Nipit, I had surgery on my hand recently and during the (extensive!) pre-op interview, I told the nurse about my taking Nal, and she let the anesthesiologist know about that - I was on it up until the day of the surgery. Afterwards I was prescribed Tramadol which is a non-opiate pain reliever that was very effective.

Good luck to you...your car...and your dog!

Chrissie

One surgery, five pins, what looks like a huge white boxing glove on my left hand, and several Vicodin later I'm doing well, a bit groggy. I'm to take 1, or if I really need it 2, Vicodin every four hours. As a person who likes things that mess with my mind - that's why we drink or started drinking, isn't it?! - my inner eyes lit up, "yeah I'm not drinking but I get to take pain pills!" Sad.

So far I've stuck with one Vicodin every four hours, except my 2 AM dose last night, where even 30-45 mns later my hand felt like it had been shot or hammered, my pain meter was up to about 7 or 8, and those pins in my finger felt like bullets. I was a bit worried if my nal-taking 11 days before was interfering with receptors (okay, so I was a bit irrational; the nal should be out of our system within 2 to 3 to 5 to 7 days, based on the various comments I've read here), so I took a second pill and slept fine. I only took one pill at my 6 AM dose and will try to stick with that.

That's all I have to report for now.

Eep, sounds horribly painful NipIt. I hope you recover safely and smoothly.
As for the drinking, a period of abstinence might just be what you need. Just remember it doesn't have to be abstinence forever - you've got nal and tsm!

Absolument, ElectraLou, that's exactly right! Really, the only way I can continue abstinence now is knowing I do have an option for drinking again, and that's only with nal. If I thought I could never ever drink again, I know abstinence just wouldn't work for me.

I couldn't do much more today than nap, take my Vicodin every 4 hours, and spend lots of time reading threads from some of the 'old-timers' here and those on the Cured list (all while holding my left hand above my heart! and now typing one-handed, pardon my typos). I've learned a lot and once again thank everyone for their posts and sharing. St Jude's story is an inspiration.

I've come to realize that my past few sessions of spikes and WAY out of control drinking were extinction triggers and they're behind me. That makes me feel so much better. Not only did I work thru going out after work and drinking too much, and stupidly buying vodka on the way home, but also a long, painful, honest phone session with my sister finally releasing some highly charged emotional issues, including her ongoing, un-resolveable issues with my mom who is not doing well now (cancer is back). I screamed at her, cried, banged up my car and fell & broke my finger that night, but I understand better my issue with my sis now, and I think I understand her issue with our mom, and in fact we have had excellent, open, honest communication since then.

I've never done therapy (although often thought I should) so I may have this all wrong but I'm ready to put the last 12 days behind me, lessons learned, and I now know what I really must do going forward, all with the help of nal, TSM, and all of you on this board...

onward.

P.S. I also had time to watch TV, and was drawn to "Dr. Drew's Celebrity Rehab." It's so sad that most of the world thinks there are only two options: sobriety (abstinence) or alcohol (death). Thankfully we're aware of the third option - TSM.

Hi Nipit

Ouch!! Look after that hand of yours. Good work with the AF days and keep up the positive attitude.

Cheers
Sticky

So after my high (or rather LOW) point in week 11, I stopped drinking for two and a half weeks while I re-thought my alcohol addiction oh and had surgery on my broken finger. A week after surgery dear husband brought home pizza and a bottle of nice red wine on Friday of week 13. With 50 mg nal + 1 hour I was fine with only two glasses (normally I’d get the whole bottle minus 1 glass for hubby). Saturday night same thing - I was totally fine with two units. Next weekend (week 14) same, really slightly less as I imbibed only three units the total weekend (none during the week).

Week 15 we were off to a ski vacation. Now you skiers/drinkers know there’s nothing better than a cold one after sking all day. I took 25 mg and had one glass of wine with dinner one night, and two the next night, followed by ZERO on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. And that included Christmas and Christmas Eve. I actually went out to lovely restaurants and drank only water. And I was FINE with that! No way could I have done that without TSM and nal. In fact, Christmas Eve was the first time in 30 years (except two when I was pregnant) that I didn’t get stinkin’ drunk and that means the first time in 30 years where I did not have a hangover on Christmas morning. That is so amazing for me, and wonderful!

I’ve been contemplating whether or not to declare myself “cured.” I still feel there are triggers and possibilities out there where I will drink too much. And I wanted to see what would happen on New Year’s Eve. Our boys were at parties, hubby and I were home alone with our favorite bottle of Tattinger champagne. I wanted to get DRUNK. I took 25 mg and drank two glasses rather quickly (yum, love the French champagne!). No drunk, no buzz, maybe a little something, but certainly not like the old days. That was OK. I ended the night with five units (why oh why will I not learn to skip the coffee and Kahlua at the end of the night). Just a little hungover the next day, nothing more than a slight headache and tired.

Most notably, the nights I’ve drunk over the past few weeks, the one or two glasses, I drank them slowly, loved the first sips, but then tasted the alcohol, and was happily willing to stop after a glass or two at the most – like a normal (?) person, I wondered? Is this why “normal” drinkers are able to stop after a glass or two? The wine with dinner is nice, but they're not seeking to get and maintain that buzz that my old self craved. I would try to slam down as many glasses as possible to keep the buzz going.

I know TSM and nal are working for me. I’m hesitant to say I’m cured. I will keep with the plan – 25 mg on the nights I’m home with hubby drinking a glass or two (1-2 nights/week at the most) – 50 mg on big nights, whatever those might be. I KNOW I cannot drink and drive in the future so those work-function nights out MUST be “sparkling water and lime, please!”

Happy new year, here’s to a promising 2012 for all of us trying so hard!

wooHOO, Nipit!!! What a wonderful report. I was wondering how you were doing, after your calamities a few weeks ago. What a lovely holiday for you and your family!

Do you think your 10 days AF was helpful to set you up for your recent success w/ moderation??? It sounds like the alcohol deprivation effect was not a factor. My goal these days is to add more AFs each week, but a long run like that sounds daunting...was it hard to do?

Chrissie

Thank you, Chrissie. I think the forced 2.5 weeks AF were helpful. Although, it's worth noting that I didn't go AF because I wanted to or could, but due to horrible shame and scared to drink after the AWFUL night, then the surgery where I couldn't have nal in my system. But I do think I was making progress before, albeit with a few nasty spike nights thrown in. On the "making progress" nights, I had a few glimpses of "ah, this tastes like alcohol, not the lovely wine I thought I was drinking" which, when I take note of that, help me to moderate, slow down, and stop early.

But then I've had those nights where I "drink thru the nal" too - I never knew what that meant until I actually did it - you know you shouldn't, but you want to, so you just keep going hard, and suffer horribly the next day. I have not had one of those since my AWFUL night and I (cross fingers) think those are behind me, especially after NYE where I kinda wanted to, but didn't. That's why I think nal is really working for me now. I would love to try to be AF, but I also know that Friday night will come again and I'll be okay with 1-2 glasses of wine, as long as I take my nal 1 hour before. I guess that's habit that I'll have to work to break.

I'm still not sure what will happen on this TSM path and when it will happen, but if I take the nal before I drink, I do think I'll eventually be "cured."

Another note, since I'm a binger, not a daily drinker, AF days generally are not an issue, UNLESS we're talking about my trigger or habit days (weekends, events). I guess Christmas was made easy because we changed it up - rather than me fixing a fab dinner at home or with relatives, drinking all the day, we were out of town on our own, and I really wanted to try AF.

I am sorry if I'm rambling. I'm typing without thinking - just jotting it down as it comes. I probably need to step back, think it through, then try again.

it sounds like you are doing great since your bad night. i hope the hand is feeling better. 2012 is going to be a great year for us tsm'ers! nal on nipit!
-pep

Rambling??? Heck no, I appreciate your detailed analysis of your recent progress. Despite your saying "I HAD to be AF for 2 and a half weeks..." still, you found the fortitude to do it! Sometimes I wonder if I could do that, if a gun was held to my head! The last two nights, I started out determined to be AF, and then I start thinking how nice a beer would be...ah, well, at least "losing control" now means 4 aus instead of 7!

It sounds like your Very Awful Night was a kind of wake up call, or bottoming out, or last straw - which we've ALL had - but this time in the context of TSM, you were able to really respond to it in a positive way. The extra "torque" that Nal gives us made you able to make a positive change...your story is very inspiring, and thanks for sharing it. We're all trying to figure out this crazy TSM adventure, to try to see where we fit into the pattern, and here is another variant of progress & success.

Chrissie