Hello All,

Still here. Still working NAL. Unfortunately, still on Vodka at basically 8-10 units a day.

Had a trip to Las Vegas. Pre-Nal, a disaster.

The wife was very pleased. I had a AF day the night before we left and an AF day on the travel day home. That was awesome. Also, on one day of the trip, I had a few drinks in the afternoon and stopped for the night around 6pm.

I couldn't keep it up when I got back into the routine of work. I have made it later into the night, but seem to give in and haven't had any AF days since.

My wife is frustrated. Understandably. Although, she does say that, "I have my husband back 75% of the time now, at least." Things are much better than pre-nal, but as I have been saying for a while, I feel like I have to exert some willpower, which I haven't had the courage/energy/desire to do yet.

Thinking about trying to force some AF days now. I know I should.

I hope everyone is doing well. I still totally believe that this method will eventually work for me.

Hey Jdog, great to hear from you. Just keep taking the pill, and you will get there. TSM is like life -- it's not perfect. Nothing is. But 75% is great and you will creep up to a level that is vastly superior to pre-TSM, if you haven't already.

My best,

Nick

Hi JDog!!

You are so much better now than pre-TSM!!

Maybe changing poisons will help kick that willpower into motion. I remember when I began, nearly a year ago, I drank wine, wine and more wine. I cannot touch the stuff now. A month in I opted for beer instead as was advised by Nick. That change helped immensely!

Can you switch to anything other than vodka...? Even for a week just to see what results? You might be surprised with a sudden change or shift in your unit intake.

No matter what, wishing you the absolute best on your journey,

Ketchikan1

Dog - I second both of Ketch's observations. You've made real progress.

And switching from vodka/whiskey made a big difference for me. Much, much easier to control. I haven't been perfect about it but been mostly sticking to brews.

I agree with everyone here - 75% improvement is huge! You'll get that last 25% percent one day, I bet. and changing poisons might be a great idea - i know i am reluctant to do it, but I at least try and drink less fave beverages in high-risk situations.
Good luck!

Hello NAL Warriors,

Still drinking the Vodka. Still taking Nal every time. I drank quite a bit during the Super Bowl, but remember the game and my wife is not angry with me.

That is progress. I have had some very bad days with the Super Bowl pre-Nal.

I still feel like I am progressing, even though I basically continue to drink every day.

Hi!

I Double (J) Dog Dare you to switch to beer.

Then see what happens!

Curious,

Ketchikan1

I dare you too, you might be surprised!

Hey J-Dog,

75% of a husband is 100% better than the guy you used to be - remember when you shared how you would sit in the basement to drink and avoid your family? Now you are having a great time with your wife and kids.

You've made such great progress you should be really pleased. The AF days are excellent too - who cares if it was only on holiday, that's amazing progress. Think back to your Florida holiday - you did great then, but this is even better.

Can I make a scary suggestion? Why not try beer for one night? What's the worst thing that can happen?

Andy

JD,
Last September you offered me your best wishes. Here is mine to you; lose the vodka.

My handle is derived from my quiet consumption of 375mls of Polar Ice vodka each and every evening for the past ten years. This totals about 10+ units depending on your country plus several glasses of wine or beer as well. I liked the mickey size as it was concealable, discreet and ended in about 10 hard gulps.

To force a change I started buying 200ml bottles and maintain my pattern. The only difference was that I was now done in about six gulps and not inclined to drive out to buy more. This went on for some time. I still openly drank wine and beer. I eventualy reduced it again even further to 100mls and carried on as usual.

On evening at about week 38 I decided to not drink the vodka. Drank the wine and the beer, just not the vodka. I did it again the next evening and again the next. Almost overnight my already reduce consumption decreased precipitously.

Now at about week 41, I enjoy several AF days weekly and my numbers look more like my pre-TSM dailies at about 8 to 12 units.

Back again to my best wishes (and advice); adopt some change in your pattern. Mine was to predetermine my evening vodka consumption. It wasn’t enough to simply record my units and wait for extinction. I purposely managed a staged reduction over time. I wasn’t always consistent especially when faced with personal triggers but it was a working plan I kept returning to.

The vodka is gone from my pattern, has been for about a month and with it most of my problem. I still enjoy wine and beer but now at about 10% of my previous total consumption.

The vodka alone represented about 70%-80% of my units. Adjusting that one habit put me on the track towards control.

All my best,
Polarice0