Hi everyone, for those who wish to know my story it is posted elsewhere in this forum. I've gone from drinking everyday, 35-45 drinks per week, to drinking only a couple of times per month, and only 3-4 drinks during those times.

I have a few questions, and perhaps someone can let me know if this is not the right forum to post these questions in...

1) Because I take NAL only a couple of times a month now, it kicks my ass every time I take it. I feel slightly naseous, and very irritable, and inevitably start yelling at my kinds around an hour after taking it (I'm not perfect but usually much more patient with them). Can anyone recommend the best way I should take my NAL (e.g., with a special kind of food or with coffee, etc...) to minimize these side effects? Honestly, I'm heading towards full abstinence just because of these effects.

2) I've found the taste of alcohol has changed a lot, which as I understand from reading other posts is pretty common. I can barely stand beer now. Is there a brand of beer people have found tastes OK after being cured? What other alcoholic drinks are other people like me who are turned off by our former go to drinks able to tolerate once the taste has been ruined? (As I side note I loooove de-alc beer now and drink it almost every day. Alc beer now tastes like swill.)

3) How are others dealing with the fact that alcohol will no longer be that catalyst that leads to those wild fun times I used to have? I don't miss the asshole it made me with my wife, but I do miss how it helped me become the life of the party with my friends, and alcohol was associated with some of the best and most important times in my life. I guess this is mostly a general psychological question, but I'm wondering how others are dealing with filling the void that alcohol used to help with making things more exciting. This question probably has nothing to do with alcohol, but I thought I would ask it since I only think about it now since I feel I was cured...

I'm sure these questions have been answered elsewhere, so any links pointing out the appropriate posts would be appreciated. Thanks!

Z

PS FYI I started taking NAL a little over a year ago.

zebron,
can't really answer your questions as i'm not cured, but....
i can definitely relate to the question of how to fill the void, i am asking myself daily, wanting to have an answer for when i do get cured. as to the taste, i have started freezing my beers for 20 minutes or so, they taste much crisper that way.
lastly, thanks for posting. it's been awhile since anyone joined the cured list and there are a lot of newbies here, and many at the midway where doubts abound.
best to you
path

Congratulations! I envy those problems. It's tough to get any cured people around here as they usually drop right off the board after being cured. it seems like what path said is right. this board is mostly trafficked by newbies and people struggling through the middle stages like myself. I wish I could answer these questions. have you tried woodchuck hard cider? it's damn good. I used to drink it when I was too hungover to stomach anything else. the granny smith version is particularly tangy, if that kind of thing blows your skirt up.

Can we add you to the list? it's been a while like path said. DOMD was the last and that was a few months ago. it's always great to see another name there

also: Zebron, in the interest of unscientific statistics, could you answer a couple questions? we don't ge a lot of cured people in here anymore.

1.how long would you say you've been cured? you started a little over year ago

2. how long ago was your last post? roughly? I don't remember seeing you for a while and I've been very active for about 7 months. the reason I ask is because this may give newbies a chance to see how cured people tend to drift away. I'm wondering how many people drift away long before they are cured, yet get cured all the same.

thank you and can we add you to the list?

Well, Zebron, what a good problem to have! I also wish I were there. But even though I am not, I do understand the question about how replace that high, becoming the life of the party, etc. from how I felt when I have quit for months at a time in the past.

I don't have any answers beyond the ones I found in self help books: somehow figure out what else you are passionate about, and pursue those things. I think that is very hard to do, especially when we have spent years using alcohol to avoid that very question, but that seems to be the only answer I keep finding.

And I am hoping that when (if?) I am cured, I can still have those occasional alcohol fueled really fun times. I just want those to be few and far between, not every day. Is that not the case for you? Are you so completely cured that you don't party every now and then?

And I agree with Joe ... thanks for posting, and please (if you have not already) add yourself and your story to the cured list. Too many people drop out of here, and leave everyone wondering if there are really that few people (maybe only 20 or so on the list now?) cured by TSM.

Zebron,

Hey Buddy,...So nice to see your post. I do miss some of the old gang so thanks for coming back.

Sadly, I started just after you but have not had the success that you have,...that being said,....I am feeling that I will be a success story in less than 6 months.

I hope you continue to post, because this is a miracle for some of us,...and not to be taken lightly. AAers look at us as freaks and the sooner the mainstream hear i.e.the newsweek article, the better off the world will be.

I for one appreciate a bit more control. That in and of itself is huge. My Best, Jim

PS 11.53PM. 2 units and maybe I'll try to keep it under 6. For me, thats awesome.

have you tried 25mg? maybe now that you're cured all you need is 25 not to reinforce. but then if it does start to reinforce, I guess you''d have more extincting to do. just an idea

zebron

I can relate to just about everything you wrote. I announced myself cured back in febuary. When I drink now which is rare Nal kills me with side effects. But the side effects for myself were never as bad as those from drinking so I just suck it up if I want to drink and look at like oh well part of the game. However, I barely drink now and when I do I think long and hard because when you don't nal for awhile then take..it's powerful. Same deal with the taste part..it killed the taste for me. I loved the taste of straight whiskey..lol..now I puke. I wasn't much of a beer drinker but every now and then I get the urge and most of the time I hate the tatse..weird how it works. rarely do they tatse good. as far as missing the party peice..I do..but I always try to remind myself of how bad things got. It's weird how Nal changes things thats for sure

sounds like your doing great

I've been cured for months.

Experiment with .25mg. Your side effects will be less extreme and it gets the job done.

"Life of the party"-- It's bittersweet, but losing that feeling is the cost of controlling alc through nal. Ask yourself if it's worth it.

Totally agree with Nemo on this one: 25mg takes care of you for the few drinks a cured person may have.