Thanks a lot StJude. It appears from the numbers in your signature that you are having some spectacular results!

Update: W8 results are in and here is the updated chart and data. The red line is the amount I drank pre-TSM. The yellow line is the upper limit of moderate drinking according to Eskapa -- i.e., 24 units per week. The green line represents how much I drank.







Data so far:

Units on TSM: 293.5
Weeks on TSM: 8
Average units per week on TSM: 36.7

Typical weekly units pre-TSM: 60+

Goals for next week: I will try to add an AF day next week. I hope that will bring my units down to around or below 30 for W9. That's the plan. We will see how it goes.

Update: no AF days so far, but two days of very limited units (2 or 3 small beers). I may not do an AF day this week, but units will be down so I'm happy. If I don't do an AF this week, I'll simply try to do one the following week. Weeks are Mon-Sun for me.

I am still tinkering with the way I measure units. For wine, I am thinking of using the following system for the 750ml standard bottle:

12.5% or below: 5 units
13 to 13.5%: 5.5 units
14% or above: 6 units

That may very slightly underestimate the number of units compared to the standard small beer counting as one (1) unit, but this is not an exact science. I just want to develop a sensible, consistent measuring stick and there is a real difference in my opinion between, say, a 12% versus 14.5% wine (about 1 unit per 750ml bottle in my system).

W9 data will be posted in a couple of days.

Hi Merlot, great work and your chart is beautiful!

About AF days - I remember being terrified to even try one. I thought to myself how could I ever make it - and I never did - until one literally snuck up on me.

Message: don't sweat it. You are so new!!! Give the method a really good chance and don't worry about the AF goal. It will come. The fact that you have had such steady success (and measured and charted so faithfully) is a very good sign.

I think my first AF day was a refusal of wine at dinner at a friends - I had made a COMPLETE ASS of myself a few weeks before at this pal's home so I was terrified of repeating that miserable experience - so I bravely said "oh, not for me thanks' and I was able to get through the whole evening without a drop - and this was a high anxiety evening to boot.

So your first AF day might be something like that - just a golden opportunity that opens up - without actually planning.

Thanks BGH. This is a point I am debating a bit with myself -- planning/will power vs. natural progress. I suppose there is no rush to have an AF day. This week I did not do/have one, but had a 2 small beer day (2 units) and a 2 tall cans of beer day (3 units), so I'm quite happy nonetheless. I'm not going to force things too much, but I feel I have more control and less craving so the occasional AF day shouldn't be too difficult going forward.

Update: W9 results.





Data so far:

Weeks on TSM: 9
Units on TSM: 322
Average units per week: 35.8

Typical weekly units pre-TSM: 60+

Goals going forward: try to get my weekly units near the upper level of moderate drinking (24 units per week) and hold them around there for the next few weeks. At that level, I just aim to let time and TSM take its natural course more or less.

Good going, and nice and steady - great goals too

Nice progress Merlot. Soon you'll be saying I'm not drinking any f-ing Merlot. Sorry, for those of you who haven't seen Sideways I apologize. Seriously great progress for 9 weeks in. Keep posting. You inspired me to include average drinks in my update. It really shows the overall change.

I am thinking of adding 3.5% beer to the mix. If so, units will be calculated as follows for a small can/bottle of beer:

1 beer = .7 units; 2 beers (1.5 u); 3 beers (2 u); 4 beers – can include one regular 5% beer – (3 u); 5 beers (3.5 u); 6 beers (4 u)

Again, as with wine not an exact science, but a consistent method of counting is what I'm looking for.

I have serious graph-envy! Soon I'll have to figure out how to post one as I'm heading into month 3. Your numbers are spectacular. I too struggled with the accurate reporting of units because they can vary so much even amongst wines. Don't want to overreport my #'s (they're high enough without any help) but I stick with 1 bottle of wine=6 units because I usually drink heavier reds like Zin, Cab (I hate f**ing merlot and if anyone orders it at dinner I leave! st vin can identify). Your post made me realize a few occasions I was drinking primarily Pinot Noir with a friend who loves it, and Pinot usually has a lower AL concentration than ZIN but I figure it all comes out in the wash.
You must feel wonderful about your progress