So amazing! I'm so happy for you!

I'm very close to calling it. This is the longest I've gone without drinking for 11 years. And for the 8 years prior to that, I pretty much drank all weekend every weekend. It's amazing how much TSM is helping. Not just by reducing how many drinks I have when I do drink. But also because I feel no pressure not to drink. I can drink whenever I want so long as I take a Nal first. I'm just not thinking about it all that much.

I'll give it another week or so before I call it though.

Last, slightly off-topic, but I thought I'd post this too. I have been playing around with Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN) and so far it's rather interesting. Basically, LDN has alot of unsubstantiated hype as being something of a wonder drug. There are alot of "claims" that 4.5mg of Nal a day can cure all sorts of things, boost immunity, even (cough - bullshit - cough) cure Cancer. One thing LDN seems to do that has both anecdotal evidence AND actual scientific acceptance is to boost your endorphins and basically brighten one's mood.

There's a study done suggesting that alcoholics are alcoholics because they suffer from below-normal level of endorphins (at least, that's what I got out of it). They argue that once these people "find" alcohol and feel the endorphin rush that goes along with it, they get hooked. And then, when you add high-dose Nal with TSM and the rush goes away, these same people can quit. You can see the study I am talking about in a link I posted in an earlier post on this thread. So my thought was that if I am an alcoholic because my body simply produces lower levels of endorphins than "normal" people, and LDN boosts endorphins, maybe LDN might help me. So I tried it for the past week.

I can say a few times I did it, it really did brighten my mood. In fact it was a little weird in that I in no way felt high, but I really did feel good. The best I can say is that I felt an elevated sense of well-being. There were a couple of days - like today for instance - that I did not have this feeling, so this very much could be the placebo effect, I really don't know. But on the days I could feel it, it was very real. For now, I feel it's worth it to continue.

In case you are wondering, I crushed a 50mg pill and just did my best to tease out what looked like a little less than 5mg. And I take that amount at 9pm (that's what the internet says to do) with a scoop of peanut butter (I felt a little sick the one day I took it without food). Apparently, 4.5mg wears off in 6-8 hours and the up-regulation lasts 16-18 hours. So a 9pm dose gives you a nice little jolt when you wake up in the morning that lasts all day.

Thank you everyone for all your support. I've added my name to the cured list. I don't like that word, but where I am now is for real. So thanks TSM, thanks board, thanks Dr. Sinclair!

I probably won't check in as much for now, but will come back and update my progress in the future from time-to-time. Good luck ya'll! Nal-On!

Bestus luck TakKat, I am so happy for you!!!! Hope to join you soon!

Awesome tak, ask Q to put your name on the official list! I hope to see my name there in the not too distant future myself!

Well done Tak Kat

Good on you! I found your post about LDN interesting, so thanks.

Keep in touch
Sticky

Another Beast bites the dust!! Congrats! Even after one gains control/cure one continues to improve for more than 24 months. The best part is when you no longer worry about the pill perhaps not doing it's stuff. When it works, you yourself get to decide how much you want to drink. Nal-On Tak!.

Excellent work... now off to get some peanut butter fro my LDN experiment.

All my very best, Andy x

I'm so happy for you TK! This is great news. I am intrigued by the LDN idea but want to read/hear more before I try it...

Hi Everyone. I haven't posted here in a long time and wanted to drop back in to update you on my progress since declaring myself "cured."

First, I am not exaggerating when I say that my life is better in basically every measurable way since quitting drinking. I haven't had a drink for over a year now. Don't worry, I'm not going to preach about abstinence. I have no problem with whatever will work for someone else. But for me, not drinking is the way it has to be.

TSM helped me go from drinking a bottle of wine a night, every night, for years and years to quitting several weeks later. Now I was ready mentally and emotionally (I knew I wanted to quit completely for example). But I absolutely KNOW that TSM was instrumental in the process to get me sober. It gave me such confidence to know that I could simply take some Nal and have a drink if I wanted to. I didn't have to use will power. I just let it all take its course, and it worked. Simple as that.

Some highlights from the past year that I attribute (at least in part) to not drinking include...

- I lost roughly 30 pounds (and down 40 from my peak of sloth).
- My BMI is now right on the money.
- I was promoted at work.
- My sex life improved.
- My wife subsequently got pregnant. (we're expecting a boy in a few months)
- My sense of humor returned/improved (I was shocked to find out how funny I can be when not hungover all the time)
- I ran a decent time in a 5K this summer
- My cholesterol and in particular triglicerides returned to a normal range
- I am proud of myself and my self-respect has soared
- I feel I can be a dad my daughter and wife (and soon to be baby boy) can be proud of
- I am a better husband to my wife, who I love dearly

I can't say I don't miss drinking because I do - but not very often, and not very intensely. And I can't say I have a good answer when people ask me why I don't drink, or if I'll ever drink again. I honestly don't know what to tell them. Maybe I'll drink again someday - I really don't know.

The big thing is that I rarely ever think about drinking anymore. I'm just on to other things, mostly. I do drink O'Doul's though! I love those. Me and my fake beer - works for me!

I think about you guys and I wish you all well. To ElectraLou, Ketchican1, Sticky, KatieSmiles, HeavyFuel, Andy_M, digitec2, Curi, NJGUY, JDog, BWD, tiller, warrenjames, and all the others who were open to posting here and sharing your experiences - thanks for the support.

Stick with it! You can do it! NAL-ON!