hi to everybody there

this is the third blog i have posted on this site. this is just to let you people know how i am doing.
i started TSM on 25th november, 2009. my drinking level was about 126 standard drinks a week (australian units)
towards the end of feburary, my consumption had fallen by about 2\3 thirds. sleep disturbances had ceased. my overall
cravings had diminished considerably. but, to my dismay, i started drinking without taking the naltrexone. after about
3 weeks of doing this, my drinking had shot up back to it's original level, along with the associated cravings.(what was i doing!!!)

So with all this added reinforcment, it was obvious that drinking to original levels was going to occur rapidly. so in mid-may i
resumed the TSM approach to drinking. i am fortunate to have a supporting doctor, who was aware of my abuse of alcohol.
he did not hesitate to prescribe naltrexone as his view was simply "whatever works". i showed him the research done by Dr sinclair and he seemed quite curious about his research.

now being early May, my consumption has again fallen by 2\3 and the cravings are starting to taper off.
i have always been a daily drinker, now i drink every second day. i hope to soon to start to increase this to every second day and introduce the endorphin related activities that are referred to in the book. but i still kick myself for having allowed myself to drink without taking the naltrexone first, thus allowing the obvious re-addiction to take place. but still i guess it is further proof that TSM is not some kind of gimmick, that this thing really does work! my own experience with seems to bear that out.

so i hope that this may provide some kind of support and re-assurance to the newcomer, that when you are having doubts about TSM's efficiency, that there are other people out there just like me, who have felt the same but have "kept on keeping on" and have come out the other side. i wont proclaim myself as being cured. but it sure feels like i am getting closer, day by day.

so all out there, all the best, have faith in the method and may you too experience the joy and relief in bringing under control, the very thing that has controlled and manipulated our lives and livers.

all the best from John (Melbourne, Australia)

John, I really appreciate you sharing that story. I think it will help not only me but lots of others here also. xx

Yeah, welcome John and thanks for the story. I think this has real value - you actually proved that your addiction came back fast and to pre-TSM levels once you stopped taking naltrexone.

Escapa talks about this re-addiction in his book but I had not read of the experience here. I know of someone who may be on the edge of quitting nal because she really enjoys the buzz and doesn't like the non-enjoyment of the vino. Yet she has problems with control once she starts drinking.

It is a bummer in a way that naltrexone works so well - I know, I know, the alternative is terrible - but I can understand a slight hesitation - should we use TSM, which means we're committed for life? Or just struggle along so we can enjoy that relaxing buzz?

I'm committed to TSM but thanks to John we know what happens when you drink off it.

This is something that I find difficult to understand. I dont see a huge difference in nal drinking versus non nal drinking. I still get tidly and enjoy my drinks most times I just find it easier to stop. Is this abnormal?

Good luck John! My classes are studying Australia, Oceania & Antarctica right now...never been down under but sounds like a wonderful place, mate! :-) Hope this continues to go well for you - keep us posted.

I agree Mario, drinking on naltrexone is not that much different for me. No "warm glow" but I still feel uninhibited (although less so) and still get quite buzzed if I want to. Never in a million years would I consider not drinking naltrexone in order to get a better buzz and essentially write myself a death sentence. Evidently, this feeling must vary from person to person.

Yeah I think it must, which is why though I have a good friend/neighbour who is in a serious condition with alcoholism I wont suggest nal to her because I have a pretty good idea that she would not comply with the one hour rule.

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hi to all fellow TSMer's

just an update on my progress with TSM. on the 26th of may, i will have been on TSM for 6 months. Despite an earlier downfall in march, where i stopped taking naltrexone whilst drinking and drinking to pre TSM levels occuring. my progress thus far, has been beyond all expectations. I started on november 26, 2009, my pre TSM drinking levels were around 126 standard drinks per week. now, they are currently at around 36 standard drinks per week. quite a dramatic fall, but not quite at the level of safe amounts of alcohol. i have a minimum of 2 AF days before each drinking session, which will soon be boosted to 3AF days. this is nothing short of amazing! prior to TSM i had no ability to control or abstain my alcohol intake. i had been battling alcohol addiction for more than 20 years. so to all those out there struggling to keep faith with TSM. take heart, it does take time, persistence and patience. you stand to have an 80% chance of being successful, those odds are far greater than AA, detox or therapy sessions! i would not claim that i am cured (not just yet anyway) but i decide when i drink, not the addiction dictating when i do so. on a different note. anyone seen ben's latest you tube video? he seems to be doing really well, given his history. i have drawn encouragment from his blogs, he is the perfect "poster boy" for TSM. anyway good luck to all out there and hope this blog gives some hope to others who feel like they might be struggling a bit. all the best for now, until i blog again.

cheers! john from australia

Thanks for posting and yeah its great to put a face with a name and see Ben prove how benificail nal is.