Thanks for checking-in Crown. I have been recommending your thread since the first week of my TSM almost 10 months ago. It's great to hear how well TSM sticks. I wonder if the longer you are away from alcohol, the more room you have to get nostalgic about the 'good times' gone. When I occasionally have drinks now, I am quickly reminded that I easily can do without it.

Thanks for the update crown.Nal has been a lifesaver for me,it's almost a magic pill.

Hi Crown,
I'm on only my second week of TSM, but as I read your thread all I can think is how much I want to follow in your footsteps. I hope I get to where you are, and I relate so much to many of the things I read in your posts.

This. Exactly this. If I can't drink, then so much of how I think, act, behave becomes about not drinking. I tend to worry about what I'll say when a friend, co-worker, or family member casually asks me if I want to share a beer, and about what I'll do in this situation and that situation. Too much energy goes into simply not drinking that as soon as there's one slip-up, BANG, I'm right back at it.

With Nal, I don't have to think about quitting or even have to think about it at all. All I have to do is take the pill an hour before I drink and then I can just forget about it. I find the biggest thing about TSM is just that - it allows me to simply forget about it. That's simply amazing.

I also can relate to this. At my lowest moments with alcohol, I tend to fantasize about how great life will be "if ever I can quit drinking." As though simply quitting in itself will enhance my life. I mean, it will in the sense that I won't be hungover all the time. But I don't think simply not drinking is an "answer" in and of itself. I think not drinking will establish a "new normal" - "just life" as you say. Right now, I spend so much time either drinking or dealing with hangovers that I know I'll need to find other things to bring into my life to fill up the time! I really like the idea that a year or so from now I could be doing things I really enjoy that I never thought I would find fun. All because I'm not wasting so much time in-and-around alcohol.

As I go forward, I have a mix of hope and tempered enthusiasm. I don't think TSM would work for me if it weren't for this board, and posts like yours. Your experience here really helps the new guys like me to stay level-headed and pointed in the right direction. Thanks for posting and for checking in.

Tak Kat

Thats the big thing for me and really still is..just knowing I can drink without the reprocussions and bullshit that comes along with drinking, if I choose to drink I can. I made up my mind to not drink for year. I got to a place with Nal that I was kinda like take it or leave it without booze. I had no outside forces pushing me to quit...lol that never works with me..meaning no nagging GF or family. My attitude was if you pay my pills you can dictate my life, if not mind your own store don't worry about mine. I had my big Xmas last year where I drank without the pill and all the tolerance the love everything was there for booze. I had ZERO guilt over drinking without the pill, absolutely none. It was fun. But for me I have seen where this fun can lead me...right to the pits of a mental hell and and an insane amount of booze for company.

People that know me well are shocked I didn't go to rehab or the 12 step cult. Funny though I keep telling these people I didn't quit, I just slowed it down. When I first started taking the pill family and the few friends that were around thought I was nuts..." what did you see some late night infomercial in one of your drunken stupors?" Unfortunatly, AA is the acceptable means to escape booze and the failure rate is astounding...In all seriousness I am not knocking for those that it worked for, but FOR ME I really wanted something better than the way I was living. I had some desire burried under my whiskey soaked self that wanted his life back. It wasn't a super strong desire but it was enough to want off this train wreck I was living. Naltrexone is Very powerful..least it has that affect on me. I figured it can't hurt and can only help. As far as the side affects..I could have have cared less because they not fraction of an inch close to the side effects of my drinking. If I had cancer I AM NOT going to go to a witch doctor, a medicine man, or an accupuncturist...I want to go see an oncologist with an MD and get treatments with all modern drugs available. My father passed away 8 years ago from cancer. The first Doctor told him he had a day a week a month to live, literally. He was diagnosed stage 4. My sister and I got him in a top flight cancer center/hospital and he lived for 2.5 years with help of clinical trials...besides him beenifiting from 2.5 years more of life which his quality of life was very good..he also helped others by being a guinee pig of sorts for research.

AA to me would be the equivalent of going to a witch a doctor. I was sick..to me I know it would be getting very close to a life an death situation with the way I was inhailing booze. I had doctors tell me your not gonna see 50 the way your going. That didn't scare me off the bottle..nothing could actually. Naltrexone and TSM I kinda looked at like a clinical trial of sorts. I knew AA and praying it away wouldn't work...christ did I pray many drunken nights for the **** to end...lol I am sure we all have. So naltrexone it was. I had the attitude if this doesn't work some drug will. I love the crazy ass attitude of AA'ers...."your using a drug to get off a drug?"..LOL and? And for a long time we beleived the world was flat.

As far as not drinking at the moment and abstience being the holy grail of life...bullshit..it's really and truly as simple as this - it's life without being drunk..nothing more nothing less. There are no blarring trumpets and everyday day is not a sun filled endless summer day, flip side it's not a living hell either. For me, I had a lot things I loved to do prior to going way off the rails with booze...so without the booze I just kinda got back into those things plus some more...funny the things that happen without a hangover and the damn guilt of a black-out. My business is going great again..lol well as good as can be in this economy plus I am starting a couple others that have potential.

Sorry I don't post that much anymore but when booze becomes non-existent, you just kinda forget about it. You go thru a phase like damn this is a miracle drug I am going to tell everyone I know to it's just life without booze...booze? whats that...LOL. I don't mean to be so non-chaleant about booze..because I am not when I think about. I know the power and the force it has with me. My one year thing was just a personal committment and a sort of experiment with myself to see if I could do it...I was at a place I was barely drinking anyway so I said why not. besides this forum i told No One in my life my plan..not gf/fiance no one. LOl everyone now has assumed I quit..even though I respond when asked..nope just slowed down for the moment..or drying out for a bit. Xmas will be a year...I am sure it wont be a problem...I do plan to drink next year again...lol but with the pill if I have any desire..and I am sure i will. Goes right back to KNOWING I can drink - without all the problems - that make booze a non powerful force in my life. Naltrexone has disarmed the enemy

Crown86, I am new here and have been reading some of your posts, Your opinion of AA is spot on for me, I have had the same experience and thoughts as you have. I just want you to know reading your posts have given me hope. I expecially love your rant in the Nal vs AA topic. You are so right, everything you said. Thank you for all you have shared here!

Good to read up on everyone! Keep going like you're going! :-))

Well guys it's been quite a while since I have been on here. Yep I made the whole year..my goal without a drop. Something I wanted to see if I could do. It was actually not very hard at all. Since first of year I have drank 3-4 times..all with Naltreone. Yep got buzzed up a bit. BUT NOWHERE EVEN remotely close to two years prior. The first year with Nal I drank a bit..MAJOR improvement from pre nal days and actually could have lived and been fine with the results year one. The abstience thing was for myself simply to see if I could do it. I think you guys know from reading some of my previous posts AA is not for me and I do not view abstience as the holy grail of life..it's not IMO. Guess the thing that kills me wwith that program is theey go on and on about "sober" living...WTF it's just living life. I had a life prior to booze taking me off the rails and a fairly good one. So no booze was the only difference for the most part..meaning I just simply returned to old life. Wasn't a miraculous ocean parting experience...lol..it's just life plain and simple..and well I can remember things from the night before, have motivation again etc.

This is not to say I am not greatful I found Nal..I am BIGTIME. The word cure is good and bad word. I was totally out of control 2 years ago...you can read previous posts. Family and friends were like rehab..lol..me NO WAY...unless you wanna pay my frieght it's my way. Cost me some personal relationships but it is what it is. What Nal did for me was 100% stop the crazy booze train bound for hell and give me the time to jump off and sit on the side of the tracks with enough time to put together some RATIONAL thoughts. During the first year and while drinking with nal, the grip of the bottle became nothing on me...I regained 100% control...that is a miracle. Year 2 not drinking at all - would NEVER EVER have happened without nal..NO WAY.

Do I beleive it re-wired my brain? 100 MILLION %%%% YES. No ther explanation. Prior to nal I tried to quit cold turkey..made it 30 days right back to thee same old crap..quitting or slowing down was impossible for me. For me this pill was a miracle. Did I have to put effort in to quit orr whole year? Honestly..not much. I beleive at this point based on results the previous year, my brain has been re-wired. Do I see myself today as a social drinker? Not really...lol...when I do drink not matter I what say to myself going into it...it's 90% for the buzz. BUT I take my pill..it stays in control I get my little buzz and thats it....and it does not happen very often. The weird part about it is..I LOVED the whiskey buzz more than anything..I mean LOVED it..didn't care one Iota about blackouts...Loved the crazy drunk black-out state...now it seems a MILLION miles away in my mind. I look back and think to myself "damn how the hell did I choose to live like that".

Life has been same old same old..problems, good things bad things the economy..just life - the same as it was when I would get tanked - Difference now my mindset is 100% different..complete 180. People wanna say this pill is bullshit - it just lets a drunk continue to drink. My attitude **** them - it worked for me 100%. I fully beleive and no one will sell me differently at this point - generic drug no profits No one cares. All about money and that is sad. Kinda makes me wonder what is else is around for cancer and other diseases if there is no profit in it. I would venture to say this drug could put a hurting on the bullshit rehab industry - no wonder they like AA..it's broken model and they can get repeat business. LOL hi come stay with us for 30 days, pay us 30K+, and we will set you up on "faith" based program...HUH? Ok enough of my rant on that I could go on and on. I like to think to myself I spent 300 on pills online, bought a book for 20 bucks or so and fixed my life...sounds crazy but it's true.

One thing I have to stress when I started this I want5ed to quit but didn't. My fiance left, family couln't do anything with me etc..meaning I have always been self sucfiecent and it was going to be MY WAY or the highway. LOL I posted on another forum that line of thought..aa type forum and they responded thats whats wrong with me..LOL..some lady was like I had your attitude till hubby took keys from..well I have no wife no anything..no one takn keys from me cept god or law and I didnt drive drunk so...My point to this rant it was up to me to fix myself if that what I wanted - no one interferring an nagging me.

But when I decided to give TSM a whirl I thought cool I can still drink. I never dreamed I would end up with thought process completely changed by simply taking a pill, drinking and continuing to live life. It's bizzare to me. I know some people reading this are going to think this guy is full of ****..I could care less..It fixed me and ultimatly that is what I am concerned with..not to be cold, but the next guys issues are his problems. People that know me closely are now used to me not being an over the top drunk anymore but they still can't beleive how I did it. Hell my fiance doesnt even get nervous when I tell her lets have a few..BECAUSE she knows its not going to be out of control...and she lived hell with my drinking. When I first took this pill I figured I nothing to lose..not even my booze ..so why not I wasnt happy being a drunk..death seemed better...god I dont miss booze fueled depression...so hard to get out from under the grasp of the bottle.

I dont post much simply because alcohol is non issue in my life and I kinda dont think much about it..so. My only point to posting anymore, as infrequent as it is, is to let the next person know it worked for me. The folks that are suffering from the bottle my heart goes out to you - I know the pain and damage it causes. I hope this or something works for you..cause life is better when your in control.

Thank you

Hi folks,

I havent posted in a bit just giving an update. All still good here. I did my year of no booze last year this I have been drinking BUT it is nothing like the past. It has caused no personal turmoil with myself or anyone around me. Alcohol is still not a major factor in my life. I have drank a few time without the pill simply because I wanted to get drunk..lol plain and simple. The tolerance without the pill is still there - I can put 20-25 beers no problem. I have COMPLETELY steered clear of hard liquour. I will never touch the stuff again in my life. I know the AA mentality of.."beer is alcohol and so is whiskey- they are the same" . To me BS they are not the same. I love whiskey and the buzz but hate the end results of it. Whiskey buzz and cravings are so much more intense for me..beer is like a nice buzz and no issues. Yep knockn back some beers makes me want a shot but I know how it goes..then the beer becomes "on the side" and shots are the primary drink. For the most I still take the pill when I drink. The few times I havent taken the pill is like playn russian roulette for me but hey need a little danger sometimes ...lol. I get buzzed up maybe every month now so I have NO PROBLEM with that personally.

Like I said before I know I am still a drunk deep down and it doesnt take that much to bring it out but the pill keeps pandoras box locked and closed. I dont fear booze because with the pill I am in full control. If this is it for the rest of my life I am completely satisfied with the end results of tsm.

Hope others are getting good results.

Thanks for the great update, Crown! Yes, I remember reading your dramatic story about a year ago when I was debating whether to give TSM a try. It was your story and also another man - can't remember his name - but he was living in a beach house and just drinking all day long and then completely reclaimed his live w/ Nal. Anyway, you've made a difference in my life because I'm getting good results w/ TSM. Not cured...not yet, but confident I will get there. I appreciate your coming back to "visit". Sounds like you're back to a nice, normal life, with control and options.