Hello everybody.

I am 33 year old male, and have been drinking daily, with very few AF days in between, for the last 2 and a half years. I normally drink some 4 beers a day (500 ml ones), and mostly in the late afternoon and evening.

I used to think it's OK, until I noticed that I was getting cravings for alcohol, and could not have more than 2, maximum 3 AF days. Also, after my first beer, my entire focus seems to move towards getting another one, and then another. This is a major problem, because it makes me mostly unavailable to my family in the evenings (I have a daughter who is almost 2 and who doesn't get to spend enough time with me anyway) and it also affects my work. There are days when I also have to work in the evening, and my productivity at that time of the days is way low.

My father is an alcoholic, has been drinking heavily for some 30 years now, with a few breaks caused by various rehab attempts.

I tried therapy, but did not seem to do much for me. My therapist suggested I worked out - I did, but I don't have a lot of time for it, and I could not get to the point where I would make it a habit. It is true, though, that on the days when I did work out my alcohol intake was lower, or I would end up having an AF day.

It was my therapist who suggested Naltrexone. Funnily enough, I had read about it just a few days before she told me about it, but I thought it all to be too good to be true. Once she mentioned it, I immediately bought the book by Dr. Eskapa, read it overnight and decided to give this a try.

I was able to get the pills (Revia, Austrian made) and I started TSM on July 19th. I use drinkaware.co.uk to keep track of my daily units. According to them, 4 500 ml beers qualify as "binge drinking". And I've been doing it every day for the last 2 years or so. Wow

Anyway, here is how things went, starting with July 19th:

July 19th - 6.3 units (started late, because I got home late)
July 20th - 8.4 units
July 21st - 17.3 units
July 22nd - 18.6 units
July 23rd - 23 units (met some friends and things got out of hand)
July 24th - 12.5 units
July 25th - 13.2 units
July 26th - 22 units (went out clubbing with a friend).

Now, after July 26th, things got strange, but in a good way. July 27, I woke up very tired and with sort of a hangover - by the way, I do not experience worse hangovers from the Nal, as some of the members here stated they did. The only SE I had was sort of a general mind "numbness" for the first 3 days or so.

Anyway, I felt weak, and the 27th turned out to be an AF day. I thought "OK, I overdid it last night, that's why I don't need to drink today".

However, the 28th and 29th were also AF days, with almost no effort from my side. On the 28th in the late afternoon, I felt like maybe having a beer, but I had dinner and then quite a bit of soda, and then the thought of beer simply vanished.

Last night (the 29th) I went out with some friends, and everybody was having beer. I had coffee and sodas - zero craving for beer, even though it was all around me.

My wife, who is very supportive, keeps telling me to remember to take the pill, and she seems very surprised when I tell her I don't feel like drinking. I almost feel the entire planning (take the pill one hour before drinking) is too much of a hassle, and I'd rather not drink than plan all this.

I expected Nal to work, but I never thought it would lead to such a quick change in my craving levels.

This week we'll meet quite a few friends, and alcohol will be very much present. I promised myself I would have the pill with me, but only take it if I really need like having a drink. I will not take the pill and drink just because everybody else around me is doing it.

Please share your thoughts on this. I am very happy to have found this community and have the opportunity to read about other people's experiences with TSM.

Thanks for being here:)

Well, Koni you are experiencing something that very few of us get to have - an almost immediate result from naltrexone. Some call it the 'honeymoon' period and say that you should watch out for an increase in craving and drinking in the near future.

But that is not always the case . It's just wonderful that this has happened to you. You may be free from the burden you've been carrying forever.

The only advice I have for you is: DON'T EVER DRINK AGAIN WITHOUT TAKING A NALTREXONE ONE HOUR BEFORE. Don't get cocky and think you can drink just one time because you forgot your pills at home, or you don't want to be bothered with planning etc.

It's simple to carry a pill or two in your wallet. Then when a situation comes up and you meet a friend, or you and your wife stop for lunch or dinner you are prepared. And please if you have time post your progress here. It's so helpful for others to see that this program can and does work and sometimes quite quickly.

If your cravings and drinking do increase don't worry a bit!!!! Just keep going, keep taking the naltrexone and let more extinguishing happen. You would not be the first to have such an increase happen, with success just a little farther up the road. It just means your body/brain is telling you to stop being so mean - FEED ME!! You just feed it naltrexone AND a drink and you'll be back to where you want to be.

Good luck!
Babs

Koni,
Naltrexone snapped my addiction really fast, too. No "honeymoon period," as I am now in month 8 with no return to the bad old days. If you've read my thread, you'll see that I have had increased drinking when away from my normal routine (most notably, on vacation). While at home, though, my drinking habits are radically different than pre-TSM. Since I'm only on vacation a few short days a year, I will continue to have "not-drinking" as my normal existence. Peace to you.

@Babs and barryb

Thanks a lot for your replies, it's so helpful to be in touch with people going through the same thing!

I scored another AF day yesterday, this makes it 4 in a row (which is an official record for the last 24 to 30 months), and I think today will be AF as well - we have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow. Last night again, I met a friend for dinner, he was having beer, I stuck to coffee and soda. There was some craving, but weak, and it mostly went away after some food.

I read about the "honeymoon period", and it makes it somewhat scary, because it also implies it's passing and short. On the other hand, being AF without cravings (or with minimal ones) feels great. I am more focused, more productive, and a lot more attentive and patient towards my family. Sex is a lot better, too:))) Also, it gives me a preview of what to expect once I'm "cured" and acts as a very strong motivator.

Again, thank you very much for taking the time to reply. Will update this again over the next few days.

Koni, many people here "warn" others about the honeymoon period, and the side effects of naltrexone when there is no need for the warning. I think it scares newbies unnecessarily. Many of us had no side effects and no honeymoon period.

Especially the side effect thing. Some people stay on way too low a dose and don't get the necessary help for too long because they fear the side effects.

Better, in my humble opinion, to let newbies experience something and ask questions than to warn them in advance.
Babs

I started straight away on 50 mg and had no major issues, except for a general mind "numbness" for the first 3 days or so. I was lucky, I guess, I know the same feeling manifests more strongly for some people.

I agree that everybody should give it a try at 50 mg as soon as possible. This is the recommended dosage, and anyway, I have also read about people doing 75 mg or even 100 mg, that seemed to work better for them.

I think experimenting is important, since reactions to Nal are different for each person.

Koni,

Glad to hear that it's working so well for you. There's no reason to think that it won't last. Some people do respond really quickly whilst others take longer. I'm on week 4 and my units are coming down steadily. Haven't even thought about alcohol free days, but have seen changes in my drinking that make me think they're not too far in the future.

Keep up the good work.

Ruth.

Thank you, Ruth!

Koni, so glad to see you're responding so well! Keep us posted on your progress.

Hi everybody,

I feel I am a bit stuck, so a bit of feedback on this would help greatly.

I have not posted lately, because I felt I need to give this some time before I write a new "report" on my progress.

I started with TSM on the 19th of July, and as you can see in my initial post, the beginning was very promising.

I was able to get my hands on a box of Austrian made Revia, and stuck with the standard 50 mg dosage.

I am out of Revia now, and I am using Nodict (Indian made) from River Pharmacy.

I've been at work for the last 2 weeks now, on a river cruise ship (free drinks available at the bar whenever I want them), and I am not happy with my progress. I drink every night, and I am back to my regular 4 beers/night portion (10 UK units), the same place where I was before the Nal treatment started. What's worse, the craving is there, every day.

Now, I have the following thoughts/questions:

1. Is this something I should expect? Going up and down when it comes to consumption and cravings? I know this takes time, but the first month was very promising, and now I feel like I am regressing rather than making any progress.

2. Could this be related to quality issues with the Indian made Nodict? Has anybody felt the same way?

3. I upped my dosage to 75 mg 4 days ago, and have been taking 75 mg every night since then. No change in craving, but I can't have more than 7.5 to 8 units, I feel dead drunk if I do, and the hangovers are worse now.

4. I am expecting too much, too soon? I just feel disheartened by the whole thing now, since I had a 6 AF days period just after I started, and it felt great, and it's horrible to be back where I started, after more than 5 weeks on Nal.

Please feel free to comment on this, it would really help me right now to know what you think.

Thanks a lot!