Jim -- It's probably a difference without a distinction, but I'll concede it anyhow! My point was that some who actually have experienced the cure have said it was without effort and we need to respect that IMO.

Actually, someone once put that question here to Eskapa (slipping someone the nal or even spiking AL drinks with nal) and he said he and Sinclair had discussed and felt it would work but they would never recommend it since it's unethical. I'm too tired to look it up but if you search his posts you'll find it.

G'night

D2M,

I think it's very important to remind ourselves that the 78% success rate was the outcome of a controlled clinical study and may not apply to real-world study participants such as ourselves. Only time will tell and, as yet, it is still early days.

Best wishes.

V.

Hi D2M,

Yes, I am one of those for which TSM did not work. In fact, I think I have the dubious honour of being the first person to officially declare that TSM failed me. Please note that I refrain from saying that I am "one of the 22%" for the reason that I gave above.

Best wishes.

V.

May I ask if you get "high" when drinking after taking Nal? The whole idea about extinction is that you are in a situation when you know you get high then push the pedal and nothing happens. The worst is intermittent reinforcement, which is when occasionaly "high" happens, then forget extinction.

Hi drunkie,

No, I don't get "high" when drinking after Nal. In fact, I didn't really get "high" when drinking before Nal; my main reason for drinking is to self-medicate against anxiety.

Hope this answers your question.

V.

In this case, are you getting relief from anxiety with/without Nal?

Hi drunkie,

Yes, the alcohol does provide short-term relief from anxiety. But, it's a balancing act. If I overdo the alcohol, it can produce a rebound effect the following day. At present, the threshold for me is about 12 UK units maximum per evening (I don't drink throughout the day as my computer takes over from the alcohol, the former being my other addiction). But note that alcohol only helps in the short-term and is no long-term solution for my anxiety disorders (OCD/GAD). The naltrexone obviously has no effect on my anxiety.

BTW, a happy 2010 to you!

V.

Happy New Year to you Virgil!

I don't really know for myself what anxiety means. I get pretty fired up by end of day after work and like to chill off for couple hours and drink became necessary part of that. In my pre drinking years there have been some sleepless nights and angry mornings or inability to concentrate. It happens now too. If I don't drink caffeine after morning and don't work late then I don't seem to have problems sleeping or ability to concentrate or be in shape in the morning. If get caffeine overdose or break the rule and work late then sure my mind is restless. Of course exercise is like reset button. Whatever was on your mind is now history, it's a new day again.

Drunkie --

TSM works by blocking the endorphin rush that would otherwise occur in the brain if you have a drink without naltrexone. The endorphin rush happens at a subconscious level, meaning you cannot feel it or sense it. The endorphin rush IS NOT the same as the pleasant buzz you get from drinking. This is a common misconception about TSM: that the buzz is blocked and since there is no buzz, there is no reason to drink. This is false. Most of us still get buzzed while drinking on naltrexone, although the buzz is typically modified by the drug. I know this is a very subtle point of distinction but it is an important one because most people wouldn't even try TSM if they thought that naltrexone fully blocks the effects of alcohol, or the pleasant buzz we get from drinking. That's not how TSM works -- it works at a subconscious level and almost all of us still feel the effects of alcohol when drinking on naltrexone, although frequently modified in some way, shape or form.

Interesting, good to know, thanks.