I am reaching my first anniversary employing TSM. I have been compliant with the method the whole time. My drinking is less than it was before I started but still about 14-20 drinks a week. I do find it easier to go 3-4 days at a time without drinking. All that said, I expected to be drinking less than I currently am one year into this. Does anyone have any thoughts?

Duece, it just takes longer for some. From what I've seen, the bulk of people take 6 months to a year. We get one of the 3 month wonders over at OSL maybe once every month or two. As long as you're making progress, just stick with it.

How are you doing with actually craving the next drink vs. habitual drinking? Are you keeping the drink by your side? Any other meds involved?

I wouldn't say that I "crave" the next drink when I'm drinking. I associate drinking with watching TV on the weekends so it just seems like the natural thing to do. The biggest difference I have noticed is that once I go a day without drinking I don't really want to. Drinking seems to beget more drinking but the opposite is true as well. I'm thinking I should go a whole weekend without drinking and see what that does for me.

I think a ban on drinking while watching TV would be a good experiment. Also, when you do drink, don't keep the drink by you. It can lead to mindless chain-sipping. Keep it in another room and keep a tasty NA drink close by, even a NA beer if you like.

I think it depends on what your goals are. Do you want to totally stop drinking or drink 'normally.' For an adult male 2 - 3 drinks a night is 'normal' so that would put you at 15-21 drinks a week. You sound like a person for which TSM is working however I don't know what your drinking was like prior to TSM or what your goals are. I'm still doing 20 drinks plus a week if I drink on any given weeks. But for me it was a tremendous success because my goal first of all was never to quit but rather to drink normally and I went from an average of 110 drinks a week to 20.

But like you I still have bad habits that are hard to kick. BUt also like you I don't suffer the addiction like I did in the past. If I make the choice to not drink on any given day I'm not punished with terrible thoughts, anxiety and physical withdrawal.

So that's a win!

TSM alone IMO will not help you quit drinking, you need to exercise mindfulness and other techniques to beat the addiction. Congrats on the one year mark and what appears to be a reasonable amount of success.