Just four days in so I realise I've got to give it time, but . . . just had the horrible thought that maybe people stop drinking simply because the Nal effects are horrible. In my case it's just the feeling of being tired the whole time. I'm scared to drink because I don't want to have to take another bloody tablet!
Did anyone have this and get over it? I'm starting to think the occasional hangover might be easier than going through a Drink+Nal hangover plus side-effects.
But AF tonight anyway . . .

The side effects go away, in my case completely. I had medium bad side effects, to the extent that I wouldn't have been able to drive, and felt like everyone must know I was stoned! They slowly decreased and after 3 weeks were gone, a lot better after just a week.

The longer term effect it what might make me change, or is what worries me, if you drink daily you can be shutting out all positive endorphins for months on end, that's why I think people start af days.

The longer than that term effects is you manage to control alcohol....... that's best

"just had the horrible thought that maybe people stop drinking simply because the Nal effects are horrible."

Well, if horrible events could prevent an alcoholic from drinking again, we wouldn't have many alcoholics, would we?

The pill works for most, don't over-think it. The science is sound. Myself, I had very negligible side effects and the program was a complete success. If anything, from what I have read, the side effects that some folks have might prevent them from reaching a cure by not following through with the program and sticking with the Golden Rule.

It was my desire to get my endorphins back that led me to finally go AF in the end, as Nigelr noted. But I was only able to go AF because of the pill.

I do find however, now that I am free of alcohol and all cravings, that I intensely dislike taking a pill in the few occasions where drinking is around and not partaking would be awkward.

Hi ArealNalCo, you might want to read what I wrote on mg and side effects. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3930

Welcome to the group.
Nal on!

Most people don't have any serious side effects, and if they do they tend to subside after a week or so.

Have you read Roy Eskapa's book yet?

Nope, that is not how Nal works. That is the idea behind Antabuse, and Antabuse doesn't work.

Your side effects should diminish soon.

As Clarion mentions, you get to a point where not drinking is the new Norm, because it just feels and is, better. Knowing I'll feel sleepy, etc after taking the naltrexone and drinking means I only take it when it would be awkward not to drink in social situations. I dislike that as well, and that's why I almost never drink anymore.

The active heavy drinker has a hard time believing that. Do I miss the escape of drinking, not really. I would miss feeling the way I do now a lot more. What possible good comes from over drinking?

In my case, yes, a dislike of Nal is a major motivator to 100% abstinence. But, like others suggested above, you have to see the issue on the other side of the fence (post cure), because it looks a whole lot different. It's not really the side effects as much as the burden of taking a pill just so you can have a "controlled" experience of drinking sans euphoria (this is my experience of Nal). Why bother when it's so nice NOT to drink? I can't personally conceive of a situation where I would HAVE to drink to avoid being awkward.

Just do it, and see where it leads you. I hate the sacrosanct word "journey," but its appropriate in this case!

Exactamente ! Awkward was referring to being the only one not drinking anything, although even that's becoming a nonissue. In over a year, it's not been mentioned that I am drinking very little or not at all. Which is good!.

What would not be good would be announcing that I have a problem with alcohol, and that's why I'm not drinking. Drinking little or nothing becomes a choice, not a mandate.

If you can make a rational tradeoff between the unpleasantness of nal and the euphoria of drinking, the nal is already working for you.

Sounds like you might be a fast responder. Good luck.