There has been discussion recently about the efficacy of TSM. It appears that it works in general, but is quite inconsistent in its results depending on the person. In my case, as well as as a small number of cured ones, it may work too well. I passed into the ranks of moderate drinking about a year ago. My desire to have anything with alcohol has continued to decline since then. About 2 to 3 months ago, I joined the ranks of "light drinkers".

Now, just look at my last month. 4 beers. That's it. I think it's been 2½ weeks since I had a beer. I don't miss drinking at all. I believe I'm in the very final part of this treatment. This is beyond what I planned.

I thought I wanted to be abstinent, but now that it is almost here, it seems such an empty victory.

Bob

How wonderful a post.

May I be there SOON!

My Best, Jim

I hope you get there soon, too.

Bob

Well, I am now over a month abstinent with no effort, no cravings, no desire for AL at all. I suppose that I could do this indefinitely.

I decided that sometime in September I will try to have 2 or 3 beers (with Naltrexone, of course). The reason is because I want to perform an experiment to prove to myself that AA and the abstinence 12-stepping dogma is dead wrong. Under 12-stepping dogma, this one drink will plunge me into a drunken death spiral to which I may never return, because we are only one drink away from alcoholism ([sarcasm]I am so scared[/sarcasm]). That is wrong and I know it now. I'll have those few drinks using the TSM rules and emerge victorious.

Who knows. Those may be the last beers I ever drink.

Bob

EDIT: I think I'll choose September 15, since that will be my 1½ anniversary here.

have a cold one or 2 if you want, but in my book you are walking proof that TSM works. those are some low numbers my man! cheers! eat some wings too while you're at it. you deserve this privilege

Bob ,

this is so momentous fantastic and awesome to witness . Stuff of dreams yet true .
It still really puzzles me that we see so little of this in this forum .
I wonder too to what degree the aversion therapy helped . did it give an extra boost
or accelerate your path to extinction . If so others would follow as spectacularly a few months after you ?
I think in a year or two we need to make a concerted effort to pull oldtimers back to
testify how it has been . I know the reasoning about how people have got a life back but all the same it should be pushed .
I can definately say I don't go back for a fourth glass later at night , that habit died hard
now its a steady three and stop . But no comparison !

Wow Bob and Elfern,

That was always my fear in AA. The dreaded relapse into oblivion hell. And mind you even when I did relapse, it took 3 months for the old habit really to take root again.

My theory is that I was cured 5 years in of sobriety but the AA brainwash had me believe that one beer and it would ultimately end in alcoholism again. So over those three months I had to prove them right and start drinking heavily and then booze really did have its taluns in me again. I bet had I had NAL on relapse like my friend Jerry, I would never have gone so deep back into it again.

BTW Jerry will be posting progress soon (Its good news )

I must admit I think my aversion therapy in November 2008 did help things along because it relegated me to only one type of alcoholic beverage that I could stomach. That limitation of only one kind of beer helped somewhat because you can only drink so much beer before you're filled up. I used to drink Bourbon and Vodka straight out of the bottle, but I can't even smell them anymore because of the aversion therapy.

There must be a connection between the two. I have often wondered if TSM should come first, then the aversion therapy. That would kill alcohol completely. I guess that regimen would be good for the abstinence folks.

Bob

Bob, like I said in another thread, you've got some cojones my man. after looking into aversion therapy, I don't think there's any way I could stand it. After all I put myself through tons of accidental aversion therapy on my own and it didn't work. I puked a lot in the last few years and went through several phases of puking blood often. yet I still drank every day. That aversion **** sounds rough.

I can say that I think TSM alone has curbed my tolerance for Whiskey. I used to like whiskey, but on TSM, I can't stand it, a while back, I took a sip out of a bottle of good, smooth Kentucky bourbon and immediately puked a little off my back porch! I haven't re-visited the brown liquor since, and I also used to love scotch, but haven't thought about buying any for months, even before the bourbon episode. Come to think of it, I haven't thought about or bought scotch since starting TSM The only liquor I've drunk was a couple martinis one time.

Thanks for making me realize yet another improvement TSM has brought me.

I think a couple of cured people last year went through a prolonged phase where the flavor of out favorite beverages changed. I think Firebird described AL as tasting like "paint thinner". Firebird never underwent Aversion Therapy, so this effect was entirely due to the TSM treatment. Not everybody goes through this "phase".

Bob

PS Vomiting while drunk unfortunately does not fully engage the aversion response from what I've read. The aversion response ideally is done while fully aware and vomiting begins prior to drunkenness. Repeating the experience immediately after the first vomit response significantly reinforces the aversion response. Then repeating this whole sequence every other day for five treatments "burns" the aversion into your brain. To repeat what I've said before; It is brutal.