Jackson, that all sounds wonderful!! Good for you. Nal on!! Hope tonight goes well for you. Newlife

Jackson I did laugh at you saying that you are not a chipper, happy, upbeat person usually - you are an Eeyore then ? (I love Winnie The Pooh). Great that you have been insanely extroverted and energetic this week - with you not having been drinking I am assuming that you have not been taking the Nal? I have had three days free from it and am feeling my happy coming back too .... all in all, things sound wonderful for you - so good to hear!!

hugs, Maggie x

Wow, Jackson, I just noticed your big drop in consumption last week. That's awesome. And right around the same time that I saw a big drop. I know what you mean about having that occasional 8-10 day where you want to re-live the past, but it will probably get less frequent with time. And I think being on a morning exercise routine is a great motivator to help try and avoid too many heavy booze nights. I'm doing the same thing myself.

It's been a couple weeks since I've updated but they've been pretty stable. A few AFs, mostly weekdays, then around 5 to 8 drinks on days off. This last weekend I took an extra day off, so my drinking went up accordingly.

I've started feeling more than just "eh" about drinking but doing it anyway, but more just not wanting to even start. Actually drinking is still intoxicating and relaxing but the cost of feeling flat for a while after (not sure if that's all the Nal's fault; it feels more like low-grade hangover the next day) makes me double think if having the drink is worth the cost afterward.

Maybe this means the alcohol rat's cries are getting drowned out by the other rats at the other levers in my brain?

Jackson - I so understood your post! I am feeling the same ! I had 5 on Monday and had the worlds worst hangover (Nal-Over) Tuesday - and so did not drink the next 3 days - it has been easier than it would have been pre-Nal. Then today I had planned on NOT drinking but thought 'oh, what the heck' and took a Nal! It was lovely reading your post though as it made me wonder if the alcohol rat's cries are getting drowned out by the other rats - whatever you said ..... LOL. Seriously your post really gave me pause for thought and put into words what I think might be happening with me ! THANK YOU.

Hugs, Maggie x

Hi Jackson,

I enjoyed reading your report and I full understand your issue with boredom. I often feel the same. And I also drink in situations when I have high anxiety. For example, if I have a difficult project to to. Instead of starting with the project, I would drink wine to get in the mood. Often I would drink too much and loose the passion for the project. Of course, I would loose anxiety, too, at first, but then the feeling of guilt for not doing the work would kick in. Sometimes, however, wine helps with the project, since I sort of get new ideas when I am slightly drunk. The worst part about drinking is that I am less tolerant with kids when I have had alcohol. Not drinking really improves communication at home.

I am still struggling with side effects of the first week on Nal, but I noticed that I drink less and that I also feel better during the day. The worst side effects are in late morning when I feel that my head is sort of not right and I also feel nausea quite a lot. Did you have side effects, too?