiences with you, you are not alone .It is great that you are planning to do this together with your husband and it sounds tho you have a good doctor on board (I have to import my Nal from India)!! Wishing you both a good journey, may God be with us all.
Best wishes
Benjy