hello all,

week 4 in the books.
units are pretty much the same.
one thing the naL seems to be helping with is eliminating (at least until this point) those extended 1-3 day long benders where i am lost to the world.
for example- this past saturday i did not have to work and had little scheduled for the day. prior to TSM this would have resulted almost certainly in heavy drinking starting around 11am. this past saturday i took the naL at 1130 AM and followed the golden rule. i then proceeded to have about 4 units between 1230 and 830 pm. i got stuff done and was able to enjoy an evening out with friends. i took a half dose of naL around 830 to make sure i was properly medicated as per the suggestion of someone on this board. i ended up having about 10 units over the course of the day. this is real progress.
i feel like my alcoholic brain has a tendency to want instant results (that's what the alcohol has always provided) and it is my job to understand that that is not how change works within people. change takes time and effort.
i will continue to follow the golden rule.
i will continue to post on this thread every week.
i am really grateful for this site.


prior to TSM ~60-100 units (no AF days)
TSM week:
1; 47
2; 52
3; 50
4; 47

Well done Ready - Great progess post. Those early weeks it is important to keep the focus on subtle changes and track your numbers. You are indeed making progress when you can remember a day of drinking and you started at 11:30 a.m. Also, 10 is pretty good for that long of a drinking period. I remember so well drinking 10 in four hours. Of course, I remember doing that but I don't remember anything else!

Hi Ready 33, looks like your making solid progress early. I was amazed at how my mindset changed when I first started taking Nal. Looks like the same is happening to you, good work. Good idea to take another 0.5 tablet at 8.30pm too. I've found the effect of Nal lasts about 10 hours so if the drinking session is going to be longer I would take another dose at about the 9 hours mark. Best of luck, Warrenjames

score one for mainstream medicine!:
went to my addiction specialist doctor for a follow-up appt with the desire to get an extended prescription of naL. i was upfront and honest about my use of naL and the sinclair method and while i may have overstated my initial drop in drinking- i said it was down 60 percent when the number is nearer to 40%- she was open and receptive to my alternative form of treatment for alcohol addiction and wrote me a prescription for 6 months. she also said that this as long as the naL is working for me she will be open to continuing to prescribe it! this makes me happy and cuts down on my anxiety with relation to procuring the naL as well as the cost of naL without a prescription (it only costs me 10 dollars for a months supply).

i feel blessed to have stumbled upon a doctor who is open to this cutting edge treatment and free thinking enough to prescribe it to me!

i will post my numbers again next week. until then i will follow the golden rule.

p.s.- can anyone let me know how to attach a signature to my posts? i have been unable to figure this out. thanks in advance.

You are doing great! TSM will work for you!

To add your units to your signature go to: User Control panel (top right), then hit Profile on the left, then hit Edit Signature. There you can add your weekly units.

My best,

Nick

thanks all for the replies.
nick- thanks for the instruction.
week 5 in the books.
feeling a bit like i am reverting back to my old drinking habits... but not quite as much. for example: i started drinking today at around 1130 AM but did not get totally wasted. instead, it has been a more controlled bender if that makes any sense.
i have definitely blacked out as well in the past 2 weeks (about 2-3 times... honestly i can't remember exactly- that's why it is called blacking out).
all this said i feel good about the process and will continue.
my workouts and fitness have gone way up. this is cool.
i also need to remember that my numbers are still way down from when i started.
i am here with all of you.

Greetings ready 33 to a fellow SoCal resident. Depending on where you live in LA, would love to get together and share our woes, lol. i live in San Diego and am in my 4th week with the Sinclair Method and NAL. My journey is similar to yours, i have been a regular drinker for 8 years, white knuckled it for 2 years in AA before losing the battle. We all need as much support as we can garner together.
Best wishes.

hello again.
numbers up a bit this past week.

had a slip-up regarding my compliance with the sinclair method this past sunday. it went like this:
i was part of a team that won an epic, 20 team competitive ultimate frisbee tournament (yes-it is a sport and yes it is competitive) and after we won the final someone offered me a shot of tequila. i was so happy for myself and the team that i honestly got caught up in the moment and totally forgot that i had not taken my naL. only about 20 minutes later did i remember. i promptly took out a naL and crushed it in my mouth to get quick absorption. (jeez- that naL is super bitter!!!)
i then proceeded to the after tournament party and drank about 8 beers and had a great time.
the experience of drinking without the naL did not seem particularly different. i attribute this to the fact that i only had the one shot and i was super ecstatic (read- endorphins already released) from the victory.
while i expect this slip up will do some harm, i hope this slip-up does not retard too much my gradual progression towards controlling my alcohol use. hopefully this is the last time i have to report such a slip-up.

thanks again for all you peeps who post and encourage. it really helps me.

Hi Ready - Your numbers and mine are almost identical. I'm in week 16 now and I've dropped 10 units since my honeymoon on Nal. Keep tracking and posting. You will get there.

hello again,
thanks to those who advise and encourage.
week 6 done.
as indicated by the signature below, i have not seen a decrease in my consumption following the initial drop when starting on the naL. In fact, the cravings and numbers have increased. that said- i have been happy with my ability to control my drinking somewhat. this has been seen in the following:
1- Instead of getting stupid wasted anytime I go out, that seems to only happen every 3rd or 4th time I go out (see St. Patties day last Thursday).
2- I no longer feel the need to drink at home till blackout and/or take a drink to bed with me.
3- since starting this method i have not had any knock down drag out, 2-4 day benders. prior to TSM this would happen between 1-5 times per month.

all this said,
Still, my numbers are way higher than I would like. I wonder if I may want to engage in some of the often mentioned distraction techniques in order to get my numbers down somewhat….. not sure. Just a bit worried that I feel I am falling into my old habits of getting to that first drink as soon as possible once work is over with. Also, my cravings are pretty darn strong in the afternoon before i take the naL.

This is quite a ramble I know. If you got this far, thanks. If you didn’t, well then, you are not reading this.

I’ll keep to the golden rule, the tracking of units, and looking to this site for guidance and strength.