CONGRATULATIONS STICKY!!!!!!!!!

Only 16 drinks in the course of an entire week????? That is amazing progress! Finally!!!! I believe you are breaking through!

My big question to you and to all on this forum who are 6 to 15 months in this treatment is this: Is your experience with drinking different now than what it was pre-TSM?

If so, how would you describe the differences?

Think on it. I am very interested in your answer because that is what I am noticing about my drinking. That drive to get totally smashed has all but vanished.

Let me know Sticky and way to exercise your inner strength!

Take care my friend,

Ketchikan1

G'day Sticky, very happy to read your latest figures, a great effort. Could I suggest there's no reason why you shouldn't aim for more AF than drinking days each week now you've proven to yourself you can do it. Also couldn't help but pick up a bit of AA mantra "But I can't guarantee I'll stop at 1 or 2". I would argue, with 13 months of TSM under your belt, you certainly can. Be proud of your recent effort and have confidence in yourself that you can do that again and again (that's not to say there may be an occasional glitch, TSM doesn't make us robots). Once again, a great job and I hope to see more of it.

Hey Sticky, My sister-in-law hails from NZ....but that is another story. I am gaining inspiration from your progress and am interested in the answers to Ketch's questions regarding not obsessing over alchohol once one gets into the "throw" of the TSM method. From one 50 something mom to another, Keep up the good work. Keek

To answer your question Ketch - my experience with AL is very different. I am sometimes able to take or leave it, which is nice. I often look forward to it but then find myself bored or unable to continue drinking after 2-3 drinks (good for me, but at times frustrating as it makes me very sleepy!). I have less in my life scheduled around drinking, but it is still a major facet of my social life. I don't hide my drinking, I don't black out, and I don't do embarassing things anymore. I almost never go out drinking alone (used to be a big problem). I think that's happened twice in the past three or four months, not sure. My tolerance is lower and I drink a lot less but somehow have gained weight lol.
Generally, it's quite positive, but sometimes I DO wish I could still enjoy alcohol like in the old times

Hi everyone

Thanks for your replies and encouragement. Warren - yes my post-holiday resolution is definitely to have more AF days than drinking days. As I've been busy the past 2 weeks that hasn't been hard. That stopping at 1 or 2 isn't easy for me though. Last night I only had 3, but I was so tired from sleeping badly the night before that I fell asleep as soon as I climbed into bed. But more often than not, especially with the fewer drinking days, I will have too much and feel crap the next day. Ketch - your experience sounds similar. At this stage for some of us it is either drink more often but fewer drinks at a time, like EL, or have more AF days but not necessarily be able to stop at a few.

These past couple of weeks I've not thought too much about alcohol. There is definitely less of an obsession than there used to be. I feel really pleased about this - it's more "normal." There haven't been any benders where I've vanished, either in my car or on foot, for months now and I truly hope that is a thing of the past. I've had hangovers of course but haven't had to have any "sickies" for months either. In that sense I'm back to being a reliable mum, wife and business partner. Hubby is happy he can have alcohol in the house without me getting all panicky and is glad he can drink comfortably around and with me. I'm no longer anxious about people visiting or coming for dinner when alcohol is involved. That is HUGE because before that for years it impacted on our social life. I often felt nervous in situations I used to previously enjoy the most because I had to abstain. It was bloody hard!

I still get a buzz out of drinking and rarely wish I was getting more of a buzz.

But I'm still far from declaring "regained control" because I still overdo it. Something EL said struck a chord with me. Something along the lines of - "if this is as good as it gets, I'll be happy with that." That's how I feel at the moment too. I've been wondering if I'll keep going to my womens AA meeting. Am getting frustrated that I can't tell everyone about TSM. I told a couple of women who are constant relapsers, but now they are going into treatment AGAIN so I said it wasn't the time to be talking to them about TSM. These women are bright and capable, but their lives are f****d because they relapse. They can't get paid work and one of them hasn't seen her 9 year old son for 18 months. So sad! CADS, our Community Alcohol and Drug Services is where I got my last script with special authority which makes nal free if I stockpile it and get my repeats on time. A woman from there rang me recently to see how I was going. I told her I'd be keen to promote TSM. She said they do tell people about it, but I got the impression they generally prescribe nal to reduce cravings and advise abstinence. Apparently that works for some people, but it certainly didn't for me. Maybe I could write an article for a newspaper or something?

Does that answer your question, Ketch?

Must dash
Sticky


Week 1: 1,8,AF,3,AF,AF,3.5 total 15.5,3AF Week 2: AF,8,8,AF,AF,4,8 total 28, 3AF
Week 3: 4,8,AF,8,AF,5,AF total 25, 3AF Week 4: 16,AF,8,7,AF,10,AF total 41, 3AF
Week 5: 7,12,8,AF,8,AF,8 total 43, 3AF Week 6: AF,5,12,AF,AF,8,AF total 25, 4AF
Week 7: AF,14,AF,6,AF,5,AF total 25, 4AF Week 8: 8, AF, 12, 12, AF, 1.5, 1.5 total 35, 2AF
Week 9: 12, AF, 10, 2,AF, 10, AF total 32, 3AF Week 10: 9, AF, 10, AF,1.5, 6.5, AF total 27, 3AF
Week 11: 12, AF, 14, 3.5, 1, AF, 7.5 total 38, 2AF Week 12: AF, 8 AF, 9, 2, AF, AF total 19, 4AF
Week 13: 8.5, AF, 9, AF, 12, AF, 14 total 43.5, 3AF Week 14: 7.5, AF, 8, AF, AF, 9, 9 total 33.5, 3AF
Wek 15: AF, 9, AF, 9, AF, 9, 10 total 37, 3AF Week 16: total 34, 2AF
Week 17: total 32, 3AF Week 18: total 34, 4AF
Week 19: total 33, 3AF Week 20: 32, 3AF
Week 21: total 38, 3AF Week 22: 29.5, 4AF
Week 23: 34.5, 3AF Week 24: 36, 4AF
Week 25: 30.5, 3AF Week 26: 29, 3AF
Week 27: 22, 4AF Week 28: 33, 2AF
Week 29: 24, 4AF Week 30: 23, 4AF
Week 31: 19, 5AF Week 32: 29, 4AF
Week 33: 29.5, 3AF Week 34: 20, 3AF
Week 35: 35, 2AF Week 36: 20.5, 3AF
Week 37: 30, 3AF Week 38: 16, 5AF
Week 39: 32, 2AF Week 40: 23, 3AF
Week 41: 27, 3AF Week 42: 24, 4AF
Week 43: 37, 2AF Week 44: 29, 3AF
Week 45: 24, 3AF Week 46: 25, 3AF
Week 47: 29, 3AF Week 48: 25, 3AF
Week 49: 26, 2AF Week 50: 26, 1AF
Week 51: 20, 3AF Week 52: 25.5, 3AF
Week 53: 23.5, 4AF Weeks 54 - 56: 25, 3AF
Week 57: 30, 2AF, Week 58: 35, 1AF
Week 59: 16, 5AF, Week 60: 20, 4AF

Sticky, isn't it great to lose the obsession w/ alcohol, and to YES! be able to socialize like "normal people". Even though I'm far from cured, that in itself is such a blessing. I was sober for 5 years (years ago), and I KNEW my life was a lot better w/o drinking, but I never, ever got over feeling resentful that I couldn't imbibe @ dinner parties w/ my friends. I felt like I was being punished for...WHAT??? What did I do to deserve this??? Finally Nal is putting me back in the game, and that is SO COOL!!!

I, too, have really been thinking about EL's statement that even if she gets no better than she is now - that that is good enough. Wow, that is powerful, and it was a yard stick I hadn't thought of. I don't feel that way entirely, but it's definitely a continuum I'm on. And maybe it's true for me too...I mean, I definitely won't go back to pre-Nal days. As long as I can get it, I'll take it, and be grateful. The extinction process is so strange...unexpected results, but the good results keep trickling in, mounting up...

I'm glad things are going so well for you, w/ these real improvements in your life and how you feel!

Chrissie

Hi Sticky,

Congratulations on your progress. Its amazing how you've cut back recently. And I'm with you on regaining control and losing the obsession with alchohol. Its got to be a great feeling! And it also probrably feels so great to know that you're doing a great job as a mom, wife and business partner. Respect is one the key things we will all gain by doing TSM. That's all I ever wanted from all this is to be a normal social drinker. Well, keep going girl, you're doing fantastic.....

Great post, Sticky, that really is huge! It's one thing for us to 'feel' that we're getting there, but it's another for our partners to validate it

Sticky!!!

You most definately could! Love your thoughts and I'm learning soo much from your progress. I too am encouraged by your words and experience.

I also relate to EL's feelings, if it doesn't get better than this, I can live with it. I have never been so accepting of myself than ever before. It feels so good to know you have someone watching your back, ie., Nal.

I don't know if it's just been me being more observant or I'm wearing my feelings on my sleeve's because of my experience, all over the media rehab and abstinence is the only answer. What a brain washing this country has had. I have the telly on while writing this morning and a blurb about Demi came on again. Why don't they just give that poor girl a break, wonder if she knows about TSM?

Zip

Wow, I can't believe I've been so quoted Glad to be of service. Like Chrissie said (I think) - I know I'm not going back to my behaviour pre-nal and TSM. I will have a bad night here and there, I know that, but it will no longer be my normal behaviour pattern.
Congrats Sticky on all your recent progress! It really sounds like you've turned a corner!