Well last night my husband had his buddies over. I was upstairs having a few beers planning our upcpmong vacation. They were all downstairs playing music ( they have a "basement" rock band). I went downstairs for a while and ended up drinking much more than I intended to. Feel crappy today as I have many other days so far this summer. I am really tired of feeling this way. I have to admit tho, once 4 o'clock comes I can't help thinking of having a drink...although I should be taking a walk or working out...at least something healthy. Anyway, I am so afraid of SE from Nal that I keep putti g it off! I have had my meds since Jan '11 here it is Aug. And have not started. I think I should just suck it up and start today.
Any suggestions?

YES, start today. TSM is a wonderful thing and will help you regain control over your drinking. No matter how bad the side effects from nal (and I am in the minority with lingering bad side effects) it is nowhere near as bad as the cycle of of guilt, shame, despair, crap, etc that we have all gone through with our drinking. Good luck!

Go for it! I wouldn't worry about the SE's until you know how Nal effects you. You may be like me and many others who have had only minor SE's and they only lasted for less than a week. I echo what Lou wrote, even if you have SE's it is better than the terrible cycle of drinking, feeling like crap and beating yourself up the following days.

I agree, go for it! I'm new to this as well and my SEs lasted just a few days. Made me a bit loopy and caused some fitful sleep. But that seems to have worn off. And the side effects of drinking are, indeed, much worse. Power through it!

JFDI - everything that's already been said is true! If you need to rationalise it, try making a list of the _possible_ SE's of Nal compared to the known effects of Al. My reality is that Nal = minor spacey feeling; Al = nausea, blackouts, waking up feeling scared of what I did last night, guilt and shame.

I say start, if you haven't already. I started on Tuesday and have only experienced the tiniest side effects. I barely even notice I've taken anything. The relief of not doing or saying something stupid and not being hung over completely overrides any side effects I've felt so far. Come on in; the water's fine!