Hi all, I finally started Naltrexone last week. My units pre TSM were > 90 units per week (daily drinking) mostly drinking until blackout. In May I tried total abstinence which was successful for almost 4 months until total disaster in September. Since then i was bingeing about twice a week until blackout. This week I have drank 4 times with no black outs, total units 31, 3 AF days with minimal struggle . I feel the units are immaterial compared with the control/lack of compulsion i feel I have regained (I pray this continues and isn't a honeymoon). Prior to TSM i was reluctant to go out because I didn't want to have to deal with the shame afterwards and similarly neither did my partner want me to accompany her anywhere for same reason. Tonight my partner suggested we go to a trivia night for her work sometime soon. She wouldn't have done this in the last 5 years. Tommorrow I m going to a 20 year school reunion and am really lloking forward to it. Before TSM i was really unsure because its being held at a beer cafe (with 300 different beers on tap) but with Naltrexone on board I m confident I can attend, enjoy and make it home in one piece. This is much easier than AA, more dignified, more positively affirming, less shaming and makes more sense. I am a health professional and understand the neuropharmacology involved intricately. It makes so much sense and i had such confidence after reading the book this week has just cemented those feelings. I know i'm still an embryonic TSM but here's to hoping it continues (until extinction)!

Finished my second week. After a stellar first week of 70% reduction in units, I have had an up and down second week. Make sure you read the threads (Bob3d, Firebird were the first two I read). Word is it's a long haul of ups and downs. The 'honeymoon' phase is not extinction, it's just a taste of what could be. Good luck.

Yeah, I had a really good first week as well. The units crept up again after that, and they have now started to drop again at week 5. Lots of other users have reported the same fluctuations.

Welcome and good luck Warren. As others have said (not here but in other places on these boards) an initial reduction of drinking is a very good sign that NAL will work for you long term. So that's a very good sign. Like Lucky Star, I had a good first week and then my units crept up peaking at the 4th week and have been going down with not too much effort since then. So beware of the "honey moon" effect. It's great to hear that you've gained greater control over your drinking. That is exactly how I feel. On NAL it seems much more unlikely that I would drink to blackout. There just seems to a point where you don't really want that next drink and it comes much earlier than before.

Welcome Warrenjames! I'm really glad that you're responding well to nal. Hopefully this works for you.

like Merlot said, experiencing improvement the first few times you take it is a good sign.

prepare for ups and downs but so far, so good.

Welcome to the forum warrenjames (I'll call you wsj from now on for ease). I hope your week is still going well. I can identify with much of your story (daily drinking, blackouts, desperately trying everything possible to stop the nightmare).
I too had an initial very positive response to NAL. On week 7 now and it's been a little bumpy but still overall very very good. Much better than life pre-TSM and the miseries that accompanied the daily drinking.
I look forward to reading your updates!