Hi St Jude & HG

Thanks for your posts and glad it was helpful.

I wish I could pass this miracle onto a lot of my AA friends/acquaintances but it is tricky with the whole AA abstinence thing. One woman I texted said it sounded too good to be true. That's what I thought at first too. She was going to have a look online anyway. Sometimes when i am feeling paranoid i imagine some of the hardcore AAers telling me off for talking about TSM, but i don't plan to do so at a meeting.

Well done on your progress.

Cheers
Sticky

It's unfortunate that AA promotes this culture of absolute 12 step dogma--don't you feel bad about not being able to openly share information about a possibility of hope for so many who are struggling?

Hi St Jude

I would have to say that if it wasn't for AA being the only form of help for alcoholics that i have known of in the past 17 years, I would probably be dead. Or locked up in jail or an insane asylum. I haven't stuck to AA religiously (partly b/c i am not religious!) but i have kept going back when i have relapsed b/c there has been nothing else to help me. It is the only place i have ever come across where people are mostly not judgmental and welcome you back with open arms. Most of them have an awareness of the slim chances of recovering from this disease. I feel that in meetings i can't promote TSM b/c AA requires a desire to stop drinking. Having said that i will certainly do my best to promote it outside of meetings, especially when i run into people like me who have relapsed frequently. I may have mentioned that the women i have told about it so far are younger than me. I would soooo loved to have heard of this 17 years ago!! (Or even 5 or 10 years.) But like one woman has said, it sounds almost too good to be true!
Don't worry, I am planting the seed, but need to be respectful of AA and the people in it b/c of what they have done for me. It is very tricky, especially since i have felt like being more open recently with people inside and outside of AA. This is a very good thing for me, being the secretive, cover it all up type.
The only AA mtg i am attending each week at the moment is a women's group in a treatment centre i went thru 2 years ago. It is my home group and my sponsor is very supportive about me doing TSM. I organise the guest speakers who come each week, but am hoping to stop doing that soon as i have done it for more than 2 years. I can't alk about TSM there however as the treatment centre is still locked into the old abstinence philosophy. The people there were very good to me and saved my life and marriage at the time.

AA is not all bad, it is just unfortunate that it is is hard to combine TSM and AA. My sponsor says AA is a good adjunct to AA ( she does not want me to give up meetings, etc). I will have to see how it goes. If only I could meet some of you fellow TSMers face to face, but that is not likely!!

Take care
Sticky

Not many AF days this week, but the 2 days where i had less than 1.5 NZ std drinks (1 beer/1 wine) are very encouraging.
Have had quite a lot to drink tonight and don't really like to post when drunk. Hope everyone is doing well.

Cheers
Sticky

My progress so far: (NZ units)
Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF
Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF
Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF
Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF

Great progress Sticky. We are both on week 9. I think that is fantastic. Also, stopping at 1.5 units is really awesome....good for you.

Thanks for your post. HG

Hi St Jude

Yes, i wish i could shout about TSM from the roof tops, but i can't do that at AA. I need to be prudent and only talk about it outside of meetings. Don't worry, i will do what i can. Am only going to 1 meeting a week at present, which is my home group - women only in a treatment centre. Can't do my old regular Tues meeting as my son has ice skating which overlaps. My old regular Mon meeting i may go back to. Haven't been since before summer hols for kids (7 weeks' ago.) May put my foot in it if i'm not careful. Like you say, there are so many people this program could help.

Am feeling that this is all quite hard tonight. Am not used to my support group being online and not responding immediately. I have had a couple of nights recently where i have overreacted to things hubby has said and felt resentful and not apprec iated. He in turn has been stressed and grumpy with work (our businesses.)

I have to remember that this TSM is still a miracle for people like us and i need to be positive.

Take care of yourself
Sticky

Hi Sticky - Glad you posted your frustrations. It is good to get it out. We support you here and are so glad you have stuck around. Like I've said many times, I really appreciate your posts because we started at the same time. Hang in there, and keep posting.

HG.

hello sticky et al:

great thread. just read it through.

on the AA thing: seems like a quick way to let people know about the program without getting too involved would just be to send them to this sight. that way they can make up their own mind and see that it is not just you who is down for this cause.

just a thought from an extreme newby who is newly addicted to this site (about 20 hours over the past 4 days)

may the trail rise to meet us.

Hi everyone

Sat night downunder & our family is having a quiet one. We are going to watch Karate Kid for my 9-yr-old's benefit.
Welcome ready33! I hope you stick around and start to feel that this is working for you. i have told a couple of people about this site. Like you say, it is the best way to find out about TSM. I also think the Wikipedia summary of TSM is great. Next week i am going to go armed with the Eskapa's book to my GP (not sure if you call your doctor that in the US - General Practitioner.) he said i should have monthly blood (liver function) tests while taking nal. Of course this is b/c he thought i would be taking it every day. So i suppose i should have one done despite what it says in the book about liver damage only happening on a much much higher dosage. Do you guys have to have liver function tests in the US on nal? Will be interesteing to see what my GP says about TSM. If he will not prescribe more nal, or only another 3 months, I will then need to go to CADS, our Community Alcohol & Drug Services, armed with my drink counts and a graph like Kiwichick did.

Had 1 night this week with only 1.5 drinks - great. That was all that was left when we were out sailing, so no choice! Also had 3 nights with far too much & felt tired and hungover the next day. Mostly necessitating an AF day to recover. More often than not i am in good spirits, but did get tired and grumpy last weekend. Hubby was tired and grumpy too and i got upset and had a meltdown at one point! At least that hasn't happened for months.

My progress so far: (NZ units)
Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF
Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF
Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF
Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF

Take care everyone & thanks for the support
Sticky

Hi Sticky - Great progress for you on week 9. I understand the high units on some days, but you are doing great with AF and now you have some days with few units. Keep it up.

HG