Makes total sense. Alcohol dilates the capillaries in your skin. That means there is more blood available just below the surface for mosquitoes to tap into. They can probably sense the increased skin warmth and target you on that basis.

Hi Christopher! So good to read your progress. Just one of many wonderful stories here over the years. I'm here after several dry times and several crash and burns but it feels good to be back among people who know what the heck I'm going through.

That's the true beauty of this board. We ALL know what it is to be out of control, and we ALL know what it feels like to take that nal and have at least some control back. Then we can take a breath and think about our drinking and get some work done with the surrounding issues.

Your story is a real "guy thing" and I'm so happy to see your fellow 'guys' on board with you! And there are lots of women here for me to talk to as well which is so affirming. I look forward to reading more of your great story!!!!! Funny how we get hooked into people's lives here eh? Oh, by the way, give that wife of yours an extra hug today - she's a saint!!!

Christopher, have you considered that you might need to take a slightly higher dose? The average male weight in the US is about 195 lbs, and if you are still weighing in at around the 275 lb level, that means you might need to be taking an additional 25 mg to reach the same amount of naltrexone in your system. It sounds like TSM is really helping you keep your weekly intake down, and you are managing a lot of AF days which is awesome, but on the days you do drink, you are still often pounding down 12-18 drinks. I can't help but feel like 50 mg might not be enough. Just a thought.

Kudos to your meticulous logging and graphing, by the way. I do the same thing, and I will probably start sharing mine in a few weeks when I have been doing TSM long enough to get a decent amount of data. One thing I will caution you on: I have learned to avoid adding trend lines of any kind to my graphs because I feel like (1) they give me a false sense of accomplishment when I see that the line is projected to hit zero, and (2) they make me feel like a failure when the slope of the line starts to flatten and I don't end up reaching that zero point as soon as I had hoped. Moving averages are actually good, though, because they smooth out the jagged peaks and valleys and give you a more easily perceptible measure of progress, which is the same reason everyone likes to post their weekly totals on this forum rather than log their daily intake publicly.

You guys and your graphs! What happened to the ole eye-balling the bottle!! But then I'm giving away not only my age but my total lack of brains when it comes to math...oh well, keep it up you people - keeps you out of the bars!!!

But seriously, Christopher you are doing so well. Amazing eh?

Ives,

I have pondered the thought about taking more Nal, especially when I have food in my belly. Empty stomach and Nal for me definitely seems to curb the crave more than Nal with food. Yes, I am still around 275, so I may experiment with the extra first dose.

In regards to trend lines, I don't take too much value in those either. I really don't expect it to hit zero for ever. I wouldn't mind it getting down closer to a weekly of 24ish.

Babs,

Yes, anything to stay out of the bars. I have done a decent job of that over the years, knowing I drink too much, knowing it is cheaper to drink at home, and knowing it only helps more and more people realize your an alcoholic when your in the bars all the time.

After my 16 on Sunday, Mon-Wed were AF. Plan on one more AF today. Float trip Friday and camping Friday/Saturday. Probably not going to be AF, and I probably will not experiment with an extra dose of Nal while away from home just yet.

Christopher, you are so right - just staying away from constant temptation can be helpful. I've just read all of Hesster's stuff. Amazing journey that young man has had. What struck me (and I should post over on his thread) is that his life revolved around booze from the time he took his first drink until he entered AA at age 30. There did not seem to be one single day, weekend, sporting event, happy occasion, birthday, public holiday, wedding, whatever - where there was not the temptation to be drunk. Nor did his friends ever seem to help him - from what he says they just wanted him to stop embarrassing them. And now he's stuck in AA where he can't drink at all. But he seems to be still in that same social milieu and even buying drinks for those same 'friends' and the new ones in Chicago. Yikes!!

I seem to be the oldest person here at closing in fast on 70 so I have a lot of experience with drinking environments, and stopping and starting and I can say this: the environment we live in now is quite different from when I was growing up.

Booze has always been around of course, but when I was younger there were many people who could enjoy a social time without drinking at all and not just the old foggy types either- and no one bugged them about it. Especially now we have booze snobs. We have to have just the right wine with the right food and from what I read some will pay a fortune for boutique whiskey! This too has gone on for centuries, but it never filtered down to the common folk as it seems to have now.

So it seems for people like Hesster there is no escape unless a concerted effort to just stay away is made. I know what it is to be an alcoholic and of course we will drink no matter what and that has not changed. What I mean to say in my long winded way is that our world has also changed and now drinking is everywhere and if that's the case we may have to carve out a safe space for ourselves - especially young people like Hesster - where you can still have fun but are not constantly tempted.

Hey, sorry to thread-jack!!!!! have a great day.

Hi Christopher,

As someone very new to this forum and in only my 2nd week of TSM, I want to thank you for your consistent postings and 'graphic' accounts of your progress.

I haven't read through all of the weekly progress logs yet, but yours I especially relate to because of your high pre-TSM numbers...my pre-TSM units averaged 10-15 per day (2-3 750ml bottles of wine) - and I'm a woman! This was about a month's worth of daily, all-day drinking that immediately escalated to my former drinking levels when I relapsed following a 14-month period being AF.

Overall, you've pretty much cut your consumption in half, and made strong inroads with positive behaviors in many areas. And you've kept your work and family intact, while remaining involved in all kinds of community and sporting events - it's so encouraging to see that you don't necessarily have to completely change your environment or worse, lose everything; what's changing is you.

Wow, that actually made me tear up, because I feel like there is so much I have to change, so much work ahead, to get back to a place where I'm embracing life instead of running away from it.

And thanks to all the others who have been cheering Chris along the way. I've read so many good tips and appreciate all the guidance from this one thread. And I'll keep reading the other weekly progress logs (and cures! haven't started those yet) as well as posting my own story; it's clear that being involved in these forums is essential; I have a great Dr. supporting me in my treatment and a small circle of friends and family who know what I'm doing but they don't get it the way you all do.

So Christopher, I hope your float trip is fabulous! Congratulations and please keep posting. Know that it's helping someone way up in the Idaho panhandle get a better handle on TSM and her drinking.

Christopher, we haven't heard from you in a few weeks. How are you doing? Hope things are going well for you.

Apologies to myself for not posting more. (Because I know it will help me keep my numbers lower when posting.)

Partly because I keep telling myself I'm too busy to post at work, and partly because I feel like I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Yes, still riding a roller coaster. Still feel like I am improving. Last week was not so good, but 2 weeks prior, was really positive.

Only 26 units 2 weeks ago, then I triple that last week. Last week Beerfestival-Homecoming, and a retarded weeknight I simply describe as my OLD SELF. Just got started and was going to drink until drunk for no real reason. These happens alot less, but still happens.

The 26 unit week involved me trying to drink every day but 1, and not really wanting more than the first 2, (usually forcing the 3rd). Reminiscent of the honeymoon week 7 months ago.

Today completes 7 months (30 weeks) of TSM.

I have not purchased any half pints of vodka, or pints, or 5ths or handles in months. I have not stashed any vodka in water bottles or rubbing alcohol bottles. I have had a few vodka/rum/whiskey cocktails, however, those are definitely few.

I basically still drink light 5% beer and other malt canned 8% flavored beverages.

Weekly Graph after 30 Weeks.



Daily Graph after 20 Weeks.

It looks like things are still moving in the right direction, even if it's not happening as quickly as one might hope. Glad to hear that you're still sticking to TSM. It seems like this process might take a year or more for some of us. Thanks for taking time to check in and let us know how things are going for you.