Merlot,
You are such a winner! I, too, find that I'm much less interested in drinking after 6 weeks--no more planning the whole day around that first (and never empty) glass. Although, I still plan my day with wine in mind, the focus now is gaining control over it, learning to enjoy it in moderation, AND, being happy about that! I still drink most days, but less than half what I drank before, and the drinking is so much more habit than craving.

I agree, NAL is definitely doing something to shut down the urge. Habit, however, is a strong a behavioral force and THAT is what I have to focus on for this to work. NAL only requires swallowing and that part is easy! Habit redirection requires WORK and a lot of attention. Focus, focus, focus.

TSM has been amazing. It's NOT easy, and I'm far from cured (I still drink 1.5 - 2 times my goal--14 Units per week), but it's amazing that there really is a way to gain control and with the NAL and some effort, to look forward to a normal relationship with wine.

Your story and successes provide real promise to all of us. Your comment that it's worth sharing TSM success to help spread the word rings with me. We all know that abstinence is such an illusive (and undesirable) outcome for many of us, TSM offers so much promise. I'm hoping my doctor will listen to me and read my graphs and read THE CURE and hopefully share TSM with others to make it happen. For that, I would be proud to be a leader.

Continued good success to you!

Merlot, thank you for sharing your success, it is so valuable to those of us just starting out. I am continually amazed to read in so many posts that people are feeling much of the same way I am; it is subtle but profound and the reinforcement of reading others progress helps to remind me this is real and will work. Congratulations on your successful journey!

Great to hear you've had a whole AF week this week. I am curious to see when you do have another extinction session whether any nal SE's return. As I remember you had very few SE's with nal after the initial adjustment period.

Double post (see below).

Saint Vincent, I've never had an issue with resuming NAL after an extended period of not taking it. I hope that continues. I will advise in this thread if that changes.

Update Weeks 22, 23 and 24. I have not had a drink or taken NAL for these last three weeks. I did not really have a plan to stop drinking. I would be happy drinking 15 units a week, for example. It's just that I haven't had much inclination to drink so the feeling is "why bother." Another way to describe this is I feel indifferent to drinking. I think I'll go AF for the rest of February and then have a drinking day sometime in early March.

I have recorded my average weekly units since beginning TSM. As of the end of W24, I have now averaged 19 units per week since starting TSM. Pre-TSM I estimate I was consuming around 60+ units per week.

I'm having trouble posting the updated graph so it'll have to wait until later.

Weeks on TSM: 24
Units on TSM: 460
Average units per week on TSM: 19

Typical weekly units pre-TSM: 60+

Merlot, this is nothing short of amazing. Your progress is the closest I've seen to Bob3D of anyone else posting on the board. Abstinence by apathy towards alcohol. Brilliant. With no side effects to nal this must seem like a miracle. I'm sure there are 12 steppers who would read your story and say, "oh well he really wasn't an alcoholic, just a heavy drinker" but we know that is nonsense. You've been transported back in time to your pre-addicted state. As others like Nick and Crown have experienced the addiction predisposition is still there and you could learn to be an alcoholic again if you tried. I'm very happy for you and I hope you can drop in and keep updating your story periodically. At this rate you won't need to reorder nal for quite some time. Nal-on or in your case Ab-on!

Congratulations! You have regained control of your former addiction.

I would note that you are yet another person who has all but lost interest in alcohol after 6 months or so, not three or four as outlined in the book. Has anyone in the history of this board regained control after just three or four months? I think one or two college kids did a year ago or so, but that would be it. Otherwise, it's 6-12 months, minimum. However, from the beginning, most of us see drastically reduced numbers and far fewer hangover days.

A word of caution. Myself and a few others of the formerly self-described "cured" group lost all interest in alcohol for a time and returned to drinking... But without Naltrexone. As the book predicted, in a short time we were heading down that path to unhealthy drinking. So, don't do it! Always take the pill.

Another life saved by TSM! Awesome!

Merlot - A big giant congrats on your AF weeks. You give me great hope as that is where I want to be. Thanks for your post...so much...it keeps me focused on the goal.

Thanks for the comments everyone. Just a quick update. I still haven't had a drink or taken NAL since my last update. I just checked my records and in fact my last drinking day was on January 29th. I do plan on drinking again with NAL at some point, but am going AF for the time being with very little will power. A part of me just wants to go with the flow and establishing the new habit of not drinking regularly as strongly as possible. My long-term goal has never been complete abstinence, however. Best wishes to you all.

Awesome!