Hi MLB,
You are sooo disciplined it's amazing....and it's working so well for you. You are right we are all different. For me the AF's just kind of happened. (But then I am a typical Gemini who loves random events rather than routine) It amazed me when the first AF happened....and they get easier over time. Maybe if you "plan" to have one AF the same day every week at first - then it will become routine? Just an idea?
Love the graph. Must work out how to do one of those myself.

Hope you are having another great week.

Kiwi.

Thanks, Kiwi! A "disciplined alcoholic", eh?

I don't feel like it is "discipline", actually. At the start of each week, I define to myself what the new "normal" is and then I just drink like "normal". The change from week to week has been small enough that it has been easy to do. I couldn't have done it without TSM, though.

I don't know how the endgame and AF days will play out for me. I'm happy with the progress I've made so far, so I am going to stay on the path I've been on for a while yet - drinking daily, but with smaller amounts each week.

Good luck to you and to all this week!

This past week was the first disappointing one I've had since starting TSM. I was on track to hit my goal through Friday, but on both Saturday and Sunday, I *needed* one more drink than planned (not sure why), so that blew my goal for the week. I was still down just a bit from the previous week, so I guess it's progress. I'll try to do better this week.

Mlb,

I'm very impressed that you can set your targets and stick to them. I thought I would give this a shot this week and I blew it by the fourth day - yikes. Oh well, I think the rest of the week will be AF so I'm only 4 units over. Great progress!! You should give yourself a pat on the back. Thanks for sharing your graph! BTDT

The "unit" measures are kind of abstract. To put things in more concrete terms, prior to TSM, a 1.75 liter bottle of bourbon would last me 3 days. I was alternating liquor stores so they wouldn't know how much I was drinking (I don't know why I cared - I was a good customer).

Now, 3 months into TSM, that bottle lasts me a week. I've gone from ~10 bottles a month to ~4. That's 6 big bottles of bourbon I'm not pouring down my throat every month.

If I never progressed any further, TSM has still been a huge success.

mlb, good stuff. When you put it in perspective and look at what you are not drinking anymore (6 x 1.75L of bourbon) that is a huge reduction. It's amazing that what you've reduced in your drinking is 1.5 times what you are drinking now. Your trash and recycling people are going to wonder why there aren't so many bottles at the curb any more.

Yeah, I used to wonder what the recycling guys thought of me, too. My wife was drinking about the same amount as me (of gin), and one of my sons has been living with me and he drinks, too. The recycling bin had a lot of booze bottles in it each week.

ha! I wondered about that myself with the recycling. good progress MLB. thanks for sharing it.

I love the graph mlb! Congrats to you on your tremendous progress. I actually hide my wine bottles each week in my neighbors' recycling bins

Had a good week - hit my goal every day. I even made it through the weekend with my wife mad at me without having an extra drink.