Hi WaitingToExhale,
Glad to have to on board. While waiting for your Nal, read all you can. Of course, by now yuo understand the basic premise in that you take Nal one hour before drinking and never drink without taking Nal. Understanding the mechanism is a good thing. Som eof us felt a little nausea the first day or two. It passes quickly. Most of us enjoyed a honeymoon of craving loss for a week or three.

After what I have been hearing about the Topc, I am tempted to get on it just for the weight loss! I lost 50 lbs last year but sadly put back on much of it over the winter.

[quote="WaitingToExhale"]Hello from California!

Hi WaitingtoExhale,
Yes I agree with the question about chard, that's my choice or pinot gris...Same I had just keep the flow in my body.

Well I am changing. I am not completely Sinclair as you can read my story, but I am being helped by the use of Nal.

I too tried Topomax, forgot to say that in my story. Well it made me a raving woman, much like PMS. It messed with my mind. My brother however, was able to stop drinking entirely with the help of Topomax but never realized any weight loss, maybe he did not take it for long term.

Any way, thanks for joining, the more stories and info to share the better



WaitingtoExhale's quote:
"My poison in mostly Chardonnay - what is it about Chard and us women? I've considered myself a heavy drinker for at least 20 something years - progressively worse. On days that I have the freedom to not work, the cravings start early in the day and I indulge. Bloody Marys or the such which rolls into wine as it becomes afternoon and into the evening. I'm not a binge drinker nor a fall down - just keep that daily buzz happening and work through it, play through and go to bed."

Well girls -
I guess we love our wine, don't we?! It's too bad we are all over the world - it would be fun to have a slumber party and gab all night long! So many similarities with our lives in other ways too: loves lost/found/hanging onto, businesses/jobs...interesting and comforting we are all so similar -

I am looking forward to a clearer future and hope my irregular heartbeat will stabilize. Does anyone else have this?? Surely yes - from what I've read irregular heartbeats are typical w/ excessive alcohol consumption.

I am encouraged everyday reading this site. Thx all -

Hi Waiting, girls. Yes, chardonnay def "drug of choice", with maybe a touch of merlot if I have the excuse, ie a nice steak!

We do seem to have much in common, which is why started on this journey together will be fascinating.

I am still waiting for the book - from two different sources! Anxious to read it all, esp how we become addicted, extinction curves, etc. However, the wide range of info plus all the individual progress stories on this forum gave me the confidence to try this out. Starting on 50mg tonight, dreading some nausea (like hangovers are a ride in the park).

Good luck girls - we are on our way!

I feel so much better that we are all here- yesterday I was connected just about ALL DAY- I felt like crap after drinking too much the day before and it help just to know I was not the only one in this rocky boat.

I tried Topamax, and it made me ill and I got blurred vision it says to stop it immediately if that happens so I did.

In fact from what I have read about it at MWO it seems to be quite dangerous. Apart from the first week, I don't feel anything after taking the Nal.

Good luck with the 50mgs Shasha

Hi, got the book this afternoon and just sat down and read it - heartening stuff. Now I understand the science a bit more, am feeling more confident than ever.

Marby, great advice to Greg, as always.

Take care ladies.

Hi WTE, and sister Chard lovers! I just discovered this thread, and can so identify with all of you. While my S.O. likes Chard, he'd just as soon drink beer. Does anyone know a hard core, male, Chardonnay addict? My Chard habit is also two bottles a day, occasionally more. . .though lately that's decreased a bit. I consider a bottle to be 5 glasses, or 'units,' though the size glasses I use, I may only get three out of a bottle . I used to love red wines, but for the past year it's been almost exclusively Chardonnay - I have several nice reds on my wine rack, but whenever I open a new bottle, discover I prefer the white.

I love this forum, and having other people share their stories. I'm usually one who wants instant gratification, so knowing this will be a months' long process would be very discouraging for me if it weren't for the encouragement I receive here. My S.O. is also doing Nal, so that helps a lot. We're both highly social creatures, love to cook and entertain. . .and drink along with our group of drinking friends. . .so I doubt this would work if I tried it alone. We're both looking forward to being able to 'take it, or leave it.'

We've talked openly with our friends about this method, and I know that at least one other couple in our group has been exploring the SM. This is heartening, as both of them are by far the heaviest drinkers in the group, and both are wonderful, intelligent, and highly creative. For the woman especially, it would be so nice to get her old sunny self back again. . .Another friend of mine, a fellow wino, just lost her job. She came over early yesterday, totally blotto, and was suggesting we can now spend some daytime together just drinking and relaxing. I'm worried about the effects of her joblessness - and though I work from home, I DO have to work! Had her and her husband over last night, and I could tell he has the same concern, so I was filling him in on the SM, too. How great it would be to be able to enjoy all these wonderful people, while drinking more normally! That's one of the turn-offs of AA for me - having to basically give up precious friends, because they're drinkers. Sitting around in a room yakking it up with a bunch of strangers, all talking about our alcoholic 'character defects,' is NOT my idea of a good time!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing more from you all!

G4M -
Yours sounds like a good, supportive situation w/ your SO. I can relate to the circle of friends who drink, but actually yours sounds so full and fun...would certainly hate to lose that entirely...altho being divorced, that has changed alot for me. I too am not interested in divorcing myself from friends who drink - I want to make my own changes and become my own version of normal. But the mention of your friend who lost her job and now wants to comiserate on your turf & your time. Tricky ground. I have a friend who is the same way...thinks I am into drinking right along with her patterns and it has never been so...hard ground to maneuver. Good luck!

BTW, I love my chardonnay & a big cab with a beef dish. If beef is on the menu, I love the perfect martini first...champagne is delicious for any occasion but pairs well w/ spicey. Also lifts my spirits when feeling blue...I can always find a reason to pop the cork. But I don't stop at 1,2 or 4 or 6 or more sometimes...I am a bad girl on too many occasions - usually by myself....and sick of it. I don't hate myself or anything, just sick of it and can't seem to really break the habit by sheer willpower. I can do and have done so many things by sheer willpower...smoking, losing weight, getting divorced...but stopping drinking, a whole 'nuther story. It is central to so much of a normal life - especially dating & "meeting for drinks". I can do all that, but it's when I am at home that I cave...

Would love to be able to come to a screeching halt or nearly. Enjoy the martini, a glass of cabernet w/ dinner, a fine cognac after...then great sex and a sound sleep!!! Ahhhhhhhhh - that sounds like the perfect evening to me!! :-) Loved that line in "Sideways": "I need to be spanked" LOLOL - Life is good and hopefully getting better!

Maybe we can work something out.

Going-
During the last 18 months I have eased quite a few drinking friends out of my life, and God eased a couple more out.

Of course we have all read we can't sober up while surrounding ourselves with people actively drinking and this is probably true to a point I suppose, however I do miss them at times- but saying that I think at the time it was the right thing to do-it has saved me quite a few benders over the months, and anyone of those benders could have been my last, the rate I was going.

I think I would be quite wary of a friend who wanted to come and lie around in my house getting wasted though- I don't think that can be very helpful and productive- Sinclair or No Sinclair!
Or maybe you should let her, and slip her a Naltrexone Micky Finn on arrival?