Hey everybody -
Shelly64 after week 1: This stuff really works! I'm no longer "cautiously optimistic"... I'm elated! I've been a heavy drinker for over 20 years, in and out of AA too - hundreds of meetings and some very sincere efforts there to no avail, and I had totally given up. It feels so good to have hope now--hope that's based on such elegantly simple, personally tangible results!)

I realize that these initial results may not continue steadily. But that's okay with me! This first week has been so encouraging that I don't care if it isn't a perfectly smooth ride. I'm really grateful for the postings I've read here that have informed me of the range of possibilities to expect. That is so very helpful.

Sorry I'm not yet keeping score on the units per week, but here's a general summary: Before Naltrexone I just could not ever stop after 2 or 3 beers, and I always drank really fast. This first week on Nal I've been able to drink slowly (sanely!), I've been able to stop easily after just 3, yesterday I did not drink at all, and tonight I am going to bed leaving 3 cold Oberons (my fave beer) in the fridge. (In the past, the only time I left good beer in my fridge was if I'd simply passed out too soon to drink them all....) I am so lucky I found The Sinclair Method Book! The first time I saw it I rolled my eyes and opened it just for a cynical laugh. It really is too bad that so few people know about it. I so wish I'd tried Nal years ago...
Sincerely,
Shelly64

Hi Shelly

You remind me of my thoughts the first week I started tsm. I was sitting in the pub with my sister and my hub and kept thinking WOW this really works, this really works. Yes I spiked in units afterwards but never lost many of the benifits of that first week. At in and around the 6 month stage there is a definate bright light at the end of the tunnel. So stick with the journey, there will be ups and downs and even if you dont think it right now there probaly will be times you doubt tsm but its all part of the process. Just keep taking that nal an hour before you drink and let the rest look after itself.

Glad its working for you.

Just curious-- how would you best classify your drinking problem before starting NAL: (a) you drank every single day, and a lot, or (b) you didn't drink every day, but once you started you had a difficult time stopping for the night, or (c) Neither is fully accurate.

?

Thanks Mario for your reply! It was especially encouraging and timely because just yesterday I spiked for the first time (drank a whole 6-pack of beer plus a 40-ounce.) It's so helpful to hear you say that it can still keep getting better!

You wrote: "Yes I spiked in units afterwards but never lost many of the benefits of that first week."
I wonder whether one of the benefits you're talking about is similar to one I noticed yesterday:
Even though I got very drunk, it was a *very different* kind of drunk for me. Before the Nal, alcohol always affected me like a super-stimulant. I would become very "speedy," impulsive, and obnoxious. But yesterday my drunkenness was incredibly mellow and I had so much more control. I didn't blurt stuff out without thinking. I didn't start any arguments with my husband. In fact, I was *so* different that my husband even noticed, and said to me this morning "Shelly, it's as though (before the Nal) you had an alcohol AND a 'speed' problem, but now the 'speed' part is gone, and that is SO much better - you were so much easier to be around![/i]" That really shocked me.

So, I do still feel optimistic in spite of yesterday's binge. Thanks again for your encouraging reply and for sharing your own experience with me!

Hi Nemo -
I drank almost every single day and a lot, usually starting by noon. Occasionally I could "white-knuckle" it for a week or two.

Also, while in AA I was able to abstain for some 3-month stints, and once for 9 months - but there were so many aspects to it that I absolutely hated, and I always ended up feeling burned-out, depressed, and utterly stripped of my true identity.

BTW, I think the only reason AA helped (me) at all was due to the change in routine, the distraction inherent in all the "steps" and meetings, and some of the group support; All of that stuff combined just served to help me "white-knuckle it" longer than I could on my own.

It's so ironic how many AA-people regard Nal as some kind of absurd "band-aid cure" that doesn't address the "real" problem. To me it seems that just the opposite is true: AA is the absurd "band-aid cure", and Nal addresses the real problem!!!... um, sorry Nemo, for going off on the long AA tangent here. I realize your question was not about AA ... I'm just so glad to finally have something that's truly working, and I can't seem to stop myself from comparing it to what was not working.

Yeah A.A. blows for sure. I like the way you've put it about the speedy thing. I called it manic but I guess it's the same thing. and I've noticed that too. even though I've had a few big binges on TSM I haven't gotten nearly as obnoxious or confrontational on TSM

Hey Joe12pack (cool name btw )...

Yes! "manic" is definitely an accurate way to describe how I was when drunk, before trying the Nal/TSM! It's good to hear that you've experienced the same kind of thing too! Thanks for your reply!

Glad to hear it, shelly. From what I've read on the forum, people who experience immediate benefits from NAL (i.e. the first few times they take it) tend to succeed with it long-term. Sounds like you're off to a great start.