I am 5 months into TSM and have made huge strides in the fact that I no longer get so drunk that I make a fool out of myself and I totally have the ability to stop most of the time. My husband and I are getting along so much better because I am not doing stupid things when I'm drunk. I was ALWAYS the one having too much to drink and doing stupid stuff and now I actually see other people be totally drunk and stupid. The only thing is that I still find myself really wanting to drink every night. Has anyone had a similar experience? Does this daily craving go away with more time?

Are you sure a large part of it is not just habit? Like, you drink every night so you look forward to it? It woudl be good for you to try and mix things up a bit and have evenings that don't involve alcohol, at the very least to see how it feels.

Hi KDhopeful, at 5 months (20 weeks) into TSM daily cravings aren't uncommon. The process of TSM takes longer (ave 30-40 weeks) I agree with EL that cravings at this stage are probably due to habit. If you get a craving ask yourself whether you really need a drink or you just want to out of habit. Are you are having any alcohol free days? I found that having alcohol free days led to less cravings as i got more and more used to life with less alcohol. I also found alcohol free days positively reinforced TSM because I felt good about them, slept better and was more productive. I am not suggesting that you force as many AF days as you can but if your not having any per week try for 1 or 2. Otherwise, at your stage just follow the formula, if you have a strong craving you can't stave off, take your Nal, wait an hour and have a drink. Hope this helps, good luck.

I will be at two years or 104 weeks in three weeks. I still drink on average 6 days a week an average of 2.2 US units per day. The good thing is I am at a point where I rarely have any desire to drink more than 2-3 units. The distinction between habit and craving that some people make eludes me - IMO it's actually the same thing, only a matter of degree. Sure, I can force myself not to drink and I won't be suffering or struggling too much at this point. But I like drinking that wine daily the same way I like having a cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea in the evening. If I could limit my daily consumption to 2-3 units per day without Nal, I wouldn't ever even think about it. But I am afraid that Nal is essential here, for pre-TSM my comfortable daily was around 12 units. At this point I wonder what kind of effects a long-term (say, decades) of Nal intake has on one's body/mind. Couldn't find anything concrete published. (Other than that the liver is not an issue for most people).

Nutella, I agree with you. I think part of it is cultural norms. My parents have a cocktail and 1-2 glasses of wine with dinner every night. Almost never less, and almost never more. I have never seen them out of control because of drinking. If that's what works for them (we are French), then so be it. Their health is great. Maybe it's a bit more than American doctors would like to see but I wouldn't worry about it.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I do think habit has a lot to do with it, but I also know that I really do enjoy having some wine in the evening. I am going to try and have 2 AF days this week and see how it goes. Thanks again for all of the support! I do know alcohol causes much less of an issue now then it did 5 months ago.