Hello everyone,
Firstly I must say that I have been in and out of AA and rehabs for the past 6 years and have white-knuckled my way through some horrible months before finally falling back on my ass. I've broken many relationships and lost many friends along the way. Needless to say I am surprised I hadn't come across TSM or this forum before now, with all the hours I've spent trawling the net looking for a solution to my problem. I am from Australia and 12step programs are generally the way alcoholism is approached.

Without any hesitation I purchased Dr. Eskapa's book, had fantastic discussions with my family and GP and got my first prescription of Naltrexone. Well, when I say my FIRST prescription, I have been prescribed it before with the traditional direction of a tablet a day with NO DRINKING. Needless to say this had no effect and I was soon not taking the NAL and was back on the piss.
Well, I read all the info I could and I am now into day 6 of my first week using TSM. I've posted elsewhere on this forum site that my initial feelings when taking 50mg of naltrexone + waiting an hour + drinking have been extremely promising. I have felt the lack of euphoria usually associated with those first couple of drinks, and have had more of a 'sober' feeling even after drinking 18+ units on my first night. I felt in control.
My numbers have been up and down in these very early days, but each drinking session I have felt in control and able to stop if I had to.
Last night I tested this theory by only buying 3 bottles of cider - 2 standard drinks each - totalling 6 standard drinks. Now, usually I would have bought at LEAST double or triple that amount just to cover myself, whether I wanted to drink it or not. And as it was there, I would generally drink it all as once I get going I can never stop until I black-out or run out.
So last night I slowly drank each bottle of cider after taking my Naltrexone. I found that I drank it a lot slower than I usually would - perhaps partly due to the fact that I knew it was all I had, but I didn't have the desire to glug it down. I didn't get that warm glow and over-chatty feeling. Instead I proceeded to have some dinner and go to bed. I felt none of the usual panic that I usually would have had after starting and then stopping after such a small amount. Again I felt a little tipsy but in total control of my mood.
I am yet to drink in a public setting or in a setting where I have an unlimited supply so I am not sure how my usual drinking pattern will be affected. I KNOW I can do AF days as I have had to do many before so I will continue to strive for low numbers coupled with AF days as I go.
The true test for me will be if I can curtail my MASSIVE binges that I find myself on, that last two or three days and must be God, I don't even know how many units as I blackout constantly during them. But needless to say I am excited and hopeful for this new method. I am looking forward to a day when pharmacological extinction makes my obsessive thoughts about booze a thing of the past.
I thank everyone of you on this site for your stories of hope and success, without this site and the promise this method brings I'd probably be sitting in an AA meeting wishing I was dead. Or out on an uncontrollable binge as I thought those were the only two extremes my life would ever consist of.
Much love.

Hey Guys,
So I am officially at the end of my first week and I have capped it off by having an AF night, which is great!
Cooking is a real trigger for me and tonight was my turn to cook dinner for the family. But I really wanted to stay AF tonight and am no stranger to abstaining for brief periods of time so it was not so bad.
My response to drinking whilst on Naltrexone has still remained the same which is that I feel much more in control and mellow than I usually would and I have not blacked out or done anything regrettable. I also feel like I could have stopped which I proved to myself I can do as long as I limit the amount of booze that's in the house....
Reading through a lot of your threads has been interesting and comforting. Lot's of similarities - you're a bunch of bloody drunks!!
But all in all I think it has been a very promising week and one that is full of optimism and hope. I'm really glad to have you all out there going through this with me and I hope to get to know more of you as the weeks and months progress.

You sound a lot like I was... You have a lot of encouraging signs - it doesn't feel the same to drink, etc.

Read through people's threads for encouragement. Realize that this is a process. It will take time. Eskapa's book makes very optimistic claims. It will take effort (not now, but later). You have started a process that will change your life if you stick with it.

Also, McBlackout is a hilarious name

Generic!
Man this is weird, the night I posted my last update on this thread I randomly selected YOUR progress thread and read it from beginning to end! So it seems like fate that you would respond to mine...
I can relate to SO many of the crazy drinking patterns and behaviours that used to seem 'normal' to you. Particularly the extra drinks I sneak in when other people can simply stop. The 'nightcaps', the 'five for the road', next day drinking...blah blah.
What I found really interesting in your thread (besides your sick sense of humour) was how you noticed these behavioural changes slowly dropping off to the point where you could then DECIDE to drink normally, ie. not having to drink just because it's Friday, not needing a drink when you come home after the pub. That really stood out for me. Taking notice of the little things that will happen over time and adjusting behaviour accordingly. I'm really prepared to be in this for the long haul as I believe in it based on what I've felt so far, and evidenced through stories like yours that show that alcoholism (the obsession and the behaviour when drinking) are curable!
I really appreciate your story and hope that I can call on you for advice when I start hitting inevitable hurdles!
Thanks mate.

Wow!
So, I just went out to dinner with a great old friend of mine. She's one of those people that can go out and have a blast of a time whether she drinks or not. A real take it or leave it person. But she has also been in my corner for years and has supported me in every facet and phase of my drinking. Well....she hasn't supported my binge drinking and wild behaviour - but she certainly knows I've tried really hard for the majority of the last decade to quit drinking and has been there for me when I've fallen down and helped me get back on my feet. Only to watch me screw it all up again in a matter of weeks. So she is naturally one of the first people that I've told about this "new thing I'm trying"...I'm sure she is naturally sceptical, but she accepted it with the same generous encouragement she always does.
The amazing thing is that during dinner, which lasted about two and a half hours, I only had two beers. I sat on the second beer until the bill arrived. And even though a fair chunk of the conversation revolved around drinking, MY DRINKING, it didn't even occur to me to have any more. I didn't do anything like I usually do like neck the current beer before moving onto the next, or secretly order a fresh one when my friend went to the bathroom. Or pick up some take-away to polish off once I got home.
I am now obviously home and once I'm finished on here I'll be off to bed. Sober as a judge. With no compulsion to drink any more tonight. This hasn't happened to me as far back as I can remember. Usually dinner out would involve one of two scenarios. Sitting at the table drinking a water or soft-drink, looking smug and talking freely about how easily I could have a booze free night - whilst secretly wishing I was drinking. Or getting more piss into me than food and proceeding to get wasted once I arrive home.
I know as generic said earlier that there will be many, many challenges ahead. But this feeling is so damn good right now. Two beers!
Unbelievable.

I'm meeting up with a mate of mine tonight. It'll be my first bar experience on Nal and I'm kinda nervous. My hands and feet are all clammy and I sort of want to cancel on him. The reason is that I have been feeling really good in this first week and a bit since starting and I really don't want to let a regrettable experience kill my enthusiasm. Although on the other hand I have to start to face the reality sooner or later and come out of my isolated alcoholic world. A HUGE part of my drinking has been in bars (well dah!) and I suppose I have to use this extinction effect in all aspects of my drinking. It just seems like yesterday though that a few afternoon beers in a pub turned into a 48hr marathon that I can hardly remember.
I guess for a long time, even though I'm totally addicted to it, alcohol has frightened the shi* out of me. It's almost like I need the first two drinks to kill my nerves about drinking...and then I can enjoy my drinking.
I'm not meeting up with him for another 4 or 5 hours so I think I'll just do the suggested things like stack up on food and water so I'm not on an empty stomach and hope that the experiences on NAL I've had so far will help me maintain a certain level of control tonight.
Wish me luck..

Ok McBlackout, How'd you fair at the pub? BTW, if you initially feel like canceling a drinking date, then by all means cancel, and don't feel that you need to extinguish the emotional triggers too. Even though the book says to do as you would normally do, I think it just means to not over think the process. I believe most of the experienced TSMers would agree to anything that helps you to not drink or reduce your drinking as long as you aren't white knuckling it. I hope to hear from you soon and keep Naling on. Keek

So,
I went out and met my mate. As I said I was nervous but that soon wore off once I was out. I took my NAL a little late as I took a bit longer eating before I left so I had a full stomach. So as we arrived at the first bar I actually made an excuse to delay the first drink so that I didn't let that first drop of alcohol touch my lips until exactly one hour after taking it. Because I know what I'm like, 1hour will become 50 minutes then 45 and so on... If I can't discipline my drinking I'll at least try and be disciplined with the cure!
So it was quite a big night as it turns out. The first bar we went to only sold pints. In Australian bars beer is generally sold in 3 different sized glasses:
Middy - 285mL (10 fl oz), Schooner 425mL (15 fl oz) and Pint 570mL (20 fl oz). Generally most people would order a Schooner. Anyway we had two pints each at the first bar, two more pints at a second bar before going and seeing a friends band play at a third venue. This would be the time of the night where after four pints I would usually begin to speed up and start getting drunker, but I found that as my friend continued to plough through the beers I struggled to keep up. At one point of the night I was on one beer for his three. So I think I had five schooners at this bar before then moving onto the fourth bar where I then had three more schooners. Now that's a pretty big night of drinking. 21.6 standard drinks in Australian units. (I actually think it was a little less than this as a couple went unfinished). But it was from 6pm when we met up until 4am when we left the final bar. I took a second 50mg tablet at about the half-way point which really helped.
A few major points stood out to me which made it a success.
1) I was in control all night, I didn't black-out or have any grey areas. I acted like a gentleman all night and was even calling cabs for some of the girls as we left the final bar - very unusual for me.
2) I woke up this morning and had to get home from my friends house, but at no point did I feel like a drink and I haven't had a drink all day. No hangover.
3) I slowed my drinking down instead of speeding up and actually left my final beer unfinished and sat in the bar for about 45 minutes before we left. I actually STOPPED drinking instead of being made to stop, blacking out or getting kicked out.
So the numbers have to obviously come down, but I'm really happy about how the Naltrexone changed my behaviour both in terms of the speed I drank and also my behaviour whilst drinking. I didn't just let loose and lose control.
I'm really happy that it was a successful night. I'm tired but thankful. I will not take this as a license to drink as much as I want. But for a first night out I'm happy with the noticeable results!!

Oh BTW Keke,
Thanks for your support, I think I was more just curious about how it'd affect me and was worried that it'd end in a drunken, chaotic mess. Now I've just got to be careful that I don't get lulled into a false sense of security with this....

Good start!