Hi Everyone,

I'm on Day 14 of TSM, and I couldn't be happier!! I can't believe it's already been two weeks.

(Here's a little background about me: http://www.thesinclairmethod.net/community/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=3455&sid=c86cd9160dfa8e62a928f674849dcb97)

I'm taking this slow and easy - and perhaps I'm doing it wrong...but I can really feel it working.

For the first four days, I took 12.5 mg per day, an hour before I drank. I was really nervous about side effects, given my experience with Baclofen where I simply couldn't tolerate them and had to quit.

Since Day 5, I've taken Nal 25 mg per day. This is partly because I want to give my body time to adjust, and because this dosage really seems to be working. Also, I can't afford to place another order for another week or so, and the last thing I want is to run out.

Over time, and when I have a larger supply, I'll definitely try the 50 mg to see how I feel. I know that's the "minimum" for full receptor blockage. But for now, I'm comfortable.

It's funny...I'm noticing many little changes that are all adding up to what feels like BIG change overall. It's subtle but definitely real. For instance, I'm not noticing it's been over an hour since I took my Nal - sometimes 1.5 hours before I think about it. Or I pour myself the ice and water part of my drink, but then I spend 20-30 minutes finishing a task, not touching the glass or putting the rum into it. (Today, I took my Nal at about 5:30pm. It's now after 7:00 and I haven't even reached for my first drink - it can wait!) Or I'm picking up something around the house that should have been picked up months or years ago. For instance, I just cleaned up the last three months' empty rum bottles and put them in recycling. Just little tasks....things I never had the energy to even think about doing, and always felt bad about leaving for another day.

Oddly, I didn't sleep well on white wine during the first few days of Nal. With the wine, I was waking up with awful self-abusive and depressing thoughts, then not able to get back to sleep for hours (this has been a pattern for years, but the Nal seemed to make it even worse). But when I switched to rum, I'm sleeping better than I have in years! I wake up occasionally, but I easily fall back to sleep, then sleep deliciously late. And the horrible negative thoughts are GONE. What a huge relief - they plagued me for many years.

Happily, the side effects have been minimal, and tolerable, at least with 25 mg/day.

As far as consumption, I now realize I should have carefully tracked my drinking for at least a week before starting Nal. But I definitely feel like I'm drinking less on a daily basis than before, probably about 1-1.5 fewer drinks per night. Now I'm on 3.5-4.5 drinks per night. And the drinks seem smaller than before TSM. I think I underestimated my previous consumption. Maybe it was closer to 5-6 before I started TSM (vs. the 4-5 that I posted before), but I was probably in denial about it. My body sure seems to appreciate this reduction, albeit small!

For the first time in three decades, I FINALLY feel like I have hope that I can lick this dreadful disease!!!!!!!

Anyway, thanks all for listening, and for sharing your own stories which have been incredibly encouraging and helpful!

Mer1962

P.S. FYI, I am not the same person as "Mer" - perhaps I should change my username just to avoid any confusion?

Glad to hear that you are responding well. Those small, subtle changes are sure signs that the nal is making a difference. I also started on a lower dose and worked up to the full dose gradually over about 3-4 weeks. I can't see there's any harm in that, and like yourself I saw changes even at the lower dose.
Keep up the good work.
Ruth.

Mer,

Good Job! I'm also starting to feel for the first time that I'm getting a handle on my problem. Just follow the rule Nal + 1hr before you drink!

Last Wed I had a 12 unit binge (2 bottles of wine in 2 hours). I followed the rule, got no rush, got drunk, did not like the feeling. Woke up with a hangover (which I would never usually get) and dehydrated. Awful feeling! After that I strung 4 AF's in a row (no Nal on those days either) & no desire to drink.

I like the TSM results so far!!

Rich

Hi Mer1962 and welcome. Congrats on your progress so far.

Babs

Thank you all for your responses and encouragement!

I'm really happy to hear the slow approach is working for you too, Ruthy. That gives me even more hope. Once I started noticing the little differences (practically Day 1), I realized this could really work for me. And as the days go by, it just keeps building and building.

Last night before I went to sleep, I looked at my nightstand and thought, "I'd like to de-clutter and clean this up." It has needed de-cluttering for a very, very long time! Yet last night was the first time that thought had ever crossed my mind. And I'm confident it will get done, with zeal.

This is yet another example of little changes I'm noticing, all of which add up to very big steps forward.

I'm also really hopeful that Nal might work for a very close family member who's dealing with a horrible drug addiction...but of course, she has to be willing to make the changes herself, since nobody else can do that for her.

Re: underestimating daily consumption, I remember an ER doctor telling me that whatever an alcoholic tells them about how much they drink, the doctors always "double it".

This was when my DH was in the ER for alcohol withdrawals, for the second time in two months. He hasn't had a drop of alcohol since then, and that was at least 6 years ago. Once he got out of the hospital, he took valium for about 10-15 days, then ate ice cream every evening. Now he's been on popsicles for many years. He says he has no desire for alcohol at all. I consider his "cure" being caused by a visit from the grim reaper.

I'm so incredibly proud of him, and he's amazingly supportive of me. Since I've started TSM and Nal, he's been even cheerier than usual, and even more affectionate. He's saying things like, after an evening of my drinking, "You're a lot more perky than you usually are this time of night!" with a smile on his face. I think he's loving the "new me", as much as I am! Neither one of us have any idea of who I really am, as a sober person. It'll be interesting to discover who has been hiding underneath this disease, for the first time since my teens.

I suppose most of us have the tendency to underestimate just how much we drink, for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is simply being too buzzed to remember!).

Cheers,
Mer1962

Mer,

Glad to hear you're hubby is supportive of you and nal - ha ha sounds like a person

I agree that we tend to lie about our drinking numbers for a variety of reasons, I finally filled up an 8 cup measuring cup and pour from that one night - shocked at how much I drank that next morning. When the good doc asked and I told her the look on her face said 'and you're still walking and breathing!' of course she didn't say that but it was clear.

I hope to get where your husband is someday as most of us do, one nal at a time

Have a successful day!
M.

Some of these M.D.'s either live on Mars or, more likely, have the social skills of grinders who never left the library in college -- before undertaking a life of serving people in need. Most of them are flesh mechanics, and their solipsism causes them to measure or value everyone else against themselves. Good on you for telling the truth. You were only trying to help her do her job better.

solipsism
n

(Philosophy) Philosophy : the extreme form of scepticism which denies the possibility of any knowledge other than of one's own existence

Nice!

BV - I wish there was a 'like' button on these threads