28.5 drinks for this week (mon-sun) which included a departmental dinner where my phd was celebrated; the end of the year department party (more celebrations!); a going-away party for a good friend of mine moving to Baltimore; and my PhD graduation, with champagne reception and big fancy dinner with my parents and boyfriend. Considering that I also drank on Friday night (just out with friends at a bar) the numbers are not TOO bad. I mostly got through this week without hangovers, although by the time Sunday morning rolled around I was just exhausted and slightly queasy from all the drinking and eating out and late hours this week. Today I am taking off, but then the rest of the week I'll be working 9-7 at the UN and seeing friends and colleagues that I get to see once a year, so I fear there will be more celebrations. So I'm not thrilled about the numbers - I'd really like to knock ten drinks off my weekly tally - but I do feel like I was mostly in control of my drinking in every drinking occasion. Saturday and Sunday I honestly felt like I was partially drinking out of obligation to be social and celebratory, rather than a real craving (strangely enough, Tuesday night was the night when I had the strongest craving - even though it was not a big night out. this tends to be a pattern for me...I'm going to try and analyse it as it keeps happening). No blackouts, no silliness, no super late nights, a happy boyfriend who sees that for ONCE, I can say, this is my last drink. AND STICK TO IT!!! lol
For this upcoming week, I'm not sure numbers are going to go down much, as work functions and my official big PHD party on Saturday are likely to be drinking occasions. During the week, however, I'd like to keep my drinking to four drinks/night. Today's AF, I'll probably throw another one or two AFs during the week whenever they feel natural.

I love it! Excellent news

Excellent progress considering all the celebrations! Well done.

Good for you EL! I think you're doing very well! That's awesome that no only can you see a change but your boyfriend can too. Best of luck next week, I'm sure you'll do great. Considering all of the parties and get togethers that you're going to, I think the holding pattern that your in is still a very successful outcome.

Hi EL

You are doing great, what with all those celebrations. Glad to hear your boyfriend is happy. I hope you're enjoying the work at the UN.
Keep up the good work & have fun with the rest of the celebrations. I'm envious!

Cheers
Sticky

Hey EL,

It seems like your numbers will naturally come down as your celebrations wane. It will be interesting to see how that goes for you.

As someone that drinks every night, I wonder what it's like for someone like you to decide to be AF on a night or two. Is that easy for you?

Once I get into the habit of drinking every night, it's hard to take a break. But once I miss a night or two, it's not as difficult to keep going at it.

It's interesting how we have different patterns and demons.

It IS interesting, isn't it? I've always had AF days, in the past at the very least because I would have drank too much the night before and felt disgusting and couldn't face the thought of alcohol (I'm not one for hair of the dog!). But I never really counted those as AF days because had I felt better, I very well might have wanted to drink. However, in the past 2 years I've put a lot of effort into building AF days into my schedule and now it comes pretty easily. It really depends on the day: Tuesday and Thursday tend to be AF VERY easily; Monday and Sunday can be AF rather easily. Friday, Wednesday, and Saturday (in that order) are my biggest drinking triggers, so those are tough when I decide to go AF for a spell. The thing is, I CAN go AF for a while...but I'm not happy about it. That's why I have such hope for TSM.
And last night was a big ray of hope: free cocktail hour at the UN with my buddies that I get to work with only in the spring of each year, so reunions all around. I have 1.5 glasses of wine!!!! Even though it was free!!! To be fair, tiredness played a part since I wanted to get some rest before coming BACK to the same people today lol. But in the past that wouldn't have stopped me.
It really feels like with the nal, none of my mania comes out with drinking. Which is 90 percent great. But there is 10 percent of me that is going to need to get used to feeling so TIRED all the time— the combination of nal, alcohol, and lack of mania is really throwing me for a loop sometimes.

Hey Lou

I get where you are at, I get dreadfully tired after even just one or two drinks and it lasts right through until the next day. I was thinking it was me simply exercising more, but perhaps it's the Naltrexone too. For this reason I've decided not to drink on whim, and try get in as many AF days as possible. I don't know how this fits in with extinguishing but I used to manage several AF days in a row on a regular basis, and I think I was starting to use Nal as an actual excuse to drink. My days varied too, Sundays and Mondays tended to be funny days for me.

I agree, the first 4-5 days or so I was tired due to the effect Nal had on my sleep (waking up just about every hour). That has since stopped and I am sleeping pretty well now. However, I have still been more tired in the mornings than I was pre-TSM/Nal.

I'm not sure the nal is affecting my sleep - seems to be good, as always (I'm a sound sleeper). But it's more WHEN I take the nal, and then combine it with even a little alcohol, that I get incredibly tired. And like my whole body wants to yawn. It's somewhat pleasant if relaxing at home after a long day of work, but not great for being out and about and the "life of the party" hehe.
EL