Hi, I've been away but enjoyed reading about your amazing progress. My goals are still to be getting to your pre-Nal levels, but that's the beauty of it, a solution for almost everyone, at whatever level.

I hope you continue to experience success with Nal and your temperance! Well done!

- Sheryl

writeratlarge, your progress looks pretty good to me! I mean, look at where you started. The difference is huge.

Sheryl, looking good to me, congratz on your progress!

Didnt finish my second glass. Kind of lost interest. Surprising given that i enthusiastically got up and poured another glass. Was worried that i enjoyed that first glass too much to be indifferent again. We'll see tomorrow. Assuming i make it through the night, Im pretty side effect free this time.

sideeffect2, that's interesting. I'll be watching your continued progress.

I feel nothing for alcohol again. Not sure if i ever felt this indifferent before. I wasnt this indifferent the past week, thats for sure.

So, i went from everyday, to 5 days AF, to 25 days AF, to... We'll see.

Zero desire right now though.

Dealing with a bit of a nal-over today though. Doing spacey stuff like i feel its too hot in the car, so my hand reaches for and turns down the radio instead of the heat.

You seem pretty darn cured.

I don't want to seem all "true Chapter Three alcoholic," but . . . are you sure you were really addicted? I'm not saying you weren't. I know it's possible to be addicted at your pre-TSM levels. It is unusual, though, so that's why I wonder if you really were.

I guess "addiction" is a continuum anyway, or maybe even a multiaxised space, so perhaps the question doesn't even make sense.

Did i go through DTs, no. Would most call me an alcoholic? Probably not. Was i drinking what i thought was too much? Yes. Was it easy to have just one? No way. A few years ago, when i stopped drinking for about 30 days, each day was a struggle. The alcohol called out to me.

Here is possibly the missing piece. Im a puker. More than 5 drinks in a few hours and its coming back up, forcefully and with great sound. So, I stop before then. Would an addict continue anyway? My body tends to be quite clear with me - have another, and its all coming up. Cant rack up big numbers at 5 per evening.

I just read the chapter three you were refering to. No, thats not me. I could stop after one drink if i needed to prove a point. Not for a year though. And plenty of evenings i said, oh, just one, and didnt. Just one became 3-5 lately.

So yeah, I imagine its a spectrum.

So here's the factors IMHO in my success.

1. Perceived near death / hallucination / bad trip from nal
2. High cost to take nal. Bad side effects.
3. Supportive family. I told them i was quitting for a time possibly for good, and everyone has been great.
4. Sugar. Replaced alcohol with sugar. Half my craving was hunger.
5. Replaced drinking habit with diet soda.

BTW, not saying this would work for anyone else. Not even really certain anything but the nal worked for me. Im sure, like everything else, there is a bell curve for extinction. I got lucky.

That does sound like addiction.



I did, for whatever it's worth.



Oh, I wasn't really referring to it. "Real Chapter Three alcoholic," or just "real alcoholic" for short, is something that Steppers say to discredit anyone who stops by any means other than Stepping. Either you're a so-called dry drunk or you were never a real alcoholic to begin with.

Basically they're defining contradictory data out of existence.



Yeah, I can see that. I wonder if you just needed a kick to get out of a rut.

Well, you do have the naltrexone if you ever want to drink again. Accordingly, congratulations on the cure. Some people would have just ditched the nal to go back to drinking, but you didn't, so good for you.

Interesting. I dont have any RL contact with admitted alcoholics, ex-alcoholics or steppers. Perhaps i have never asked.

Nothing interesting to report this week. Been sick and feeling like crap, so i didnt want to drink, though in the past i probably would have had a few.

Over the sickness.

Now I am just bored. I guess if i was bored before, i poured myself a drink.

Have been thinking about having one, casually, without nal. Insidious thoughts. Im cured now, right? Definitely need to keep focus on being in remission.