Snap,

This is wonderful news! It sounds like TSM is working for you.

I had to reread the book a few times to wrap my mind around what Sinclair declared as "cured", and I still have a hard time with it, but with you not having to climb the walls to have an AF day, it sounds like you are close.

Jaba

P.S. There is someone by the name Mokum that is thinking of starting TSM with Selincro, if you don't mind telling him about your experience with it, for it might help him decide.

Snap,

Boo is on Selincro and is feeling aches and pains at night. Do you feel this at times? If you do not mind answering her, for it has to be scary for her because she had cancer in the past and is afraid it might be coming back. (here is the link I hope it works viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4607) She is in the question section.

Thanks

Jaba

Hello - just thought I would pop in and catch up with everyone. It's great to see so many people experience success with TSM in the last few months. I finally seem to be getting somewhere too (about bloody time - I've been 100% compliant since November 2014!!)

Anyway, it was around Christmas that I realised that I need to put in more effort. Its funny because I read about people who have just suddenly lost interest in alcohol (like Maggie - amazing, I wish that had been how it was for me).

I started forcing AF days and was managing around 2 a week since Christmas. However, when I do drink I still don't seem to have that all important STOP button and end up drinking way more than I should.

I had a wake up call a few months ago. My son's girlfriend (who appears to come from a very 'nice' well to do family) confessed that her dad has been diagnosed with liver failure. He is only a few years older than me and I knew he had been signed off from work with 'depression' but apparently he had been hitting the bottle hard for a few years (funny as we've met him loads of times and I would never have guessed). I'm not sure what his diagnosis is - whether its reversible or not. Anyway, I started researching and almost scared myself to death. It says that you can get to end stage liver failure with very little symptoms at all. I had been have pains in my stomach (liver area) and looked bloaty around my stomach and convinced myself I was dying too. I also read that if you have fatty liver, you can completely reverse the damage with 2-4 weeks total abstinence and even liver failure can be reversed as long as you stop drinking altogether. I am too much of a chicken to go to the doctor for blood tests. I did have some about two years ago and they were normal then.

So the long and short of it is I am now averaging four or five AF days as week. On the days I do drink, I still drink more than I want to which is frustrating. I don't seem to be able to enjoy one or two glasses of wine and then stop. I drink a whole bottle and then start looking for other tipples to top up on.

I no longer get massive cravings like I used to though - it gets easier every day. I find that my first AF day is really easy, the second day I start to think about wine a bit and the third day I'm really wanting a drink (hence only managing four or five AF days rather than abstinence). On the day that I don't drink I feel amazing. I sleep like a baby right through the night and wake feeling refreshed. On the days I drink I have broken nights sleep and wake with terrible sweats throughout the night.

Another positive thing - I have been suffering from rosacea (blotchy red patches on my face) for several years and have tried all sorts of creams and antibiotics. But now that my drinking has cut right back, my skin has cleared up on its own.

Someone mentioned that a lot of cravings are caused by sugar dependency, so this week I am trying a new sugar-free regime to see if that helps to eliminate the niggly remaining cravings.

Anyway - for anyone who is struggling and feels like giving up on TSM - I have been doing this for 18 months now and although I am not by any means cured, my life is 100% better than it was before I started. Even with the use of Antabuse and Campral, even one AF day was virtually impossible then. I was struggling to function and my family life was suffering. Now my drinking is very much under control and alcohol takes up about 5% of my conscious thinking most days where as prior to TSM it would be all I could think about all day long.

I like your attitude, Snapdragon! Your perseverance and determination have really paid off. Keep it up and I have no doubt that you will be on the cured list!

Hi Snap, so happy to hear you are getting there and getting lot's of AF days under your belt each week. I too am worried about my liver as I am having pains too and don't want to go back to the Doctor again as last time my enzymes were really high.
I am at my wits end with every day feeling so bad after drinking and not remembering the night before so I put my foot down and have now had 3 AF days in a row and really think I need to go the abstinence route as I too can't put the brakes on when I drink as I usually go for 1 1/2 bottles of wine where I swear to myself I will stop at 1, ughhh!
I am also cutting out alcohol and sugar right now to hopefully lose some weight and maybe without sugar as you say will cut my cravings for alcohol.
I think your right that we need to force them to know how to get by each day without our alcoholic crutch.
Anyway so happy for you and hope you and I after our long TSM journey will be able to get on the Cured list soon!
Nal On
hugs xoxo

Hey Snap, how are you doing?
Nal On!

Snap and Cheeto - I was pleased to see that you (Cheeto) read Snap's post - you both started around the same time - Snap had been 100% compliant and yet still only recently has been having success - Cheeto - you have been up and down with your nal because of not being able to have it with you in Mexico so you might be behind the power curve - but have faith because it will work - like Snap, you are just taking longer!

I know you will both be fine - and Cheeto - I saw on your thread that you are having AF days - good for you !!!! You can do this!

Hugs to you both, Maggie x

Snap, Have not heard form you lately! Please let us know how u r doing. I also Pm'd you.
hugs xoxoxo
Nal On!