I began TSM in May 2016. I could tell a difference immediately am went from 50+ per week to 30 pretty quickly. 10 Months in and I am pretty consistently at 24/week, but with maybe only 1-2 AF.

The desire to drink daily is getting a little stronger, though I usually only have 2-3 on weekdays without thinking about restricting myself and 5-6 on weekend nights. Still, I can't help but feel that I'm slipping because I *want* to drink more often.

Right now, it's 9am on a Sunday and I have the desire for a beer. I'm not going to do it, and that's progress. But that desire often affects my actions. Four months ago, I was likely to get out and do things. Now, it's almost like I stay home and count backwards until it's time to drink. I think to myself how I want to get trashed. Fortunately Nal is working, and I'll lose interest and only have a few unless I drink for a long time or make a concerted effort to have more.

I'm not getting drunk. I'm not hungover. I'm getting to sleep on time. I'm functional at work 100% of the time, now. So, lots of things to be thankful for--I just look forward to the cravings going away.

Any thoughts it experiences?

One thing that seems to plague people is their reason for taking NAL each day. What I mean here is that one must wait for a distinct craving, wait for the hour and then consume their drink. This allows the brain to directly connect the craving to the unrewarded drink. Instead folks often fall into the trap of taking NAL at the same time every day sometimes hours before without actually yet having a craving. For example taking a tablet at work at 4pm because they want a 5pm drink when they get home. This only reinforces the psychological addiction and doesn't give you an opportunity not to drink. You've said nothing about this, but if it applies altering this seems to lead to breakthroughs.

Are you on 50mg? Also, if it's the Nodict brand one should be waiting 90min fyi.

Thanks for the reply. I do take it at the same time every day--when I get home from work--but that's because I *do* want a drink. But, earlier in the Spring (or was it late Fall?), I didn't want drinks every day. I have strayed from doing mindfulness exercises and need to get back to that. I also hurt my back a month ago, which has kept me from exercising. I'll begin those again today. Once I take it, I sometimes forget and don't drink for 2 hours and it often takes more than an hour to grab a second beer, so the Nal is working in that regard.

I am taking 50mg. I don't know which manufacturer it is. They are elliptical. I did receive round pills once or twice and noticed I was drinking a lot more. That was in the Fall. How does one know if the dosage should be upped?

We know from over 100 studies the optimal dose for TSM is 50mg. That said and if any time then now for you, people will experiment with 75-100mg. On the other hand from what you're saying there's no reason to believe your current dose isn't adequate because it clearly once was. If you're not being mindful then that's certainly a red herring here. An interruption in your exercise routine could also be a factor, too. I don't think taking NAL every day at the same time bodes well frankly. There really should be some variation if you're engaging with the procedure and mindfulness. I'm not sure what a Nodict pill's appearance is. Perhaps someone can chime in on that.

Anyway, I'd suggest switching things up some, but stay the course and remain positive and expectant of resolution. On the other board this morning someone's breakthrough came around 20 months! Everyone's different.

Thanks. There are other stressful things going on right now and exercise and mediation will help with those, too. Like I said, I'm still pleased with where I'm at--it's night and day compared with this time last year. On what board was that person who broke through at 20 months? I'd like to read it.

Scroll down to 'patok's' post. Graph and all! :

http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/thread/752/graph-sucks?page=2

Hi, Bmorri3! Welcome back!

I'll 2nd Bardo on the crave/nal/drink issue. I'd suggest pushing your normal start time to see if you can get some latitude there. Just upset "the machine" and see what you come up with. Also, get a sip of that first drink as soon as the hour is up, you can take the drink slowly though (the slower the better).

Keeping the drink out of your hand and out of sight between sips seems to be a good exercise too. I left mine in the fridge and got busy with some little chores, then started noticing that the time between sips got longer and longer. Keep on promoting that pause and the point of decision so you get the "do I/don't I want another sip" question going each time (so much as possible). If you normally drink when watching TV, talking on the phone, etc., get a good NA drink and have that with you while the booze waits in another room, out of your sight. There is no win/fail here, whatever you decide during the pause is fine, just get that pause and point of decision in there and integrate it as part of the habit so the conscious part of your brain gets a chance to vote.

Thanks, y'all.

I've been drinking daily because I always think about drinking around the time I get off of work. (I'm a HS teacher. I assume most of us think about it many days...) I have an hour commute and I stopped taking Nal *before* the commute in the Fall. Now I take it when I get home--usually around 5 or 5:30. Early on, I was told (by Joe, maybe?) to drink when I wanted one and not force AF. That may have been true for the early weeks, but after 10 months, I think I lost sight of changing behavior, too. I've spent all day reading posts on the other board and see I need to be more proactive. I suppose I thought (hoped...) it would just come about naturally. And, again, I'm in a great place. I rarely get drunk and am getting to the point where I usually have a six-pack or less each on Friday and Saturday and 1 or 2 is the norm on work nights. This is absolutely crazy compared to before.

Here's the thing in two parts: a) I think I confuse thinking about drinking with cravings. I will be experimenting this week to differentiate between the two. b) I think I confuse the panic that comes about when I consider not taking a pill when I get home (What if I really want a beer later?!?!?) with a craving. I can be neurotic at times and I need to remind myself to not attribute that to alcohol.

After years of trying, I quit smoking, cold turkey, 5+ years ago. After reading about lizard-brain today, I can totally relate, because that is the basis of Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking (which I read after quitting).

Am I wrong that it looks like the other board is more active? I thought about posting there but, SURPRISE!!!, I'm a creature of habit. lol

Thanks again for the conversation!

Oh, and Joe, I am going to try to upset the apple cart, but I can't really push the start time any more without going AF. I usually don't start until 6 or 6:30 and try to be in bed around 8:30 (whoops). I often realize no craving around 3 and "decide" I'm not going to drink, only to take a Nal as soon as I get home. It doesn't help that it takes almost an hour to drive 19 miles, but I am definitely not mindful when I get home. I played some disc golf today for my first exercise in a month. It didn't jack my back up, but I'm curious to see how it feels in the morning. Barring any setback, I'm going to begin exercising again tomorrow when I get home--some ab exercises and 30 minutes of walking and jogging. I hope to be mindful and wait to see if I want to take Nal until *after* I get back from the jog. Before I hurt my back, sometimes I'd take the Nal and then jog just to speed up the hour. My thing is that I'm very sensitive to the behavior of others. That's no good as a HS math teacher and single father of a 10yo. I need to deal with that, as well.

Yeah... that's pretty tight timing, not much you can do there.

The other board is indeed more active. This one has been down weeks at a time a few times now, plus it's been pretty slow to respond recently (but that seems to be fixed now), so we're telling people to check out the other board too.