Hey Kekede - good for you! I hope you don't feel too bad after your first pill - mine was horrible, but thankfully I'm over that now.

I've been reading your thread and I wonder if you are trying to battle a bit too much with your thoughts? (grief of giving up alcohol, wondering how you will cope etc etc etc) these are the thoughts that have caused me to fail over and over again. Even after three months AF using Antabuse, every day was a struggle, I jealously looked at everyone enjoying their drinks and resented them for it. I used to sit and worry about what it would be like at my daughter's wedding when I can't have champagne (she isn't even engaged yet!!) just an example of how far ahead I was letting myself grieve.

I am only 7 days on Nalmefene and I have made a commitment to myself that I WILL take a pill every time I plan to drink one hour before for SIX months without fail. I WILL NOT allow myself to slip - crikey it isn't that hard is it, just pop a pill and carry on drinking as normal If after six months, I feel that nothing has changed, that my life is no better then I will reevaluate my plan. But I owe this one chance to myself. I truly believe that this is my last chance of recovery, if this doesn't work, I will probably be dead in 5 years.

Why not just DO IT. Stop thinking too much, just take the pill one hour before you drink, every time you drink and see how it goes.

I personally have already quartered my alcohol intake in one week.

Good luck to you - I look forward to hearing your journey and how you get on.

Hey Snapdragon, you are absolutely right on the over thinking it bit. I like your example of the wedding day dilemma and SOOOO understand where you are coming from. Im hoping we get this demon under control. Ill be watching for your posts. Hugs, Keek

P.s. the Nal is making me feel a weird, shaky, but tolerable..

Hi Kekede, just like you I had horrible side effects. I liken to when I was in my teens and took acid (I know bad eh). Anyway I thought how am I going to get through taking Nal maybe pretty much every day for months and months. As in my Weekly Progress thread I started with 50 mg the 1st 2 days and OMG what hell I went through which I must admit I have very low tolerance for any drugs. I couldn't even stand to have a puff of a joint in my teens cause I would freak out, lol.
Anyway I went down to 12.5 mg for 6 days which I am sure I could have upped it sooner but I had stuff to do the next days so stayed on the safe side. Then I upped it to 25 mg for 3 days and finally have been on 50 mg since then with really very little side effects other than feeling tired after taking the Nal. The side effects dis diminish for me as I let my body get accustomed to the Nal.
I made a spread sheet which I update every day of amount of mg taken, which will stay at 50 mg unless I take an AF day. I also put down any side effects and of course how many drinks I drank the night before using this Rethinking Drinking site:
http://rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov ... ulator.asp
This can't be any easier than any other method out there for alcoholic. God I am so glad I don't have to go to meetings and shame myself every time by stating I am an alcohol, duh why am I there? Anyway this is the magic pill so they say and really what a no brainer just take 1 hour before drinking and yes you drink with this plan, what could be better. If you don't drink no pill, easy peasy!!!!!
Stay with the protocol= results!

Hey Cheeto, thanks for the synapsis of your introduction to Nal. I can relate and have the same low tolerance issues. I'm titrating 12.5 for a day or two then a bit more. I will probably stay at 25mgs cuz it seemed to do the trick before (when I was compliant). Ill be posting (go to meetings) under perseverance so that I have a clean slate. Stay in touch, keek

Hi keke: Yes for sure I will be staying in touch on this board and Claudia's new board http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/ which has only a few people but is growing too. Claudia kept in touch with me the first week before I got my book and was very helpful to my starting with TSM. I downloaded "One Little Pill" and watched that to give me a good start also.
You can do along with so many of us that are starting out, let's support each other. No question is a stupid question so just come here if you need someone to lean on as that is what I am doing. I am damned if this won't work for me so I am giving it my all for as long as it takes. The funny thing is that I am like a kid in the candy store every day taking my pill and then thinking "goody I get to drink" and then I go overboard again, ughh. I can't seem to get an AF day in cause I am forcing it and also I think maybe taking the Nal + Drinking will get me where I need sooner, crazy eh?

Thanks for the links Cheeto, it might be nice to interact on other sites as well as TSM.