keep going! you're very early in the process

What joe12 said -- I'm in my 11th week. It was only this past weekend that it dawned on me, that my consumption really has gone down. If you'd asked me last week whether Nal was working for me, I would have said that I couldn't really tell.

After 'training' that consisted of hoisting a glass thousands of times, over thousands of days, it's actually rather surprising that one can 'unlearn' a deeply ingrained habit with only hundreds of unrewarded actions over a few dozen days.

I signed up for this forum because (to my own surprise) I finally 'got it' that it was working, much later than I had expected. Good luck and carry on.

Hey everyone--

It's been a while. I've just been taking my NAL and drinking as usual. It doesn't seem like much progress but looking at the chart, the trend is down. I can't really give the NAL credit for the low week. One night the bass and horn players both bummed a ride to a gig so I was forced to stay sober. Then I spent the weekend at some friend's beach house. They're big time AA so I couldn't drink. Of course maybe before the NAL I wouldn't have even gone to their place. It's funny how we set our lives up so we can keep drinking! I did notice one positive sign...I went camping which is usually an automatic 12 pack/day. I averaged half that. In fact, sitting around the campfire I made the conscious decision to stop drinking beer so I wouldn't have to get up out of my warm sleeping bag during the night. Perhaps my priorities are starting to change. I'm going off for a week of manly fishing/camping/drinking starting tomorrow. I expect a spike but this is one of the reasons I want this NAL to work rather than doing the whole AA thing. I can't imagine spending a week in Baja without having a cold cerveza with my fish tacos!

nor can I imagine a hot dog at the ball game without the option of a cold beer. notice i said "option" I can actually imagine not having one, but knowing i can if i want to is nice. keep it up

You didn't have to get out of your sleeping bag at night This makes sense but I wouldn't have stopped for anything no matter how much it mattered. Being able to keep the important things in mind - it's great that you could. Must b working.

Hello all. I'm checking in at the 3 month mark. I haven't been posting much because, well not much has been happening...or at least it seems that way to me. I wrote a very negative update last week, but then never posted.

My decrease has been very moderate although steady. The thing I'm happy about with this last week is there were no extenuating circumstances. I was at home, with beer in the fridge and no real reason not to drink every night. The most I drank in any one night was 8 light beers and my total units were 37.9 US. Still no AF nights but I'm in my second week back teaching and that end of the day stress release is a real trigger. I think my hangovers and overall energy is worse than before, but that's okay. As long as I see my units going down I'm happy. My poor wife and kid see a very cranky version of me sometimes but again, if this works it will be worth it!

I'm about where I was pre TSM if I was making a supreme effort and obsessing on not drinking all the time. I do have panic moments where I worry about what I'll do if this doesn't work. I picture billions of new pleasure receptors in my brain all hungry for a NAL free drink.

Here's the chart.

I wonder about quitting and then drinking without Nal too. If I quit, I'll just have to force a few AF days first. but as TSM has gotten me to where I can have an AF day, I think I could do it. BUT: I don't see myself drinking without Nal again anyway.

Keep it up! it can take a long time, and the post work stress trigger is something you'll need to drink through and extinct. I'm finding that I need to extinct triggers as they present themselves, and while I'm not cured, these are weakening.

if you get discouraged, lean on the board. don't be afraid to post negatively if that's how you feel. or feel free to PM Mme or somebody with that if you aren't comfortable doing it in public.