Bob, I was out of it for a few days and am not sure I said a proper "congratulations." So, CONGRATULATIONS! You are SO close to the victory line.

For others looking in -- and to augment G4More's good reminder that we all are on individual paths -- Bob's 50 per week habit, while a lot, is substantially lower than some of the folks here. They should be reminded that under extinction theory, and apparently our experiences here, that the more you have been consuming and the longer you have been consuming, the likelier it is that TSM will take longer to work for you. (Just don't want folks to panic if they aren't seeing numbers like Bob after 18 weeks.)

Bob,

Congratulations!

You are a source of encouragement for me as you are a benzo user. The fact that TSM is working for you is reassurance that it can work for me. BTW, where are you at on your tapering schedule?

All the best!

V.

Thanks, Virgil. I'm down to 2.5mg Valium per day. I'm going to stay here for a month before I go to 2 mg per day.

Bob

Nice work on the graph bob.

Of course as a good engineer you do know that you shouldn't have the data points joined together like that dontcha?

Bob,
One of my worries about myself is that as I start to get some progress with extinction will my psychological attachments also diminish? I don't know if you can relate, but part of my nightly happy hour time (er, happy hours), is that I have this strong sense ingrained in my that I "deserve" it. I feel that since I work hard at my job, etc. at 6pm it's my time to unwind and all that. On the weekend it's my time to relax. I guess I wonder if those feelings will still be there and therefore drive me to drink. Just wondered with your recent success if you had any insight? Or anyone else that can relate out there - please chime in. I haven't started to see my own progress just yet, but I hope when it comes, that this part of it won't be an issue.

Bob - congratulations on your continued progress. Your story is truly unbelievably uplifting -- I know you are not out of the water just yet but very, very good signs of progress.


calikime - I'll chime in, if that's ok. I also viewe my wine as my nightly treat. I would say it just started changing a few weeks ago even though I thought it was changing earlier on...the connection of wine = treat was still there. Now the connection seems to be changing. The thought of having wine no longer seems like a treat to me, I equate it with the potential of a less than ideal day the following day. I am averaging 4 AF days a week at this point and while I still have some not so ideal days, I think the trick to the equation with Nal is that once you can comfortably start AFing, you start to view THAT as a treat. That's how I feel tonight. I will be AF and very happy about it. No thought of wine on my mind right now...I am also not 100% cured yet but I have definitely had a shift in thinking and for once, for the first time ever, I don't have this incredible fear that I will slip back into my old habits. I may have one or two bad days here or there but then I bounce back to low units or AF without a second thought. It's really amazing

Happy4once,
Thanks for your input. That is encouraging to hear! That is what I hoped would happen and it makes sense. I can kind of relate it to how I used to have a very strong sweet tooth. Somewhere along the line without me even trying or thinking about it, it just went away. If I see desserts or am offered anything like that, nine times out of ten I just simply don't want it, AT ALL. And, I don't feel the least bit deprived even if everyone around me is having some. So, I am hoping this process will work in a similar way - it sounds like it will. I was just worried that the physical addiction would get taken care of only to have my psychological attraction/craving to not be affected by this process. I kind of equate my psychological state with wine almost like a love affair! It is something I definitely look forward to - although fortunately I don't start thinking about wine till the end of the day. Anyway, I am rambling here. Thanks for your input and anyone else here that has any thoughts.

As a side note, do you guys still feel like you have to have a drink in your hand if your not drinking alcohol (like some kind of non alc beverage), or does that go away too?

"One of my worries about myself is that as I start to get some progress with extinction will my psychological attachments also diminish?"

Yes, this is the definition of pharmacological extinction. While continuing to drink after work while on naltrexone, the endorphins in your brain are blocked. The endorphins are the "pleasurable experience" you have when you sit down and have wine after work. If you continue to drink after work, and the endorphins are blocked, ultimately you will no longer have positive associations with wine after work.

That's the theory and I'm buying it.

Minneapolisnick, Great point about the psychological part because that is my biggest battle now. Great progress Bob. Both with the chart and how you are handling the benzos. I find there must be more than endorphins at play. Also Dopamine levels and other ghost habits of the mind. I feel that. Best wishes.

For some reason I have reverted back to old drinking patterns this week. I don't think I am doing anything different. I am at a loss to understand why after significant declines in cravings, my old drinking pattern has returned.

Concerned.

Bob