I have noticed that I get hung over a little bit easier on TSM than before I started. The hang over is not particularly severe because I am not drinking at the levels I used to drink, however, if I have say four glasses of wine in one night I will almost always wake up with a headache the next day. Whereas I could drink double that amount pre-TSM and not have a headache. Of course I would be dehydrated and tired but I would usually not have a headache. I am also starting to notice myself question whether having these headaches is worth the experience of drinking four glasses of wine the night before. Not only do I experience this questioning while I experience the headache but I am also experiencing the questioning before I actually start drinking. This is definitely a new development. All of this strengthens my assumption that I am making progress using TSM.


I must admit that I am also sort of longing for the good old days when drinking was more fun. This past week I went to a neighborhood event where a local craft brewery had a table where they were handing out free cups of the various beers they had on tap. The first couple of beers were good but I found myself rapidly running out of steam after that. By that I mean, I can remember in my pre-TSM days just getting started with two beers and a night (hopefully) of good times would follow. But on this night I just felt tired and headachy after two beers. I still went home and had a couple of glasses of wine but I can appreciate that my whole psychology towards drinking is in flux. As I said, I am a little nostalgic for the good old days but not enough to give up on TSM. I started this for a reason and that reason is that I wanted a better life than I had been living.


All this is to say that I am beginning to see the headache as an ally or a necessary evil. I still seem to want (on some level) to drink past the point at which I get a headache. I assume this desire will diminish over time. But I also still do not feel like I have fully reaped the rewards of increased sobriety. In other words, if I am not going to drink I want to at least feel like I am more fulfilled or productive in other areas of my life. I must be at least a little more productive but as yet I do not really feel that to be the case. The good news, I suppose, is that I think I am heading in that direction.

W1 – 18 D
W2 – 22 D
W3 – 15 D
W4 – 26 D
W5 – 13 D
W6 – 18 D
W7 – 24 D
W8 – 25 D
W9 – 15 D
W10 - 13 D
W11 - 11 D
W12 - 22 D
W13 - 26 D
W14 - 19 D
W15 - 19 D

Great observations, Deuce.

Deuce - I STILL have times when I wish I could 'have a drink' like the old days - but just do not want to. I loved your observations and am loving that the Nal is obviously starting to work well for you. It IS hard for us to go with the changes as we have been drinking for so long that it is a huge change - one that in my opinion anyway, is easier to handle the physical changes rather than the mental and emotional changes. In some ways I think it is good that the Nal takes so long (pretty much) to work - it gives us more time to assimilate those changes that are so hard for us. Just go with the flow ..... and keep observing your changes. I think it is terrific!

Hugs, Maggie

Thanks Maggie. Thanks Mr. Sixpack. For better or worse I will continue down this path.