Newlife you feel a bit despondant. How about you turn that into determination?

Two options have some more of your enjoyable AF days, recognise when drinking that you might not want to drink so much and have a go at stopping part way through a session.

Both things that could reduce your intake and break some habits.

You are right UK blonde, despondent is a good description of where I am, today at least. Your suggestions are good ones, and it helps when they come from someone who has done this successfully. Thanks for reaching out. Newlife

I completely agree with UKBs post.

The best result with the Sinclair method is to get to the point where you simply don't want to drink, and therefore can take it or leave it. Setting limits, spacing drinks, deciding to not drink at all on any given day are all steps that will help you to get there.


Wait an hour after a drink, and see if you still even want the second drink. Since you're not getting the usual Buzz, you likely won't. Over time it becomes about not wanting to drink in general because it doesn't bring a reward.

An alcohol free day, is a day without naltrexone, which is a GOOD DAY, because you're not blunting lifes usual joys.

The more you do this, the more it becomes your new reality.

UKB decided to simply not drink at all anymore, as she saw no reason to. I still like an occasional glass of something, ( mostly for the taste ) but rarely, usually only a few times a month. When I do drink something though, it doesn't lead to inebriation, as I'm not idrinking for that reason.

I think the biggest impediment to people here, is trying to imagine a life without alcohol, and what the hell would they do with themselves and all that free time. The more you create a life without excess alcohol, and see that it's a good life, you may decide that's the life you want.

Alcohol free days are not difficult or forced, they just have to be done. I suppose TSM may eventually work doing nothing but drinking and taking the medication, but for a lot of people on here that doesn't seem to be the case.

I know UKB And I will never go back to where we were, and have naltrexone to thank for that.

I can't agree more with this. And it can be harder than it even sounds.


I would rather phrase that "AF days should not be difficult or forced..." If you're forcing it, you probably should just take a Nal and drink over doing a one-day white-knuckler.

Newlife, do you find in your daily counts that the number shoots up after a AF days? That's what happened to me. After that first forced AF day, my next was a little over double what it would have probably been had i just had alcohol the day before as usual.

I am a little confused as you say you drank 19.5 Units last week. I measure in Drinks but really 19.5 Units is super low for a whole week. Maybe I am not understanding the Units thing but if I could drink ONLY that much I would not be an alcoholic. By my calculations is that if you drank 1 beer a day for the week that would be 19.6 Units???

Regardless of units/drinks, f you look at the log, 19.5 is nearly what Newlife was drinking before the Nal.

If you are drinking daily, alcohol free days Will seem inconceivable, but they are not. It makes perfect sense to drink moderately to help get you to that point however

I'm basing this on on myexperience, and it was nothing short of phenomenal. I too drank daily and dd nothing else, and expected the naltrexone to work it's magic, but it didn't

All of this of course is an opinion, and everybody is entitled to one. I would've found it very frustrating to wait one or two years to see good results. Actually frustrating is probably too soft a word.

Anyways, take my comments for what they're worth and good luck.

Cheeto: I don't know if the confusion is UK v. US units, as I think you are in Canada? I don't drink beer, but the way I am calculating it 1 beer would equal 1 unit. So 19.5 beers is WAY more than one a day. What I drink is either wine or hard liquor. So, for example, part of my 19.5 Units last week included Friday night, when I had two Cosmopolitans followed by 2 1/2 glasses of wine (total 4.5 Units), followed By Saturday when I had 6 glasses of wine. And even by US standards I probably cheat a bit because I think it is supposed to be 5 oz of wine whereas I am a heavy pourer. Anyway I figure as long as I am consistent in the way I count I can see my trends even if someone else would count the Units differently. BUT the real point is that after both nights, the next day I could not remember a good part of what went on during the evening, and I was hungover. And that has been standard for me for the past X years........X being more than I want to admit. What I do know is that I don't want to live like that any more.

Anyway, I am feeling GREAT today after 2 AF days in a row that really were pretty easy!! Spurred on by UK Blonde's post and helped by the fact that Cheeto, Guapo, Jackson and even those of you who are lurking here with out posting are rooting for me and care about my progress. I cannot thank you guys enough. Going to try going AF until Friday night, and then on Friday I am going to take Guapo's advice to heart about drinking more slowly, waiting an hour after the first drink. We will see where it goes!!

Thanks again to everyone of you here on this forum. NAL ON!! Hugs from Newlife

Newlife, do you find in your daily counts that the number shoots up after a AF days? That's what happened to me. After that first forced AF day, my next was a little over double what it would have probably been had i just had alcohol the day before as usual.[/quote]


Jackson, I haven't necessarily found the number to shoot up after an AF day. But I think that is because my pattern of many years has been heavy drinking on the weekends followed by a much more reasonable level, but still daily, drinking during the week. I do know what you mean, though, alcohol deprivation effect, I think the book would call it? And when first I was starting TSM I was of the mindset that if I did achieve an AF day I "deserved" a drink the next day as a treat. That is how my mind works way too often: I am stressed, I "need" a drink. I am sad, I "need" a drink. I just worked hard, I "deserve" a drink. Which is OK in moderation, but I seemed to have left the moderation behind way too long ago.........

No joke: I had the EXACT same bar tab last Saturday night! (granted, I kept drinking after I got home)