Well I just finished week 9 of NAL. I have tried to take the time to post as I find that reading other people's posts really helps me realize we are not alone in this battle. I have read many words of wisdom and have really gained a lot of inspiration from those who have carried on with the program for months and months and have finally gotten control of their drinking. And even more inspired by those that continue on without being "cured". The last several weeks have been very hectic for me with a lot on my plate and a storm to prepare for here in Florida so I have not been diligent in posting or even reading. So I figured at 9 weeks I should make a little more of a commitment and start a weekly progress report.

So my quick back story is that I have been drinking heavily since I was a young teenager. Blacked out after my second or third time drinking and I am now 54 and still struggling with the demon we call Alcohol. I drink quite a bit everyday and binge whenever I get my drink count up a little to high and there is a party going on. Often waking up to head straight for the hair of the dog to "get my head right" which continues the ugly cycle. I have had fights, lost friends, alienated family, crashed cars and boats, been arrested and all of the other horror stories. Tried quitting several times with no luck. AAA, cold turkey, counseling etc. Heard about NAL after a really bad night when I looked up on the internet a pill to quit drinking. Never expected to find any real results. Read the literature and became convinced that the science makes sense and it also makes common sense to me.

So I am lucky enough to have a great doctor who went along with it - although he did have to tell me to take it everyday vs. the Sinclair method but he knew from the paperwork I gave him what I was going to do with the meds. I started in June and I have made decent progress with the exception that I would blip off the map when I "drank past the NAL".

My AF days are starting to increase and on most days I drink no more than 3-4 beers or drinks. The last two weeks have been disappointing to say the least. My numbers spiked way back up. Regardless of the spike up in numbers, I still feel I am making great progress on my day to day drinking habit. Not so much on my week-end (or mid week) binges. However, the parties are killing me! Over the last two weeks I have had two days each week where I have drank from noon until ? And this week I had a night that lasted until after 4 AM. My count can only be an estimate as I lose track of the actual amount of drinks I am having as it gets late into the night.

The good news is that I am in it for the long haul and I have not lost hope. This week I already have 3 AF days and a 3 day drink day to go with the one wild night. So at the nine week mark I can say that I am heading in the right direction and I will stay the course.

Hi Reboot - it is sounding good and yes there are those of us here who are still plodding on despite not being 'cured' yet! I will keep doing this until I am cured or I die - whichever comes first!! Your numbers are going down - and I do think that you are very early days yet so keep the faith!!

Hugs, Maggie x

Reboot thanks for the post. Yes, this is a roller coaster. Numbers go up and down but it is critical to have some sort of log to see where we are. However you sound like me in that, while the numbers may not show it, you know that something is different. Nal on!! Newlife

Thanks for posting. I know it is disappointing to see your numbers go back up, but I think the roller coaster is part of the process. Keep plugging and keep us posted!

Week 10 finished on a great note! Had 4 straight AF days. so the week went like this 0,3,38,0,0,0,0. Feeling good about the day to day stuff right now but coming up on a three straight weeks of traveling on weekends -so I will have to be sure to try something a little different than the normal drink until I drop attitude. Over this long week-end my goal is to not to drink in the airport - and not on either of the travel days. That will leave me with three days to deal with partying with family and friends. Going to make sure I buy some flavored carbonated drinks to have instead and rum. If I do find myself over indulging I am going to take another half dose in hopes that it keeps me stable.

Good luck to everyone.

It sounds like you have a great plan! Good Luck!

Dee

Hi reboot,
Thanks for sharing, and I can relate to a lot of what you wrote in your first post.



This really resonated with me. I also have had stretches where my numbers are incredibly low compared to my past usage, but I also had a spike back up recently during which I was doing a lot more partying than is normal for me. Thankfully though I seem to have moved past it and I'm now back to drinking in a much more controlled, moderate way. I suspect that if you are making overall progress then the same will happen for you. I think these spikes are just an inevitable part of the process and we have to use them as learning opportunities to know what kinds of drinking behaviors are safe, and which are more dangerous. I think posting here about your progress and tracking your numbers are great tools to help you along the way, so keep it up!

Reboot,

I feel for you. My husband travels with his job a lot and I know how hard it can be. I hope things quiet down on for you soon so you can focus on you. I wish I could give you hints that my husband has about not drinking at the airport, but since he has never, nor will he ever drink, I cannot offer you any suggestions.

It is great that you are having a string of af days. And I think in no time you will be able to control your drinking!

Keep posting,

Jaba

4 AF days in a row are awesome. be happy with them!

reboot,

Do you remember how long it took you to get to the full dose? There is someone having a hard time that posted in the "Be Prepared" section with "Poll: Titration Question". I told him how I titrated my dose to 50 mg, but I cannot remember being nauseated. Do you have any helpful hints?

Jaba