I've read in the book and the MSN article about people drinking and getting drunk when taking Nal, but not really getting that same high without the endorphins. So I've been drinking on Nal for about two weeks, and I still feel like I really enjoy drinking on the Nal; maybe just as much as I did without it. It does feel a bit different, especially at first, but I still feel that compulsion and desire to drink after I've had a couple.

My worry now is that if it still feels just as good to drink with the medication, how would that lead to extinction? If sure doesn't feel like my endorphins are being blocked! I'm wondering how others feel when they are drinking. Do you still get high? Is it the same high?

I have had a slight decrease in my drinking, possibly due to honeymoon effect. Like last night I was able to stop at a point where I would normally have needed at least half a little bottle of wine to finish me off. It's often hard to tell how much of the desire to drink more is psychological, habit, conditioning, or physical compulsion.

Does anyone else feel like it's still too enjoyable to drink for this to be working?

Firebird,

To me, drinking feels largely the same on/off naltrexone. What's happening is happening at a level you probably can't feel. I feel it to some extent but can only describe it as "lost magic" - it's a subtle effect.

I'm glad to hear it. Sometimes it really feels like the Nal isn't having any real effect. It's way too early to judge anything for me by current results, though. If others are having a similar experience then I'm not so worried. Other than that, this is working perfectly for me so far...

Firebird: I should add that basically everything feels the same but after a couple months I noticed I could go longer between drinking days without craving it as much.

I don't think we crave it because it "feels good" at a noticeable level - the craving is deeper than that. There are lots of things I like a hell of a lot more than drinking (a good steak, for example) but I don't crave them like booze and I can't get addicted to them.

I think naltrexone turns alcohol into that big steak. It's still good but no longer capable of causing or feeding the addiction. If you gave naltrexone to people when they first started drinking (ever in their lives, I mean), they could drink and have a good time, but they'd never get hooked on it.

I guess the simple answer is that it is too early to notice any significant change in the way you feel on Nal. The first week, you noticed a difference, but quickly got used to it. For me at the end of week 5, drinking days seem to feel like the old days, but in reviewing my actions of "being drunk on Nal" vs. "being drunk w/o Nal", I am far more responsible while on Nal. Also, every once in a while I now get days where I don't want to drink. I never had that effect before the Nal. Also, I am drinking marginally less and I am not blacking out or passing out any longer. These have been my experiences.

My history is one of trying literally dozens of sobriety methods and/or meds. There are only 2 that had any significant effect, SMART Recovery and Aversion Therapy. In SMART Recovery (SR), I could never make it past 3 months sober, before I relapsed, but I spent most of last year sober, because of SR. Aversion Therapy (AT) was highly successful, but is absolute torture to endure. It took weeks for me to recover from the treatment and it was only mostly successful.

BTW, the absolute worst treatment methodology I did was AA. I feel sorry for those people and the misery that they endure. Also, they have a higher recidivism rate than spontaneous remission! Go figure.

Bob

As I am not diligently logging my use I would like to make a few comments.

That is as I do drink 24/7 I am finding daily around 5 p.m. I am slowing down on my habit. I would in the past prior to nal, open that 2nd bottle of wine, and I am not doing that. I am able to get through the evening with a glass or two. Now granted this is after consuming 5 to 7 units, starting at 9 a.m.

This past "middle of the night" I did not drink at all, and managed to get to my yoga class sans AL consumption. At home after class, I am drinking but I do not really want it, not really enjoying it, so I think that is a positive move forward. I am not forcing myself to drink to use TSM. Unfortunately I have somehow not the ability to control the use.

However, I am not drunk or in a state at night, I am very clear headed. SO I really think I am making progress.

Bob, I too, enjoy your posts, thanks for being a part of our "trial".

I agree with all of your feelings and responses. What I am feeling is very subtle but very positive. I have just entered week 3.

My greatest discovery has been to realize the ice has melted in my drink! This was never a problem before as I usually gulped them down rather quickly.

Best wishes to you all.

bb

Hi Firebird & Everybody!

The fact that I "still get a buzz" has always been a cause of great fear for me....Am I one of the unlucky ones who must face the fact that TSM won't work for me? I'm not exactly an optimist, but I've tried really hard to think positively with this, and just KNOW it will work, despite bad days or what I might see as a lack of progress. You know what? I still get buzzed, and I still look forward to and enjoy drinking - if that wasn't possible with ANY program, I doubt I could stick with it.

My buzz might be a bit different in the sense that I feel I don't get as drunk as usual, but that has been a plus, not a negative, and I aboslutely still feel the 'good feelings' from alcohol. For me, it's like I realize that my brain still works pretty well, even though I've had quite a bit to drink - I'm not feeling I've missed out on anything. In fact, it's better than before because I'm alert enough to remember everything - the laughter from good jokes, the simles of people I love, the genuine conversations with others who are a bit tipsy. It's like I've become the responsible one in the group when everyone else is blasted, but in a GOOD way - (I wouldn't drive, etc.) because I can help loved ones safely toddle off to sleep after they've shared all their deepest thoughts with me. It's truly a gift, because in the past, I was so absorbed with my own pursuit of intoxication that I missed out on everything that mattered, and pissed off and/or hurt people I love in the process.

PLEASE don't worry if you still get buzzed - rejoice in the fact that TSM makes that possible while it SLOWLY cures you of the nightmares in your past. I still get the buzz, but I don't need as much alcohol to feel good. Counting drinks helps you get a handle on things. When my beer was empty, I'd automatically go get another, but NOW, since I'll have to count that, I think "do I really even WANT another?" Making yourself think first is good on a lot of levels. Initially, my drinking levels were worse, because for ME the honeymoon was that I was suddenly allowed to drink with reckless abandon! I eventually remembered why I got here in the first place, and began to see subtle changes.

Don't get discouraged if you don't see a steady change in drinking levels, etc. Just like life, you're going to have good and bad days. It's the overall improvement that will creep up on you if you stick to it. Drinking still feels good to me, and I think it always will. That's the part I could never agree to give up in the first place. But now, it just doesn't rule my life - there's no longer desperation in "having" to get a drink. I think N101CS's example of enjoying a good steak is a perfect example. I had a couple great margaritas this weekend, but I was OK with only a couple. Just like a good steak, it tastes great, but you can only eat so much before you get too full to keep going.

Long live the "buzz" and let's drink to the love of drinking without letting it destroy our lives! I get angry about people explaining the effect of Naltrexone as taking away the good feelings from alcohol, and fear it might discourage others who need help. The important thing is that your brain no longer makes you desperate to seek more and more alcohol for satisfaction. Just because now I can only eat a small filet, it doesn't mean I enjoy it any less. In fact, I save enough money to get 'surf and turf' so I get crab legs too! How can that be a bad thing?

Kris is at the same stage as I am, and our experiences are nearly identical. My drinking is down only marginally - but it IS down. I still greatly enjoy the warm, relaxed feeling of that first glass of wine, still get buzzed, and still drink more compulsively than a non-addict.

However, there isn't the desperate feeling around alcohol that I used to have. I wouldn't make a special trip to the Liquor Store to buy a bottle of wine b/c I 'only' have one on hand. I could manage to sip through that one, and be content. On a couple of occasions I was content with only 2 or 3 glasses. But, if two bottles are on hand, I will go half-way through the second bottle. Before Nal, I would have drank at least two whole bottles in a night, and more on heavy drinking nights. Now, two bottles are my absolute limit for heavy drink days - and there are fewer of them than in the past.

Kris' experience of getting buzzed, but not feeling drunk, are similar to mine as well. I absolutely have more control of myself when drinking than I used to. Blackouts are a thing of the past. This weekend my SO was especially fatigued, and handed me the keys to drive home on both evenings we were out - in the past there was NO WAY he would have allowed me to drive. I also recall conversations clearly, and enjoy the company of others much more. I believe I'm less self-absorbed when drinking. My SO tells me I no longer fixate on a subject, and repeat myself over and over, as I used to do. (Who knew? ) I'm not enjoying the company of our friends who are extremely heavy drinkers as much as I did before. . .but am appreciating other friends more. One bar we used to frequent several evenings a week has nearly dropped off our radar - we no longer enjoy all the drama of the very heavy drinkers who work and drink there.

So be encouraged that drinking will probably always be pleasurable, but alcohol will be kicked off the throne of your life.

well i encourage it, because it sounds like a few of you are still getting the buzz, the pleasure, and i wonder if the "drug" in your generic pills are getting to your brain?

cause i sure am not getting the pleasure buzz!~