I think that with the bottles, I definitely felt more satisfied with having a smaller amount. Before TSM, if I had bottles I would often get annoyed that they wouldn't last long enough, so I would end up pouring two of them into a pint glass, but that's not something I have done this time. You could probably attribute this to the beer not tasting as nice, or not being as satisfying to drink. It sounds like you have had similar experiences with your wine.

Week 6 Update

I had my first alcohol free day since I started TSM.

I started the week by drinking less than 10 units each day, probably because I had a case of 330ml beer bottles so I was drinking smaller servings. On Tuesday, I finished the case and ended up buying a load of 500ml cans again. This led to me consuming over 25 units in one day, and the following morning I had a hangover which motivated me to have my first alcohol free day. I finished the week with another 20+ unit day, so this week I have consumed half of my units in two days.

Week 6 total = 95.7 units


I might try to shoot for at least one more alcohol free day this week.

Hi Lucky Star, I too have had vicious hangovers since Nal. as I've posted in a topic about worst hangovers. I get them on half the AL now. Last night I had 2 vodka & sodas nothing compared to before. Woke up with the WORST migrane ever. I almost never ever get headaches nor did I ever but WOW! I took some motrin. It helped a little but not completely. It's almost like, well, "do I want to overindulge or not?" Or suffer in the AM. Still I go for trying the AL one more time thinking it will be different. Good in a way. Hopefully it will sink in sooner or later.

sweet!!

You would hope so Jane, it's a really illogical compulsion.

Thanks, St. Jude.

Ok, my delayed update...

From week 6 until week 10, I stayed at around the 80-90 (UK) unit mark, then my doctor prescribed me some anti-anxiety medication, which either do nothing or help with the drinking, right?

Wrong.

Week 10 saw a jump to 130.5 units, and I started to feel fed up with TSM, and began to consider quitting. Instead of quitting, I decided to buy Dr. Ameisen's book, and try Baclofen at the same time as Naltrexone.

I started off with 30mg of Bac to see how I would react to taking it as well as Nal and alcohol. The first day was ok, so I increased to 40mg baclofen and on the second day of taking this, I felt sick during the night. The third day of 40mg I felt so sick during the night that threw up three or four times. Was this the baclofen interacting with the alcohol?

The following day, I decided that if I was to continue taking the Baclofen, I would have to try to stay AF (throwing up is a big fear for me).

The beginning of this week marked four weeks without alcohol.

I still want to drink, but my desire to avoid throwing up has always been greater than my desire to drink, so at the moment I am alcohol free.

I am currently taking 130mg Baclofen daily, and I have not yet 'hit the switch', which people describe as experiencing indifference to alcohol, but there have been days where I have totally forgotten about alcohol. Perhaps this is just the way of the brain adjusting to a new routine.

Since I stopped drinking on baclofen, I have experienced virtually no side effects. The only difference I feel is that if I lay down on my bed and watch TV at 10pm (two hours after my last dose), in about 30 minutes or so, I fall asleep in the manner of someone who is controlled like a light switch. I have also noticed that my sleep tends to be more restful, and I am less likely to wake up in the night. Overall I would describe sleep to be similar to the way I used to sleep as a child.

Well, I hope I didn't ramble on too much, but there is my update.

Oh, and I lost 10lbs in four weeks.

Wow lucky star, looks like with the two drugs its going well. I hope you hit that switch. Great to hear about the weight loss, i would not mind that side effect...
I also have a massive fear of thowing up...when i tried 50 mg nal the second time and drank i threw up all night. I've not drunk since, but have been keeping with the nal, 25 each night in case i drink. Today is day three af...lets see. Your four weeks is awesome!!
Did you suffer any alcohol withdrawal effects?
Jazz

Thanks, Jazz.

I was hungover for a couple of days, but I didn't suffer any severe withdrawal symptoms. I attribute this to the way I drink. I would never allow myself to get falling about drunk, because of the fear of throwing up or having a bad hangover the next day which would cause more throwing up. I would instead try to maintain that four or five beer sensation throughout the evening, and if I started to feel dizzy I would switch to water or coke until I felt better, then I would drink more beer. This is probably why I was able to drink every single day, whereas other people on here tend to drink similar weekly amounts as me but have alcohol-free days in between. I'm not sure which habit is worse for the health, but mine is probably the reason I never suffered major withdrawal symptoms, but from a aesthetic point-of-view, throwing up those extra calories probably would have made me look less soft around the gut.

PS. I am only taking Baclofen at the moment. Baclofen didn't seem to go well with alcohol, so I stopped taking the Naltrexone because I am not drinking at the moment.

Hi Lucky Star - Thanks for coming back to post on your progress. I hope the baclofen works for you. Being AF for four weeks is pretty amazing. Think about it. You are choosing to take baclofen and stay AF rather than stop taking the baclofen so you can drink. Great news for you.

Keep coming back, and letting us know of your progress.

HG