Bardo,

I am so sorry that your doctor was "too busy" to help you, for I think that is just a way for her to push you to someone else. I have never in my life seen so much resistance; however, you would have to find an open-minded doctor to allow you to be a guinea pig.

What you are doing is a little difference from the rest of us, for we are drinkers and you are sober.

I think the if we used the term "pharmacological extinction" (for that is what TSM is) we may get a better response from the medical field, for those words say exactly what we are doing. We just call it TSM because it is short and sweet; besides the man who figured out that it can be done. I think when they hear "TSM", it is almost like saying you are interested in doing the HCG Diet/or Atkins because you are obese, and most doctors will think you are looking for a quick fix that will not last and impossible to do! I agree with you about saying you want nal. to reduced cravings, for that is what I am going to be telling my doctor.

Bardo,

I am excited and scared for you. I do hope that this will work for you. You are taking such a big risk; however, I do know that you have taken your time to research this and you have giving this a lot of thought.

Please start a progress page in the progress section if you have the time. We will be able to see your progress and it will be helpful for those that are in the same place that you have been.

Don't let us hanging to wonder have things go for you! Please keep posting,

Jaba

Bardo: I am sorry for your experience with your doctor. It is so interesting the variety of responses that folks have gotten. But knowing how well this works and really believing in it, it makes me mad that the professionals who are supposed to be helping people are standing in the way.

Please do order online (that is what I have done). This is a safe medication and you need to get started. Maybe you will find a more receptive doctor later.

Looking forward to reading your progress updates!

xoxo Newlife

Having read The Cure For Alcoholism, and based on the fact that you found your way here, I think you should buy the book and a supply of Naltrexone (knowing full well that this will likely precipitate your drinking again) and prepare for the inevitable.

The most amazing thing I learned from the book was on this topic. I had always thought that any addiction (alcohol, heroin, etc) would be abolished by sustained abstinence. We all saw Rio Bravo, after all.

But the book details how the addiction never goes away. Not even years in jail can abolish it. In fact, it just makes it worse to the point where when we finally give in, we give in with a vengeance. A very destructive vengeance.

I am amazed now when I read the local paper about the increase in heroin ODs. Almost all of the deceased had been recently released from jail. But the reasoning they give is that their tolerance for heroin had gone down while in jail.

Wrong says Dr. Sinclair. Rather their need had gone way up, and they acted accordingly. I imagine our fellow bingers here are in this category. It makes sense to me in my own life because I never once denied myself alcohol. Owing to that, I never once went on a "binge" where so much of the destructive behavior occurs. I just stayed on a drunken even keel, if you will.

None of us want to tell any one who is abstaining to drink. But if you are living on pins and needles (and you are because you found your way here) and believe the science in the book (which makes complete sense to me), - I wouldn't want to live like that. All my life I tried to envision what a life without alcohol would be like, -and it was always a nightmare.

After TSM, there are no nightmares, and complete control of alcohol.

According to Dr. Sinclair, the odds are overwhelming that you are going to fall of the wagon. If you do so without a Nal in your system, you'll be on your way to one hell of a bender.

Get the Nal. Be safe.

Clarion, that statement struck a never with me, for that live in boyfriend that was a drunk was in jail for over 2 years and he came out drinking more than he ever did before going in and never had a drop inside.

Jaba

I am going to bump it Japa, because we both know that this fact is a big deal, and very poorly understood.

Wow, a little over a week on TSM. I’m no longer powerless over alcohol…at least so far. But it’s huge. I have wine bottles on the counter at home with no compulsion to consume them. I would say that Naltrexone works fast. I drank 4oz glasses of wine and one beer averaging two drinks per night with two AF days. By the second drink each night my interest had waned. Not apparent was my typical hunger for more, more, more… And the disinterest continued into my days – no cravings. There was excitement over drinking again so it wasn’t void of all emotion. I enjoyed having a beer with pizza and wine with a nice meal again. I would say I’m forming a new relationship with alcohol. You can feel the alcohol in your body, but the ‘ahhh’ moment and buzz is gone. I did however still find it relaxing in some sense though this might be a phantom. Regardless, the first hurdle has been crossed. I am not immediately spinning out of control, am a quick responder to the medication and have total control over my alcohol consumption. It is miraculous for someone with my history.

Moving forward I am operating under the scientific theory that one can deaddict themselves to alcohol over the course of months. That with an ongoing push and pull of unrewarded drinking and activities otherwise subject to positive endorphin reinforcement some sense of cool boredom can be cultivated in my relationship to alcohol. Extinction I would posture. As someone else stated this is not a measurable thing and certainly subjective if even true. Only time will tell.

I am having trouble with my relationship to AA namely not wanting to attend meetings. It’s hard receiving a message that runs entirely counter to your own direction and therein causes some neurosis. Going into this I imagined a conflict with some of the doctrine might arise as Naltrexone nullifies it. While that may be the case the bigger issue is no longer relating to the struggle to maintain sobriety. There is a palpable sense of separateness - separate from the message, separate from the people. I’ve yet to share my new course with friends in the program. The addiction psychologist I see suggested that I must be excited to tell them. I countered that instead loss was felt. It’s a 15 month chapter in my life coming to an abrupt close and I’m fairly sure most of the relationships won’t weather it well.

All in all I feel liberated, empowered and pleased.

I appreciate all the support I’ve found on the board. Thank you.

What a great post! I'm waiting on my first Nal and will hopefully be starting next week.

It's very encouraging to hear of your success so far.

Kitty X

Wonderful news, Bardo. I am glad that you responded so quickly. I think you are probably right about your AA friendships not weathering your change in perspective well, but hopefully some will survive. I can certainly understand why attending meetings would make no sense now.

Keep us posted.

Dee

Sounds great bardo. If this is a honeymoon phase for you don't be concerned. The majority of people who start TSM tend to go up in numbers after the first week or so but that's normal. IF you are like me then the key to the problem being the chase is cut off and you respond instantly. I always said that the reason I drink is because I drank. It only took one drink, even jsut a sip really, and the insane chase to get back to the first rush of the day was on. TSM cut that off instantly. After that you are left with all the other reasons why you drink. In my case there were really not a whole lot except for the habits like going out with friends, doing yard work and 'deserving' a beer, and so on. But even then those habits in the past were jsut an excuse to have one beer. Nothing wrong with having one beer except if that one beer starts off what almost feels like an allergic reaction that kicks in this insane desire, really a primal need, for more lest I get sick both physically and psychologically. With TSM I can have that well deserved beer and move on.

Yes there still is a physical reaction to drinking. That's the other part of what alcohol does. It also seems to me that there is another power in TSM that is almost a placebo effect. You can still drink unlike AA based abstinence so that even though the drink is not providing the reward in a chemical biological sense in regards to the opiodergic response you still 'get' to drink and that provides some other sort of positive reinforcement. You learn to become in control and that you can take charge of the situation rather then living in constant fear of it. It's empowering. That's my own personal hypothesis. But I think it makes sense.

Right on, Ocean!

I tell ya it's uncanny. I just did two AF days totally indifferent. I have a nice bottle of bubbly for tonight, though. It's all very exciting.