You're back in the saddle mlb, good stuff. Hopefully this spike was just a hiccup on the way down. Who knows why?

@nick - Sorry, but I can't drink beer or wine. I don't do carbs. I don't care for the taste of any other spirits than bourbon or Irish whiskey. I've never felt "different" when drinking with nal than I did before nal.

Actually, I'm feeling like I'm back on track now. I set a goal for last week and I drank the exact amount I intended to every day. I know how much I plan to drink every day this week and I feel pretty confident I'll hit those numbers. In a few weeks, I expect to be down to where I was before when I started working in some AF days and then I'll start working on that aspect.

I had a nice drop in units last week and felt mostly in control. I plan to keep the graph going down again this week.

Nice going, mlb. You seem to be back on track. You will definitely have one of the more interesting graphs when you reach the end of your journey. Thanks for continuing to post and track numbers through your rough patch. It may be of great comfort/benefit to someone else.

I had a follow-up appointment with my new doctor on Monday. He suggested I take Topamax in addition to the Naltrexone. I turned him down for now. I've felt back in control the past 2-3 weeks and have been cutting back quite a bit, so I think the naltrexone is still working.

I'm also afraid of the side effects of Topamax, especially with respect to mental acuity. My livelihood depends on mental acuity, so I need to be cautious about that.

I realized this morning that I have 75 Naltrexone tablets left (counting 2 refills I haven't picked up yet). I think my new doctor would probably give me a new prescription for Naltrexone, but I don't want to extend the time even further.

I am aiming to stop drinking by the time these 75 pills run out.

I think I will be back to working in some AF days in the next couple of weeks. Each day I don't take a pill extends the time that my remaining supply will last. What started out as a year's worth will probably last about 14 months. I think that should be long enough to get cured.

I've done best when I have set goals and planned on how to reach those goals. At the very start, my goal was to delay the time I poured my first drink, even if it was only 1-2 minutes later than the day before. Then my goal was to make weekend drinking the same as weeknight drinking, rather than starting at 2:00 pm. Then I set weekly unit goals and knew how much to drink each day to get there.

When I had my 10 week binge this spring, I had gotten away from having a goal each week and things got out of hand. I do much better with a goal in mind.

I'm going to keep having weekly unit goals, but my main goal now is to quit entirely by the time the Naltrexone supply runs out. I may save back a few emergency pills, but I really don't expect to end up as just an occasional drinker. If I end up succeeding, I think I'll be giving up alcohol for good.

I gave up smoking 24 years ago and I've always felt like if I had even one cigarette, that I'd be hooked again. It was too hard to quit to take the chance of having to do it over. I think I'll feel the same about drinking.

I feel the exact same way about smoking, it's been about 12 years for me. I would really like to be able enjoy a cigar like people seem to be doing, but I am sure it would lead me right back to the cigarettes. That was harder to quit than anything else I have quit. Makes me wonder about "occaisional" drinking, or controlled drinking. Do I really want to continue drinking? For the first time I am thinking maybe I will eventually choose abstinance. (this may have something to do with the crippling hangover I have this morning!
Good work on your goals, good luck with the new ones.
Dave

@Dave - Not to tempt you, but I've been able to smoke cigars without being tempted to have a cigarette. I started smoking cigars about 4 years ago and smoked at least one a day for about 2 years. Then I quit. There were a number of reasons why I quit smoking cigars, but mainly I just lost interest. It was easy to quit - there was no physical addiction.

YMMV.

Actually, I've been thinking recently about having a cigar - just one. Maybe to celebrate something special, like quitting drinking?

Hi mlb

Thanks for returning to the board and posting your ups & downs. It's good to hear you are back on track & that goal setting has been the main factor in this.
I'll look forward to your graph continuing to head in the right direction.

Cheers
Sticky

Go mlb!!! So pleased to hear you positive and in control. You are a goal oriented person, it seems to me, and your plan for beating this sounds just right. I'm happy you are so upbeat and focused. Keep up the good work, Amy

I kept the units headed down last week. I could have done even better, but I had an extra drink both Sat and Sun. I'll slap my wrist and try to do better about that next weekend.