ok, so I thought I'd finally stick my neck out with a progress thread of my own. so far, I'm pretty pleased. I'm drinking less, and thinking about drinking less as well. In general I've taken on a different attitude toward AL in general, and being on this site has helped a ton for support. it is greatly appreciated. not every day is easy, but I'm convinced something good is happening in my life because of TSM.

I used to have to MAKE SURE i got my AL in before or during certain events, (getting "primed"), as if it really made it more enjoyable. now having had some AF days (three in one week, which hasn't happened in YEARS), I'm not sure what the big deal was. I still enjoy beer and wine, but the first one doesn't lead to the automatic 3 the first hour or 5 within two hours, as was typical before. I'm not pouring my drinks out yet, but I think that has a lot to do with me being the tighta$$ that I am...

i've been buying my Nal online, but am now tempted to talk to my doctor about him prescribing it so it's cheaper. I've never taken ANY meds before, so I'm not sure if I want it in my medical records.....

it sounds like you're doing great zontar - well done on your AF's. it also sounds like your attitude to AL is changing too, which really is the whole point of TSM, so that's really encouraging too

keep up the good work

-badger

went out to dirt bike today and took along 7 beers (typical for the course of the day). drank 3 of them and really didn't have any desire for more. went out to dinner with my wife and had water. usually these activities are big "excuses" to drink and justify having a few more. I'm sort of "forgetting" to drink like I used to. I used to be WAY more preoccupied with my drinking plans. weird....

YAY Zontar. Good for you. xoxo Newlife

How lovely that this is happening for you Zontar! Isn't it an amazing feeling when ones attitude changes towards AL ? I am well pleased for you ....

Hugs, Maggie

well, backslid a little this week to my highest week since starting...

holiday weekend, much downtime, social events all led to a little more here and there and no AF days. funny though, I still feel more in control than I did before, as if I KNOW what I could have done differently. just habit, not actual craving.

had another good talk with my wife about how I'm glad I started TSM. funny, we never talked about alcohol before, and for me to come out about how I felt about it was a really big deal. I don't think she realized the power AL had on me, so it's been pretty humbling to admit it. I don't know where this is all going, but my attitude toward AL continues to evolve. the support here is awesome and much appreciated!

zontar

Zontar - I so agree about the support here - it really is wonderful! It helps no end to read how others are doing - and know that whatever the question, someone probably has the answer ..... or is just there to support us !! Which is why it is so important that we all post!

Love that you can feel the Nal working .....it does make us feel different about AL, I am sure !!

Hugs, Maggie

Good for you Zontar. Know where you are coming from. But it is still early on. Keep going. xoxo Newlife

This is a great way of saying what I've been feeling. I'm still not totally in control but still even the few times I've gone overboard it wasn't like I had a feeling of free falling. Or I guess a feeling like the alcohol overtook me. More that I overdid it. I knew what I was doing and only kept drinking out of nervous habit.

doing much better this week. went to back-to-back parties for extended periods of time (obligatory parties, for sure). friday I had two beers in the afternoon, and one at dinner before going to what I thought would be an AL-free event. when I got there there was tons of good wine and good beer layed out everywhere. I had one glass of wine and one beer in the 5 hours I was over there! I was hanging out with a non-drinker for much of the night, but that never would have made a difference before.

the next night was at a bar, where over 4 hours time I had two beers. previously I would have "primed" beforehand and drank a lot more.

also had a great talk with a good friend about my Nal adventures. she's the only other person who knows I'm on it besides my wife, so that was pretty cool to share with her honestly without drama.

haven't totaled up for the week, but should be about half of last week. and it wasn't hard. thanks again for the support!