The graph looks great and so does your progress. Wine tasting lousy and the lower numbers are proof positive your brain is being re-wired. This will work for you, just be patient.

My best,

Nick

Well done, keep up the great work - your graph is showing really promising progress. I too tend to get quite irritable and resentful when I go to drink on NAL and find that the refreshing taste and warm glow that my mind imagines, is not quite there in reality. But Minneapolis Nick's analogy of the bird is a great one... we just have to have patience about retraining ourselves i guess!

Hi Nick and Gwyneth - Thanks for the encouragement. I am feeling real progress this week on Nal so I hope that lasts.

Gwyneth, yep that old glow seems to be gone. At first it made me really mad (last week). Now, I'm happy about it. It is nice to know that I am regaining control slowly....slowly....slowly, but surely. Alcohol just isn't my friend right now...sort of like a bad marriage (I think maybe Nick said that too)! I'm ready for a divorce but still too dependent to hire the hit wo/man lawyer to file the papers!

Glad to hear you are doing well and back on Nal. So glad you came back to tell us your story. Every little bit helps.

HG I think your graph really puts everything in perspective-you are doing great! Progress is not a smooth downward trendline, but it is a downward trendline nonetheless. You definitely have the commitment, so just keep plugging away at it and it will continue to improve (the divorce is being processed but there's come haggling over the terms of the settlement--and remember AL doesn't want a divorce so it's being a real jerk!)

Hi HG, good going your almost down to half your preTSM consumption and not even 4 months in. Can I also say thanks for being so active on the board and supportive of others (including me). Keep up your good work/progress- Warrenjames

Hi St. Jude - I'm always so happy when you post....probably because we both drink wine and I relate to your progress thread. Your post made me LOL. Yeah, my yucky icky partner alcohol is a real jerk! The settlement negotiations will include a contract hit on that partner!

WJ - Thanks for your post. I get so much from you and everyone on this board. Without all of you I think I would have given up on TSM at about 12 weeks. I thought I was not that bad of a drinker and I'd be cured lickety split! When I found this board I learned that I am a bad drinker (a bottle or two of wine per day is hard drinking) and I learned that I track many of those before me on this board. So, I'm still here plugging along because of all of you. Thanks so much for being here too and I appreciate your support.

half,
YOur numbers are looking good too..and you sound good which is really important. The most important thing in all of this it move towards a life you want. Each week your units drop, you lead a healthier life and you improve your chances for self fulfillment! Keep on going.

Hey HG, I wanted to thank you for always being so encouraging to me and many others on this board. Your unit counts look good and your attitude is great. I hope your unit counts continue to drop and maybe one day soon you'll be ready for an AF day. The AF days really help to lower your unit counts and to break the habit.

Do any of you have any tactics for forcing AF days? I can't speak for HG, but I know that although I have been successful at lowering my daily intake, I cannot seem to mentally prepare myself for an AF day. I know it is mostly fear and anxiety, but any advice would be much appreciated. I know this step is necessary to break this horrible habit.

What works for me is that I plan an activity that would take the place of drinking. Something that I enjoy doing or takes a lot of concentration. For the past few months, my activity has been going to the gym. And then when I'm done with that, I read until I'm tired and then go to sleep.

If you're idle on the day that you plan on being AF, it'll feel like torture.

The AF days get easier and easier to the point that now I can be idle and still not think about drinking most of the time. Sorry to hijack your thread HG.