D2M,

I would say that your experience with NAL is not the norm. In fact, many of us feel more of a buzz after the first couple drinks after taking NAL than we would without NAL. I get just as drunk just as quickly on Nal as I do off Nal.

With respect to drugs, be aware that NAL and opiate based pain medications (e.g., Oxycontin) do not mix at all. In fact, you could wind up killing yourself if you combine the two in an extreme situation.

Q

DTM, not sure but from you post it sounds like you could be in a rather strong depression and maybe it was brought about by cutting down on your alcohol. You could also be going through extinction rather fast, not sure of that either. You don't sound to be the norm here but what is the norm? I hope you can hang in there and maybe talk to someone about the way that you are feeling in general. I have had a few bouts of feeling down also and know it is because I used alcohol to cover many things in life. Good luck with all of this and hope this will be food for thought.

It's ironic that this post is here. I woke up wanting to post something similar. Yesterday I had three doubles at my friend's place over 2 hours which put me right at .8, the legal limit. Something was definitely missing as I barely felt buzzed. I came home and had a strong urge to feel drunk. I've only been really buzzed a couple of times on naltrexone and never drunk. I took a shot of vodka and had a beer, which normally would give me that nice BUMP that we all love so much. I felt some mild stimulation, but again, something was definitely missing. I capped off the night with two more single vodka drinks and by the time 12 rolled around and I went to bed, I had a total of ten drinks over five hours and felt completely sober, much to my disappointment. Last night was the first night I really felt like getting drunk since starting naltrexone. I do remember several other times when I went out and I drank and felt really good -- not as good as pre-nal, but still "good enough." I am hoping that last night was just an aberration. For the first time since starting nal it made me have thoughts of, "I wish I wasn't on nal so I could get drunk." Am hoping this won't last. I fully intend to take a few AF days like I used to before starting naltrexone starting today. I had reduced my AF days since starting naltrexone, hoping to speed up extinction.

This is something that scares me little - drinking and not having "my friend" show up. I'm in a preety bad place overall right now and if I can't get buzz, I'm afraid I might abandon the whole thing.
Unfortunately, the booze is keeping me sane right now - at least, that's how I see it.

Lucy D

LD, don't let my post scare you. I've been able to get plenty buzzed on naltrexone and it was only last night where I wanted to get more drunk than I was feeling. The other six weeks have been great. I haven't seen anyone here say they can't get drunk if they really want to. I'm pretty sure I could get drunk too, if I made an effort. Haven't done that yet since starting TSM.

Lucy,

DON'T GIVE UP! I know that you feel the booze is keeping you sane, but it isn't. IT makes you feel worse. I know the morning after a binge, I feel like total s**t about myself. I am so down on myself, and the one thing I feel like doing is drinking more to forget that worthless feeling. It doesn't help....once this starts working for you, and it will, you will feel much better.

Just remember, DON'T GIVE UP!!!! We are all here for one another. We have your back!

It's funny. I wanted to put this same topic out there, and here it is. Last night and the night before, I had almost two bottles of wine. I was looking for the warm and fuzzy feeling that I miss so much. I really enjoy my wine in the afternoon/evenings. I just could never get myself to cut down or even go AF for a single day. I am happy that I've realized that I have a problem, but I hate the idea of drinking and never feeling that same warmth again. I also smoke, and that too, has become a nonrewarding outlet. I don't really know how to fill the void that I feel.

Evidently, like everything else with naltrexone, the "not getting drunk" effect is entirely specific to the individual. When I first read the book before I took naltrexone, I assumed that opiate receptor blockage resulted in no buzz. I assumed the buzz is "the positive reinforcement" that is being blocked in order for extinction to occur. I was relieved as I combed the book and somewhere in there - Eskapa seemingly intentionally spent almost no time on this subject -- I believe a person using naltrexone was quoted as saying, "I still feel the effects of alcohol..." In any event, somewhere in the book Sinclair or Eskapa says that the positive reinforcement our brain receives from drinking is NOT the buzz or warm feeling but something else that occurs in the brain on a subconscious level. It's a good thing too, because the fact is, almost none of us would stick with TSM if it completely blocked the buzz. The good news is that naltrexone clearly is working for you if it blocks the buzz. The bad news is you might quit TSM, seeking the buzz. Before you do that, give naltrexone more time. Maybe try and drink something other than wine to see if you get a buzz on something else. As I look back on it, when I was just drinking beer I had no complaints about not getting a buzz and my beer drinking experience was pretty much the same as pre-naltrexone, only with far more clarity. The buzz was more of a clear-headed, pick-me-up, almost like a cocaine high (something I tried a handful of times, decades ago). On the other hand, when I drink spirits, there is definitely a huge difference in my subjective response and the friendly buzz is clearly lacking -- or was on Monday night when I wanted to get drunk. Now, since the spirit drinking has occurred 5 or 6 weeks into TSM and the beer drinking occurred immediately after starting TSM, it's possible that as time has gone by that my buzz factor is simply being reduced on any alcohol, I'm not sure. I will continue drinking beer later this week and will keep you updated. But it would be a shame if you found a solution to your drinking problem but had to quit naltrexone for lack of getting a buzz. I have read literally hundreds of posts both here and at My Way Out, and not one person has reported that they were thinking of quitting TSM because they could not get a buzz.

Thanks for the feedback. I intend to stay on the naltrexone. I guess that it's a little hard to accept the different feeling that I get when on the med. I still feel the alcohol, but it is a totally different experience. I think that there may be something lacking in my life that causes me to want that warm, fuzzy escape. I've recently applied to do some volunteer work as a social worker. I'm hoping that it will relieve some of the boredom that goes along with being a stay at home mom. I'll let you know how it goes. I think the smoking and drinking are just something to do. They relieve some of the boredom and I look forward to my reward at the end of the day. I only wish I had caught this problem and saw the down hill slide I was on. Maybe I could have cut it back earlier and I wouldn't be in this mess.

" I think that there may be something lacking in my life that causes me to want that warm, fuzzy escape."

" I only wish I had caught this problem and saw the down hill slide I was on. Maybe I could have cut it back earlier and I wouldn't be in this mess."

That's the beauty of the message board: sharing our common experiences and recognizing that while we are entirely separate human beings, we share some of these exact same feelings. I don't think there is a single person on the board who could not have authored these two statements.