I've been on TSM for just shy of a year. At 5 1/2 months I declared victory, but I still experienced some upticks in my drinking. I've posted about this in few threads. These upticks in drinking were not to the level I had pre-sinclair, but much higher than I was comfortable with.

As time has gone on, I found continued improvement. There were, and likely still are, triggers to be extinguished. When they these triggers hit, I ride them out with Naltrexone.

For those who aren't seeing the expected progress, I certainly would not give up.

Q

This thread now, on the one hand, gives me renewed hope and a positive message to hold onto. On the other hand, I am looking at being on NAL for 1 year Feb 6th and have not seen the hoped for changes...and questioning it all.

Yes, am going to keep on as I feel we are in uncharted territory. These Drs are so ambiguous in their reponses. I mean really - There are no studies going into long-term Nal use and everytime Dr. Eskapa posts, I get a little ticked off with the vagueness of his responses. Answer the damn question. Do you know what the results are long term or not ...I am reading no. ("Don't give up"?? what is that???)

We have no clinical trials, no studies, no nuthin...beyond the ones in the book which did not chart these people very far. The case studies in the book seem almost silly now, in my opinion, and I feel like our stories are more real than any isolated ones on the book. We are the real deal here. There are hundreds of us on this board, all over the world, hanging onto hope this medication is going to change our lives...and in many cases it has. Which keep the rest of us hanging on.

Dr. Eskapa is just running by the seat of his pants, I think, and I say that with no disrespect. He wrote a book based on the (limited) studies of Dr. Sinclair. No one has studies of those of us going beyond the 6 month mark. If they have, why haven't they told us?? Why haven't people come forward? The Drs are alluding to success/improvement beyond 6 months, but have no real proof...only seeing changes @ 3-4 months. Maybe because this drug has only been approved for use to treat AL addiction in the last few years. We are definitely treading uncharted waters here.

The medical community is listening, but they are pushing NAL as a drug to take w/o using alcohol. My psychiatrist DR told me as much. I am very disheartened overall by my own lack of "success". Yes, I have seen changes, but ehhhhhh - not enough. I am going to make more significant changes on my own, thru will power as the New Year starts. Just as I did last year....dissappointed in TSM, but not giving up.

Happy New Year

I'm with everybody else but I've been only on since the beginning of September.

I haven't had the dramatic changes except through a few moments. I still drink and to excess.

I will try and use some will power, but if in the next 2 months its not significantly better, I will have to regroup and consider other options......Much love to all for the new year..BEst, Jim Clark

Jim, you are definitely too early to expect significant results. You should just keep your nose to the grindstone and see where you are in another 3 mons.

The one part of this discussion, and Dr. Eskapa's book, that frustrates me is this 3-4 month "cure" time frame. The book states this as the average, or expected, time to see a cure. In our experience here, 3-4 months is more the exception not the average. In fact, the earliest one should expect a cure is 5-6 months -- given our experiences.

The other part of this discussion that frustrates me is the concept that TSM takes a person to a point where he just forgets to drink or loses interest. In my experience, this wasn't the case and it hasn't been the case with some of the others claiming success. Springer Rider, for example, has stated that he used some will power given his new control over AL to choose not to drink. This was exactly the case for me. I still have a type of desire to get the high AL gives, but I chose not to indulge this desire. The desire is getting less and less over time, but it is still there. Prior to TSM, I couldn't do this: I would cave, justify, or what ever and just start drinking. Now, when I get the desire I usually choose not to drink because I honestly don't like it.

In my opinion, I think most of us here need to use some will power to cut down on the drinking once TSM extinguishes the overwhelming craving. Over a long period of time (1yr +) maybe these desires just go away, who knows. I do know they are getting less and less for me as time goes on, but at this point it is still there.

A follow up thought:

In my experience, there is an aspect of drinking for many of us here that is pure habit. For me, it was drinking at night. This was just part of what I did on a every other night basis. Now, I still find myself thinking I need to be doing something at night -- drinking pops in my head. Many nights, there just seems to be this empty feeling like I should be doing something. Perhaps in time, this will fade as well.


Q

Q, your afterthought is something I've thought about before and have dreaded going to that word "habit". I've been on Nal now for 4 months and not seeing any effects on me or my husband, ok maybe I have with my husband. I too am a daily night time drinker so do I have to turn my life upside down to break the routine?

corkit

Thanks Q,

Yes Q, you're indeed right.

I'm trying to keep my relationship life off of the forum. I think its pathetic to re-read some of my old posts but I think I was in a funk as I was writing that earlier today. It was more of stream of consciousness comment as a result of the Mrs. finding some empties (1.75 liter bottle vodka and a beer and a almost full pint.). My friend asks why I don;t throw them out? Its because I'm not allowed to drink in front of my wife so I have to hide the bottles, I then finish them hide them and have to get rid of them on the sly.

As a result of this hiding, I can be in some weird places the morning after being found out.

I think that was the case when I said that earlier today. I was in a funk. Sick if everything, my wife, my life, struggling with money, alcoholism etc. TSM etc etc

I passed out in front of wifey and moms Xmas eve. Not good.

Mrs. seems cool today. I will try and and edit myself better in the future...Best, Jim C

Thanks Q, your post makes a lot of sense and speaks so well to those of us coming onto a year of this. Once again, so gratifying to come to this board to get support and input from knowledgeable, experienced people. I have told my DR about this site and what I am getting from it. He feigns interest, but just doesn't know what I do or care really.

Jim, hang in there - I feel for ya with the hiding the bottles and the non-supportive spouse. Money issues are tough too probably for everyone and now we are coming up on the biggest drinking night of the year! whoopee. It's time to take a deep breath and just (drum roll puh-leez) take it one day at a time. AA may have bragging rights over that expression, but it's oh-so-true.

I am off to Dallas for a couple of days. Look forward to catching up again when I get back.

XO

Q,

I have been thinking along the lines lately that those of us that are "cured" are reacting like normal people now. I know plenty of people that are not alcoholics that want to get blitzed on occasion, but most of the time they have one or two on occasional days and sometimes they're AF for days and days.

Our addiction is now gone, but we're still human and want to have some fun sometimes. As long as we have this post-cure control now, we can choose like normal people to have a couple of drinks to relax or socialize, to go AF without thinking much of it, or decided to go out with our buddies and get blitzed on occasion. As long as we take our Naltrexone, of course so we don't get re-addicted.

We have regained our will power. The addiction is now just a painful memory and part of our past.

Bob

This is a great thread. Q, I couldn't agree more with your line of thinking. I am certainly one of those who drink out of habit -- as in every evening. And while TSM has decreased my cravings, it hasn't decreased my consumption, or my habit. And that will take some willpower, which, for some reason, I haven't decided to exercise just yet. The thing is, I know I probably could go AF some nights without a big problem. So then why don't I? Trying to figure that one out. It's more that I look at the clock and say, oh, it's time to take my nal so I can have a glass of wine at 5pm -- not that I'm dying to have a glass. And I definitely don't get the "pleasure" (if you can call it that) out of alcohol that I did 7 months ago. No warm fuzzies. So, the craving is down, the pleasure is down, I don't even like it sometimes....that leaves habit, right? And true, no pill can cure a habit. It can only reduce the pleasure one gets for indulging in the habit. I think that's where many of us are stuck with TSM. Rats don't have deeply entrenched habits, they only have cravings.