Hi All,

I made it through week 9 with a couple of heavy drinking days, but I'm not feeling bad about it. One day I was going through some emotional turmoil, and just got blasted - (17 units) but that hasn't happened in a long time, while before it was almost daily. I also managed another AF day (3rd week in a row! ), and the urges were easier to dismiss than in the previous weeks.

The other situation is that last weekend was the first of the spring/summer season, when we go to our property out of town. It's a MAJOR party scene, even for "normal" drinkers, who tend to get a bit more tipsy than usual. Lots of get togethers with great friends we haven't seen for a year, etc. I felt I did very well, because my number of drinks didn't exceed the number of hours spent drinking. For me, that's pretty good when I'm otherwise "free" to get wasted. Unfortunately, the drinking went on for 13 hours (so 13 units), and that's typical in that environment. Plus, with the warmer weather, we'll be heading there almost every weekend until October. This definitely concerns me, as it will be a big challenge. I can't even imagine what my number of units would have been if I'd tracked them last summer! I'm hoping that my AF days during the week will increase to at least compensate for the weekend binges. Beyond that, I hope my weekend drinking decreases as I progress further with TSM.

Quite honestly, I almost don't care about the number of units, as long as I never really get "drunk" like I used to. If I can keep it down to one drink per hour during "drinking season", it would still be a miracle for me. It's already SO much better than when I started TSM, because alcohol isn't completely controlling my life anymore. I truly believe it will just keep getting better!

This is great news, KK. We're at the same place, and I've only managed one AF day, early on. Otherwise your patterns are very similar to mine. Will post my weekly update on my thread, rather than hijack yours!

Just finished week 10, and despite a couple of REALLY bad binges, I’m very pleased overall. I’m starting to migrate from daily drinking back to binge drinking (mostly on weekends), which is how I was many years ago. This is significant, because it’s like I’m reverting back to a day when my alcohol abuse was very serious, but the level of addiction wasn’t so severe that I was compelled to drink every day. The past 2 days were AF! I definitely had some cravings, but they weren’t such a big deal. The AMAZING thing is that I was able to abstain for 2 days straight even though I have liquor available! There’s NO way I could have done that even a few weeks ago, let alone before I started TSM.

Tackling the binge drinking is going to be extremely difficult for me, especially now that “drinking season” has started. We’ll be going to our trailer/summer place most weekends from now until early October. LOTS of partying goes on there, and I hope I’ll be able to slowly get my drinking under control in that environment. My other goal is to gradually stop drinking during the week.

The most important thing is that I’m beginning to feel like alcohol isn’t controlling my life anymore, and I expect it will only get better. It's a GREAT feeling! For any of you who are frustrated or doubtful, hang in there and give it time - you WILL see results eventually!

Kris - this is sooo wonderful to read after all of your struggles. I'm so happy for you! I have not managed ANY AF days for the past week so I am going in the opposite direction. (I'm not too worried, but your post gives me and I'm sure everyone who reads it loads of hope).

Good for you - congrats!

Awesome Kris! I hope you are more and more successful with each good day!! I have been doing well but only made it the 6 days then I drank. Fortunately I haven't been super loaded in well " I can't remember" . Best wishes to you!

I made it through week 11 with mostly good days. I had one really bad day in terms of total units, because I drank in the morning, and again later in the evening. I'm trying not to do that anymore (AM drinking), but when I get a REALLY strong craving, I don't fight it. Other times, I still drank more than I'd hoped, but the good days are generally starting to outnumber the bad ones. I get sudden bursts of desire, typically after a familiar experience or emotion triggers the habitual reaction to drink. But then, the thoughts are "Oh - I can't, didn't take the Nal, woud have to wait an hour...., I guess it's not worth it" - this process is very effective in keeping me on track when I have the opportunity to go AF for a day, or at least delay the start time of drinking. In the past, the power of the craving would always win. Now, with a little effort, I can usually tackle the moderate cravings. Binges will continue to be a challenge or me, but I expect to see improvement over time with that as well. I've found the number of units isn't nearly as important as the level of craving when I measure progress, and my cravings are starting to become weaker...eventually they'll be no match for me!

Hi Everybody!

Just finished week 12, and am happy to report that my craving level has gone down a bit more. My units were also lower this week, but I was kinda sick for a couple of days, so drank very little then. It's important for me to emphasize that my OVERALL craving has diminished, but I still have "those moments" when I feel I just have to drink. However, common sense is starting to prevail when I realize I'd have to take the Nal, wait and hour, etc. I'm much more able to talk myself out of giving in now. Plus, I don't want to waste the Nal. I want to save it for those all day long drinking events - like the upcoming Memorial weekend. I know I will still binge at those times, and might even need to take Nal twice in a 24 hour period some days, so I need to offset that with some AF days to manage my supply.

I'm definitely leaning towards binge drinking now instead of daily drinking - this is MUCH better, since it's no longer a daily struggle. The bad thing is I tend to get hangovers more easily when I binge instead of drinking steadily. My only solution for a bad hangover is to drink (typically in the AM), which can become a slippery slope. Still, the gradual decrease in my cravings has made all the difference in the world, so I expect things will continue to get better. Alcohol is no longer in charge of my everyday life. I'm starting to tame the beast!

just keep up with the formula kris. I think you will notice real differences Excellent to hear of any progress for you.!!!

Kris, this is excellent progress. We started the same day, and have similar experiences - except, I never was a binge drinker, and so I'm still drinking as daily as ever. In week 11 my units per day were consistently down to the 7-8 level (pre-Sinclair was 10-12 I estimated. . .but realized the other day they probably were actually 12-14 If I'd counted). Last week (week 12) the last couple of days I found myself 'stalled' at 4 units. Just didn't want any more! Yesterday (start of week 13) I had a couple in the afternoon, and then quit until just b/4 dinner. Started one, left it on the sink, went out for a meal, had two more. . .and stalled again.

It's like the foot just comes off the accelerator. Now, if I can just get those brakes to work properly. . .

Kris - AWESOME!! I'm so happy for you - it's great to see someone who struggled early on start getting there. This is so encouraging for so many users (both old and new). Thank you so much for being diligent about posting your progress/frustrations - it's a big help. Congrats