Thanks Joe! I'm ordering off the net, I started march of 2013. It seemed like it was working but my sex life went way down hill so I stopped and my drinking picked back up again. It works but it I try to override it I guess? Than my mindset gets to be like I wanna feel what "drunk" used to feel like. I've defiantly had my battles taking the nal, the way I am trying to look at it is that it is my only hope.

Well, I guess you can take a look at it as a kind of continuum, but it sounds like the drinking level is vectoring down on the whole as the years go by. I don't think you should have a negative outlook about it, you're getting there in your own way.

Have you tried the "Alcohol Free Weekend" technique? Are you taking any other meds? Some step on the Nal and won't let it work right.

On this leg of the journey, might be helpful if you could get with a therapist once you get the drinking under control, maybe do some CBT and see if it can help you get into some other habits that you get your warm and fuzzy feelings from (or whatever feelings you might be chasing with the booze). Gotta fill that vacuum with something healthy! The Alcohol Free Weekend should help with that too, sex is a great 3rd day activity after you let the Nal wash out of your system the prior two days.

I have calmed down but I am still drinking way above healthy levels. I haven't tried Alcohol free weekend" honestly to scared too you know how our drug works I guess.

I don't know how to get a therapist..what insurance covers that? I know about the vaccum, I just haven't had it in a long time. I'm scared to do anything else or afraid nothing can compare....just being honest...

Hmmm. What are your numbers looking like now?

Seems like you might be imagining a cohesive plan, is something starting to coalesce out there in the mist? As I've cut my intake, it feels like parts of my brain are beginning to turn back on, thought I'd sacrificed them to the Beer God some time ago. Maybe that's what you should shoot for?

WRT insurance, I guess it depends on what type you have. I thought ACA marketplace policies covered mental health benefits. If no, then there are often community options out there, sliding scale and the like. Well, if you'd like it, I think there's some way you can get it without chewing up the budget.

Are you using any other meds? Some AD's seem to cause more drinking for some, less drinking for others, no change for others yet. Of course benzodiazepines walk on TSM, so that needs to be re-thought.

I like that you're being honest about it. I'm not a doc so I can't really advise you as such, but if you feel like leaning on the community more, we'd like to help you get to where you want to be, one way or the other.

What's WRT insurance? ACA is a joke here we have only insurance carrier blue cross blue shield, my alcohol intake is still going down but I don't measure because I drink to much to measure (at the end of the night who is counting) but I am sober enough to be writing this at 11:20pm so that is encouraging.

WRT - abbreviation for "with respect to"

So I guess it would be community resources if you were inclined to get some therapy, might be able to look that up online or find someone who would adjust their fees according to your income. Not that you'd need it for TSM, but it could be useful to have something to fill the empty space once you start drinking less and less. This time around you may just automatically fill that in though.

So, what's your drinking style like? Bingers have AF days, but it sounds like you drink every day. Do you have a start time or do you drink all day?

"... but I am sober enough to be writing this at 11:20pm so that is encouraging."

When did you start taking Nal again?

Also, let us know if you're taking any other meds, it can really have an impact in some cases.

Thanks for filling me in on WRT! Yeah I'm not a binger, I drink every day. I started taking Nal again bout a month ago, I can already tell a change. Most of the time I get home I take Nal at 5 start drinking round 6:30 drink till around midnight, get up in the morning take 4-5 shots, then I take 4-5 shots at lunch. I'm a big guy though so it don't get me hammered just keeps the edge off.

Ok, it sounds kind of like you're a maintenance drinker, so I can see how you might have a hard time with an AF day at this point.

Now, one thing to note is that 50mg of Nal is only going to cover you for 12 hours, so if you get up the next morning and have some shots, you're unprotected and driving yourself in reverse, and that's going to make difficult for you to win. So you would need to take a Nal when you wake up, then wait an hour and have the shots. That dose will carry you till your evening session. You may find that you don't care to drink as many shots during the day, but you may have to force them down to keep the edge off anyway, you will have to see. Best to start the extra dose on a weekend when you don't have a lot to do, just so you can see how it works and how little alcohol you can get away with. Well, I may be preaching to the choir here, but you haven't said you take a 2nd dose, so I thought I would cover that issue.

I'd suggest you send an email to Joanna@CThreeEurope.com . She's a certified alch counselor and is a TSM'er herself. Over in the UK, it's frequently required patients have counseling set up before they can get Selincro (which is their version of Naltrexone), so CThree Europe volunteers to provide them with formal alcohol abuse counseling. They also provide informal counseling for TSM'ers here in the States. Anyway, Joanna has quite a bit of experience and I think she could give you some very good guidance on how to proceed. You may also want to set up an account at Options Save Lives, as she often posts over there :

http://optionssavelives.freeforums.net/

I go by the same name over there, btw.

So, there you go, what do you think?

I think your the most helpful guy on here haha! I'll email her and sign up over there. No I don't take it in the morning, here is the screwed up part. I know what it's doing to my life but at the same point, I'm wanting to hold unto the buzz so I try to sneak and cheat a little even though I know in my hearts of heart that I am cheating myself. What a dilemma this evil little beast alcohol puts us in.

Thanks, smootie!

Let me forewarn you, OSL is more keyed towards strict TSM, while I notice folks may take a bit more latitude on this board.

Maybe get Joanna's advice and consider sticking with TSM for awhile. Would you say it's mainly boredom or is it depression that makes you want to drink off the Nal? It would be great to have something in place so that's not chewing on your peace when you get the drink out of the way.