TTC -

I think you're off to a good start and yes, it's about hills and valleys! Great attitude!

Are you trying to resist the cravings to have the first drink? Don't do that, you want to take that opportunity to have an extinction session by following the Golden Rule. Using mindfulness during and after the 1st drink is the ticket, for sure.

You might want to make sure you have a few Nal with you wherever you go, maybe put a couple in plastic wrap in your wallet or in your glove compartment or the like, so if you feel like you might want a drink after (golf, etc) you can fit another extinction session in. If you don't want a drink, don't bother with the Nal as the craving needs to be present for the optimal effect.

Thanks for the update and I hope you shake that cold soon!

Wow!! I'm almost 4 weeks into TSM and have felt that the time has flown by.

I'm still drinking every night but have not had a hangover since starting in Nal. I find the the Nal allows me to make the drink last longer. One thing I notice is that I hardly crave beer anymore. My nights have been taking my pill...maybe having 1 beer after 90min then having 4-7 units of brandy (my drink of choice for now.). Although this seems high (not as high as pre Nal) I am spreading the drinks over longer periods and not sprinting (I normally drink pretty fast) as much as in the past.

My habit of having AL before bed still haunts me but I feel like I have more control over my drinking...more then I can ever remember!!

My SE are very minimal now (head feels foggy if I take the Nal on an empty stomach) but waiting that 1hr + makes me feel more empowered.

I am dedicated to following the golden rule and seeing lower #'s over time. I still check the board daily and am wishing everyone the best.

Will check back in later!!

ttc,

Time certainly does fly by. Great to hear that you are recognizing those slow and steady changes that occur. No worries about drinking every day as long as you follow the GR. I recently looked back over my posts as I just hit the 8 month mark. Pretty amazing how I can now really see how the little improvements kept adding up. Until now I feel I am at the 90% mark in my goal to have total control over AL. The next 10% will come just like the rest did - slow and steady.

Keep up the great work and congratulations on overcoming the SEs!

Reboot...following you, Joe, Maggie and others is what allows me to see light at the end of the tunnel. For me, you guys and many others have been an inspiration. Thanks for the continued support.

Btw...your #'s are awesome!!

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since I've posted but I still view others posts almost daily! It's great to see some of the progress that people are making...keep it up!!

I wanted to post today because I'm having a difficult time believing in the process. I know that this is normal!! As I look at my #'s I can see that my drinking has decreased...but it doesn't FEEL like it has. I guess this is the part I'm having the most problems with.

I follow the golden rule...always. I just seem to be in a habit state now...I know what I can drink while on the pill, so I do it! Sometimes, even when I don't want to.

Does/has anyone else felt like this? I really would like some support on this as this forum helps me greatly!!

I wouldn't worry about it too much TTC, you're still early days and you've gotten a pretty good reduction so far. Maybe just work on those days when you really don't feel like drinking and see if you can get some other interest going, like a yoga class or something that you can plug into on short notice, so you get into the habit of listening to your brain on those days that you're ambivalent about drinking and "seize the ambivalence" so to speak.

TTC,

I could have written this (and most likely did somewhere here), for I thought I wasn't seeing any progress and I was almost drinking back up to pre TSM levels. To top it off my husband was questioning this method as well and he never said a thing about my drinking before, so I was full of doubt.

The good news is things changed, but it was a slow and gradual progression. I would notice little things like I didn't have that anxiety waiting for that hour to lapse, my head would be clearer because it wasn't foggy from the night before, or it would be bedtime and I realized I didn't finish my glass. I thought of those as little triumphs, but they are actually big ones, for that is your brain letting go.

So, just don't think about your intake, think about the little things that have changed, and how your cravings been.

Your brain is just getting started in this process, so like a child is testing you and filling you full of doubt. Don't let it! Remember that a minimum of people see results by 3 months, most see results 4-6 months, so you have a while before things start really kicking in.

Also, I would play mind games with myself to help get out the habit. I would delay in taking my pill, I would wait longer than an hour etc, for I wasn't able to have an AF day until longer down the road, so I would do anything to break up my ritual of nightly drinking.

And you are doing remarkable well, for your intake is down a lot and you are able to have AF days...amazing!

You are not alone in feeling this way, and I think it is pretty normal. Hang in there and remember with time and compliance things will change.

Jaba

Thanks Jaba & JSP...Today was a day when I really needed the encouragement!! It meant a lot!

I think your numbers look great TTC. Well done and go the NAL.

MD

congrats and keep it up! you're really doing well. it's still early and you're seeing things really happening...