HI PV i tried it last night with mixed results. I decided i would drink 3 small glasses (125ml) of wine i was dithering between 2 or 3 and cracked and went for 3. BUT didn't finish the third. What is wierd though is that i woke with such a thick muzzy head this am i almost thought i had drunk a whole bottle. When i measured what was left in the bottle i was surprised to find that i had drunk slightly over half of it. Its as though my tolerance is decreasing. i think i saw someone else write about this happening. I am going to try your idea of setting a goal of not going above the previous weeks units. i realised today on looking back that i have averaged 28-30 units these past 4 weeks without actually paying attention so i should be able to do this.

Hi soulby ... that sounds great to me! Rather than mixed, that's pretty much what I'd call the desired results. Units limited to three instead of maybe five. By asking yourself the question, "Am I done ... now?" you at least open the door a crack for a possible answer of "Yes" - or at least trying that answer out for a little bit.

Being a data-driven kind of guy, I mostly find the numbers a handy hook to hang my hat on As the saying goes, whatever works. If you find some leverage, three cheers for you!

As many seem to experience, my tolerance is indeed w-a-y down. I stopped at two again last night and this morning I had to pause a moment and reflect on whether I really had or had not! As much I as love red wine, the thought of finishing a bottle right now makes me groan imagining the horror that would surely follow next morning!

Week 11: tick-tock, tick-tock. Just flipping the calendar pages, taking my Nal, and sipping my wine. Progress is steady. No AF days so far and none in sight, but I'm thinking I'll turn that corner soon. Headache last couple of days; no clue what that's about. Could be anything from allergies to stress.

Week 12: steady as she goes. R^2 value suggests reasonable correlation with exponential decay. Minor tick upwards because this was a more routine week than last week. Last week I was working hard at an event and had a couple of one-drink days (thanks to exhaustion) to drive the total down. Expecting to level out for a while, with perhaps a bit of a bobble up or down. As noted elsewhere, still enjoying my wine - just sipping it to drag it out over the course of the evening. Still thinking too much about when it's time to take the Nal, when it's time to pour that first glass etc.

If I step back and think about this though - when I started I felt bad about drinking a bottle a day, every day. My goal at the time was to have the ability to stop at two. I seem to be more or less there. But in my heart, I know that *having* to drink *every single day* is not right, so that is my next goal - to have effortless AF days. If it took me only three months and a little bit of effort to get down to two glasses, then if it takes me only another three months to "take it or leave it" - I will be ecstatic. I am not going to rush this or overthink it. One Nal, one hour, one day at a time.

Hi PV,

The fact that you're now usually able to stop after a couple is wonderful. I hope it just keeps getting better for you. The graph looks great!

Week 13: steady on. One extra drink on my wedding anniversary. I was going to try for an AF last night, but decided that the situation is a very specific trigger worth addressing: a monthly meeting that I chair. I normally don't drink before or at it, but slam a few when I get home to help me decompress. Decided to take a Nal and work on extinguishing that habit - kept it to one. Tonight, an old friend from out of state dropped by for dinner, and I managed to nurse my two glasses and stay on track.

Nice progress! You started at a weekly rate close to the subjects in the study cited in the book -- 35 units. Your progress looks like their progress on page 29! Fantastic!

Week 14: stalled? No matter. This is a plateau that less than six months was impossible. Bonus: I'm no longer embarrassed to put out the glass recycling tub.

You are doing great. I can only hope to get down to the level of drinking you are at. I guess for some of us 35u per week would be a miracle. I could live with that but I know it affects us all in different ways.
Keep on truckin'.

PV,

Better to be stalled than on a big spike

It's awesome that you can limit your drinks...those AF days may be the last piece of the puzzle.

Can't wait to see you have them...

Virginia