Congratz! I found carrying a nal on my AF days worked well for me even if I didnt take it. Having it seemed to make it my choice where not having the nal made AF more of a white knuckle experience.

I still have a nal in a keyfob on my keychain.

Congrats on the AF day! I think Nal aversion may be playing a part here, but an AF day is great no matter how you get there. You are doing great. Keek

Week 2 in the can...

It was a really good week. Had my first nal-over, which was brutal, but resulted in the aforementioned AF day. My highest intake this week was a bottle of red wine, which is still half my previous intake. Most days I had 1-3 beers or glasses of wine. Yesterday was another AF day, so that makes two for the week, which blows my mind. I didn't plan it; it just happened.

I don't want to get over-confident, but this week was very easy. Instead of taking the naltrexone at the first thought of not taking it, I'm just carrying it with me and taking it an hour before drinking. I really haven't had any ambivalence this week about taking it, and the horrible, awful frustration of drinking on it has subsided.

I have been taking long walks and knitting like crazy in the evenings. It's looking like all my friends and family will be very warm this winter, LOL. I need to work on learning to at least tolerate things like cleaning and cooking while sober. Audiobooks help, but I'm not there yet. For years I've used alcohol to motivate me to do boring, unpleasant tasks or as a reward for doing boring, unpleasant tasks.

This coming week I want to start a daily meditation practice, at least 15 minutes a day. I'm also going to start writing down 3 things I'm grateful for every night before bed. It sounds cheesy, but this sobriety thing is moving faster than I anticipated, and I want to start cultivating "happiness habits."

Again, thanks to everyone here. If this works - and I think that it will - it will be in no small part to the support and advice on this forum.

Awesome, Magda! The only thing I'd say is to remember that the pendulum often swings back briefly after the first few weeks, so don't be discouraged if you don't do quite as well in week 3 or 4.

Applause! Imho, you have a great head on your shoulders. You know what's going to happen if you follow the Golden rule. Your pro-active, planning well. With everything you've shared, and done. I'd put my $$$$$ on you. Keep it up and you are a sure winner. Congrats

Thanks! I'm keeping this in mind. I expect my inner lab rat to start hammering on the lever any day now.


Thanks so much, plant. Your encouragement means a lot to me.

Hi Magda, thank you for your opinion on my non- compliance post. I want you to know that your AF success and your experience with a Nalover has helped me to jump back on this TSM roller coaster by realizing that I am not alone in my SE struggles. I know I need to carry a pill with me and do what you do and take it as soon as the thought of not taking it enters my mind. Screw the side effects. Alcohol is going to kill me if I don't get control of it. I feel like I am accountable to you in some way and think that I would be failing you as we'll as myself if I don't follow the golden rule. Keep up the good work. It looks like you are intelligently approaching TSM. I look forward to your success. Hugs, Keek. BTW, I am in N. California and think it might be a good thing for me if we say we can meet face to face in 6 months or so and say "by George, this method is working". Scary to put myself out there, but it might help to think about when the going gets tough... Just a thought..

Thanks, Keek. It's nice to have a fellow traveler. You can do this!


That sounds like a great idea! A TSM Class of 2014 reunion!

I just had a completely AF weekend. It wasn't forced. Holy hell, that's never happened before. Drinking on naltrexone just doesn't have any appeal. I have crap wine and beer in the house, but wasn't tempted at all to drink it. I think if there had been really good beer or wine around that I would have taken the nal and had some, but the stuff that I usually drink is just not worth the bother. TSM is turning me into a bit of a beer and wine snob.

I don't want to go teetotaler too soon (i.e. before extinction), but I don't think there's any real danger so long as I keep a naltrexone on hand and follow the golden rule. Any of you cured folks have an opinion? I have to say, lately I'm pretty indifferent to alcohol. It seems way too soon and maybe dangerous to think that way. It's a weird, weird, wonderful feeling. I'm afraid that it won't last. I don't want to get over-confident. I'm definitely not about to declare myself cured, but this is going swimmingly.

Good morning Magda, it looks like you might be a quick responder.....YAY! I agree with what you say about the cheap wine and becoming a wine and beer snob. My goal is to be able to keep the good stuff that is gifted to us, in the house and not have a second thought about overdoing it! You know, like a normal drinker. The thing is is that the good stuff can cause just as much trouble as the cheap stuff if you drink enough of it. Cheers to TSM! May it be forever in your favor keek

Week 3 down...

Last night I suddenly wanted to drink (I have tried to identify some sort of trigger and haven't come up with anything), so I took the nal I carry and picked up some wine on the way home. I had two glasses and went to bed. I love TSM. If I had been on one of my many attempts to abstain, last night would probably have been an unmitigated disaster. This morning I feel just fine.