So I've been faithfully taking nal for a little over a month now. When I first started it was a license to drink every day so I could speed up the extinction process, but my numbers were too high so I've gone back to AF on Mon, Tues, Wed. I've read a couple of times on this forum that a honeymoon period followed by a return to normal drinking levels appears to be associated with a better chance of ultimate success. I did not have a honeymoon period. AL tastes the same, I still get a nice warm everything's-right-with-the-world feeling- I don't think I feel any different drinking on nal than not and I've followed the GR without fail. I've been tracking my drinking for a couple of years (I'm a data hound) and my numbers look pretty much the same as they always have. When I go AF three days a week my numbers are in the teens and low twenties; if I allow myself to drink every day, they're going to be in the mid- to upper-thirties. Am I a non-responder? I know it's early yet but I don't seem to be having the same experience that I've read about a lot of people having. Are there people that didn't have the honeymoon effect but were still successful?

I can only say that NAL worked for me, and I never recall having any type of "honeymoon" period, so fear not. The first clue I had that it might work was when I left a glass half full one night, without realizing it. I had never done such a thing in 30 years! Another poster recently remarked on the same experience. Keep in mind: Nal works, and we are all different.

henstooth: Looking at my numbers, I do not think that I had a honeymoon period. And yes, I still like to drink. Something is different, but it is difficult to quantify or categorize. And to tell you the truth, I don't give a hoot if it is just a placebo effect. I feel confident that I have a pathway that is going to lead to regaining control of my drinking, and I am going to stick with it until I get where I want to be.

I guess what I would say to you is this: what do you really have to lose by sticking with the nal? After a month, I don't think you could possibly know whether it is going to work for you or not. Hang in there. Try not to overanalyze. Other than a little $$, there isn't a downside, and the upside is huge. Have faith.

Hugs to you from Newlife

I think this is the one of the hardest things to not do. It's so hard to avoid the natural need to compare how you did this week vs last week, or how you're doing this week compared to someone else.

I think of it like if we're all trying to lose 20 pounds: some of us can lose 10 really easy then struggle to lose another ounce, some of us will lose 1 pound a week like clockwork, and some could take time to even see the first pound come off. We're all different. The only thing that matters is that we all get to our goal.

Good point Jackson. Sometimes I even wonder about all of the drinking logs. But because they are officially recommended, I will hold my fire. I didn't keep one. I ordered, and then read, the book. While I did so I began to cry like a baby, tears streaming down my cheeks, from just the very thought, or chance, that there was a hope of me breaking free of alcohol. I then saw my Doctor, got my prescription, took NAL 1 hour before, and drank as I normally would. The book said nothing much was going to happen for a few months, so I thought: "Well, I just won't worry much about it until July" (it was March). I pictured myself in summer free of alcohol and let it go at that. There wasn't anything to lose, and certainly no rush or urgency after almost 40 years of abuse (what's a few months?). And when summer came, my worries were over.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm definitely going to continue the program. I have 100 tablets that should last me quite a while if I continue having at least 3 AF days a week and I'll order more when those start running low. I definitely tend to overanalyze and borrow trouble from the future, so I'm just going to chill, take my Nal, enjoy my drinks and see what happens.

How much doest this cost?