Thanks for asking!

I was just on a fishing trip to the Florida Keys for a week. I was by myself with lots of temptation, but stayed compliant and had a couple of AF days while I was there. I can't quite say I'm cured but I felt like I was in control. A far cry from pre-TSM. Fished hard, rode a bike a lot, did some Bikram yoga, hung out at the beach, went to the gym. Came back 3 pounds lighter feeling good. I was in serious need of some sunshine!

Landed an 80 pound tarpon on a flyrod and lost three others, one well over 100 pounds

Your trip sounds awesome! I hope to be where you are someday - I am in need of some sunshine and fishing!! The weather has been so dreary and cold - Sounds like TSM is really working for you - thanks for sharing your progress - I am on my 2nd week and it really helps to read others progress! Have a great weekend . Ready

Yup Ready, it's definitely working. It was fast and furious out of the gate and then a gradual tapering off to where I am now in my 5th month. One thing I have really learned through the process is that if you look at your daily drinking patterns it looks chaotic, but if you look at it weekly it looks more like a rollercoaster with ups and downs but a visible trend downward. Monthly on the other hand is a downward trend, and there I can see an extinction curve that resembles what you see i the clinical studies. Everybody is different, but it requires patience, and you have to look past the trees to see the forest!

Good luck!

Hey folks, I haven't posted in a while so I thought I should check in and let everyone know I'm doing well

I guess I'm trying to divert my attention from alcohol and focus on other stuff, so I guess you could say I'm going with the flow of things. I'm staying 100% compliant with the golden rule but I did stop tracking when I got back from Key West. I keep my numbers up in my head, especially on a daily basis, but I felt like I was maybe overly focused on alcohol. Tracking was unquestionably a good process for the first few months but for now I want to sit back and let TSM do it's thing and try to enjoy my life.

On the positive side my weight is down to 180#, down 17 from January, and I feel really good about that. I'm exercising close to 500 minutes a week, which is a lot (probably too much for a man my age), but it feels good even with the NAL. I'm back to doing yoga after a long hiatus, I'm getting re-certified for scuba, and of all things I'm thinking about taking horseback riding lessons this spring. I guess If I take a step back and do a self-assessment I see changes in my life much for the better. Looking back to where I was a year ago it's like night and day.

I wish I had more AF days, and I'm nowhere near calling it a cure, but old habits die hard and I'm in this for the long haul. I just had a ton of blood work done for an upcoming physical.....looking forward to the results.

That article posted from the Atlantic was very well written.

Peace and Sucess to all!

Congrats all41, a miracle. Nothing can stop you now. Peace.

That is wonderful all41 good for you. Really good news about the weight loss and getting lots of exercise. Keep going!! New life

Finishing up an ALCOHOL FREE WEEK here folks!

And you know what, It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, and I'm seriously toying with the idea of turning it into a "Moderation Management 30", but no pressure with TSM in my back pocket.

A time to sit back and do a self assessment.

On the down side I thought things at this point would be improving with my DW but it's rough, maybe one too many withdrawals on the emotional bank account, hard to say. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that while I'm doing my best to look forward, she is having trouble forgetting the past.

WELL DONE all41 !! That is great - I am so very happy for you - it all sounds as if things are falling into place for you ..... as for the DW, it will take time - it took a long time to get where you were so I suppose it is understandable that things will be rocky until the trust is back in place.... although it probably seems ages to you - plus you feel differently inside which is different to all the other times that you have tried - so it really is different and DW will eventually believe that ........

Hugs, Maggie x

Thanks for the kind words Maggie.

9 AF days in a row here and going strong. It's nice to be nal-free for a while, and It's getting easier......I'm exercising daily and sleeping like a baby.

This abstinence test makes it clear to me that five months of TSM has in fact made a big difference, but the change has been so slow that it became almost imperceptible.

This process isn't the same for everyone, but for me TSM and Moderation Management go well together. TSM got me to the point where I could rationally and objectively begin to apply the concepts of MM, which a year ago (at 50-60 USA units a week) would have been pretty much unimaginable. I'm very fortunate that there are face 2 face MM meetings here in St Louis: a smart group of people, open to what I'm doing with TSM, and very supportive.

Take care and peace to all

Awesome job all41!! That is amazing!! Your progress is so encouraging and I think I am going to look into the MM groups you mentioned. Thank you for sharing that info!