UK Blonde how wonderful about the changes in your partner. And yes, reducing or eliminating AL will surely make him a lot healthier for a lot longer. That alone is a really good reason to try TSM. Glad that has worked out for you.

Have a good week, all! xoxo Newlife

UKB, I am SO happy with the way things have worked out for both of you. I know that hubs would never take Nal but he can stop for a few weeks but then when he drinks again it is straight back to his high levels. I am hoping that when I finally get to where you are, because I will not be drinking, he won't either.....he does go for a while but then if he gets some for me then he might be tempted to get some.

It all sounds really good for you...just hoping that you sort the food issues out !

Hugs, a Maggie x

That was really well said. I need to re-learn how to reward myself without alcohol and let alcohol eventually be "that thing we drink on occasions with friends."

Thanks for sharing UKB

I was just reading through this thread and take on board your comment UK - regarding the frustration of people on here who are doing TSM but not cutting back drinking. I know I am one of the people you refer to and agree with your sentiment totally. However, I genuinely thought that was what we were supposed to do with TSM - to carry on drinking as you always have and wait for the pill to 'do its thing'. I've read threads saying you shouldn't force AF days and others saying you should - and to be honest it is very confusing.

I've been reading Maggie's progress and decided to follow suit. I'm going to start taking small does of AB to kick things off and start forcing some AF days, but I wonder if others are in the same boat? Waiting for a miracle which actually won't happen unless you put in extra effort and go cold turkey?

good luck with the AB. it seems to be the trick with certain people.

I sort of think of taking AF days or consciously cutting back like when you sprain your ankle really bad. For a few days you have to keep seated, maybe just limping a little when you really need to, but after a while of healing, there comes the time you have to start trying out walking normally again. It can be very comfy and warm and safe and pain free keeping to bed with your ankle wrapped up, but you sorta need to push yourself back on your ankle and get moving again.

Yes, sometimes you go to far and try to do too much and it hurts more. So you back off of it again then start going even more slowly. But there's never a clear division of either you can't ever use this ankle again vs. after X amount of time off the ankle, you're going to get up and run a marathon (or whatever else you used to do). There's a gray area between "broken" and "healed."

Pretty tired metaphor, I know, but it's how I think of it.

The only way to get to a life of not drinking or drinking minimally is to actually drink minimally or not drink. Whether you think it's difficult, whether you think it's tough, or you think it's impossible, if you can't do it, then you cannot expect a pill to fix You.

Naltrexone is not magic, it will not fix a long term drinking problem if you continue to do the same behavior,. History is going to just keep repeating itself. Naltrexone works by decreasing the reward from drinking, which makes future drinking less desirable. That's all it does, and it does it well .

I have spent over a year following the threads on this forum, and I've seen success in a few people, all of which have decided to drink significantly less or not at all. I have seen almost no success with those that continue to drink as they always have, and expect a magical change.

Having followed TSM myself, I was surprised by the results, (actually lack of results),but they are real.

Simple review of the threads on this forum will show this is completely accurate.


I posted on here many times that more effort is required than simply taking a pill, and going about your business. It is completely up to each person whether to believe that or not, or just follow the golden ruler of taking a pill and doing nothing.

The whole idea here is to change your behavior, and taking the pill and continuing to drink as before is not changing behavior. You still think and behave like an addict because you are still drinking every day. Nothing has changed. The only way for your thinking and feelings regarding alcohol to change, is to NOT DRINK.

I wanted to get better, and defeat a serious drinking problem, so I did the extra effort, and it paid off.

My two cents worth, take it for what you will.

Guapo, you are absolutely right and we all need to hear it. Thank you for caring and helping. It means a lot. XOXO Newlife

When I saw the posts saying "UK says this", I was a bit scared that I've been too harsh but reading Guapo's post I cannot agree more with what he says.

The people I know who have had success wanted it and did something about it. They did things to break the habit, which after the initial phase of TSM (by which I'm meaning at least 6 weeks in), mostly involved actively deciding not to drink for as long as they could, or purposely reducing the amount they drank each session.

I think addiction is complex, hell we all know it is otherwise we'd all not have had a problem.

Yes the book says take the pill and it'll do the work, the book is optimistic about a lot of things such as the 80% success rate and 3 month success period. The optimism is probably a result of the clinical conditions.

This is real life not a nice little study.

Okay.

Alcohol is a depressant, although there is a temporary period you think you're happy . It is ultimately a depressant.

Naltrexone blocks the pleasure of alcohol, and other aspects of life, therefore it is also a depressant.

Continuing to overuse the depressant alcohol, and then add the depressant naltrexone to the mix , and Voila ! More depressantness !!

Drinking less alcohol however, and only using the naltrexone to block the temporary reward of alcohol, will lead to extinction.

You won't want to drink, because it's not fun, but you'll also be much happier, because you're not drinking and experiencing the depressant effects of the alcohol. It's crazy to want to use naltrexone every day, because then you blunt the pleasure of other things, such as exercise, sex, and life in general.

Therefore, limiting alcohol, and using naltrexone infrequently, limits your exposure to these depressant substances.

since drinking and naltrexone together are a double whammy regarding depression, there's not any real incentive to drink. Now alcohol free days, are days when you're not taking active measures to become depressed.

You can still drink if you want, but somehow it won't be appealing like it was. Being clearheaded and in control is much more appealing. What's good about getting drunk?

Lets just say your perspective regarding alcohol will change dramatically, but cannot change unless alcohol stops being the focus of your life.