That's great Ruthy! I'm happy for you!

I've been wondering the same thing about all those people you mention. I hope everyone is okay.

Thank you for your support!

Thanks, maggiemay. It seems like you're doing really well...your numbers have really gone down. Well done. Has it been easy or are you having to put in some effort?
Ruth.

Hi Ruthy -

It has been easy. I almost feel cured except both times I've got out and drank I overdid it and had HORRIBLE hangovers. I want to see myself have some nights out drinking when I moderate better before I considered myself "cured."

I usually tended to get way too drunk when out at parties and other social gatherings as opposed to my secretive, more controlled drinking sessions at home.

I think one reason it's been easy for me is that pre-TSM I had 2-3 alcohol-free days per week so I didn't have to figure out what to do with myself when not drinking. I just really needed to get rid of that craving which has been huge for me.

Hi Ruthie et al,

First, congratulations on your fabulous progress! Within healthy limits is a great place to be.

Thank you for the shout-out; it's nice to be missed. My life is in major upheaval and I've been on the road quite a bit. Now preparing for a move to Portland, OR and a new job. So considering all that, I'm not too surprised that I'm still at about a bottle of wine per day, to deal with paralyzing anxiety, mostly.

I, too, may not be posting as frequently while in the midst of preparing to move insanity, but my heart is here and I encourage all th me newcomers to stay the course until the numbers start coming down.

Be well. Take Nal.
- Sheryl

maggiemay,
Good to hear that it was easy for you. I agree that having some alcohol free days before you started has probably helped. I'm expecting that as I add in more AFs then they'll get easier and easier and I can end up where you are.

Sheryl,
Good to hear from you. Sounds like life is pretty busy for you. Glad that things are going well...sticking with the protocol and maintaining your numbers is pretty good going given all the stress you're under.

Update time.

Week 17
All good... happy with life, the universe and everything. Away for a weekend so my numbers were slightly up but I expected it, and felt completely ok with it. While I was away I had a whole bottle of wine in a day ( a couple of glasses at lunch and finished it off in the evening). It's been such a long time since I did this, but when I first started on here that's what I did every day. Looking back I can hardly believe I could get through that much each day. I'm truely grateful for how things have changed.

Week 18

Miracle alert....

This week I've had only 4 units with 5AF days. FIVE. Bloody hell!!

I can't take all the credit as I caught a bug and felt really ill for 2 days which accounts for some of it, but the rest of the days the urge didn't feel overwhelming and so I decided to not to partake. On the two days that I did drink, I just had a small glass of wine with dinner.

I feel like I'm really starting to make inroads into breaking the habits and associations that I have with drinking. Once TSM was working and the craving and twitchy wine o'clock feeling had gone, I knew I was still left with the glass of wine "to relax", "because I'm watching a film", "the kids are in bed", "I always have one when cooking", "because it goes with cheese" type associations. I also knew I couldn't eliminate them all at once, so I've tried to slowly taper them off, working on them one at a time. Slowly but surely, I feel like I'm getting somewhere.

I have a long weekend away with a group of friends coming up, so I know my numbers and AF days will be really different next week. I'm fine with it. I know I won't get completely smashed (Nal won't let me) and I'll enjoy it, but I'll easily be able to stop. It will be social drinking in the truest sense.

Total UK units:

Week 17: 21 2AF
Week 18: 4 5AF

4!!!! That's wonderful! Congratulations!

Even a whole bottle in one day with some at lunch and some at dinner is great.

That is great. You're pretty much a poster child for how TSM is supposed to work.

Update weeks 19 and 20

Week 19.
A busy week with lots going on and a long weekend away with friends...drinking every day which was expected. I drank at the same level as everyone else...no hangovers, no memory loss, nothing stupid said or done. One thing that made me super happy this week was that I took a flight without alcohol. This is huge for me, as I'm a very nervous flyer and I always drink before and during a plane ride. Not this time! Very happy with that.

Week 20.
Had been expecting to ping straight back to easy AF days but they seemed a bit harder to manage following the everyday drinking of the week before.It wasn't impossible...I had 2 AF but more effort had to go into them. The beast seems to be putting up a bit of a fight this week. Had a few days when I really wanted to get blotto. I didn't, but the thoughts were there in my head. Back to thinking in the morning "am I going to drink tonight?". I'm sure it's just a temporary setback...I still didn't go overboard and my numbers are ok... but it's just that the thoughts have come back which is a bit of a bummer. Not knocking it, just logging how things are. I'm sure I'll read back over this in a few months, when alcohol has become a non event, and think "Oh yes, I remember when it was like that."

20 weeks seems like a long time but it has gone really quickly and I'm in a much better place. If I get no further improvement with Nal I think I could rest easily at this point, but I'm sure there's more reduction to come. Those twenty weeks would have passed anyway and without Nal I wouldn't be where I am today.

Total UK Units
Week 19 : 24 0AF
Week 20 : 19 2AF

Applause for you, Ruthy. Your drinking is almost at "normal" levels, and that is awesome. I'm happy for you.