I am in the 6th week of TSM and am just starting to track my units this week. I know my units went down after the first few weeks, but have steadily gone back up to almost before TSM levels. Thanks to all of the support from this site, I understand that is normal and that it really takes several months (at least) to start a consistent decrease in units. What I am wondering now is if I am supposed to be trying for AF days. My understanding from reading Dr. Eskapa's book is that you should drink as normal as long as you take NAL one hour before. I have not been making an effort for AF days yet and am just wondering if I should be trying harder.

Eskapa and the book say nothing about forcing AF days. You are supposed to drink as you normally drink when facing a craving. After three or four months or so you might want to try an AF day. If you can do it with minimal effort, do it. If your cravings are uncontrollable, drink through them on nal.

Thanks Nick! It just seems so counterintuative to what i'm used to hearing but I am going to trust it and go with it.

I think the trick is figuring out if you are afraid of an AF day because of CRAVINGS, or because of HABIT. If it's just habit, I say give yourself a little nudge and see how it goes. At some point you'll want to try for an AF day, but if you're not ready now, don't agonize over it!

Totally agree with EL.

BTW, every time you drink on Naltrexone -- but with the positive reinforcement blocked -- you are weakening your urge to drink. Why? Because the endorphins that caused you to crave booze are no longer effective. If you keep drinking but with no reinforcement, your body eventually loses its craving. It's like Pavlov's dog that was trained to salivate when it heard the bell paired with food. The more the bell rang without the food, the sooner the dog stopped salivating. The same principle applies to TSM. If you think of it this way, it makes perfect sense.

thanks Electralou and nick! It makes complete sense. I think I am going to try for an AF day at the beginning of next week to see how it goes. thanks again for the support!