Last time I drank was last Saturday. We had some friends over and it's a situation where normally I would be sneaking drinks in the kitchen and drinking much more than the other two wives. This time I did not feel distracted by the alcohol and drank in a more relaxed way, around one drink per hour, for the first three hours or so. I felt really pleased with the lack of urgency and craving. Then, for some reason, I had the urge to drink a shot of the vodka that was in the freezer, which I did. Then I made myself two more drinks with it in my water, so it wasn't obvious. The end of the night was a bit fuzzy and I had another horrendous hangover the next day. I was in bed all day, throwing up all day. Ugh.

I don't know why that happened exactly. I really don't get the point of having a few drinks in the beginning of an evening, then stopping. What's the point? Hopefully I'll figure that one out and be able to do it.

Happy weekend everyone!

Maggie - you are an inspiration to me. I finally ordered my Nal tonight (See my post). Hang in there lady. Slow and steady wins the race (yup - I've been through AA and Alanon). Two steps forward and one step back is still one step forward. xoxoxo

Hmm. Maybe you were trying to drink past the naltrexone, to get back that euphoria you remember? Some people go through a phase of that. Their brains are like a rat hammering the button more frantically than ever, trying to get the peanut butter to come out again.

As for what the point is . . . I'm still working on that one myself. I'm not sure there is a single point. I think for some it's just a social thing. For others, they enjoy the feeling but have learned that overdoing it isn't worth it and have developed an "enough" alarm.

For some people, it doesn't have a point. There are a fair number of people who aren't teetotalers by philosophy but seldom drink alcohol.

It sounds like you've made some real progress in not sneaking drinks and keeping at the pace of your friends at the beginning of the night so that's good. Why the need to then down the vodkas?...I've no idea. A throwback to the old days? Old patterns re-emerging when your guard was down? Maybe just not enough extinction has happened yet.

Since starting TSM I'm now one of those people who have a few drinks and then stop. I find that I really want (and enjoy) the first one or two but then after that I really don't want any more. The Nal seems to have switched off the desire for me to have any more. I'm just finding it hard to get past wanting it in the first place.This whole process and how it affects people in such different ways is very confusing to me at times.

THE DREADED VODKA.

The biggest single accomplishment for me over the last 10 months, was giving up the VODKA. No more hiding vodka in the house. No more sneaking in my utility room and slugging a few because I need to have them, just to be as buzzed as the normal folk drinking around me (so I would think to myself). No more drinking the wife's vodka when she is gone and then replacing her bottles on the bar so she didn't realize I drank them. (Note: She can buy a bottle (5th) of flavored vodka and make it last a month or two.) I have not purchased a pint of vodka for my ride home from work in over 6 months.

Now I am to the point of reducing my beer numbers. Slowly but surely. I like Danas comment below 2 steps forward and 1 step back. I can relate.

Good luck.

Thank you everyone!

I'm going with extinction hasn't fully happened! That seems the easiest.

I haven't drank since Saturday. I keep thinking I should for extinction, but then I think, no, I want to read later or feel good tomorrow. So, generally I'm feeling very pleased with things.

YAY MAGGIE!!!

Good for you. That's a sign that extinction is happening.

Congrats on your great progress Maggiemay

J.

Thank you all. It's the last day of my drinking week and I only drank one night, tonight, and had one glass of wine.

If I was a normal drinker, however, I don't think I would have had that drink. I've been under the weather, but had an urge to have a drink tonight. I'm thinking when extinction has fully occurred, a drink would not be appealing at all.....

Have a great weekend!