Hey Happy, soulby here- i haven't completely disappeared, i do check in from time to time. I am so sorry to hear of your slip back. It is certainly puzzling and i have the impression it has happened to others here. I really hope you've nailed it by spotting the change in the way you took it. It is frustrating not having feedback from Dr whats is name. Anyway i really hope you recover your progress you are one of the people i have been most moved by i think because of your struggles as a mum.
I stopped checking in so much because i didnt feel there was anything to report. I'm definitely not cured but i am overall drinking less than when i started- i don;t drink so many nights. But what i find is the first night i drink i drink nearly as much as in the past the second less and by the 3rd night i barely drink a glass or two of wine. Its as though there is a cumulative effect of the nal in my system. Its frustrating i really dont understand why its taken so long its nearly 18 months. Sorry this is not meant to be about me!
Good luck and hang in there you know it worked before so there is no reason why not again.

Thanks happy for reminding us all (especially relative newbies like me) how important it is to be vigilant about adhering to the method. I really hope going back to the basics and starting over works for you, I don't have my book in front of me but I clearly recall the emphasis on never, ever being able to drink again without first taking NAL an hour before drinking, or else the AL addiction can come raging back even stronger than it was pre-TSM. I hope things go better for you this time!

Hey Happy, how is your situation panning out these days? Has it improved any? Don't be afraid to update even if things are not going well. You are not alone in having declared yourself cured when you are not. That happened to me too! There's no shame in it. This article highlights the problem:


In this trial, a sample of alcohol-dependent patients received naltrexone, acamprosate or placebo for 12 weeks.

While there were no differences in outcomes between treatment groups, those who believed they had been taking active medication consumed fewer alcoholic drinks and reported less alcohol dependence and cravings.

That is, irrespective of actual treatment, perceived medication allocation predicted health outcomes.

Double-blind placebo-controlled trials are intended to control for the impact of expectancy on outcomes. Whether they always achieve this is, however, questionable.

Reanalysis of a clinical trial of naltrexone and acamprosate for alcohol dependence investigated this issue further.

In this trial, 169 alcohol-dependent patients received naltrexone, acamprosate or placebo for 12 weeks.

In addition to being assessed on various indices of alcohol dependence, they were asked whether they believed they received active medication or placebo.

While there were no differences in outcomes between treatment groups, those who believed they had been taking active medication consumed fewer alcoholic drinks and reported less alcohol dependence and cravings.

That is, irrespective of actual treatment, perceived medication allocation predicted health outcomes.

These results highlight the differences between treatment administration in clinical trials and standard medical practice, a discrepancy that may sometimes decrease the validity of these types of trials.

When I was in the hospital I read a book "How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body". Astounding stuff in there on the power of the placebo effect and how has confounded many of even the most rigorous medical trials. I think clinical trials are essential for supporting the effects of a treatment protocol but scientific validity does not always tell the whole story.