Hi Yutiro,

Your numbers look good!

Nal had the same effect on me in the beginning, as well, I just wanted to go to bed, I felt generally lethargic and apathetic. The effect wears off after a while, so hang in there. If you are having trouble sleeping, try Melatonin. Melatonin is our own natural sleep hormone and is sold in most countries over the counter. 3mg should be enough. Take it about an hour before you intend to sleep, then sit or lie in a quiet place with little to no lights on. You could go to bed and listen to an audio book, for example. Darkness helps us produce our own natural melatonin. After a week or so, your sleep cycle should start getting regular and you should start feeling sleepy at the same time every night and waking at around the same time in the morning, even at the weekend.

Nal-on!

Curi

Hey everyone.

Just thought I'd update. Things are going smooth as could be expected. Just poured out half of my last can of beer. Units are steady but don't really tell the full story as I'm still taking around 4-5 hours to drink 3 beer.

Updated...

Week 1... AF 9.0 9.0 7.0 5.0 6.0 6.0 (42)
Week 2... AF 7.0 7.0 6.0 6.0 AF 5.0 (31)
Week 3... 6.0 6.0 6.0 6.0 7.5 6.0 7.5 (45)
Week 4... AF 7.0 6.0 7.0 3.0 5.0 5.0 (33)
Week 5... 3.5 7.0 5.5 5.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 (35)

I need to start concentrating on my AF days as I didn't really drink every day before TSM. I just wanted to really get the ball rolling and I think being on TSM has been giving me an excuse to drink knowing that I'm sort of helping with every session on the Naltrexone.

I've ordered the book as I want to start thinking about what might be next as I'm sure this is working for me. I think the nausea has finally subsided which is good. What I have noticed is a sort of lack of motivation but I put this down to not having any Nal free days in nearly 2 weeks.

Anyway... Not really a lot to say this week. Best of luck to you all.

Cheers

Fun to watch your progress here, Yutiro, because we both started Nal within one day of each other. Your consumption has decreased a fair bit more than mine, but otherwise our experiences have been quite similar.

The wonderful thing about this whole process is that psychologically it makes alcohol our friend and no longer our enemy; the battle is over. And so I actually look forward to drinking every day now with the happy thought that I'm "drinking myself sober". What a relief, after so many years of "battling the bottle". For the past week or so for me it's been an EFFORT to drink past the 3rd beer. 6 weeks ago, I couldn't imagine that.

Gotta watch out for the "Nal-overs" which are brutal if you really over do it one day. And don't forget that with drinking less, the hangover threshold will also lower, so hangovers can hit you pretty hard on even less beer than the pre-Nal times.

Definitely read Escapa's book, if you haven't already. Keep on keeping on. Great to have you along for the ride.

Take care.

Hey Dab...

Totally agree about the psychologically side of things. The way I look at it. When your drinking your not fighting that battle in your head of... Should I or should I not have a drink. I really used to hate that little voice.

Don't get me wrong its still a battle. Like last night I had planned on having an AF day a it was going on 2 weeks since I had one. I didn't really fight it as I should have because I knew.

1. every time I drink on Nal it helps to reinforce.

2. Its not going to get out of control as I haven't been drunk yet on TSM.

Saying that I really do need to work on my AF days as I'm not feeling 100% and sort of use a hangover as an excuse not to exercise as much as I could.

I just feel really optimistic at the moment. Alcohol is last last battle (For the time being anyway). I had a big problem with benzos which I'm off over 4 months and I've had problems with all sorts of drugs over the years. I'm not shooting for moderate drinking. I want to end it full stop asap.

I'll keep an eye on your progress as well. I didn't know you started around the same time as me. Its good to know as the forums doesn't seem that busy at the moment.

Best of luck...
Thomas

As you will read in Escapa's book, Thomas, and from what I've read throughout the forum here, the alcohol free days seem to come quite naturally sometime after the 6 week mark. So, I'd say "relax" just as we have about the drinking demon that used to perch on our shoulder. I'm working on trying to limit my daily units...making the decision to not have that last drink, and that's been relatively easy to do. As for the alcohol free day's, I'm just waiting for the days that Escapa describes that should eventually come when we feel like we can take it or leave it, so as easy a decision as not having that last drink. Today, in fact, I felt very close to being able to not have a drink....almost, but not quite....so maybe it will be next week, or even the week after. 5 weeks ago, I couldn't imagine a day without having at least 4 drinks (8 units), so another week or two or even three is nothing don't you think?

My thought is to let it come naturally in its own time as the Nal works its magic. 5 weeks in....look how far we have already come! I'll bet we both have an alcohol free day, or even two, in the very near future!

Keep up the great work---which is as beautifully simple as taking the Nal each and every time we drink.

Take care!

Should have the book today. Can't wait to give it a read.

Just in from my morning walk and I feel like s**t. Really need to have an AF day today. I feel like I've drank an 8 pack when I had 2 1/2 cans last night.

I have a few beer in the fridge that are going down the sink. Its what I usually done before TSM but since then I've been buying in bulk as I know I'm gonna be drinking more often. Desperate measures and all that

Hi Yutiro,

Don't be too hard on yourself, it's still early days. I can relate to the bad hangovers, if I drink more than 3 units, I pay dearly the next day. I use this as negative reinforcement and it helps me keep to that number of units. If you want to try AF, food is your biggest ally. Don't let yourself get hungry, this means eating a good breakfast, lunch and especially dinner, if you are a night time drinker.

Be careful of what you eat too, avoid sugars and flour based products as these spike sugar levels in the blood, the higher the spike, the lower the drop and the greater the alcohol craving. Aim for real food, by this I mean: real meat, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables, salads, fruits and dairy. Avoid processed foods. This keeps your blood sugar stable and reduces cravings.

Curi

Funny you should mention food. I think I mentioned it in a previous post but I have really lost my appetite since starting TSM. Not complaining in the slightest though.

About AF days... I'm not really to worried about them at this stage its just that I really need a breather for a day or two. Before TSM I wasn't really a daily drinker. Well not like the last 2 weeks. I've been using TSM as an excuse to drink when I should really be taking a break as I know I can. After a good few days on the drink no matter if its just a few drinks I get pains in my abdomen and around the liver area. Its nothing to worry about too much as I've had LFTs not to long ago but I should take a day off at least.

I'm gonna shoot for tonight off. I've no beer in the house so this should make it that bit easier. I'll hopefully post later with some good news.

Cheers all

Just reporting in to say I managed an AF night last night. Sort of a funny story. I had planned on packing my Nal up and posting them to myself so as to have them out of the way. I go for a walk each morning through some woodlands and stuff so decided to take them with me and find a nice hiding spot.

Desperate measures I know but it worked in the end. I'm thinking of just leaving them there tonight as well. I'll see how I go.

Book just arrived this morning. Gonna get stuck into it tonight.