My first evening was very successful on 50mg and the nausea put me off drinking for 4 or 5 days. I was travelling for a few days, lots of waiting around in airports on the way back and was bored so i had a few drinks. Didnt want to 'spoil' it with nal. Durr. Since then repeated that with a few beers another day. Decided to get back on the 'wagon' yesterday and drinking through stress. Drunk a bottle of wine having taken 25mg nal an hour before. Felt a bit drunk but it did hold the drinking back. It would have been a bottle and a half so thats some success. Not a good idea cheating!

Oy. Yes, cheating is a very bad idea. That's intermittent reinforcement. If you're not committed to going for the cure, it's probably better just to keep drinking (with harm reduction in place).

The nausea isn't necessarily a bad thing, if it's mild. It adds a bit of aversion and can even speed your cure. If the nausea is crippling then that's a bad thing, but you might be able to adjust to the drug after a few times of 25mg doses. It's happened for others.

Yes, do TSM or dont, but dont cheat. Its better to just drink.

Read the link in my sig.

Point taken.

A few observations:

The naltroxene has reduced the amount drunk in a session. More markedly when drinking alone. It also seems to be controlling my behaviour. I dont feel out of control although I have felt drunk.

I am still on 25mg but planning to up it too 50mg next drinking occassion.

I have noticed some anger post drinking, lying in bed with the nal buzzing through my brain. The nal is also a slightly unpleasant feeling in general. Synthetic, reminds me of taking recreational drugs years ago without anything pleasant alongside.

I think it is working in the sense that it is reducing my binge intake. My only concern is that I feel like I might be allowing myself to drink on occassions when will power might have stepped in and i wouldnt have drunk at all. I will have to monitor that. I tend to not drink more than 2 or 3 times a week. I dont want to be drinking 'moderately' 4 times a week instead. There is a half finished bottle of wine in the kitchen cupboard which is a very rare thing in our house!

You wouldn't be the only person to increase drinking after finally having "permission" to drink. I hear it usually resolves on its own.

Are you tracking the amount and frequency of your drinking? Almost everyone finds that helpful. A lot of us put that in our signatures, to refresh other people's memories about our specific situations.

I upped my dose to about 37.5 mg this evening. Drank about 7 UK units. Would have normally been between 12 and 15. The 'strange' effects of the nal seem to be less. Bit dizzy, bit less nausea. Feeling slightly confused about it all. Seems strange to be drinking to stop drinking but it is really nice to feel confidently in control. When I leave work and think I am going to drink its unusual not to be wracked with apprehension and guilt. I bought a bottle of wine and thought 'thats going to be enough' not agonising over having enough. It is really odd to be leaving liquid in the bottle. Also my partner has had a couple of glasses out of my bottle and that would normally cause me some concern - not because i am tight, just the anxiety of not having enough. Its odd to be this 'laissez faire' about booze. I would like not to have this 'nal' feeling though. I am very interested to see where this is leading, if it stays here it will be an improvement but i would really like to get down to occassional rather than weekly drinking.

melissa - i have kept a unit diary for about 6 years, fairly religiously.

Hmm, this is an odd one. TSM is helping me to reduce my drink intake on any single drinking occassion. So now I find I am drinking about a third less than usual -7 or 8 UK units - which is enough for me to feel a bit drunk but with a glass of water, a rehydration tablet and an ibuprofen not enough to give me feelings of a hangover. So I have already successfully negated some of the harmful effects of drinking. I also dont have that 'never again' feeling that has followed me through the years. Now thats a good and a bad thing. I could have drunk today but didnt. But it makes me think that the frequency of my drinking might increase. Home alone tomorrow, Friday night...should also be thinking that i shouldnt entirely throw willpower out of the window.

Six years? That's unusual. I guess you've been struggling for quite a while.

If the temporary increase bums you out, I don't any real harm in exercising some willpower as long as you don't do it to the point of feeling deprived. That deprivation effect can be a real kicker.

http://www.drinkingdiary.com/index.html

Its not an onerous task. It has kept me in check, not booze free but in check. Addiction is not just for christmas....

Hi Cosmo. You're thread is called "An OK start" but from this end it looks like a wonderful start

Thanks for posting your progress - it is very quiet here these days.

Babs