So here we go -- an update fer ya's..
The first 3 weeks have gone as expected I guess. No crazy surprises, perhaps a short honeymoon.
But here are my overall observations:
-- I am doing 95% of my drinking in the evening. This is good..
-- Cravings for drinking in the morning (i was at times an all day wine drinker) are nominal at best.
-- The ability to push away any such cravings is greater than I can recall during the last several years of heavy drinking.
-- Like many others on this forum...I wake up surprised that there's still drink in the glass, not to mention the wine bottle's not empty!
-- TSM represents the most vigil I have been about counting drinks. For better or worse, I think the unit tracking keeps the #'s down. Whatever works, right?
-- Taking Nal 1.5 hrs before drinking appears to serve notably better than taking Nal 1 hr prior, and def when taking < 1 hr.

And that's all I got. I have been following many of the threads on here. Cannot tell you how helpful and supportive all your entries have been. Thank you v much, and keep it comin'!

Hey Montclair. I'm curious as to what lead you to drink again and try TSM after 35 days of sobriety. Where you still having insane cravings? Were you sure you were going to return to drinking anyways?

Thanks for the info about taking the nal 1.5hours before drinking as opposed to 1 hour. Armed with that info, I'm probably going to take it about an hour before I get off work, and as soon as I wake up on the weekends.

hey there 18...

Good question...why i chose to drink again, that is. I have been in and out of AA for over 3 years now. My faith in AA has been steadily dropping, esp when I see ppl with 5-10-15-20! yrs of sobriety suddenly just drink, and they have no idea why they did.

So backtracking: on March 1, 2009, I started a 20 month period of sobriety. That ended last October 2010. I drank by choice (took out a v attractive lass and shared a couple martinis with her), but then 3 weeks later I could not stop. So I completely fell apart, with the family saving my a$$ again. And in early November, I entered an IOP treatment center. At the SAME time, I came across TSM and read extensively on it. I decided (even while in treatment) that I would give it a shot.
The main reasons:
1. I like to drink socially and frankly miss it. 2. I find the idea of never drinking again...ever...as incredibly daunting. 3. My aforementioned loss of faith in AA.

So there you have. Have you started TSM yet or ? ....Montclair

Think I'm spiking Kids. Its the beginning of week 4. Drinking an almost immeasurable amount of units tonite, and I don't think I'm done. (11pm EST) I can't catch a buzz and I'm on like drink....10 ! Yikes.

How long does the spike last? A week ?

This must be the scary part that people talk about.

Hi Montclair

How's it all going? Not sure if you saw my replies re what to say to your sponsor - you seem to have started a new thread. Also saw you got lots of other helpful suggestions. Are you still doing AA or the IOP? I have done an IOP and an 8 wk residential program. Both were good but i drank again after 6 mnths each time. If you read my weekly progress i am having a nite or 2 a week where i lose all control too. The amazing thing is i am not doing my worst of going off in my car for days, drinking & sleeping and ignoring my phone. This was hardly admirable behaviour for a wife/business partner/mother! Hardly fun either. Have not done this since starting TSM thank God. Probably because it is all out in the open now. I am "allowed" to drink at home so even after a hard night i can go to bed and get up the next day and be responsible. Also it is OK for hubby to have his beers etc in the fridge rather than me asking him to hide them away so i won't be tempted.

I was thinking i wouldn't be able to go to AA any more because its requirement is a desire to stop drinking. Have only done 1 meeting in 2 weeks. But my sponsor has convinced me to keep going in the meantime as she says i need face to face contact with other alkies. am keeping a journal for her and seeing her once a week after my home group. she has watched my "progress" over the past few years and will be able to tell if i am slowly going mad again!! Obviously i can't talk about TSM in a meeting, but i have mentioned it to a couple of younger women outside of the rooms. If I were still in my 20's/30's I'd sure want to know about it. Planting the seed can't hurt - this thing is amazing.

Good luck

Sticky

The spike can be scary--just do your best to keep yourself safe and roll with it. A month in I was feeling confident that I couldn't/wouldn't go back to a 3 bottles (wine) a night. Then week 5 hit and I was back to my old gnarly ways. SInce then it's happened on more than a few occasions, but I keep reminding myself that that behavior used to occur every day, 7 days a week. It looks like you are doing great so far!