Logging in to week 6 and a half here. So much for the cleanse (diet) -- I am still WAY too interested in drinking. I am going to have to conquer this drinking before I get to the weight loss. In the meantime I will have to settle for voluptuous and up my exercise.
In general I feel like I am very interested in drinking at the moment -- I wish I were losing interest and doing it less (no such luck). I'm trying not to overthink it and just stick with the program. I guess I should report no drunken pass-out behavior and no dreadful hangovers, although I sure feel better when I only drink for only 3 days in a row, and I know that is ALL about the naltrexone. The stuff wears on me and seems to make me drowsy the following afternoon.
But all-in-all I am happy I am to be here rather than alone, and I am psyched to see people like St. V and Half a Glass and Blue Hen and St. Jude making progress because I have hope I will get there!

amy-
yeah- i think it's probably not a good idea to try and do the whole fasting or hard core diet thing while also dealing with the sinclair method. IMO, it's enough to simply try and change your relationship to alcoho without having to also contend with the added burden of food cravings. i mean, yikes!
while i was unable to follow AA i feel like i learned alot from it. for one, you are more likely to want to drink when HALT- hungry, angry, lonely, tired.
also- i am with you- still feel that urge to drink pretty strongly and am trying to stay patient.

may the trail rise to meet us.

Hey Amy, I still had very strong cravings at weeks 6 and 7. Don't be discouraged.

Hi Amy. I think you are wise to tackle alcoholism first, diet second. A lot of people lose weight naturally on TSM by reduction of calories and fewer unrestrained (drunken) eating nights. I think you will find that once the alcohol abuse has been put in check, a lot of positive side effects will come your way, including weight loss. Also, it's hard, but TSM requires patience. At 30 weeks I was still drinking like a fish, but I am a seasoned boozer. The amount of time to regaining control depends on how long you've been drinking alcoholically but TSM does work for the vast majority.

My best,

Nick

Hi Amy - You are a wise woman to recognize that it would be counterproductive to tackle diet and alcohol at the same time. Like Ready said when I am too hungry, tired, etc. I want my wine even more.

At 7 weeks I was so discouraged. I felt like I wasn't making any progress. My daily units were all over the place. I just read threads on the forum for one whole day to keep myself positive. You have a great attitude and just need to hang in there. It will come in time. The fact that you are seeing the change in drunkenness means it is working for you. I remember when I realized that my drunken behavior was changing how awesome that was. I did have a drunken episode again in about week 8 or 9 so don't get discouraged if that happens to you. It hasn't happened to me since then.

Hi Amy

I've enjoyed reading all your posts. I hope it's not too discouraging but I have had "bad " weeks in weeks 15 & 16. It's not an easy process. But trying to stay sober in AA for the past 17 years has been even more difficult, when I have tried to surround myself with the winners who stay sober for years on end. They are definitely in the minority and I always felt like I fell short because even tho" I "kept coming back" I also kept relapsing. I already felt like a failure and with my AA relapses I felt even more like a failure. On this site I feel more understood and have more hope.

All the best
Sticky

I haven't posted for at least 3 weeks AND my drinking feels like it returned to pre-TSM levels. Is there a connection between the two things? Is this my extinction burst? I don't know, but following the advice of everyone on this forum, I am just going to soldier on and not overthink it.
I am faithfully taking Nal, except for one night at a conference last week. I just completely forgot that night. Oddly, I didn't notice it when I was drinking and nothing unusual (drinking too much or blacking out) happened. I didn't even realize it until sometime the next day.
My husband has noticed that I am drinking more these past several weeks, and he seems to be curbing his drinking in response and being a little concerned. I don't even want my AF days, which I was actually enjoying before. I will say that work has been stressful and going to conferences where I have to sell and be "on" for days at a time is very draining for me.
This Friday morning I leave for Peru (family vacation at Machupicchu), where I understand they don't drink a lot of wine, so we will see what happens. I anticipate that I will drink less if only because of the extreme altitude and the lack of easy access that I have at home.
I've been reading everyone's updates (St. V, HG, Sticky, Blue Hen, etc.) and it is encouraging for me -- I'm going to start keeping track again. I'm glad you are all doing well and I hope that I am just a few weeks or months behind you and that I'll make progress soon.

Amy my highest weekly total was in week 11 and If you look at my graph at that point my numbers were going up. Bob3d and Q had similar experiences. It looks exactly like what you are experiencing. Take heart, you'll get there. Have a great trip to Peru. I hear that high altitude hangover is a killer.

Hi Amy - Happy to see your post. Yep, don't over think it. Just do the Nal+Al and AF when you have the urge. You will get there. It is just a matter of time. Watch for the subtle changes as they are what keep you going early in the TSM process.

Hola!
I am back after a close to 2-week break from posting. We returned from a high altitude vacation in Peru (Machupicchu) last week and, in keeping with St. Vincent's prediction, I did have one quite notable high-altitude hangover. But in general, I wanted to drink moderately (because I was in unfamiliar surroundings?) and I stuck mostly to one pisco sour and a glass or two glasses of wine a night. (I counted the pisco as 2 drinks because I'm sure it was.)
We met 3 or 4 couples/families while we were on vacation that we really connected with, but the couple that we connected with the most had a wife (mom) who is probably an alcoholic. She was lovely, smart and has an amazing job at a NYC couture house, but by our second dinner, I realized that part of the attraction (from her side) was that she drinks like a fish and she found a soul-sister in me. Our chance meeting on the street, after dinner in Cusco, led to my one quite notable hangover. It is almost like we have antennae out for each other -- we can spot another alcoholic at 20 paces.
This couple has already arranged to visit our beach house this summer, and I am already anticipating the hangover that will result. Oh my.
I was a but unsettled by the fact that this woman and I automatically connected with one another -- it was really as if we recognized each other. But I want to be someone different!
Anyway -- I did miss this forum and I did wonder how you were doing. I'm not sure yet that I am doing any better than I was before I started, but it doesn't hurt me any to take a pill and wait. So we shall see.
Best, Amy