I've been going back and forth on this -- trying to decide if I should do something so drastic when I could likely achiece moderation (at least for a time) through other means. But this morning, I was looking at my beautiful toddler, and I thought, "this needs to be my rock bottom. I'm ready for a permanent change."
It took me a little time to get here, but I finally feel that this is the right first step for me. I even admitted all this to the hubby, and he agreed- with reservations. He is so supportive of me getting better- a little reading and he will be totally on board.
Husband is working tonight (like many nights- he works 2 jobs), so I am holding off on beginning the nal until tomorrow. I am prone to nausea, and the baby could wake up and need me or whatever, so I feel that waiting until he will be here for a few nights in a row is best. AND he unexpectedly has the next 3 nights off! That never happens. So it must be meant to be
Anyhow, I'm very excited and so, so, so hopeful as I begin this journey. Looking forward to tomorrow night... And also pretty terrified. For tonight, I'll focus on my laundry, while indulging this dysfunctional relationship with my shitty friend, wine, one more time

Welcome Gdmcf, thanks for your introduction. You sound very excited.

Is it naltrexone you are using?

Congratulations on taking those all-important first steps! Hopefully your side effects will be minimal (mine were, and I started off at the 50mg dose right away) and will fade quickly. You are smart to schedule your start-up at a time when you have back-up with your toddler.

Don't be scared- there is nothing to be scared of. You'll quickly adjust to the new normal of taking Naltrexone and finding it increasingly easy to drink moderately.

best of luck Gdmcf. it sounds like you're well motivated to make this work for you. looking forward to hearing how you get on

-badger

Thanks for responding!
Ukblonde- yes I got my Naltrexone from All Day Chemist. It took 6 weeks to arrive, so I'll have to factor that in when I reorder.
Well I took a half dose last night and tonight, and the side effects are minimal! Thank goodness. I just feel a bit loopy and groggy. And, am I imagining that food tastes different? Like everything was so overly sweet or salty I didn't want to eat.
I drank 2 glasses of wine, but I kind of forced it. I had no desire to drink them- and they were from a $35 bottle of wine! Kinda crazy.
I'm weighing going up to tht full dose tomorrow, or sticking with 25 a few more days.

Gdmcf - you said that you are prone to nausea - make sure that you have a full tummy before you take the Nal - that was the only SE that I had - and as long as I have a full tummy it is fine. Re food tasting different - it is possible I suppose - my Murphy's tasted awful the past two days and I have switched to Guinness ! Although I have not noticed it with any other foods ....

good luck !! We can do this !!

hugs, Maggie x

Good for you Gdmcf; sounds like you are off to a great start. I started on March 3rd so I am only a little bit ahead of you. It's definitely a journey and it really helps to know that others are out there who are experiencing the same thing. Good luck and keep posting!! Newlife

Maggie- surprisingly, I've had no nausea! I swear, everything makes me nauseous, and I had morning sickness for 6 months with my little one, so I was bracing myself. I will definitely continue to eat before taking nal!

Tonight I took the full dose for the first time, and, thankfully, I feel fine. It's odd, though- I don't feel that the dosage has increased. I've had 2 glasses of wine, and I admit that I do want more. I know that the rewiring is happening on an unconscious level, and it is silly to feel impatient on day 4, but I guess after the first 3 days where I basically lost my urge to drink, I'm a little stressed. I am mindful that it's silly, but I keep thinking, "F*%£!!! Am I a f*%#=+* non-responder?!"
I wonder if this has to do with my drinking pattern. I am a daily drinker- I drink slow(ish) and I very rarely get full-on drunk. My tolerance is high, so I drink a lot, but I generally drink to achieve and maintain tipsiness. I feel like binge drinkers would experience a more pronounced effect (or, rather, lack of effect?) from the Nal. Is that correct? As it is, I can detect very little difference. I suppose the physiological effects are more pronounced, and I do not have that "aaah, relaxation" feeling.
Anyway. I am still very excited to see where this takes me. Thanks for the support, everyone. I didn't know there was anything but AA out there. I feel like I found a lifeboat on the Mayflower and escaped the Puritans! So I want to document everything in way too much detail. Haha

I was mostly a binger drinker and I have heard that binge drinkers tend to be more successful with TSM. HOWEVER I also know at least one daily drinker, who like you didn't get blotto, who did and has seen brilliant success with TSM.

Result is that I don't know if any one type of drinker does any better than the other.

The following are ingredients that those who find success seem to have in common;

Always using nal ever time they drink
Patience
Self-awareness
Actively taking steps to cut back once they are aware that the desire to drink has lessened.

I hope this helps in some way.