OK...Got my Nal. Dr. B was fantastic, very great guy.
So, I am to take the Nal for four or five days in a row without drinking to see how I am going to tolerate it. I am on day two and the sides are pretty slight. Mostly just feel weird. Maybe a little bit of cotton mouth and my eyes are dry. Slight headache but this could be my low carb diet.
I am currently abstinent and have been since my last black out Jan 7th. So....that's been a full month. Not really much of a milestone for me as I usually don't have a problem quitting for extended periods of time. Next week I will try some wine with/after dinner with the Nal and see how I do. I want to stay abstinent till after Tuesday as I have an appointment with a Dr. which is being dictated by my employer. So, I want to tell this guy that I have been without since my DUI, he is suppose to report to my company if I am "fit" for duty. 15 years without a problem and I pull a boner on my own time and now there is a question whether or not I can do my job safely? This is an HR "cover our asses" maneuver if I have ever seen one. Anyway, I digress.
Ok, plan is: Next week-Nal plus some wine at dinner. Then next weekend I will try Nal plus the pub for a few pints and see if that triggers a binge.

Eric, I could only get through your first sentence......

Stop taking Nal on days that you do not drink. Immediately!!!!!

You are wanting to pharmalogically extinguish your craving for booze so the Sinclair Method specifically states that the formula in which to accomplish regaining control is as follows:

NAL (one hour before)+ ALCOHOL+PATIENCE=REGAINING CONTROL

If you take Nal everyday whether or not you drink is defeating the purpose and effectiveness of this treatment entirely.

Start again using the aforementioned formula.

Much luck,

Ketchikan1

Hey Eric:

Natlrexone is prescribed as an anti-craving medicine but there is some controversy about its effectiveness as such. The gurus of TSM say it is not good for that use. If it does reduce your ravings, congrats! whatever works...

But the TSM bottom line is to take nal before drinking, but not if you plan to abstain for the day. If you haven't already, I suggest reading the info on this thread:

viewforum.php?f=3

You can also buy the "Cure for Alcoholism" book if you like, but make sure to look around here on the board for additional information and experience (eg: time to cure/regained control is usually longer than the 3-4 months in the book).

Given that most health care providers know nothing about TSM, you need to become your own expert to know what you're into. The formula is very simple:

nal + wait one hour before drinking + patience = regained control.

Welcome to the group!

Guys,
Read my entire post. Four days to see how I am going to handle the Nal, and from then on only before I drink. My Dr. is very experienced with the Sinclair method. I have read the book. I have read this entire blog. I have read the COMBINE study and pieces of about 40 others. I am going to do what the Dr. says.

Eric

Eric:

Sorry, I didn't read carefully enough. Was on the board during a work break.

good luck.

Well,
I took my Nal an hour ago and just enjoyed my first beer since thanksgiving and my first alcohol since Jan 7. I was really looking forward to it, so much so that I was pretty excited about it. I popped open a cold one and it went down so nice. Then as I was waiting for the buzz and the slight feeling of euphoria...nothing. I can feel the alcohol, just sort of a relaxing warmth but no piss, no kick, no Mr. Jive. Wow...kinda sucks.

Is this what normal people feel?

I have just started as well, but I am a daily binge drinker. Your description is very much how I am feeling. I almost feel like "whats the point ?" If I just wanted to feel tipsy, I could sniff glue. I am only on my second day, and feel as though I almost have to force myself to drink. So that is what I will do, drink my beers even though for the first time in years, I really don't want them.

I ended up drinking a total of four beers. Two before dinner and two with dinner, all within about an hour and a half. I felt a bit tipsy and was contemplating another when I decided to wait for awhile and then all I wanted was water. I will try again on Saturday night at the pub and see how it goes. I like the thought of being able to drink socially but with Nal there is almost no reason to drink at all and maybe that's where I will end up.

Went to the pub last night. It went badly. Took my Nal but I still drank and drank and blacked out toward the end of the night and made an ass of myself. ****!

Eric

So....I blew it. I slept a good deal of the day yesterday and today I am up for work and although I don't have a hang over anymore I am nervous and anxious. On top of that I feel really really stupid.

For some reason I thought, "I will just take the pill and drink and the Nal will tell me when to stop." Obviously it doesn't work that way. Six pints, two whiskeys, then three double whiskeys, and then 2-3 Jaeger bombs. I blacked out somewhere in the doubles...Then made a complete ass of myself. So yesterday was apologies and explanations.

What's funny is my original plan was to ease into drinking the first few times I drank with Nal and because I don't drink often I knew it was going to take a long time to learn some control. That went out the window...

Eric