Othilia, I absolutely do!! That was my initial goal, it is still my goal, but I am not married to it like I was when I started. What I want is a "new life" : one without blackouts, hangovers, obsession and loss of control over AL. I would love to have that and still be able to drink moderately but I am open to where this takes me. You are a couple of weeks behind me; I have seen quite a change in my thinking about all that just in the last week. But I agree with Guapo, UK Blonde, Maggie and so many others - it doesn't happen by magic, not for MOST of us at least. We have been given the blessing of a tool and we have to decide how we are going to work with it to get where each one of us wants to go.

Hang in there, nal on, and keep posting!!! xoxo Newlife

Thanks, newlife!

I am going to spend some time thinking about this over the next few days. I am hosting a potluck dinner tonight and I think I will try to do it AF.

Hi Othila,

I doubt most people Using TSM know what the final outcome's going to be. The best outcome is not drinking problematically anymore.

Moderation sounded like a good plan to me, but I ended up not liking alcohol much, so I drink very little, but that beats abstinence by a long shot. I still have a choice !


Don't be surprised if your ideas and views of alcohol will change as you go through this process, but that's good, because it's a change for the better.

I agree with Guapo...when I started TSM, I did it with the thought that I would be moderating, BUT the further along I get, the more I am thinking along the lines of possibly not drinking...and not in the way of having AF days, but more in just that I will not drink because it wil hold no appeal. It is not happening yet but I can feel that it could happen....it is going to take time but I understand Guapo saying he does not like AL very much.

Weird thing to think might happen, but now, I really can see it as a possibility !

Hugs, Maggie x

I didn't have an AF day the day I planned to...too much fun, I guess. The next day, I went out to visit my mom which is usually a trigger for me to drink in an out-of-control way. Lots of family ghosts. We went out to dinner and shared a bottle of wine over several hours. I didn't drink anymore once we got home, which is not typical...and she lots of wine around the house. The next day...no hangover so I was able to plants some flowers for her, take her to the cemetery, visit our old farm, and have a nice visit. We got home in the evening yesterday and I had two glasses of wine on the patio, poured a third but....drum roll...didn't finish it. What??? That has almost never happened unless I was too drunk to finish it. I just felt like I had had enough. Could this be a turning point?

Lovely to read of your progress Othila. I love that feeling when we do not want another drink - so different from how it used to be !

Hugs, Maggie

Good for you Othilia. I hope it is a turning point for you. Feels good when we feel like we are in control, doesn't it? Newlife

I had my first AF day since January. To be honest, I over-drank the day before so I was hungover but that hasn't stopped me in the past. It was almost an excuse...hair of the dog, you know. I had water with my dinner...had a brief moment where I wished I had taken the Nal so I could have had a beer with pizza. But I survived!

Woo hoo!! Applause!! Newlife

My last box of wine (4 bottles) lasted five days. My husband made an unsolicited remark that my progress is noticeable. I love this...so happy to be getting my life back. So nice to get up in the morning with a mild hangover and not have alcohol be the first and only thing on my mind. For a while, I was automatically taking a Nal about 4 o'clock. Last night, we were on our way to dinner and I remembered I might want to have a glass of wine so I took one. I waited the full hour...glass of wine sitting in front of me. No distress, no anxiety.

It's been 66 days since I started TSM. I had one AF day this week.