Really great job all41. I cannot wait to get to the point where I feel like I could do an AF week. As for the DW, I like what you said about the emotional bank account........just keep filling it up. Also just keep thinking positive things about her even when she may not be treating you so positively. Just keep visualizing the relationship you want to have with her and acting on that instead of what is in front of you. That will hopefully help to right the emotional bank account and give you the best chance for getting things as you want them to be. Great job!! Newlife

9 AF Days, that is totally awesome and sleeping like a baby is great!
I have not been able to exercise lately as I have had to put away my equipment until I finish selling my home but hopefully can get back into that soon.
I need to look into this Moderation Management.
Thanks for posting and so glad you are doing so well.
Nal On!

Well.........I'm no longer toying with the idea of doing a "Moderation Management 30"

I went to a MM F2F last night and made up my mind, 30 AF days days in a row or bust, and I want you guys to hold me to it!!!!!

Some days are proving easier than others to be sure, but overall it's manageable thanks to TSM. Simply having my Nal in my back pocket is a confidence booster.

Looking back I can say with some assurance that if I succeed it will be the first 30 in 3 decades!!! Scary thought but better late than never.

I had this thought last night, that I must have gone through whatever physical detox I had to a couple of months ago. All I can say is that I started out at 50-60 USA units a week and after 4 months was at 20-30 and felt a whole lot better. The added exercise regimen helped, but mostly I think that at some point I must have must have crossed a physical barrier. i could especially see it in my sleep patterns and daily energy levels. All told it was a painless process and therein lies the beauty of TSM. It's almost like a elegant solution to a complicated math problem. Now after 10 AF days in a row I can feel other changes taking place, but now its in the grey matter upstairs, and it's starting to feel kind of like a "cognitive detox". I'm curious to see what clarity the next 20 days will bring, and starting to plan for how to handle things after the 30 days are up.

Maybe I'll celebrate by writing Dr. Sinclair a thank you note instead of getting @#$%faced .

Sorry to tell you but:
Dr David Sinclair - mentor and friend of the highest order - passed away peacefully last night - 6 April - at his home near Helsinki. His contribution to the world of alcohol research is surpassed by no other. Many lives have been saved through his research.

I am so pleased to hear you are seeing changes, I'm also sorry that Dr Sinclair is no longer with us.

Well that is sad news, but when I stop to think about it for a minute, its also cause to celebrate a well lived and productive life.

He has helped so many, a true pioneer, and future is brighter for myself and others.

All - glad you are doing the 30 - I went to the mm website last night and it said that one should start by doing a 30 - I can't even do a 3, let alone a 30! But it sounds as if everything is falling into place for you and I am just so happy for you !

Hugs, Maggie x

You go all41!! So brave of you to do a 30. I can't even thing of that right now, but it will be nice for there to come a day when I can. What it really shows is that YOU are getting into the drivers' seat and taking control of the AL instead of letting it control you. I aspire to that. I have to look into Moderation Management as well, thanks for the input.
Newlife

I know they say that, but in reality I think very few people at MM really start with a 30, though there are many there working towards that as a goal. I lurked there for months just reading and learning before I made my first post , and I'm very much a newbie over there. The good thing is that they are very inclusive and accepting as an organization, and I think their philosophy is very sound. I look at their objectives and say to myself (if I'm being honest with myself) I have three choices:

1) let my life go to hell in a handbasket (been there done that - ain't going back)

2) learn to moderate with the help of TSM and MM

3) learn abstinence with the help of TSM

Right now I'm leaning towards #3 as an end goal, but I'll settle for #2 if I can keep safe about it.

You know I think there is a lot of change taking place here in the states with regard to alcohol use disorder and treatment. I think the religious based 12 step model is quickly losing it's grip and being replaced by options like TSM and MM that have a comparatively good track record. I'd like to think that 10 years hence it will be a very different playing field. To a certain extent change needs to be driven by the judiciary and the medical establishment, but demand and what insurers are willing to pay for has a say as well. If you were an insurance company which would you prefer, TSM at less than 5K (counselling included) or a 20K plus rehab that's likely to fail?

The cognitive detox you refer to, is an amazing and almost miraculous change that happens when you actually get away from alcohol. It comes as a surprise, and it continues to improve the longer you do it. The kicker is, you actually have to do some alcohol free time.

Good deal !!