Short Update:

Week 3: 32.5 week, 4.64 daily average - Cravings about 8

I have had a busy week and getting home rather late and thus, less time to drink before bed. Since starting NAL I tend to not drink as fast as I used to. Therefore, the amount I drink in an hours time seems to be reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 since before starting TSM. Plus, I noticed that rather than drink until I pass out (pre-TSM), I now just drink until its reasonable time to go to bed and simply stop drinking because its bed time. Thus, I contribute my reduced units in alcohol this week to having less time to drink between getting home and a reasonable bed time, drinking at a slower pace and, most importantly, not drinking until I pass out but rather having control over when I will stop so that I can go to bed at a reasonable time. Having some semblance of control over my drinking is a promising improvement!!! Now I just wish I could get my cravings down.....I still crave alcohol throughout the day and can't wait for my first drink.

Also, as a side effect of taking NAL is that my coffee drinking has decreased considerably. I would probably drink 10-15 cups of coffee a day and now I find myself drinking maybe 5-7 cups a day. I simply don't think about it or crave it. I really hope this is the same affect NAL will eventually have on my drinking of alcohol.

I am also, starting to sleep much better, although still having vivid dreams. Also, my body seems to be adapting to taking NAL and I no longer feel like a complete zombie during the day.

yeah I felt like a zombie too. I still do a little bit. and have trouble falling asleep and staying there. but the side effects are reducing after a week. I feel different when I drink on NAL. sort of tired and slow. might be that the fired up feeling is blocked and I only feel the slowing effects of the alcohol

Hey everyone,

Sorry, I didn't update my weekly log for the past few weeks, however, I have kept up with the Nal regiment. I am still taking 50mg a night one hour before drinking and still doing this every night. My cravings are as bad as ever and about as bad as when I go on the wagon. I'm now satisfying those cravings every night and yet, still spending a good portion of the next day thinking and planning my first drink. I am drinking about half as what I used to drink on a nightly/weekly basis before Nal and I no longer drink until I pass out. I actually, haven't passed out from drinking for weeks now and instead just go to bed when I am tired.

I realize it has only been only seven weeks but I am starting to seriously wonder how my cravings will ever be extinguished. When I drink, I no longer drink to get more and more drunk (which is a huge improvement), however, my main objective in drinking is to now to satisfy the daily cravings. I wonder how the cravings are going to stop or even diminish now that they have gotten even worse. It is hard for me to believe at this point that these cravings will ever go away.

Also, I have been taking the Nal brands of Nodict and Naltima and I feel as though there is a difference between the two. When I take Naltima I feel more of the effects of the alcohol. I am unsure how to explain it but I feel more drunk after the same number of drinks I have than when I take Nodict. With Nodict, I feel sober/drunk while on Naltima I feel less so. I also, have found that I am less zombish in the morning after I take Naltima than when I take Nodict and I wonder if this is because the Naltima wears off faster or had less of an effect to begin with. Than again, it could all just be in my head..../shrug.

Well, good luck everyone!!! I'm in this for the long haul......

The fact that you are drinking half is proof positive TSM is working for you. And true extinction takes a lot longer than 7 weeks -- think 6 to 12 months if you have been drinking more than a decade. The increased craving may be the "extinction burst" -- search the term here as we have discussed it extensively. Typically it refers to increased consumption -- not cravings -- but a variation of that may be in play here. But if I were you I'd think "big picture": if someone told you 7 weeks ago that you would no longer drink and pass out and would be drinking half, you'd be thinking TSM was a miracle drug. It will work for you but patience is key.

Good luck.

What Nick said.

At seven weeks you're less than half way to the point where I even imagined I could do an AF day. And while not the fastest cure on the block, my results were pretty much on the optimistic end of the continuum of expectations. So as Nick says, the signs for you so far are actually quite good.

Keep the faith and keep on keepin' on.

Thanks for the encouragement!! Also, I realize after re-reading my post that it didn't come across as well as I would have liked it to. It made it sound like I was frustrated or giving up due to the cravings, however, that is not the case. Yes, I am frustrated that the cravings control my life, but I am happy that the amount I drink has diminished due to NAL. I am now curious to see how and if TSM can diminish my cravings because the cravings seem to be the only remaining reason I now drink. Nal has worked tremendously well negating the euphoric rush from occurring when I drink (half the battle) and thus, that gives me hope that eventually NAL will finish the job by extinguishing the craving.

Right now its hard to believe that these cravings will go away, however, I'm not even close to giving up and I have hope. In fact, I wonder if the increase in cravings demonstrates that TSM is working. Sort of like I am on the wagon without actually being on the wagon and my mind/body having to come to the realization that even if its fed alcohol, the alcohol will no longer bring back that booze induced euphoric high.