I am a 57 year old female and have been drinking for more than 37 years with the last 15 years a lot more and pretty much every day with hangover after hangover.
I have tried AA, Smart, Rational Recovery, looked into acupuncture, hypnotism, read a ton of books on alcoholism and have failed at everything. The other day I was searching again on the Internet and am so very happy that I found TSM.
The very next day after finding out about TSM I went to my Doctor and was prescribed Nal, starting TSM on October 14 2014.
I did take 50 mg the first day but had pretty bad side effects that night so I could not even drink. The next evening I took another
50 mg and again had bad side effects but did drink a bottle + another glass of wine. I figured if I was going to be able to take another pill the next day I would have to take 12.5 mg (1/4 of a pill) to get away from the nausea, dizziness, jitters and overall feeling drugged.
I stayed on 12.5 mg for 6 days to really ease my way into this drug. I do have a very low tolerance for drugs and have had bad side effects over the years on many medications so that is maybe just me as I have heard many people do not have side effects. I upped my dose to 25 mg and stayed on that for 3 days then recently upped it again to 50 mg and have been on that amount for 4 days now.
My first week my drinking was down but this last week I seem to be drinking more and have had more hangovers like today. Of course I took my Nal cause I will need to have a little hair of the dog to feel better. I can hardly wait for the day when I can get away from feeling sick from being hungover and drinking again to feel better, what a vicious cycle.
I also have gained over 10 lbs in the last few years and know it is from all the calories from drinking wine. I have always exercised to a certain extent and eat well but when I don't feel good after drinking I let it all slide as all I want to do is lie on the couch, eat comfort food and watch TV.
My Doctor prescribed me 3 months of Nal and said that is all she would prescribe me so I will have to buy it online from now on. I will need to get another 3 months worth of Nal by end of December as I go away to Mexico every winter for about 3 months. I heard that Mexico may have Nal but figure I should not chance it if they do not carry it or a Doctor there may not prescribe it to me.

Welcome Cheeto. I've been where your at and can relate to how you feel. It gets old after awhile. If you have any questions just ask and I'm sure somebody will respond. Be diligent with your following of the protocol and what you seek will find you. Good luck.

Thank You plantr0, just wish there were more people on this message board to befriend, see posts & support???

Your posts are certainly being watched, and people are rooting for you. This board can be pretty quiet, although that doesn't mean that attention isn't being paid.

If you have time, read some old threads on here, most seem to get better and then go away.

sounds like you're off to a great start.

keep it up! It works

Cheeto,

Thanks for telling it like it is for you today. I second what Guapo says about the board. There are many more people lurking and watching than you know. There are many who have been cured and simply move along. And there are those who may never sign up and post, but still may be taking Nal and following along. I know I lurked for awhile and it really helped convince me to take this protocol seriously. You can find plenty of contrarians of Nal and especially TSM out there, but once you feel for yourself even a hint that there is something different in the way you feel about that next drink when you are drinking on Nal, it's a powerful moment. I have had these over an over since starting and it is truly amazing.

Cheers!

Cheeto I'm glad to hear that it sounds like you're tolerating the NAL better and better, that's good news!

Sounded pretty rough in the beginning.......

I share some of your sensitivity, the few times I've needed pain meds after surgery and tried antidepressants I've ended up throwing them out.

Thanks plantrpr0, guapo, triplab and all41 for your posts and support. I really appreciate hearing from others that are on the same path or from the ones that have pretty much graduated from TSM.
I know you are not suppose to force much but I am aiming for an AF day today and maybe tomorrow to take a break.
I will keep y'all updated as the weeks progress for me.

Well I just finished 3 weeks and today I am starting my 4th week. My drink numbers have not gone down so much but I am still keeping the faith that TSM will work for me, just needing to give it time at least 3-4 months as they say.
My side effects are much better but still after taking Nal I do feel sleepy but then that passes once I drink. I do find that after just a glass of wine or two I really feel the alcohol much more than before I ever took Nal but of course I keep drinking the bottle or 1 1/2 bottles of wine. Since I drank 1 1/2 bottle of wine last night I feel kinda hungover today so am playing with having an AF day so I can get out and about tomorrow to get some shopping and errands done. I still crave alcohol by about 5PM every day so I won't force an AF day if that is the case today other than I only have about a glass of wine left in the bottle so maybe I will have to be happy with just that. My thinking is that the more often I take Nal & Drink maybe the faster Extinction will happen for me???
Here is the link for the new C Three Foundation Forum
http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/
and maybe since I found it on their Facebook page then more people will be joining. I signed up and will see how it goes on that Forum too along with this one.

You are doing great Cheeto! You are right on by keeping the course and trusting the science. Don't even worry about your weekly numbers at this point. Getting by the side effects were a big hurdle ....congrats. The tiredness stayed with me for months but led to the ability to sleep like a baby at night. Are you noticing any subjective experiences that are different besides feeling the effects of alcohol faster, and being tired? How does the alcohol taste? Is it possible that you always felt the alcohol this fast but masked it under a different name or feeling? Could it be that now you are seeing it with a new lenses so to speak? A lot of things are going to change, keep it up and don't resist them. Hope you're enjoying your drinks as much as you can. That feeling of enjoyment wouldn't last the longer you stay on the protocol. If you have an urge or desire to drink, do it. Enjoy it while you can. You're on the path that leads to the extinction of your relationship with alcohol.

Hi everyone, I am getting close to 4 weeks on TSM and am feeling much better than my first week or so on Nal. I did kinda force an AF day yesterday as my liver most definitely needs a break from my daily indulging. I know everyone that is starting out questions TSM as I have but I gotta keep the faith as I have been reading so many posts on here of people that their drinking has gone down dramatically or they simply do not drink anymore with no cravings. I think it is the "Beast" part of our brains that question TSM as it does not want us to kill it, it needs and wants to stay alive and eventually will kill us. I am reading so many post from people in their first weeks that are saying maybe they will give it up cause it doesn't seem to work, really? This can't be any easier than anything else out there and I hate to call it a magic pill but it is! So easy, "1 pill 1 hour before drinking" and yes you can drink and need to for this to work! Maybe some have not read the book or read a lot of posts on here which I suggest they do. I also think tracking your drinking daily is so helpful to yourselves and for all us to see.
I am going to be positive that this will work for me and realistically like many of you have stated to give it AT LEAST 6 months, which I have no other alternative to turn to.
I was prescribed 90 tablets of Nal (3 months) but my Dr will not prescribe me anymore than that so I just ordered 120 tablets of Nal (another 4 months) from alldaychemist so I am committed to 7 months at least right now!