Figured I'd start one of these too.

Pre-nal: Binge drinker for 15 years. In my early 30s now. Typically binge drink 2x per week, AF all other days. Over the years the amount I drink on a binge has increased dramatically. When I was younger a 6 pack would do me, now I'm up to more like 12-13 units per binge. Typically blackout or brownout, and hangover can last 2-3 days.

First nal session 11/3/2016. Drank about the same as usual, maybe a little more. Felt less drunk.

Will hopefully update this thread once or twice a week over the next several months.

Welcome, Wrench! Glad you came to share your journey with us! Come back as often as you like, even daily if you feel like it.

Were you able to get a prescription, or did you get your Nal online?

Thanks for the welcome! I used alldaychemist.

Funny story though. c3 foundation lists 1 TSM provider in my whole state, and it just so happens they are located in my small town. However, it also turns out this is a family practice owned by the uncle of one of my close friends, who himself is in AA now. Anyway, I didn't want to risk people in my social circle finding out I'm trying this before I'm ready to tell them, so I just went for the online pharmacy.

Ah, yes. I understand.

One of the reasons I asked was because my doc prescribed Gabapentin for me (low dose, 300-600mg) and I started that before he cleared me for Nal. Thought that might also have an impact on the anxiety for you and it supposedly helps you get down into "slow wave" sleep. Whether it would be a good addition for you or not, it would take a doc to tell.

on week 2, Have drank less than usual so far this week.

Monday I had 2 beers at a concert. Normally I probably would have had 4 and a shot.

Had some nasty side effects from monday's nal that lasted 2-3 days. Mostly gastro-intestinal stuff.

Thursday night is typically a big binge day for me, but I didn't drink at all. Mostly because I didn't want to take the nal due to the previous side effects.

Can tell I have a binge coming on either tonight or tomorrow, so will take some nal again.

All in all not a bad week. Too early to say if this treatment is going to help me or not.

Thanks, Wrench!

Let us know how it goes, we're staying tuned!

Thanks for the reply Joe. This forum is a bit dead, so it's nice that you're making the effort to reply to people.

I popped a nal earlier and have had a couple drinks. Planning on having a lot more tonight.

One thing that makes me worry: Drinking on nal is noticeably less fun than drinking without it. I still get drunk but "the rush" is just a bit less. I guess this is the way it's supposed to be. It makes me worry because I feel long term compliance may be difficult. If I know I can skip the pill and get the full rush, my stupid self-destructive brain may cause me to give in eventually.

I guess it's just a matter of how much I actually want the cure.

That can indeed be a problem for compliance, Wrench. BTW, the Nal only covers you for 12 hours, so take another dose in the 11th hour if you're going to be drinking beyond that.

I was lucky as drinking beer on Nal never felt that much different to me. I was still getting the GABA receptor stimulation and that was enough to carry me through. Where the real work is done is in the Striatum, where the brain remembers that alcohol=pleasure and also remembers how to compel us to obtain and use the stuff. Without the reinforcement, that connection begins to fade and eventually the compulsion fades with it.

The Selective Extinction feature of TSM can help you replace drinking with a healthy endorphin-releasing alternative (exercise, etc).

Beyond that, I suppose that if you find you're missing too much (such that it might drive you to drink without Nal) you could think about adding a low dose of Baclofen or Gabapentin if your doc will abide.

Week 2 is in the books. Drank less than normal this week, but still had a binge to blackout night. It's early, staying optimistic. On to week 3.

keep it up, wrench. i understand your concern about the "dead" effect of drinking on Nal. I was concerned about that too; thought I'd abandon it if the rush wasn't there. what I found is I had more and more successes (like 2 drinks at a concert), and I began to not get so preoccupied with whether I drank or not. I remember going to a concert and the beer lines being ridiculously long, and not buying any at all. previously I would have waited and waited even if I missed a lot of the show. nights like that were an eye-opener for me. good luck and stay on it!