Hi Jim,

Good to hear from you and glad to see your sticking with it, also good to hear of Jerrys progress.

Hey Jim - glad to hear you're in for the long haul. Some people must just have very stubborn pathways Myself included. I had gotten lazy w/ the Nal around Thanksgiving and Christmas..probably taking it 70% of the time. I did feel my drinking and cravings were ramping up but the frustration of not being completely cured caused a rebellious streak. I decided at the beginning of January to put effort into this again, ordered more NAL and decided to really throw will-power in the mix. Did not see any progress for a couple of weeks and was sneaking too much.. so I've reduced my goals to simply not over-drinking every night - sticking to 3 drinks, 4 at the most. And I've decided to have a stash of alcohol available to only me so that I don't get a panicked feeling if the house is running dry Mentally, it has helped - just knowing the security is there has been a relief and has helped reduce the drinking. Odd, I know.

Have been tempted to just quit this journey or look into other methods of cure but for me, I don't think any medication will ever be enough - I have to address the habit, the non-physical cravings and why I'm on this self-destructive path. I truly thought I would be cured by now. Heading to the 2 year point now...

well, it seem I've taken over your thread - sorry about that - it's just too depressing to get on mine

Take care,
Virginia

Hi Virginia and Jim.

I'm sorry to hear that you both are not fully "cured." You guys have confirmed what I always suspected: that TSM success isn't a black or white issue; there is lots of gray between the triumphs and failures. Our addiction to alcohol lies on a continuum, as does our progress on TSM, IMO. I think the book sets a lot of people up for failure by promising a "cure" in three to four months. The book was written by a very well-intentioned person who does not suffer from alcoholism and who has not experienced TSM personally. I feel very strongly that expectations of TSM should be lowered. There is the promise that a very high percentage will see marked improvement over their consumption/control while drinking on Naltrexone. A small percentage will not be impacted by Naltrexone and a decent percentage -- although not a majority IMO -- will be "cured".

Unless folks can find an alternative treatment, I'm not sure why anyone who has seen any type of increased control or reduced consumption would ever drink without Naltrexone.

Good luck to you both in your ongoing struggles. You both deserve to get this monkey off your back.

My best,

Nick

Thanks Everyone for the nice welcome back.

I may be trying Campral as I said and will report if/when I start it. (I've got the scrip already).

I think the more I stick with it(TSM),....I will see improvement. i don't think much about alcohol during the day, but like Virginia, I have a pretty stubborn alcoholic streak. I am just trying to be as patient as possible.

I will post more as I get back into the swing of things. My Best, Jim