Having a rough couple of weeks. Many of my EVENTS that I have managed to build into my life have come to a head.

Out of town week long camping trip with fellow boozer families didn't help my Labor Day Numbers.

Still floating at half my pre TSM numbers, closer 60 per week in lieu of 120 per week.

Still managing to only get that 1 AF day a week. Some days with only 3 beers, but still that 1 or 2 days with the 12-18 count busters.

To quote the recently departed BarryB, which I hope he truly has not gone away, "STOP DRINKING SO MUCH"! Definitely words to live by.

Barry's parachute analogy is great. I guess I'm sort of in the slowing down zone. I'm happy to be drinking less and not getting blackout drunk most nights, but still wanting to have less.

I think it will be impossible for me to believe I can be cured like BarryB someday, without completely changing my environment.

But I do plan on being more like generic some day, getting to mostly 5 days off during the week, and not getting hammered on the weekends.

Hi Christopher,

So glad to see you're checking in again and posting because your progress report has influenced me greatly.

I'm still not where I want to be either, but better then I was, and still hopeful that this approach is better than anything else out there.

Take care,
Sheryl

Christopher,

I think changing our environment (people, places & things) is something we have to do to make a lasting change. Sometimes those things are hard to do - like changing the people we hang out with but unless we make those changes there will be too much baggage and temptation for us to break the drinking pattern. I feel the respite TSM is starting to give me is my opportunity to reflect on my people, places & things and to layout a plan to make changes that will benefit me. I stopped hanging out with my neighbor drinking buddy - there was no way TSM was going to be successful for me if I continued to hang out with this guy. I talked to him about it and he understood so there was/is no hard feelings. Other simple changes like changing or interrupting your typical drinking patterns are pretty simple to implement. The hardest, most difficult, change I find is trying to win back and be a part of someones life that you were/are excluded from because of the drinking (like Wife and Kids). Years of Tough Love have taken their toll. But the "we see a change" comments (dolled out sparingly) tell me I'm moving in the right direction.

Honestly a huge portion of my life was/is built around my drinking. I choose friends that drink, I lie/hide my drinking behavior (well I least I thought I was getting away with this - Not!), I would plan vacations where I knew alcohol was right at hand, I would take the long way home from work so I could finish the bottle, take my kid to junior football practice then go back to my can and polish off a bottle - I could blow up this post with all this nonsense and bullshit. How can I expect to make a real lasting change while living in this environment? A pill ain't going to change this rat-hole I put myself into.

TSM/Nal is a huge jack hammer but we have to plan to rebuild the foundation of our lives and to treat alcohol as the poison it is to us in so many ways.

Say Hallelujah!

Rich

Rich, I agree completely.

That's where I have to start putting my energy.

Well said!

Friday 9-6, at work, getting ready to leave to attend a Friday Night HS Football game after work. How much will I drink or not drink tonight? Many friends getting together before game. Taking Nal. Wife out of town, can I behave on Saturday? Sunday? Monday?

"Saved to drafts, to be continued"

Answer: I did not behave Friday, I did have several before the game, and many after the game, somewhere around 18.

Saturday my friends got together again. Still had too many, 12 over 6 hours. Not too bad, being that my wife was out of town. Normally I would have had all of my buddies over and I would have been pushing 24 plus, and the last buddy would have left around 1,2, or 3am. This time, they asked Friday if I was hosting since wife was gone. I said NO. I didn't want the 24 plus beer late night session. I did meet up with them elsewhere and went home at 9pm. I had nothing after that and stayed up until 2am watching TV by myself. I nice little victory after having 12 beers.

Sunday 1 buddy did stop by for football. We did have 6. Thats it. He left, and seventh didn't taste so good. Another small victory.

I found my self pondering some triggers again. Driving home from anywhere, and being alone have always been triggers. I have found that, especially weekends, if I just STAY HOME, I find it a lot easier to abstain, or feel the max effect of the Nal. That meaning taking the Nal, have 1, 2 or 3 and stopping, when at home by myself or with family home, the Nal works better. When I start solo away from home, it is a bit more difficult.

Not that I could afford it financially or would even be able to consider the down time, but I pondered how a rehab session/facility would have potential and merit. Somewhat being isolated from all of my triggers and hanging with other alkys could be a good AF holiday for me.

Since I'm pretty sure I am not going to go into rehab, I now ponder a much needed vacation with just me and my wife. Something different and not at an all inclusive booze everywhere mexican resort.

Per BarryB "STOP DRINKING SO MUCH"

Home alone, no one to answer too are huge triggers for me and this situation happens several times a month (or more). I actually started years ago drinking more because I thought I was left our and ignored during these times (my stupid, self serving reasoning). Problem is this situation isen't going to change so I need to buck up and figure out how to interrupt this cycle. I know the days/weekends it will happen in advance and can easily plan activities, etc. and I have been doing that for the last few weeks - mostly successful too. Changing our behavior and interrupting triggers is someting we all need to address. I'm not making a sweeping change (because that never worked for me) but one behavior interrupted which might make me choose differently is something I can do.

That plays into what BaryB is famous for "STOP DRINKING SO MUCH" and that starts at the first drink I don't have.

Rich

Chris, I have yet to get my NAL and still have one question- what are the similarities and differences from getting drunk now and before NAL? Is it still enjoyable? I have stopped previously for 6 to 8 weeks as times but have always been miserable.

As for triggers... I find them everywhere. It was weird because Amsterdam girl posted that she was starting a neurolinguistic program. It made me think that this is kind of what we are trying to accomplish with NAL- train the brain with new pathways. I am guessing that all our triggers are endorphin releases so we are just negating some of the NAL progress by succumbing. I am hoping that if I avoid some of the triggers or actually don't reward my brain with drinking when triggered that maybe NAL will work better? Maybe that was Barry's secret?

Hard to answer that one BH. When I drink too much on Nal, it is rarely like a Pre_TSM drunk. I say that, because the last few years, beer alone would rarely get me feeling drunk, which caused me to evolve into the vodka world. (That, and vodka was easier to hide in a soda cup in the car.) Sticking to malt beverages and Nal, combined makes it a lot rarer event, (Getting drunk).

Last Friday I did get pretty much pre-TSM drunk on just beer, but that involved 18 beers pretty quickly without any food. I would say it was the same.

Nal does not effect your Blood Alcohol Content at all, so 1 ounce of booze will have the same amount of impairment either way. The difference that is noticeable is during most Nal drinking sessions, you drink slower and maintain your critical thinking longer, and hence, don't get so damn drunk.

You do the booze or just beer BH? I 99% quit the hard stuff several months ago. I do partake in the higher octane barley, but am very happy to not be sneaking the vodka shots, vodka cocktails, or even throwing a shot of vodka into a glass of beer to try and gain that drunken level solo or when with a bunch of other drunkards.

One of my clients commented on the fact that it was nice to see I could still be normal after 22 vodkas( 11 doubles). Beer was something to start watching a game with but it was vodka and scotch with wine )in certain social settings). I figured the BAC would stay the same- my big question was if I would still laugh and enjoy myself on NAL. My perfect world would be not having 22 drinks but maybe a handful and enjoying myself and not blacking and/or passing out. I would like to finish work and meet someone for drinks and laugh and then go home and not drink whatever was in the house....

BH,

For me the biggest change is I don't get the "rush" or "buzz" that alcohol instantly gave me. When I consume I get drunk but I am aware that I'm getting drunk. I can notice my speach starting to go and notice my motor skills starting to go, etc. It's a heightened awareness of my drunken state I'm aware of. Knowing this gives me the opportunity to slow down or stop drinking because, for some reason, I seem to actually be able to make a choice. Since I'm not feeding the rush drinking seems less important. I think I'm drinking more out of habit because I'm definately not giving my brain the rewards drinking once delivered. The few times I drank when in a social situation I was very carefull to go slow. Keeping in control but allowing myself a few drinks. I had fun and laughed but I was highly aware of my situation and kept on top of it.

Rich