Ok, so I went out last night to a friends house. I took my Nal an hour before having wine. It was one of those larger bottles of wine.

I didnt really keep track of how many glasses I had. I was more monitoring my feeling.

I took half a pill, so 25mg. Just in case I got bad side effects. None really, just felt a bit spacey for a short while.

The evening went on and after several glasses of wine my wife and I decided to leave. On the way home I convinced my wife that going to the local bar would be a good idea for a couple beers.

At that point I was really feeling the wine. I could have, and should have just went home.

At the bar I asked my wife if she noticed anything about me. She said that I seemed more pleasant to be around.

So after 2 beers at the bar, we went home.

Probably got home about 1 am. Listened to some music. And normally I would have searched for another drink of anything. But I was really feeling the AL at that point and the thought of another drink just didnt seem that appealing at all to me.

So today I feel a bit hungover, I feel like I consumed alot less than I normally do on any given outting. But my normal horrible hangover isnt the same. I feel like I didnt get enough sleep. Took me a while to drag myself out of bed....but that anxiety, guilt shame feeling is not really there at all. No panics. Just feel a bit spacey and out of it.

I know it was my first time on the Nal, but I think there were some subtle differences.

I felt the AL more so I believe, but then again, Im more of a beer drinker than a wine drinker.
I remember my evening.
I didnt act like a fool, or get out of control.
There were points in the evening where I think I could have just stopped. (but didnt)
My stomache feels a bit upset, this could be due to the wine....
I feel like a consumed much less than on a normal outting.

Q: Do I have to take 50 mg of NAL or will the 25 cover me? I cant remember a time Ive drinken for 12 hours or more.

(Thanks to all for the warm welcome on the other thread)

Hello hapful , welcome from me . nice name you have , - better than hapless!
General consensus is take 50 mg after two times on 25mg to begin with , it'll give better cover for 12 hours . Unless you've nausea problems then go slower holding 25 mg a few days .
you will certainly feel that curbing effect and have a honey moon but you said you've been following things a while here so I imagine you're informed on basics .
I just read your first post with interest and know what you mean about fear of life when one abstains , it's not fun that and that is one of the very very great things to look foreward to tsm will discharge the need for that fear . isn't that great to hear ?

Thanks much elfern,

Im left wondering if the evening would have been slightly different if I took 50 vs 25 now lol.

My hangover is subsiding and Im getting a bit of my humor back now.

I would consider it a great success to be able to drink and not get a hangover at this point! Im time I guess. But I am grateful for SM and have much hope.

Hapful and hopeful - great ways to be!

Some thoughts on wine, beer, and sleep from a fellow newbie. It's still early days still for me (just completed my third week) so my experience may not hold up, but this is my experience so far with wine vs beer.

Beer - no hangover pre-TSM or after. I don't tend to overdo beer because it fills me up and I stop naturally at 3 beers. On Nal it feels like I might get a tad bit loopier feeling, but never a hangover or any ill effect.

Wine - I've been drinking a bottle of wine a night most nights for many years. Pre-TSM I would indeed occasionally get a hangover from time to time, perhaps depending on the particular bottle/variety. Since TSM I've twice had post-wine hangovers that I'd classify as different and worse than before. (More, shall we say, gastrointestinal than headachey.) Strangely while drinking, wine is the opposite of beer post-Nal, as rather than loopier I feel more lucid than I might typically. I feel less sloppy, if that makes any sense, and somewhat aware that I'm drinking in order to feed the process of extinction.

Regarding sleep - I was a little worried about sleep when I started, in fear of nightmares and whatnot. I did notice for the first few days that while my dreams were not weird in any way, it was a strange sort of "wide-awake sleep" that almost felt like I'd not slept at all. Sort of like dreaming I stayed awake, if that makes any sense. The last two weeks sleep has been completely normal, if not better than usual due to less units (on beer nights).

Good luck!

Hi everyone and thank you!

I am reposting this here as to try to make this my main thread vs the introduction thread.

I have asked the person that originally told me about SM either send me thier testimony or come join the forum. They used the SM, I believe, over 3 years ago to success and now they completely abstain. Im hopeful that they will join us here.

Also, most of you have probably done tons of googling on Naltrexone and SM. But I found this link to be very interesting. http://www.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc. ... c&id=11132 , the article is a bit negative, but look at the comments from people who have used SM underneath the article. There is a person who left a comment there who used SM over ten years ago.

Thanks

hapful

I saw that a while ago. The article positively mangles the science behind TSM. The author just doesn't get it. The comments include one that includes a link to our site, so that's a good thing. You may recognize some familiar "faces" in the comments.

I suggest skipping the comment and going straight to the source of the article: A podcast of an interview with Dr. Sinclair that I consider to be the best one out there. It's a must-listen, especially in light of recent confusion about triggers. http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/1571068

As an update....

I may or may not go out to have some beers tonight first at a restaurant and then later at a friends house.

I will ofcourse take my Nal....this will be the 2nd time drinking on Nal.

I have had 2 consecutive AF days, but thats not hard for me to do.

I was planning on waiting til friday, who knows maybe we wont go out tonight.

I am hoping to see anything positive in the way of consumption and not have my tomorrow affected by a bad hangover.... is that too much to be asking at this time?

Oh yah, first time I took .25 of Nal, this time I think ill do the .50 because that is what is recommended.

Im trying to figure out if the lethargy i felt the day after was due to being hungover or the NAL or both? Do people normally get thier side affects day after they take, during or just after? curious.

Here's to hoping and believing...

Ended up after to go out last night.

Had 2.5 beers, my wife had the other .5. She mentioned that I was drinking waay slower than I normally do. I just didnt feel the urge to rush to that buzz.

After...we ended up at a friends house, where I drank 4 more beers, but the beer was only 3.2% alcohol content. Then ended up having a glass of wine....then came home.

At home had a half glass of wine. Probably shouldnt have.

What I noticed was...I seem to feel the affects of AL much faster than normal. In fact the 2 times drinking on NAL that has been the case. Last night I actually felt sick, like I drank too much, and laid in my bed "spinning". (havent felt that in a long time, feeling wasnt that great) Eventually sleep came.

Woke up today with headache, probably from the wine?, tired...I guess normal for a hangover. But the affects of this hangover lasted all day long. I drank alot less than I normally do also.

Today my stomache felt a bit sick all day long, I still feel spacey, like I have to force my eyes to focus on things.

I took .25 first night I drank, and .5 last night. Right now, I would be afraid to drink the next time just because I dont like these next day affects....however, I am not getting those feelings of impending doom like I normally do.

Question: Im almost certain that the next day feelings are more than just a hangover, Im thinking sides from the Nal?

Im hoping this is not what its like to drink on Nal. At this point I am wondering why I would drink again...the day after really is horrible. But I know that you have to drink on Nal in order for extinction to happen. I hope this is just the side affects that others have mentioned and passes.

Thanks

hapful

Sinclair states that 50mg will lock down the opiate system for just about anyone. We've been told that it is OK to take 25mg at the beginning of treatment to minimize side effect, but to work up to 50mg.

I would not take anything less than 50mg of Nal after you get past the side effects. The most important part of this treatment is locking down that opiate system. The only way you can be sure this is being done is to take the dose of Nal Dr. Sinclair says you should take -- 50mg.

Further, Dr. Eskapa has comments in threads here that it may be necessary to take a second dose of Nal 12 hrs after the initial dose if the drinking session goes on for a very long period of time.

Q

Thanks Q.


Right now as it stands, I would like to go out tonight with the wife and some friends, but inside Im afraid of the horrible hangover affect Ive been getting the last 2 times I drank on Nal. I know its a must for the cure, but the hangover is a deturrent right now. I wont ever drink again with out Nal, just hoping that the hangover affect is just a side affect that will pass. If that is the case, then I would rather just get it over with and grin and bear it.

BTW, Q do you remember the time you hurled the Enterprise 7000 light years away and they ran up against the Borg?