hi all,

quick update on my week 2 progress

after going a bit nuts in week 1, I've calmed it down the last few days. I've left starting drinking until much later, eaten before I've started drinking, & limited the amount to AL I have in the house. it's worked rather well & in spite of having a heavyish weekend still - although nothing like I would have had previously - I've been perfectly happy with a few beers or a couple of glasses of wine on each of the last three nights, it's also taking me forever - an hour to an hour and a half - to drink each drink, whereas before I would have been gulping them down & worrying about where the next one was coming from

so, week 1 I drank 143 UK units; this week it was 94

as for SE's - nothing except that Nal+drinking makes me rather sleepy. I'm usually a terrible insomniac, so this SE is actually rather welcome!

I'm really encouraged by this - I'm aware it could be a honeymoon period - & definitely hoping that it will continue. I'm planning on doing at least a couple of AF days this week, so fingers x'd

-badger

Well done Badger and congrats!

Sounds great Badger, starting off with a significant decline and minimal SEs!

It also sounds like you're being conscious and aware of your cravings and only drinking when you feel the need. Definitely the way to go (JMHO)! Just as an FYI, I thought I was in a "honeymoon" at first, but now a month in what I'm experiencing is looking more like a steady decline in my craving (and consumption).

If we work with the toolbox given to us by Sinclair and science, someday we'll all be on the other side!

Congrats badger on week 2! Isn't it great to get over the hurdle of the SE's and get on with TSM. They can be a bugger in the beginning but hey if that is all we have to go through to end this hell of addiction bring it on, eh!
Lucky you to have your consumption go down so significantly in just 2 weeks, Yay!!!!
Thank you for posting, love reading on how all us Newbies are doing week to week...

Well done Badger - great progress. I think that trying to drink later is a good goal. I always used to have my first drink of the day at 6pm (sometimes a bit before if i was desperate). In the last couple of weeks I've been trying to take my pill at 6pm or even 6.30pm and not have my first drink until 7 or 7.30pm.

My worst habit is drinking whilst I'm cooking - so now, I start cooking without AL and then have a glass when the hour is up - usually just before I'm ready to dish up food. I think that if I can get to the point where I don't have my first drink until I actually sit down to eat then I will have broken the back of this habit. Still a work in progress though.

thanks for the replies

I've been reading quite a lot on the HAMS site - http://www.hamsnetwork.org/ - which has some useful stuff about Moderation & Harm Reduction. I particularly like this 'cheat sheet':

http://www.hamsnetwork.org/mods/

I don't think a little sensible moderation alongside the Nal should affect TSM & the extinction process too much

-badger

week 3 update ...

bit of a jump in consumption this week, mostly due to going overboard fri/sat which accounted for half my week's units. I had a few nights where I just had a couple, & felt content with that, but when I've gone past that, I've kept going, even whilst consciously knowing that there's no point as I'm not getting the buzz. stupid really, maybe just habit & drinking it because it's there. I'm going to have to be stricter with myself & only have what I intend to drink in the house, & try for a few AF days

that aside, I'm feeling generally better about myself. I think that doing *something* positive about my drinking has lifted the hopelessness and guilt/shame, & taken some of the pressure off. I'm out of the drink-to-feel-better cycle that I was in, & am not getting the terrible sweaty, shaky hangovers with my anxiety through the roof that I was previously. I've cleaned & tidied my place, made a start on some long-put-off tasks, & even put up some xmas decorations for the first time in 10+ years!

I've stocked up on 3 months' Nal, so I'm committed to the long haul. as much as I would have loved to be a quick responder, this is clearly not going to be case with me, I have a lot of drinking to un-learn. in the grand scheme of things, a few months isn't so much compared to half a lifetime's drinking

-badger

When was the last time you had an alcohol free day (minus when you may have been ill)? What worries you the most about doing it?

I did three consecutive days about a month ago (pre-TSM). it doesn't worry me particularly, I just sleep very badly

Well done badger! You're showing signs you're a good candidate and the nal is working, congrats. Stay the course and behold a miracle. You will transform into a completely different person and those feeling of hopelessness, guilt and shame will only be a distant memory. Applause!