Except for the tiredness, the first week has gone very well! I'm taking 50mg NAL 1/2 hour before leaving work ('cause my habit is to start drinking as soon as I get home). This week, I reduced my average 6 pack/day to about 4 per day without any effort. Happy to report that's the least I've had to drink in a week for many years. Sure would be lovely if this pattern would continue...

Pre-NAL 42 Units USA -- that's about 74 UK (Yikes)
18-Mar 4
19-Mar 3.4
20-Mar 4.9
21-Mar 4.2
22-Mar 4.4
23-Mar 3.5
24-Mar 3.6
Total 28.0
% redux 33.25%

Well done on finishing your first week netty, it will continue and get better, it's just that there will probably be a few blips on the way

But as long as you anticipate that they will happen and don't lose sight of the final goal all will be well- look forward to hearing how next week goes!

First week is too microscopic to make any assumptions. You are doing just fine. You have jumped out the the plane and the rest is the process. Follow the protocol and let it work.

Week two -- the fatigue is gone, as are the nightmares! During the past 7 days, I woke each morning with a specific drinking goal set -- 3 beers (weeknights) and 4 beers (weekend nights) -- I have absolutely no inclination for an AF day yet. It didn't take any willpower to stick to my intentions this week (probably because I'm slowly reducing my intake which is alleviating any physical withdrawal problems that I've previously encountered -- but who knows what next week will bring? Stay tuned...

Pre-NAL 42 Units USA
25-Mar 2.9
26-Mar 2.9
27-Mar 3.0
28-Mar 3.8
29-Mar 4.2
30-Mar 2.9
31-Mar 3.1
Week 2 Total 22.8
% redux 45.70%

Netty,

You are getting a glimpse of what is to come.

However, don't get discourages in the coming weeks when your drinking levels rebound. In fact, you may very well be back to your pre-sinclair drinking levels in the coming days. This is completely normal and documented in Dr. Eskapas book.

This next 2-3 weeks may be some of the more difficult ones (week 3 was a very difficult week for me). True extinction will probably not start showing real results until about week 5. Of course we are all a little different, but this is what most of us are seeing.

Just keep taking your Nal and working the method.

Q

Good going Netty!

Sounds like things are certainly looking up for you.

Although another week hasn't passed since my last "progress" report, I had an interesting "Nal" experience this evening that I think is worth posting, since it's something you folks may have experienced, or will experience, in the future. Specifically, I had an exceptionally stressful day at work, and by the end of my miserable 9 hours at the office, my mind was in full blown "I deserve a 6-pack now" craving mode. Consequently, I had every intention of coming home and slamming down as many beers as I desired. Instead, I swallowed my NAL at the end of the work day, and drove home. By the time I arrived, I still felt an enormous desire to drink my stress level away, so I grabbed a "Miller 64" -- the lightest of the light beers (about 2.4% ABV) -- and drank that in about 30 seconds. Then I had a second 64 -- which took about another minute. Within 5 minutes of arriving home, I'd drunk the equivalent of 1 US unit of alcohol while my brain was directed by its stress-induced alcohol-craving autopilot. Then, an amazing thing happened. My preoccupation with slamming down another 4 beers (at least) totally disappeared. I wound up drinking two more beers (slowly) during the next 4 hours, and now -- here I sit at my computer -- with absolutely no desire for more beer, and I'm feeling calm and happy. Thanks to the Sinclair Method, my incredibly crappy day turned into a great day!

Hey Netty - that's awesome. Those are the types of changes ou need to focus on - how the reaction to life is no longer overtaken by drinking. Ouch - drink. Ouch - drink. That type of thing slowly gets replaced by Ouch - deal.

Good for you!

Great news Netty!

I could not believe it when that happened to me at first!! Now it is becoming more 'normal' for me- it's fantastic to begin to know how normal people drink!

Encouraging report, netty.

And Marb. . .sorry. . .but just b/c you're not drinking as much doesn't mean you're 'normal.' (You're BETTER than normal!)