Hi Nick,

Like my avatar?

I made one for you too, feel free to just pop it right on your profile. No need to thank me.


Or just use the cool one I put on my profile.

LOL. Good one. By the way, Mark Schlereth is on crack. "The Vikings won't make the playoffs." Shut the Hell up. Sounds like Mark suffered one too many concussions trying to protect Old Horseface.

Ok, in light of the last couple of sessions, I decided to try an experiment.

So far I have been able to just say no to consumption beyond certain points. But my consumption took place at very mellow controlled environments.

Last night we went to a mellow place. Had 4 beers. It was still a bit early. I kinda didnt want to go home just yet. If my wife had said, no lets go, I would have been fine doing that.

But.. she wanted to dance, and I wanted to play some pool. We ended going to another place on the way home that had dancing. I said, well I probably will only be able to drink on beer.

As it turns out I ended up having 3 beers. But these beers were half alcohol content (stupid state law thing). What I noticed was after the second beer, i had a glimpse of that pre TSM feeling where I would talk peoples ears off. But... I recognized this feeling and did not talk anyones ears off. We probably would have left sooner but we were having fun dancing.

When I got home for some reason I wanted some sips of wine. So I got a half glass of it and shared it with my wife. It was pretty late too. Ultimately I ended up regretting having the wine because I was starting to feel sick at that point. But habit pushed me on.

There is beer in the garage fridge, which I didnt touch. Pre TSM would have found me on the deck chugging those things away until I passed out.

I wanted to see how I would react in different settings. I didnt really attempt moderation, as the last couple of session were cut short naturally. So Im thinking, in the near future, Ill need to will myself on moderation to avert the hangover.

We went to bed alot later than normal (pre TSM bed time), so I was pretty tired this morning, having hard time dragging myself out of bed. But...once I got going, Im pretty energetic. So my AL consumption, while a bit more than I would have liked, is still well under my pre TSM levels. My hopes and concerns are at this point, I dont want my tolerance level to go up. If that happens, then I foresee some hangover days happening.

I still see this as progress, because its much better than pre TSM, and Im killing some triggers.

Moral of the story? Environment has a large impact on my consumption. Ill chalk that up as a key point to watch for in the future.

(Its also funny, that bit of queezy stomache feeling makes you not want to eat, but when I eat inspite of this queeziness, I feel alot better. Wierd.)

We started on the same day!

Hey LoOp,

I didnt realize that. Awesome! Ill have to keep better track of your thread now in light of this new revelation. Rock on! Hope your doing well.

keep taking it an hour or 2 before drink. then you will notice less of any alchol related problems. It will get mellow for you. I realize I spelled alcohol wrong but I don't care.

Thanks tater!

I have to say, if my results so far were the only extent of my cure I would take it. Im very pleased with my progress this far. Lots of bumps on this road but it seems to be getting a bit smoother. Hopefully there isnt any construction going on down the road.

And as always Nal atleast 1 hour previous to drinking!

I just ate somthing, took some Nal, and will be having some cold ones here shortly. Man I like therapy....

My last drinking session was on Saturday evening.

I had 5 beers and 2 glassses of wine. The wine I could have done without. My wife had company over so I was hoping to have a drink with her. I got a glass of wine thinking her visitors would leave soon. By the time they left, my glass was gone. So I got another glass to have with my wife. After drinking 5 beers, I wanted to see what it would be like to just stop drinking for a bit. But I did drink 2 glasses of wine much later. The craving really wasnt there. I like that.

What I have been finding lately is that environment and situations have the potential to send me on a good binge. Previously, I found that in mellow controlled environments I could more or less control the amount of AL I drank beyond a certain point. I wanted to see what would happen if I put myself in a different situation, like going out dancing at a club. I found that I drank a bit more than I thought I would, but much less than any pre TSM level. So thats good. But, being in those siutations has the risk of a hangover the next day, which is one of the biggest things I am trying to avoid at this point.

So far what I have noticed:
Physical decrease in AL tolerance.
Big decrease in AL consumption on any given drinking sesion.
Big decrease in craving the next drink that could put me over the top.
Increased risk of Hangover.
Huge and very noticeable change (for the better) in behavior while drinking.
Noticeably Positive attitude on AF days.
Food tastes pretty darn good while drinking.
Cravings during AF days? Depends on if I am bored or not.

Im also noticing that there really is no "relief" from drinking anymore. That feeling that comes up and says, yep this feels great lets keep going. Nothing from AL hits the spot. Oddly what does hit the spot is eating somthing. Food just tastes really good. Especially greasy bar food. Onion rings, pastrami sandwich, fries.....etc. (not healthy, but oh so good)

Im also finding that my drinking sessions are just not that fun anymore. I believe, the main reason I used AL was need for being social. AL was my ice breaker. And while AL may be a good tool for normal people in social situations, it actually made me anti social because of behavorial issues. Whats odd though, I find that Im actually more social when Im sober now. More outgoing, more willing to talk, a genuine interest in talking with someone. Sober!

These new turn of events have raised some new thoughts and questoins in my head. I have read Springriders posts which kinda coincide with these thoughts. Im wondering what life is going to be like at the end of all this. Without the strong grip of AL.

When I was sober for 11 years, I was not the person I wanted to be. I was not unhappy with who I was, but I knew I could be alot more. But somthing held me back. I was bored alot, didnt do a ton. I was basically a pretty boring person. I did gamble alot. I dont want to be this person again. Its what ultimately led me back to the bottle.

Trust me I do not want this addiction and I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth. But I am concerned that maybe I wont be prepared for all of this? Im trying to get to the root of these uneasy feelings concerning being cured. Maybe its the beast rising up saying, what about me? Dont leave me! No! Dont go!

At any rate, we have the scientific formula for the cure to alcoholism....Nal + Drink (+ patience/time) = cure. I suspect I will have plenty of time to prepare for my new life, I think Ill start now.

PS...Oh yah, I am also noticing that I am a bit more eager to jump down someone's throat too. Not bad, but quick to point things out. If someone does somthing that I dont like, Pre TSM I would let things slide, like it just didnt matter, but now....Im feeling that things ARE getting better, life IS getting better, and by damn Im going to believe that I deserve much more out of life and be treated with respect at the same time. Maybe my self confidence is coming back? Or maybe Im just an ass?

Hi folks, it seems like its been a while since Ive posted.

My last drink was last Friday. So far for the past week, no real cravings to drink to speak of. More like a question..."Do I want to have a drink?" Answer? No. And Im fine with that.

I think the biggest change has been, being able to just stop drinking after what ever number of drinks I have had. I dont get that overwhelming urge for more. My tolerance level is still way low.

I think....Im seeing how this cured things is going to be like. Taking into considraton Springrider's caveat on being cured, and his warning to respect alcohol... Im thinking I may never be able to drink like a normal person. I just dont know how. While I may not have a real urge to drink right now, The bad feelings and fears are definitely outweighing any cravings at this point to have a drink. It seems, I will always drink a certain way, regardless of urge. Ive noticed that on my first 2 drinks, I am a bit spacey on the Nal, not enjoyable at all....Ive experimented and have noticed that it takes 3 drinks to get past the spaciness, Im not that social. While I can be fine with having 1,2 or 3 drinks and stopping, Its just not fun to have only 1 or 2 drinks, the spaciness kills it for me. If Im going to drink, Im going to feel it.. Why drink in the first place, if not for the affect? So the question comes down to "Do I want to have 3 drinks or not?" at this time.

If Im bored...maybe Ill drink..but so far I have found other interests that just dont go with drinking.

Progress? I seriously think so. I wont say Im cured. In fact I may never say cured, depending on the definition I will put to the word "cured". How the heck would I know what cured is, if I dont know how it is for a normal drinker? All I know is how I drink. Maybe its different for everyone.

Ive noticed people who are not be considered alcoholics, they drink way more than me right now. Even go so far as to act a bit foolish. This is a good reminder for me not to get a hangover.

Moving forward, I will always carry with me the knowledge that I had a serious problem with alcohol, and have been given this amazing, miraculous, stupendous discovery in TSM that has allowed me to get control of my life. I will not take this lightly, or with trivia.

Again I will reiterate, I am not claiming tha I am cured. But the change is so drastic that my actions while drinking could be grouped in the "normal" category right now. I may seem a bit overconfident, and some may have opinions or words to be cautious in my zealousness regarding my progress.... but I know what Im feeling right now and believe I know where Im going.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well...remember Peaks and Vallies. When your in the vallies notice how beautiful the mountains are, not how hard it will be to climb them, when your at the Peak youll appreciate the view so much more.

Us alchies have accomplished so much during our affliction, imagine what we can do with out it. There is a big difference between the normal people and us alcoholics, we have a knowledge of somthing that others will never know and are that much stronger for it. Dealing with alcoholism makes other things seem small in comparison, we can deal with anything that comes our way. Once through this, WE have the leg up. We can do anything. Keep that in mind.

For anyone feeling the struggle....please...chin up, it works...thats for damn sure...how long? Who knows...its obviously different for everyone, just take with you the consolation that the scientific formula Nal + Drink + Patience/Time = Cure has been proven over and over again. The laws of Math do not change anywhere you go in the Universe, 2+2 will always equal 4. If it works in my side of the Universe, it will certainly work on your side too.

Now... the big question is.......

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???

speechless...