The drinking dreams are normal if cutting back, a lot of abstainers get them and they can be very scary - you wake thinking you are behaving in that way again. So this might not only be a side effect of nal, I think it's a normal part of the process ie your brain working through things. Remember cutting ties with alcohol is a really big, and scary thing to be doing.

Havent had a drinking dream since Thank God, they are not the most pleasant of things. Things went well enough over the weekend with nal. I drank every night of the weekend and though I had 6 every night I would have liked to have more especially last night. I actually considered going to the shop for more at 9.45. Definately I think nal had a bigger impact on my craving first time around BUT I know its making a difference. I didnt start drinking as early and the awfull hunger for it wasnt as prevalent. Every other Monday I would have been hankering after wine around about now where as this evening Im not planning on drinking and feel confident that I wont.

I suppose the big difference this weekend was my energy and well being levels which is even more important to me than the amount consumed. Saturday I was up and about early, power washed the deck and foot paths and did lots of work around the house and on Sunday I went and bought pots and planted some lovely flowering stuff in them. I would normally have been forcing myself just to do the normal chores of cleaning and diner but this weekend there was definately an Umph there that has been missing. Hubby phoned from work on Sunday and said' Oh your still on the uppers I see- so he even noticed the omprovement in my mood.

I know that my current levels of drinking are not healthy but if nal helps me cut it by a third and I hold my current levels of energy and mood I will be a happy camper.



Counting a quarter bottle of wine as 1 unit (Irish pub measure)
Pre TSM 32- 40 units
Week 1- 6,0,0,0,6,6,6.5 tot 24.5
Week 2 -

I spoke too soon as regards diminished cravings. I went fo a walk with my sister yesterday evening and the conversation centered on an upcoming festival and which of the events or pubs we wanted to go to. By the time I got back from my walk I had a huge longing for wine. I started to cook diner and by the time Id eaten it had waned so I decided against going to the shop to buy some. I have a feeling that Im not going to be the fast responder that I was last time around. Is it possible that the disease has taken further root and I have a harder battle on my hands? it would seem so.



Counting a quarter bottle of wine as 1 unit (Irish pub measure)
Pre TSM 32- 40 units
Week 1- 6,0,0,0,6,6,6.5 tot 24.5
Week 2 -0,0

Trisha,

Hang in there girl! The fact that you're trying to stay busy is wonderful! I think that we let our heads think too complicated at times and if we could step back and empty our thoughts that we'd be better off. Stay positive and simplistic.

It would be nice if we had 'meetings' for this method and we could share stories face to face.

Starting tonight - decision made.

Marianne

Hi Marianne,

Thanks for stoping by.

Ok Last night was not good. Drank 300 mls of Vodka. Part of the reason i went back on nal properly was because Id noticed a shift from wine to vodka or whiskey in the last few months. It goes down easier and half my times I would not even bother with a mixer. This is not good. Last night I bought 200 mls on the way home from work and then walked to the shop for another bottle the same size. Thankfully I gave my mother two hot whiskey's If I hadnt no doubt I would have drank them too.

Stress plays a huge part of my drinking. My elderly mother moved in with me in recent months. I hadnt lived with her since I was 9 yrs old but no one else would have her. Im usually happy with the decision to have her but now and again I feel like what the feck did you agree to this for, you idiot? Sometimes I dont think I like her never mind love her, of course I wouldnt let her know that in any way shape or form in a zillion years. Still sometimes I go home from work and she's there and my brother is there and I feel like turning around and walking back out the door again, My brother has schizophrenia and visits every second day for hours. This is a big difference to only seeing any of them 2 or 3 times a year for the most of my life. The rest of my siblings all grew up with her. One sister is very good to me but the other one calls about once a month in her mercedes driping with designer labels, sits there for an hour and thinks that her bit done. In nine months she hasnt taken her out for a meal once or had her to even visit her own house, not once. At this stage it doesnt even bother me, it even slightly amuzes me, Mom doesnt even want to go anyway. She doesnt realize that her mother is 84 and wont live forever. I also have a huge phobia of death and dying , ghosts and all that stuff so I send myself into orbit worrying about what its going to be like when shes gone. i try to picture what its going to be like and then Im awake for the night. I dont know how my poor hubby copes with us all. He can hardly turn around but he hits off one of my family. He is brilliant- I dont even drive so he has to take Mother everywhere as well. Actualy it was him that said the we couldnt let her continue to live on her own. Some people are good to their very core and he is one of them.

Anyway all that crap is when I started messing with taking nal.

Definaltly there is a big difference in how nall is working this time- i could feel the off switch at this stage last time but no such luck this time. Going to stick with it though

I can identify with the stress related drinking...I think many of us on here can. In time, you'll learn other ways to deal with it. For now, however, it might be simply a matter of damage limitation. A lot of people find that vodka and whiskey slip down quicker and more easily than wine which means they can drink more of it. I've read in progress threads on here people making the decision not to buy spirits. They choose beer or wine instead. Would that be do-able for you?
Ruth.

Thanks ladies. I probably could try wine, I have a ton of it in my display for guests; if I motivate myself during the day maybe I'll do that although I'm worried about a hang over but I try to talk myself into that. I never was a wine person but I love the fun labels and most guests like it.

Something I really need to do is plan ahead and think of things to do besides watching stupid TV.

Trisha, I can't imagine what you must be going through with your mom and brother - my goodness! Thank God for your loving husband being there for you. You are so humble about the whole situation - I would be pulling my hair out and screaming at my sister which would all make the situation worse.

Again, thanks so much for the support here - you can't imagine how helpful it is to me that I'm not alone.

Its a few days since Ive been here and to be honest the only good thing is that Ive been consistant with taking nal. Other than that things have been bad. Ibegining to think that nal isnt going to cut it for me this time. Each time Ive drank its been to black out and that used to never happen with nal when I took it properly before. Honestly Im really peed off and scared.

Ive heard of a couch to 10k group starting in town tonight and Im going to go to that. They need to be complete beginers for me though as even though I do a lot of walking Ive never really ran. It would be benificial though if I got going at something like this to get my head out of my butt or out of the glass at least
Counting a quarter bottle of wine as 1 unit (Irish pub measure)
Pre TSM 32- 40 units
Week 1- 6,0,0,0,6,6,6.5 tot 24.5
Week 2 -0,0,8,8,10,12,10- 48 approx
Week 3-0,3

Trisha,

Running was very helpful for me the last time I dried up - take it slow if you aren't used to it though.

Don't lose hope, hang in there and keep taking your nal.

We're all in your corner!
M

Oh Trisha, don't lose faith. Try not to worry that it's not happeening like it did last time. Did you get a really quick response when you tried it before? You're only at the start of your third week and you're numbers were down in the first week. You've got a lot going on at home, with your Mum and brother, so maybe that's contributing too. At least you are taking it an hour before every drink...that's something! Did you think about the idea of switching to wine instead of vodka? I don't find it easy to knock wine back so quickly.
Hang on in there and let us all know how the 10k group thing goes.
Ruth.