My wine still tastes good... it's the quantity that I'm struggling with. When I first started drinking wine (10 years ago), I quickly learned to drink fast in order to get my full half. Now I don't care but still haven't been able to say no when it is poured.

I don't want my wine to taste bad... what if chocolate starts to taste bad????

I just wrapped up 12 weeks and wine is tasting as good as ever (not least because I'm buying better wine since it lasts longer). I may have passed through a day or two of "bleah" but that was in the first week or three, when I was still drinking the whole bottle.

Hi Virginia,

Looks like it's going really well! As far as the taste thing, I've never felt that drinks started to taste bad, just not quite as satisfying - kind of like when you get sick of something. It sounds great, but then is a bit disappointing. Still doesn't stop me, but it sure slows me down. I hope you'll still always enjoy the taste, even as the quantity declines. I don't think chocolate will EVER taste bad, Nal or not. If you tried to take a Snickers away from me, you'd have to pry it from my cold, dead hands....

Week 15

Well, it was a spike week for sure. Cravings were really high on most days and while I didn't lose control or go to the pits of shame, I did feel like I was consuming too much and it affected me (low energy workouts, distracted, unmotivated).. but it was still better than pre-TSM. Pre-TSM I could drink the amounts I just did without much of an impact. I am getting more sensitive to the bad effects with less alcohol - part of that rewinding process?

By the last day of the week, I didn't even try to moderate but my mood is changing. Getting to that point where my body just needs a break.

It seems that many people on this board have spouses that are either normal drinkers, non-drinkers, or doing TSM together.. what about the spouse that drinks more than is healthy but doesn't seem to have a problem? I know my husband would cut down on drinking if I did, if I could say no and not even have one during the evening. But what if I can never say no? The habit between us is so strong.. guess I'll have to wait and see if TSM can really kick that one. Have my doubts.. We've tried to not drink as many evenings but one of us always gives in (ok, mostly me), just rambling here and not sure exactly what I'm trying to say.. guess that if it is or has to be hard work and willpower to end this ritual, it's not going to end.

waiting for that switch to take place and hoping to not override it with a habit.

Hi Virginia,

I just had a look back over your entire thread with a view to seeing the whole picture. Do you have a 'feel' for your drinks/units consumption now compared with when you first started TSM?

All the best.

V.

Virgil,

Since I wasn't keeping count prior to TSM, I'm not sure if I'm actually drinking less than when I started. At the beginning of TSM, it was such a mental break to not feel guilty about drinking too much as I was on the road to a cure that I probably drank less, knowing I could drink more if I wanted (make any sense??). Up until week 11, I was still having at least one night of overdoing it and paying for it the whole next day. Then the next 4 weeks seemed to really improve, drinking much slower, cravings were down and I was feeling good, number of drinks down slightly. Like I said, this last week was a tough one - maybe I was getting too confident? Though that doesn't explain why I really, really wanted to drink and drink more..

Overall, my numbers haven't changed significantly...it's just been the way I've been drinking. Hoping the numbers will start to fall in line soon.

To add, haven't had blackouts for quite awhile and I'm now taking it for granted. Honestly wonder if just giving myself permission to drink when I went is part of the cure, rather than the Nal.

Virginia

Hi Virginia,

OK, thanks, that's a helpful summary. I now have a much better idea of where you're at. It would certainly appear that you have made progress on TSM (far fewer blackouts) even if your numbers haven't changed. I guess it illustrates what so many have said before and that is that numbers are only a part of the whole story.

All the best to you.

V.

Hi Virginia - a while ago you mentioned a metallic taste in your mouth but no one picked up on it and you didn't pursue it. I have had the same thing very strong the past few days. Is this a SE of Nal? I'm wondering because I have had this metallic taste before when I eat very very low carbs but never this strongly - I have blood sugar issues so usually eat very few carbs and this taste is typical of burning fat rather than carbs.

Comments? Is this an SE of Nal that no one has mentioned?

Hi BGH,

I believe it was a side effect and I don't recall reading about it in any other threads. It went away after a week or two and that's when there weren't any side effects. I've never taken any other medication that produced that taste and I've never been able to eat low carbs

Hopefully, the taste will fade away for you..

I guess I'll just have to put up with it. As I woke this morning I had two "cascade" moments: one was the metallic taste just sort of rolled into my mouth, two was a feeling of my brain being flooded with drowzy-ness. I think I'm actually feeling my brain filling up with some chemical that makes me feel doped. Hard to explain but I think if I'm woken up from too deep a sleep I don't cycle through the sleep cycles properly, so wake up mid-dope...does that makes sense to anyone else?

Virginia, I'm happy to see you are seeing some differences now on Nal. From reading your early posts you were very frustrated. I'm just at week 1 so can appreciate that all my fears and frustrations will ease as I get further along in the process - what a trip eh??