Went to local NHS drug & alcohol team today, very positive. Spoke to a doctor for ~45 minutes, who was familiar with Naltrexone and happy to prescribe it (I'll update the UK list!) without having to be convinced . That should help save money, which is all too tight atm, as it's 1/4 of the price of a private prescription.

Nice! Glad to hear the UK is a bit more accepting than the US (although I was very lucky to find a doc who was happy to prescribe naltrexone, though she didn't know about TSM).
EL

Saturday afternoon and although I'm still feeling a bit hungover from last night, it's really been pretty good and I only had 7 tins (17 units). So, no blackout or other nasties.
Normally today would be AF due to misery of hangover, but it isn't so bad so may have a drink tonight. Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but I'm trying not too over-rationalise on the basis that the rats managed just fine without it.

Hhahah the rats...that was hilarious. Anyways, yeah, if you feel like drinking, take a nal and drink. Just maybe pay attention to if you're drinking out of want or simply out of habit. No need to worry about it too much right now, but later on when you want to exercise some effort, that's an important distinction to make.

Hi BWD
It's very early in the game for you. Take the Nal and drink as you please for the next few weeks and prepare for the roller coaster.

This is a very drunken rant - look away now if you're easily offended

Tonight, I have good "excuse" to drink and my head is taking it. However, I don't pigging *want* to drink - it's just programmed in. Earlier, my wife was saying how she's worried about the honeymoon ending [which I think has already happened, based upon qualitative feelings], because she's (justifiably) waiting for the other shoe to drop. Looking at the array of beer cans in front of me, I'm scared that that's going to happen, and I don't want it to. Equally, though, I feel the Naltrexone's effect and am unconvinced that it'll let me get drunk-to-unconscious wasted (which I'll be grateful for if I don't - fwiw, I have a love/hate relationship that goes along the lines of "wow, that was fantastic being so relaxed and not remembering anything" / "f*ck, I've pissed the bed/everywhere else and been a total arsehole").

In contravention of Jung, AA, and any sanity I'm having a "poor pity me" moment - yet, even so, it's dramatically less than I used to have; it feels like just a really crappy low point (and scared about what I'm gonna do) rather than the horrible "I wanna die, just kill me, oh woe is me" crap that went with the previous worst times.

There's an extract from an email I wrote (when sober!) to my doctor earlier pasted below - if anyone has views or opinions I'd love to hear them.. again, I apologise for Posting Under the Influence, which sadly seems to be my normal modus operandum:

"At this moment, it feels as if my drinking is largely based on habit and
routine as opposed to pleasurable effects. According to the Sinclair method, I
should continue to do so and simply wait for the extinction effect; I'd value
your opinion on this though? For what it's worth, my personal view (with a
layman's understanding of the pharmacodynamics) is that the logical course of
action would be to consciously work on breaking the habit [i.e., using
cognitive reasoning to combat an upper-level behaviour] but not resisting
lower-level cravings and relying upon Naltrexone for that, in line with
Sinclair's views."

EL - I haven't responded to your posts because they deserve better than the drunken response I can give, but I really empathise with you...

Switch is definitely "on" - forcing it down, even though I feel sick and don't want it, but there's something that just says "drink... it'll feel better". Not gonna end well - why can't I stop??? Suspect I've drunk "through" the Naltrexone - reversible blockade, therefore sufficient agonist will overcome effects.

Drinking through the Nal...It happens BWD. I have done it, so have others. Don't worry about it too much. You will learn how to "not" drink through the Nal in time.

Wow - despite all my fears, I actually ended up drinking just 20 units, and have woken up (rather than come round) in a dry bed feeling pretty hungover but not horrendous . Ended up stopping soon after last post, again leaving beer undrunk!

I peed in my dresser drawer once, on all my clothes, my husband was Yelling at me to stop, and I cussed him out. It would be a miracle if we never have this embarrasing and generally bad behavior again. I am cheering for you BWD, I have high hopes for us all!