Wow, I SO appreciate your detailed, honest progress reports: they sound divine to me. Maybe because I can more easily relate to where you are now - much, much, more control, but still enjoying your (now-controlled) drinking. I mean, I read how people completely lose interest in alcohol, and that sounds great to me...theoretically, I admit. It's easier for me to appreciate your "tapering off". Maybe you, too, will get to total indifference, or abstinence, or...who knows??? But you are obviously in a very, very good place with alcohol, and still pondering the changed relationship you have with it, and expressing it so well to us. So...thank you for posting, and sharing your experiences and success...you, go, girl!

I, too, am experiencing definite changes this new year, in my relationship to alcohol...not as dramatic as yours, but significant and encouraging...life is good!

Chrissie

Haven't posted in awhile - still doing quite well and am exactly where I want to be - a glass or two once or twice a week, all thanks to Nal and TSM because I couldn't have done it/been here without Nal and TSM. I have a couple more triggers coming up so haven't said "I'm cured" - but really, quietly, to myself, I do think I am (fingers crossed)! I have a dinner party tonight where excellent wines will be served non-stop and if I can keep to two glasses, I know I'm there. Also, an out of town work conference at the end of the month where the free liquor will be flowing - can I keep in control? I sure hope so and again thanks to Nal and TSM I have a confidence I'll be fine - but am scared to say for sure until I get through it!

Isn't Ketch's story the best ever!! Yay Ketchikan! Yay TSM and Nal! Thank you, Drs. Sinclair and Eskapa!

Nal on, friends!

Nipit, another big success story, keep 'em coming! What you describe sounds ideal: a few glasses of wine a few times a week, well done

It seems that you - like Ketch - had kind of a sudden turn around, "a sprint to the finish" kind of effect. Very fun reading for us all. Good luck with your travel "trigger" - I know you'll do great.

Chrissie

p.s. I'm still kicking the Shetland Pony sometimes, but more and more, it's really NOT WORTH IT. I'm happy w/ my progress, and inspired by yours

Hi Nip,

Sounds like you could be on the cured list if not now very soon. I think the key is to deaclimate our body to Nal by going AF long enough. When a person tries to go back to Nal after being AF for a while, it's a whole new story. No longer can a person just slip a Nal and drink with no consequence. I've found too that a new major deterrent is how crappy the Nal makes you feel the next day. I too have some triggers coming up. This Saturday out to dinner with my wine slugging sisters to celebrate my 53rd birthday. Lol .I almost dread taking the Nal. I know I'm gonna feel like crap the next day. Hmmmm maybe 1/4 a tablet?

Anyway, congratulations on your success. It's absolutely wonderful how you've progressed. Nal on...... )

Well I'm not quite there after all. That's OK, TSM is a long process and I'm in it for the long haul, as long as it takes, because it's better than where I was going before!

Two week recap:
The bad news: The dinner party was great. I looked forward to it with much anticipation, particularly the wines. They were poured and poured and I drank and drank. Too much. Paid for it badly the next day.
The good news: That next evening we had friends over for dinner and I drank only one.

This weekend I'm in wine country with a host who drinks a lot. The bad news: The first night I way overindulged. The good news: The second and third nights I kept it to two glasses one night, only one the next. Woot!

Lessons learned: when I anticipate a 'big' night, particularly after several AF days in a row, particularly when I'm out of town or attending a "special" event, I will be more aware of my response to it (wanting to DRINK, looking forward to the DRINKing), I will eat well before and during drinking sessions, drink water between alcoholic drinks, and will take 50 mgs on those nights. (When I'm in my usual, at-home pattern of one or two drinks just one or two nights a week, 25 mgs works fine.)

Next week is my out of town work conference. I will put the above advice into play and see if I can continue to Nip at this problem! I couldn't do it on my own, but with nal and TSM, I can, I just know it!!

NipIt

Dear Nipit,
Thank you very much for sharing your story. It sounds like we have some similarities in our drinking habits/triggers. Good luck dealing with the events with great wines and thank you for sharing strategies that are working for you!

I have made it. I feel "cured." My last test for me was the out of town work conference a month ago. Despite the free, unlimited, wonderful wines and cocktails every night, I did not overindulge. I drank only one or two. Amazing. I could never had done that without nal. Since then I've add no more than one or two drinks per night and I'm averaging 5 - 7 days per week alcohol-free. Most amazing to me, I have had some completely AF weekends. A Friday or Saturday night NOT drinking? Unbelievable to me, I never thought I could do that. I'm OK with or without alcohol even on a weekend night. If I don't drink, it's no big deal. THAT IS AMAZING. For the past 30 years, I HAD to drink on Friday and/or Saturday night. That's done. It's over. THANKS TO NAL. I will continue to take nal forever, but thank goodness it's not that often anyway. Wow.

Good luck, all. Please continue to nal on, and you will get there, too!

Congrats Nipit,

I knew you were close back in March! No feeling like being cured. )

I'm so happy for you. Enjoy!

Best wishes,

Nipit, congrats! Thanks for your beautiful story. Needing some of that positivity these days Is there anything you felt that really helped you move towards cured?
EL

Hi. I'm back. I've been lurking for awhile - and may I say, THANK GOODNESS for this site - because it reminded me I HAVE TO TAKE THE NAL every time I drink. I have not kicked the beast fully. I will when I follow the golden rule (Nal + 1 hour = cure). I will not when I decide to stop taking nal because it still makes me feel kinda queasy and/or I don't want to wait 1 hour and/or I think I can keep my drinking under control when I don't take nal. No, I cannot. At least not yet. Maybe later when I follow TSM properly.

I've always had the queasy side effects with nal (sometimes so bad I would upchuck an hour or two after taking it), and the nalovers were terrible. So when I finally thought I got the beast under control I started to skip the nal - "Oh what's one glass of wine without nal" became "what's two..." Well, we all know where that leads. Yes, downhill fast. And then I did a Terrible Thing (oh just like the old days) and hurt someone close to me with stupid drunken words and realized I have not tamed the beast, I MUST follow the golden rule of TSM. The queasiness, the nalovers, that's all SO MINOR in comparison to the horrible things I do when drunk.

So I came back to this site, caught up with many of your stories, read so many of the new stories (WELCOME to you all, you're doing the right thing by being here and trying TSM), and you gave me the confidence and the wisdom to say: Get back on TSM and FOLLOW the RULE!

So guess what, I've taken Nal an hour before my last couple of drinking sessions - always with FOOD and water - and the queasiness is there sometimes, not there other times, nalovers are there the next day sometimes, other times not, and my drinking is in control. I just have to take a nal EVERY TIME, an hour before (with food is best, but if there is no food around, I will take the nal anyway if I know I'm going to drink or be tempted to drink in an hour). I will not white knuckle it, I will take the nal. The nalovers and queasiness won't scare me, I will take the nal. I will follow the golden rule and will tame the beast!

Nal on, everyone!

NipIt