I'm currently nearly 8 months in and in general I'm over the moon with my results. I noticed TSM working straight off the bat. Before TSM I'd have called myself a binge drinker who was progress into a daily drinker. I could binge for days (fueled with drugs to boot) and then just have 6-8 beers on a regular night. The AF days were becoming rare. Below is my log up to week 21...

Week 1... A F 9.0 9.0 7.0 5.0 6.0 6.0 (42)
Week 2... A F 7.0 7.0 6.0 6.0 A F 5.0 (31)
Week 3... 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 7.5 6.0 7.5 (45)
Week 4... A F 7.0 6.0 7.0 3.0 5.0 5.0 (33)
Week 5... 3.5 7.0 5.5 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 (35)
Week 6... 5.5 4.5 6.0 A F 5.5 4,5 3.5 (29)
Week 7... 3.5 A F 4.5 A F 5.5 4.0 4.5 (22)
Week 8... 5.0 3.0 A F A F 5.0 5.0 6.5 (25)
Week 9... 3.5 A F A F A F 3.5 5.0 4.0 (16)
Week 10.. 3.0 4.0 5.0 3.0 8.0 3.0 3.0 (29)
Week 11.. 5.0 7.0 7.0 A F 5.0 5.0 6.5 (36)
Week 12.. 1 5 A F 3.5 5.0 5.5 5.0 5.5 (40)
Week 13.. 5.0 5.0 3.5 5.0 3.5 A F 5.0 (27)
Week 14.. A F 5.0 5.0 4.0 A F A F 5.0 (19)
Week 15.. 2.0 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.0 4.0 5.0 (24)
Week 16.. 5.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 5.5 1 2 (38)
Week 17.. A F A F 3.5 A F 5.0 1 0 5.0 (23)
Week 18.. A F 3.0 5.0 5.0 6.0 6.5 4.0 (29)
Week 19.. A F 1 6 A F 2.5 4.0 8.0 7.0 (37)
Week 20.. A F 4.0 7.0 5.0 5.0 7.0 5.0 (33)
Week 21.. A F 6.0 3.5 5.0 5.0 6.5 5.5 (32)

This brought me up until around the middle of December but in general it kept going steady as you can see. There was the odd hiccup but apart from a handful of days I really had to push it to even try and get drunk.

This leads my to the Christmas holidays. Before starting TSM I had stopped taking Benzo's in April. I had been taking them recreationally for about 3-4 years and it had gotten bad. I could take serious amounts along with other drugs. Anyway... For some unknown reason I had a binge with Diazepam the week before Christmas then 3 more times between then and the 24th of January. A lot of Cocaine was also involved. If you've ever taken high doses of Benzo's you know that your gone for days after even taking them. So basically January is a total blare.

I also ran out of Nal around this same period. (Week before Christmas?) I was AF the last week in January but between say 20th December and 24th January I had no Nal and could have been drinking maybe 15-20 of these days? I was only drinking a few beers from memory, never drunk.

I got a new supply of Nal on the first of Feb and from memory my units have been creeping up. I started to notice that I've been catching a buzz. I haven't had an AF day in about 3 weeks. The last couple of weeks have been in the 50s which is higher than its been since starting. I've also started to enjoy drinking as I'm catching that buzz again.

I'm pissed at myself over the Christmas drug binge. I swore I'd never take Benzo's again and was 8 months off them and proud. Even my mum noticed it. She said I was like a zombie for over a year. The **** thing is I can't remember January so can't be sure how often I drank without the Nal.

Looks like I've had a slid back. I'm just worried that my units seem to be rising instead of lowering after 4 weeks back on the Nal after that messed up holiday period. I'll keep you all posted in my old thread.

Week before last (roughly)... 60ish
Last week (roughly)... 10 12 10 10 12 8 10 (70ish)
This week so far... 10 7 6 7 17

As you can see, I've started to enjoy the sauce again. Upwards and onwards hopefully.

Here is my old progress thread...

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=3033&start=30

Wow, that sounds pretty rough. I'm so fortunate I never developed a taste for narcotics or Valium / Xanax. I imagine that it makes becoming "sober" much, much more complicated and difficult.

Although there's an oral version of Narcan (which reverses opiates, of course I'm talking about Naltrexone), there's no oral version of Flumazenil (which reverses benzos). If they ever make one, I suppose you could do a Sinclair-Method type program using such a pill (take the oral Flumazenil, wait an hour, take some Valium!).

I don't know much about you. Are you able to hold down a job? Do you or have you had bad withdraws from Valium or other benzos, which are famous for nasty withdrawals? When you abstain from alcohol, do you have bad withdrawls?

I can see how, with cocaine, benzos, and alcohol, you would be in a spiral -- not drinking makes you anxious, so you take benzos, which make you tired, so you take cocaine, which makes you irritable, which makes you drink, on and on.

As long as I've drank I've had a problem with drugs but no other drug has messed me up like benzo's and I've taken them all. I never took they regularly enough to experience acute withdrawals which can be hell on earth but when I stopped last year I had a rough enough couple of months. Anxiety, Intrusive thoughts. Lots of stuff going on in your head. It gets better over time but that little stunt over the holidays definitely set me back in more ways than one.

I've also never had full blown alcohol withdrawls just very bad anxiety and basically sweating and feeling like ****.

Since starting TSM things have fallen into place regarding drug abuse of any kind. I'm never intoxicated enough to fall into that trap.

Regarding work. I've been in and out of work most of my working life. I'm not a very functioning drunk and because the only ever work I've had has been physical I've lost many a job from days off. I'm currently getting a days work here and there but thankfully my living expensive's are basically zero as I live with parents and I don't really need a lot of money thankfully.

Its scary getting a set back like this. Hopefully I start to lose the taste again very soon but as I type this I'm getting ready to head out for beer with the intention of getting drunk. Before my slid this wouldn't have worried me as I'd have been stopped in my tracks 2-3 beers in but I've a feeling I'm gonna push on through tonight again.

I'm gonna give it to the summer (1 year in) and maybe think about Baclofen. I'll never drink again without Nal though and will follow TSM for the foreseeable future but I'd like this journey to end as soon as. I've no intention to be a moderation drinker.

Hopefully this is a blip. I've read all the progress threads and people who have had success have had them. I just didn't thin such a short time without Nal would bring this on.

Yes, Dr Eskapa's book is incredibly clear about this - there's a graph I think which shows how quickly rats became readdicted (something like only 2 non nal drinking sessions). This and reading about others in the same situation has convinced me never to drink without nal.

I've definitely learnt the hard way. To be honest, I'd advise anyone to not even contemplate starting TSM without first getting in a large supply of Naltrexone and following the golden rule to the letter.

You might be in this for the long haul (1 year plus) and to be messing here and there with the odd drink without Nal knowing this can happen just isn't worth it. I bet many have called fail with TSM that haven't followed the 1 hour rule to the letter.

Hi Flyer

Sorry to hear you've taken a wee stumble - like you say - hopefully just a blip. I'm too new to offer any wisdom ... but just wanted to say thanks for your advice re stocking up on the Nal and never being tempted to skip and just have a couple!

Its helpful for all us newer folks here to know the ups and downs ... I'm sure you are stronger than you think - being as you had some weeks with pretty low numbers you KNOW you can get back there.

Good luck an keep us posted Lorraine

hey people just to let you know before tam i was drinking 8 beers every night and it never changed .now the last 4 month im drinking 12. who know why and at this point i dont care. wish all you guys good luck. luv you people

Larry , are you saying you have increased your drinking on nal?