Lorraine,

When I filled in my Doc info. I used my contact info. So no worries there, I was never contacted. One weird thing today, I received a call from a Canadian Pharmacy. They stated they own Allday, and can actually beat the price I paid for z-packs. (Confusing!) Yes, I also started throwing in a z-pack or 2 into my Nal order. It's been handy a couple times when Strep ran through the house, and we had z-packs on hand. However, this Canadian Pharmacy somehow got my number, and had to get it from Allday or Echeck maybe. (I know that may be antibiotic abuse, but it is very handy, not having to go to the Doc, and getting a jump start on the treatment.)

Anyone else get this type of call. Google this number, for more info. 509-646-8945, and read comments by others contacted by this pharmacy.

Ruthy,

Yes, I truly believe in an "addictive personality". My father, a recovered alcoholic quit drinking when I was born 42 years ago. The last 20 years he has been hitting the casinos pretty hard. My mother hates it. She attributes that to his "addictive personality". The good news, a couple of weeks ago, my dad told me he quit the gambling months ago. He said he hit a rough patch/losing streak that finally made him stop going.

My abuse on my rare AF days or very light drinking Nal days, is food. Junk, Junk and more Junk. I'm OK with the Junk Food Abuse for now, due to the happiness the AF or light days bring me.

Lorraine,
Yes, glad to see that Goldpharma are back in stock. I hope you're able to get your order in soon so that you can get back on TSM. You're right, it is good to read back over your own thread to see the progress that is being made. When I look back at mine, I can see how far I've come.
Christopher,
I'm with you on the addictive personality thing.... I guess that some peoples brains are just wired differently. I read somewhere that it's the same areas of the brain that react to food, alcohol, sex and gambling so I guess it's not surprising that we might switch from one thing to another. I can relate to your need for junk food on low/no alcohol days. I've noticed a strong craving for carbs and sweet stuff as my drinking decreases.Think my husband wishes I could crave sex instead!!

As I guessed, my night out with my friends went really well. Two drinks and I was done...I love it! I was also really pleased that on Sunday I only had one small glass of wine for the entire day. This was especially relevant as it was the eight year anniversary of my sisters death and before TSM I would have spent the day drinking away the sadness of her loss. When I started this journey, I wrote this in the introduce yourself section:


The fact that I didn't feel the need or desire to drink yesterday is a real indication of how things are changing for the better.

I'm truely grateful to have found this method and am indebted to all the people on this board who share their stories, advice and support. Have a good week.

Ruthy,

I'm so very proud of you! You had so many reasons to over-due it and yet you stuck to your program and made it work, I bet your sister is looking down at you and smiling away!

You are an inspiration and I am so glad for you and always know that you are helping yourself as well as so many others just by sharing your story.

What a great start to a new week!
Marianne

Week 13 update

I'm pleased to say that It's been another good week with regards to the drinking. One (painlesss) alcohol free day, no lunchtime drinking and a reduced amount being drunk each day. Slow, steady progress....I'm happy with that!

When I started on TSM I wasn't really sure where I wanted this journey to take me...I just knew that I had to do something about my drinking. My worries about what it was doing to my health were mounting and virtually every Monday I quit alcohol only to start again by Wednesday. There was a constant battle in my head between the sensible voice nagging me to give up and the other voice telling me I needed a drink and making me feel twitchy when wine o'clock approached. Those voices are now silent.Thanks to the Nal the twitchy feeling has gone, and I no longer need a drink but oftentimes I want one. If I want a drink, I have one without guilt or worry. Slowly the amount of times that I want a drink is changing and the numbers of drinks that I want is reducing. I'm starting to see that a healthy relationship with alcohol is a distinct possibility. I've never wanted to stop drinking completely but before starting TSM I thought that abstinence was the only way, as one drink always led to another. I no longer feel like that. I can see a future when I may drink at weekends but be alcohol free throughout the week and when I mainly drink in company. I know I've still got a long way to go, but I am really optimistic that by Christmas I'll be where I want to be. One day, one Nal, one drink at a time.

Week 13 total UK units 21

Hi Ruthy,

You were kind enough to respond to one of my (few) posts a while ago - it's great to see your progress.

Also, my condolences for your many losses. Losing just my dear cat had me bawling for a week! Add a few beloved humans, I'd be a wreck.

I haven't been posting, just haven't really felt like it. It's been slow going for me too, but mostly because I've been stuck on 12.5 mg/day due to finances. That will change soon, now that I've placed my second order to AllDay. I thought you mentioned you were on lower dosages like me - is that still the case?

(FYI, I've placed orders with AllDay and just said "None" when it came to doctor info - it worked.)

Re: gambling...yeah, been there done that. The very last year that I lived in a major casino gambling city, I developed a horrible addiction after a big sort of accidental win. The win launched a year of losses and gambling addiction. Luckily, I went out with a good bang, with two very nice wins, then I quit forever. But having worked in the lotto industry, and having lived in a place with casinos, I know the odds are always on the side of the house. Please don't beat yourself up - many of us get the bug, and it can be irresistible.

I would have suggested you try one of the free gambling sites where you play with Monopoly money - but I'm afraid that could lead you to false confidence where you go back to the paying sites... so don't do it!!

Re: addictive personalities - I suppose it's quite possible we have certain parts of our brains that are prone to numerous stimuli. There are many addicts in my family, plus my own father was a major drug dealer and addict before he died. Having dabbled with various addictions I KNOW I have to be extremely careful to avoid ANY possibility of temptation. Luckily, my lifestyle now has literally zero temptations except of course alcohol.

Anyway, I'm so happy for your progress! Slow and steady, and we're getting there!!

But I would like to know your dosage history. Maybe you posted it somewhere, but the forum won't find keyword searches for 12.5 mg or 25 mg.

Thanks, and keep up the great work!

Mer1962 (not Mer)

Ruthy,

I spent the evening reading through your posts and we share a very similar love of vino. You are my inspiration and my hero. I'm only on day three but reading your posts has given me so much hope for reclaiming my future. Thank you and keep up the great work.

Mer1962,
Great to hear from you...I was wondering how you were doing. Thanks for sharing your experience with gambling. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's been there, done that. I'm hoping that I've now learned my lesson and will be able to stay away from the online sites. Unfortunately, they're so easy to access. For me, it just takes a bit of boredom and the desire for some excitement and I find myself thinking "50 pounds won't hurt". Of course, it never ends there and I always regret it so I'm now determined to stay stopped and not listen to that voice in my head anymore.
As for dosage...I did start out taking 12.5mgs but that was only because the higher doses were making me feel really sick. I stayed at this for a week and then increased to 25mgs and then after another week to 10 days I increased to 50mgs which is the dose I'm on now. I also take an extra dose if I drink at lunchtime and then again in the evening as I'm not totally sure that I'm covered after 5-6 hours and I don't want to take any chances. I have read in some progress threads where the person has stayed at 12.5 or 25mg (can't remember their names) but that was due to side effects and not being able to tolerate a higher dose rather than due to finances. I know that people will argue that it's cheaper to buy the Nal than the booze, but at the beginning when you are still buying the same amount of alcohol and have the cost of the Nal it does work out expensive. For me now, my decrease in wine covers the cost of the Nal and I'm sure that will be the same for you in the long run. It's encouraging that you're making steady progress on 12.5...maybe you'll see a jump when your order arrives and you go up to a higher dose. Whatever happens, I think you're making the right choice with TSM. Keep us updated if and when you can.

CrazyLady,
Love the name! I'm glad that my posts are helpful. I know that when I first started I was really encouraged by reading through other people's progress. They helped me understand the process, be aware of what was to come, prepare me for some of the setbacks and, most importantly, they gave me hope of a better future. Posting on here helps keep me focused and I receive a lot of help and encouragement from all the lovely people on this board. We really are all in this together and there's a strong sense of cheering each other on. Good luck...and keep us posted.

Hi Ruthy,

Staying away from gambling altogether is probably a good idea! Perhaps look for some other ways to get that excitement...although you did mention neither sex nor exercise were really appealing right now, so that's out (for me, too!!). Music? Painting? Pottery? Writing? What floats your boat, creatively?

Thanks for the dosage feedback - it's very helpful. Although, I should have said the lower dosage was primarily due to finances. The other part holding me back is side effects. I've been on Nal for 60 days now, and they don't seem to be going away. I've never tried more than 25 mg at a time, so who knows how I'll react to 50 mg. At 25 mg, I feel a constant low level nausea, sleepy, and groggy in the mornings. But I sleep far better than I did when I didn't take Nal, and I don't wake up with the horrible thoughts in the wee morning hours like I used to... so these are huge blessings. At 12.5 mg, I still have these side effects, but they're less intense. I guess time will tell.

Cheers,
Mer1962

Hi Ruthy

I just wrote a post to you .. and it seems to have disappeared!! Anyhow - here we go again ,.. great to see how you're getting on ... well done on your girls night out and decreasing units!

Shame Nal isn't more widely known about in the UK ..

I'm just waiting on my supply from Goldpharma .... hopefully arrive next week ... I really identify with the post you wrote about having the 2 voices in your head re the drinking .... I'm right back there at the moment ... how I miss the peace from that that Nal gave me for a few months ... hope to be back there soon

Have a good weekend Lorraine

PS Ruthy, are you still experiencing side effects?