Hesster, great job on lowering those numbers. I also found binge drinking to be the last remaining barrier. Long after I had a few virtually AF working weeks in a row (i.e. Sun-Thurs for me), was not drinking alone at all, and could barely stomach a full glass of wine on a mid-weeknight, I was still having those massive Friday/Saturday binges. But hey, at least it's 1-2 binges rather than 3-4. So let harm minimisation be your mantra!

Keep up the good work.

Hi all,

I want to give a quick thanks to those that commented on my thread over the past few days. I appreciate the encouragement and feedback. I just finished catching up with everyone - damn, the TSMers were really active over the weekend. Lots of good stuff out there.

I've been battling for 2 months so far, and the surly sauce and I ended up with a bit of a stalemate this week. I say stalemate because I publicly declared a goal of sneaking under 30 units...as luck would have it, I ended up on exactly 30 units. This week may have been a push, but overall I'm really pleased with my progress, and shooting for under 30 will remain a perpetual goal moving forward (unless I'm on vacation, or up against a week that I know will be heavy).

Baby, break it down...

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - AF

As mentioned on a prior post, I really feel like I am transitioning from a daily binge drinker to a regular binge drinker. I hardly have any cravings, and if I don't have any reason to drink (i.e. something "planned"), then I'm not going to drink. I'll continue moving forward with this mindset. I haven't had a drink by myself in weeks.

Thursday - 2.66

I fully intended to make Thurs AF, but my dad took me out to dinner. I just couldn't resist having a few beers with the big fella...so I guess I still have some issues with craving, but they're not nearly as intense.

Friday - 7.66

Friends from Boston and NYC converged on Providence to get surly. Instead of drinking heavily while awaiting their arrival, I cleaned up the apartment instead (which was pointless, since the place was a warzone of empties, pizza, Skoal tins and other assorted filth by Saturday afternoon). I didn't start drinking until about 10:30 or so, and had no trouble keeping my units reasonable. I kinda wish I had fought the urge to have a 3 am nightcap, but my buddy insisted. It's a bummer because that one beer would have made the difference between 29 and 30 units for the week. Gah!

Saturday - 12.66

Halloween festivities! We immediately got the day underway with sliders and shuffleboard, but spent more time breaking out awkward synchronized dance moves and harrassing each other than playing shuffleboard...but so be it. Some friends ordered giant das boots of beer (and normally I would've polished off two of those suckers), but instead I sipped a few delicious pumpkin brews.

I didn't touch another beer until pre-gaming commenced with a game we call "Super Surly Quarters." Sh*t got surly, indeed - but not too surly. We worked out a system to keep everyone from getting ruined by my buddy who is absolutely deadly at this game, so we all made it out to the bar in one piece. I think I reached the perfect level of drunkenness during Halloween shenanigans. I was in a great mood, breaking out the gumby legs all over the dancefloor (which was kinda funny because I was dressed like a man from the Night's Watch [for you Game of Thrones nerds out there]...and I never pass up an opportunity to have ridiculous facial hair...so obviously I had that going on), and drinking out of a giant Winterfell mug. But no blackouts, no overdoing it, no making an *ss out of myself, and no sloppy public makeout sesh with a chick dressed like Baby Spice. Success.

Sunday - 7

Sweet Jesus, this felt like way more than 7 units. After everyone finished rolling around my living room (which was a veritable dutch oven by this point), we kicked off a Sunday Funday with brunch. I limited myself to one John Daly (sweet tea vodka and lemonade...amazing), and when the sassy waitress brought out a second round (which I didn't order), I gifted it to a buddy.

Next it was time for the best margaritas I've ever had (easily 80/20 tequila) at a local Mexican place. I started off slow by ordering a diet Coke, after which the surly bartender called me "a little b*tch" and poured me a virgin daquiri shot to complete the effect. Since I couldn't take such a blatant affront to my manhood, the diet Coke quickly turned into a margarita pint, a Narragansett and an additional tequila shot. We were also given chicken wings with a sauce made with ghost chilis - the hottest pepper on the planet. When you're consuming foodstuffs that are used to keep wild elephants from attacking crops in India, you know you're in trouble. This is how I described the experience on an email chain:

The ghost chili lures you into a false sense of confidence. It is quite delicious, and doesn't start off super hot. Then about a minute later, YOU ARE DYING. And it doesn't stop...for at least 15 minutes. I was literally crying.

I was chugging milk, water, diet coke, Narragansett...anything in sight. I would've chugged a bottle of Cholula if they had that sitting on the bar. Once the heat subsides, you start to get the shakes and actually start SHIVERING. I felt like a babe that needed to be swaddled.

Never again.

I was completely wiped out after the ghost chilis (it was a Pyrrhic victory), but I had to drive up to Massachusetts to watch the Pats game at my dad's social club (which I suspect is a club for alcoholics in various degrees of recovery...my dad not included). Awful loss.

(@RedSky - I agree with a lot of what you had to say about the Pats...no comment on the "warm ball" incident. Are you a Vols fan as well? My SEC allegiance alternates between Ole Miss and UGA.)

I could hardly drink during the game, because I knew I had to drive home and I was exhausted. Drink tokens were piling up from dudes that were buying rounds, but I never cashed them in. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have had a single beer there because I was a bit sketchy driving home (I know, I know...bad bad bad). When I got home I promptly passed out at 9:30 pm...maybe the bartender was right...I am a little b*tch.

Total - 30.00

Some thoughts...

I didn't hit my goal for this week, but I was just about as close as you can get...so I feel good about that. I didn't overdo it on Halloween (which could have easily been a nightmare), and I generally kept my sh*t together (not including the ghost chili incident...which may or may not have led to whimpering at about 4 am this morning).

I'm going to shoot for a nice string of AF days to start this week off, and then it looks like another heavy weekend may be coming up. I've got a date in NYC on Friday night, so that will be a little trigger-laden (anyone know any good places in the Village to woo a young lady? EL, I'm looking in your direction).

Thanks for reading, and good luck this week.

-H

Hmmm places to woo in the west village...depends what kind of wooing you want to do, I guess? This restaurant is amazing (but pricey) : http://augustny.com/
In terms of bars, The OtherRoom is super cozy - 143 Perry Street. If you want a swanky prohibition-esque feel, check out Little Branch (22 Seventh Avenue South, very small golden plaque on an otherwise unmarked door). If you want something earlier in the day and booze-less, you can check out Tea and Sympathy, on 108 Greenwich ave.
Hope this helps!
And honestly, congrats on only 30 units even with Halloween festivities!

Thanks for the suggestions, EL!

I love speakeasy-type places, so I will definitely be checking out Little Branch. My favorite spot in NYC (Chumley's) was an awesome speakeasy in the Village, but unfortunately it literally imploded.

Let the wooing commence.

Hey Hess,

I graduated from UK, so I bleed blue, and I’m definitely not a Vols fan. I will root for them if and only when it benefits the Cats or against most non conference teams. I’m surprised you have any SEC allegiances, are you originally from the south?

I’m really happy for you; 30 units and 3 AF days on week 8, that’s awesome!!! Keep up the good work! At least for me, only 6 days on Nal, I know the book states extinction without willpower, but I’m not sure I’m buying into that one quite yet. I do believe Nal+drinking=cure, but I believe it’s going to take some willpower to cut down on my units and to eventually commit to some AF days. Therefore, congrats on having the Willpower to make a conscious effort to achieve your goals!

Good luck this week!

RedSky

Hi RedSky - thanks for the encouragement! Trust me, the "willpower" thing will get a lot easier as you progress and begin to eliminate habit-based boozing.

I'm not from the South, but I really enjoy the change of pace down there. I went to a Big East school that doesn't have a football program, so I've always enjoyed visiting other universities that have massive gamedays - naturally, the SEC schools are a prime target. I've got a bunch on the bucket list (the legendary Grove in Oxford, MS has been my favorite so far).

I've heard Rupp is insane for basketball games. UK got a nice #2 preseason rank...should be a force this year, as always.

Hesster,

Just read through all your posts. Looks like you're giving her hell. Funny, I had plans to go as Jon Snow for Halloween but the wife borrowed a costume from a friend and I ended up as the leprechaun from Lucky Charms. Love me some Game of Thrones.

I would say Winter is Coming but it's already here in Denver.

Keep it going man,

WIMB

I definitely apply willpower to this process as I think it helps. Now that I'm on nal and TSM, I'm so much more aware of and thinking about my drinking, that after a certain number I say "do I REALLY want/need another?". Maybe I did that before, but now I listen to myself and when I can, acknowledge that voice and try to adhere (!).

P.S. I'm a blue devil (don't hate me).

I definitely apply willpower to this process as I think it helps. Now that I'm on nal and TSM, I'm so much more aware of and thinking about my drinking, that after a certain number I say "do I REALLY want/need another?". Maybe I did that before, but now I listen to myself and when I can, acknowledge that voice and try to adhere (!).

P.S. I'm a blue devil (don't hate me).

Hey Nipit,

First of all, besides drinking excessive amounts of alcohol I'm certain we have one more thing in common; we both hate the Tar Heels..

As for the willpower thing, both you and Hess obviously have been on the program long enough to know, so I appreciate your comments and know that I will eventually, and hopefully sooner than later start gaining some control and start applying some willpower. I can tell you that although my units are still very high I have at least 2 or 3 times fixed a drink and then poured it down the sink, realizing this could become another expensive habit, instead of pouring them out I started putting them in the freezer. LOL. Also, lately at some point I just don't feel like finishing my drink and put it in the freezer, so the Nal is having a positive effect on me.

Hess and Nipit thanks for the feedback and I hope you both and everyone else accomplishes their goals this week. I only have one this week; Nal an hour before. Perhaps next week I'll try and employ some willpower and go for an AF.

Go Cats!!

Hi all,

Week 9 is in the books, and I'm afraid this is going to be a rather boring and brief (well...by my standards) entry. I managed to hit my goal for the week (<30 units) by a pretty substantial margin. This has been the first week in ages where I felt like I was "drinking like a normal person." That's really all I can ask for from this treament...it feels great.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - AF

I didn't have anything planned during the week, so I had no reason to hit the sauce - any cravings I had were no more than a hint. One interesting side effect of TSM that I've noticed has been how amazing I feel when exercising on days I don't dose. I'm not sure if this is the result of upregulation, or just the result of not feeling like sh*t everyday...maybe it's just in my head...but I like it.

Friday - 7.5

I had a date in NYC on Fri night. I was a little stressed from the commute (plus a little nervous about the date itself), so I made nice mixer to enjoy on the train from southern CT. The Metro North is always hilarious on Fri afternoons - everyone was brown-bagging something, a businessman in a flashy suit popped a bottle of champagne, teenagers were drinking some sort of "brown" Mountain Dew. I made it through about 2/3rds of my mixer and had to dump out the rest at Grand Central. Normally, I would've pounded that sh*t before we hit the state line.

We* ended up going to a fancy tapas place in the West Village and shared a nice bottle of red that I no business trying to afford, plus some after dinner cocktails. When we got back to her place, she offered me a nightcap, but I literally had no desire to continute drinking...so I didn't...which worked out well.

*This is the same girl from my last NYC story. I really must've made a good first impression, considering I nearly vomitted on her outside of a club at 4 am. I owed her one.

Saturday - 10.66

Sat morning I took a train up to Westchester to meet up with a good buddy that had just passed the NY bar exam. I grabbed a "to go" whiskey and coke* at Grand Central to leisurely sip during the ride north.

*I never realized you could do this until about a month ago. Just awesome.

We met up with some other friends at an excellent local tavern to crush some Yuenglings, eat delicious buffalo wings, bust balls, talk about life and discuss Justin Beiber's baby-daddy situation from a litigious perspective. I was originally going to head straight back to RI after lunch, but decided to head over to another friend's place to settle in and watch the Bama/LSU game. I nursed a couple more beers there, despite getting called out for drinking so slow by another buddy that can absolutely CRUSH beers. I didn't even want the last two brewskis, but felt compelled to drink them because he was giving me sh*t.

The 10+ units were spread out over 12 hours, so I am fine with that total.

Sunday - 4

Ah yes, one of my favorite days of the year - TIME WARP DAY. In the US, we have daylight savings time, which magically gives us an extra hour of early Sunday morning back (basically, you get an extra hour to sleep late). How did I spend this cosmic event? Sleeping even later than usual, not putting on pants, shoving pizza into my face and watching the Pats lose. SENSATIONAL. I put off drinking until much later in the day, and had a few while I watched "Crazy Heart." It was easily one of the laziest days I've had in awhile. You need one of those every so often.

Total - 22.16

Some thoughts...

This was a very successful week for me, and I feel really encouraged to continue shooting for a similar total each week. If I can string together another four months that average <30/3/0, I think I will have put myself in a good place for the future. That being said, I still fully acknowledge that I have a ton of work ahead of me.

Thanks for reading, and good luck everyone.

-H