Cutting back consciously is not part of the Sinclair Method, but does that mean we should avoid trying to cut back? Many of us want to do so for our own reasons.

A few weeks ago Dr. Eskapa replied to a post here in which he mentioned there's no harm in trying to use effort to taper down as long as we are able to manage the cravings.

I've noticed that, since then, there has been much discussion here about "trying" to cut back or have an AF day.

Eskapa reminds us that we need to think of drinking as "'good for me', or at least 'necessary for me to get better.'" (p. 103)

Eskapa emphasized Sinclair's findings that the number of drinking sessions is more important to the cure than the volume of alcohol consumed per session. "De-addiction happens slowly but surely with the research showing that the more often you drink on naltrexone, the more you weaken your addiction." (p. 107; emphasis his). "Sinclair insists: 'We want to be clear that we are not encouraging patients to drink very large quantities at one time. Large volumes of alcohol do not help (do not hasten the de-addiction process) and can be dangerous. But drinking frequently while on naltrexone is beneficial since each time drinking is an extinction session.'" (p. 107 fn* [Eskapa's parentheses]).

That explains why our binge drinkers tend to take a bit longer to see results.

That also seems to answer the question many of us have about whether it's okay to try to cut back the number of units consumed, or to tryto cut back the number of drinking days. The short answer is units, okay; drinking days, not so much.

Of course if an occasional AF day is very important to us as a subjective mark of progress, then it may be a motivational tool. We each must decide for ourselves whether the cost of a missed drinking session outweighs the benefit of that feeling we are taming the alcohol beast.

I've also noticed that, anecdotally, there is no apparent pattern of faster success by those of us who try to cut back. Our livers thank us of course. But there is nothing to indicate cutting back hastens our cure. We will know that we are cured when we have lost interest in alcohol -- after three to six months. If we stick to TSM, our drinking will go down all by itself. Remember, the sub-title of Eskapa's book is "Drink Your Way Sober Without Willpower . . . ".

No two of us are alike, but we all will get there. And it is so hard to get our heard around the idea that this cure requires no effort at all from us, apart from taking nal every time we drink!

This is so timely b/c I just counted up my drinks for the past week and surprised at the uptick. I have no idea why except looking at my pattern, I tend to have more on the weekends and have been staying up too late this week which added a couple here and there. I am on this program to get down to moderation levels & be able to "take it or leave it". I think an effort to cut back is just what I am doing, so here's to a new week and the continuation of the cure!

I was wondering about cutting back also, as I had a binge this week and felt a serious need to not do that for a while. I understand that I have to drink in order for The Method to work, however, I have more going on in my life than TSM; work, loved ones, making music and art, happiness and soul-health. These things all suffer hugely when I drink, whether I'm getting cured or not.

Like many here, once I start drinking It's all over. I don't start "moderating" after I've had 4 beers. The only way I can successfully moderate is to have AF days, at least for now. Maybe as I progress, I'll be able to moderate in mid-imbibe.

For now I'll have to trade a little speed in TSM progress for my sanity, and that of those around me.

Firebird -- Yours is an example of a sound and sensible reason for choosing to have an AF day while practicing TSM. Your pattern reminds me a lot of Potato. She's been doing TSM probably the longest of anyone here, and she's pleased with her success. You might look at some of her posts.

It doesn't seem to make sense to force a drinking day if you are a binge drinker who doesn't drink every day. I assume Sinclair and Eskapa are telling us that it probably doesn't do much good to force AF days.

The bottom line is to just drink as we normally do and take our naltrexone every time.

I believe there are plenty of examples in Dr. Eskapa's book that choosing to cutback is within the scope of TSM; both directly in the books text and in footnotes made by Dr. Sinclair. Dr. Eskapa also commented on this topic here in this forum that it was OK to choose to cutback if you can.

In my experience, there can be some real moral boosting to cutting back once TSM gives you even a slight edge over alcohol consumption. One of these is taking an AF day -- very liberating for a person who hasn't done so in years. However, an equally rewarding control of consumption is to limit ones intake for the day. For example, lets say a person consumes 7-9 units a day, on average. More than likely, this person wakes up hungover on a regular basis. Let's say on a certain day, this person decides to stop drinking after 3-4 units. I believe this person is still getting the benefits of Nal + Alcohol, but the next day this person wakes up refreshed and feeling good about being able to control the previous nights drinking and not being hungover.

I'm not alone in my experience with choosing to cut back my alcohol consumption. We are now getting a good base of people here in this forum who are reporting experiences while practicing TSM. By in large, people in this forum are reporting positive experiences when choosing to cut back on consumption.

Q

For me...I made a conscious decision to drink every day the first 2 months to extinguish as much as possible. I still did a few AF days here and there when I had no desire to drink, but overall I tried to take my medicine daily.

I think a good rule of thumb is if you can do it without effort, go for it. You may add a few days to the whole process but the timeline for the method and the 'end' game is so loosely defined I think it helps everyone's mood to get a few AFs under their belt.

Good timing for the post. I am actually planning to do AF starting tonight and was wondering if it would set me back. ...I just had two 6+ unit days in a row (which is a lot for me) and my body & spirit are worn out. I need a little break...if it adds more to the process that's fine.

I should add that AF days, when we are ready for them, are an important part of the program. They are an opportunity (on the second AF day, when nal is washed out) to selectively reinforce the positive endorphin-generating behaviors we do not wish to extinguish. Eskapa says using our AF days this way will "maximize results." Eskapa, p. 120-122.

I agree with what Lena just said. Do fun a groovy stuff when you do have af days just because that creates great memories of those days. Personally I never ever forced my af days. I just always took/take my Nal one hour before any alcohol no matter what or how often. I didn't try to have af days they just started happening more often over time. The whole thing about this method is the lack of discomfort during the time one does it. I don't really spend much energy worrying or thinking about the amounts anymore or how often because it just hasn't been an issue for so long. For myself now I just toy with the idea of whether or not I am headed toward abstinence because the breaks are getting huge. Sometimes a week or two. It has become a totally different universe now. When I think about it the only word that comes to my mind is " wierd". Lol. All the best!!

i think potato is right to do really fun and rewarding activities on AF days and not to really plan the AF days, let em come naturally. that is my plan, not to really drink to oblivion on purpose, but if it happens, not kick myself either. just, if i buy wine (pinot noir is my poison) take the medication an hour before drinking and not moniter myself except for in my diary and on the MB. hopefully, eventually my drinking will taper off, and my cravering will diminish. that's supposed to be the promise and the magic of this program and that's what i meant by my posts last night. if it works, it works, why should I stress about how much i am drinking until at least the middle of the 3rd month comes along without ANY progress, or something of the such. that's not to say i will 'force' myself to drink when i don't want to, on the contrary, i will be happy as a clam if i feel like going AF or having only 1 or even 5 at this point. all i mean is, from what the book relays, it is supposed to happen quite naturally from my understanding. anyhoo,
GOOD NEWS!!! I have two DR appt. One Monday and one Tuesday, Monday w/ my PCP and Tuesday with an addiction specialist. Hopefully one of em will agree to prescribe for me and i will be able to begin step 3 as early as next week:) Hoorah! keep ur fingers crossed for me.

bump for Samsara