Hi Thistime2013, in response to your questions regarding why the first couple of weeks are so hard, I think it's the alcohol brain trying to get its endorphin fix. I for one am constantly " battling over whether or not to take the damn naltrexone. It is not an easy battle. Just hoping that nagging dissipates after awhile. IMHO you are doing great with your units coming down. Good Luck, keek

Hi kekede - Out of curiosity, do you take your Nal at the same time daily or only when you feel the urge coming on? I ask because I have started taking Nal every day in the mid afternoon - when I don't necessarily want to drink - and this seems to cover my witching hour(s) from the time I get in my car from work throughout the evening whether I want it to or not. I have definitely experienced a few tense clock watching moments when the urge hits hard randomly and I have not taken my Nal yet. That can be one loooong hour.

Cheers!

Week 7

I had to push myself to post this update, feeling underwhelmed by the whole TSM experience this week. I'm not forcing anything and each night drink between 6 and 8 drinks. Which is about a quarter down on pre TSM, however this reduction in daily units consumed occurred early on and since I've been stuck in a rut.

I keep thinking shall I try an af day today but then come my witching hour around 6pm, I dismiss this as being against the teaching of TSM. Time will tell wether this is the correct path or me just taking the path of least resistance.

Since I'm drinking every day and I'm not giving myself af days, therefore I'm on Nalmefene every day. The biggest SE right now is loss of appetite.

I'm feeling the same as Nigeir's post of yesterday, I know TSM IS working for me but the waiting for something more to kick in is testing.

The overthinking, the doubting. If I'm honest I also read all of your weekly progress posts and I'm thinking blimey thats better than me, I'm different to these guys, is it working for me? etc etc.

I do appreciate the few folk on here (class of 2014). There's always a golden nugget posted that makes sense to me.

Do you know what keeps me going. It's the thought of looking back sometime in the future and knowing it really did work.

Started 7 October 2014

Pre TSM = 70+ USA units
Week 1. 48
Week 2. 45 (1AF day)
Week 3. 50
Week 4. 54
Week 5. 56
Week 6. 54

its a bit frightening how we go through the same feeling and frustrations. My units are pretty much unchanged even with AF days; and if I didn't have those I would be drinking at higher levels as I am allowing myself whatever I want. I also read other peoples updates and think arrghhh.

I spent a fair bit of time yesterday just looking through the posts of people who stuck at it..... and in general it works unless they skip taking Nal, and some of these people drinking at way way higher levels than us.

http://www.centersite.net/poc/view_doc. ... 1132&cn=14 scroll down and read the bottom, made me happier yesterday.

Lastly I agree, we have to keep going, the change seems to happen quickly when it does, I see most people have a moment when from that point on their drinking stays low... but what happens if we give up now and its next week the change occurs. I am going to do this for 6months; firstly because I think it will work, secondly everything else I have tried hasn't, and thirdly because its actually not hard to do..the hardest thing is to stop overthinking and reign in the expectations

Way to go nigeir

You should know your post lifted my spirits today,

Thanks

John

I agree with nigelr. My drinks are not down either and I am just a week behind you so we have that in common. I am still drinking the same before TSM + more some days and never had a honeymoon period either but I am not discouraged as I am keeping positive that this will work.
Like so many that have succeeded said that honestly it can take maybe 6 months or maybe more but give it at least 6 months what can it hurt as you probably are going to drink anyway. I have 7 months supply to know I will keep with it until at least then!
I have forced 2 AF days a few weeks ago because I was so hung over and yesterday forced another one which I know you shouldn't. The reason I forced 1 yesterday is because I talked to a guy friend that I am meeting in Mexico and he told me he has been exercising, laying off the booze (he is an alcoholic IMHO) and has lost 20 lbs. I know a lot of the weight I have gained is from 1-1 1/2 bottles of wine a night so I am forcing AF days right now so I can get into a bathing suit. Guess I am a little vain but I want lose at least 10 lbs and I only have 41 days till Mexico. Anyway it is still early for you on TSM so stay positive and stay with it.

That was a nice article nigeir, ty. Thistime....... I believe 1 day you'll look back and be glad you took the time to post in your journal this week. Stay the course. One day you'll look back from a healthier perspective and think how silly those thoughts were and how glad you are that you kept going and are free.

Thistime that was an interesting link on triggers

Schulte123 wrote:

"This is why in eskapas book he says to relive old drinking patterns like , drinking with the same people in the same place etc, your brains alcoholism neural net is associaterd with all 5 of your senses not just the taste and sight of booze but the places you used it etc. So for an effective tsm treatment you drink around these people at these places etc and thus these places become part of the extinction process. My understanding at least"

I think that with the Pavlov analogy...........the bell is the dog's trigger and the reward is food. With humans undergoing TSM the trigger can be a variety of things, positive in some folks negative in others. but the common reward is pleasure from endorphins , and that is what undergoes extinction.

It is not alcohol consumption that is undergoing extinction. Reduced comsumption is more a consequence or byproduct of dis-association.

Is that how you read it?

Hi all41

It's a very good observation you make, this has been debated many times over the years on this forum. "What exactly is extinction"?

For myself I'm kind of hoping that what's happening is deep in the subconscious level and someday it will just dawn on me that I'm indifferent to alcohol. That Nalmefene in my case, is working away in the background every time I drink weakening and finally destroying the millions of pathways that my brain has become overly used to for pleasure.

I arrived last night in Ireland and drove for about an hour to the Wicklow mountains to a very charming cottage we own. This place holds such fantastic memories of all types most with alcohol somewhere in the mix. By the time I arrived the rain was lashing down outside, I lit the log burner and my craving to open that first beer was 10 out of 10 a craving as high as it ever was pre TSM. I'm just banking that a lot of pathways are going get weak over the next few days.

Sounds like a wonderful place thistime, I love Ireland. I'm a yank but I have a lot of Irish blood in my veins. If I get this addiction under control one of the things I really want to get back to is golf. Lahinch is one of my favorites. I have a bucket list and maybe someday instead of a "cured" post, I'll put up the equivilent called "Pebble Beach"

Yes extinction has been debated a lot, and I think it's important. I'm a "tinkerer" and I want to know how things work, so I guess it's important to me to understand what's happening. I'm reluctant to "just drink as much as I want", not sure that will work for me, or if I can handle it. I am trying to be mindful of my desire for alcohol, and if I think I can stop without craving, I stop (even though I could keep on drinking). I guess my short term goal is that I want to gradually detox to the point where I'm sleeping better, and with that I think my anxiety and depression will improve. If that happens I think exercise won't be such a chore and my long term outlook will improve, mind and body.