I am at the end of week 6 on tsm; began on June 11. My evening consumption is unchanged at 6 to 10 units of wine, every evening. I don't have an urge at all to drink during the day, and I wonder if the evening urge is more of an actual habit than an urge. Whatever, the result is the same.

However, what brought me to his query is that yesterday evening at five o'clock, I had absolutely not urge for my first glass of wine and even forgot about it until about six, when suddenly I realized that I had popped Nal at 4 pm. Then I noticed the time and thought, "geez, time to feed the dog and get myself a glass of wine because I have to drink for the Nal to work." Don't know if that was the lame inner voice rationalization of an urge, or just a reawakening of an ingrained habit, but once I had that one glass, the rest was history--which I guess is diagnostic. Looking back, I didn't really need that first glass.

The bottom line is that besides letting the pharmacological extinction process slowly take effect (I know it's still early in the game for me), the psychological habit-aspect has to be addressed as well. Does Nal help with this, too, or is it up to the individual to reprogram his/her habits and triggers while Nal does the heavy lifting on the physiological parts?

Mike

This would be an interesting question to put to Dr. Eskapa. I've thought about this one myself a few times. That is: How much of my drinking is out of craving vs out of habit of just doing it at certain times, situations, or places.

In my experience, TSM extinguishes just the craving. Even though my cravings are down, I still find that the thought of drinking pops in my head at times or in situations where I used to do it alot. For example, just tonight I was BBQing and the thought of drinking popped in my head. However, once I really thought about having something to drink, I decided I really didn't want to. See the difference? The thought of drinking might pop into your head out of habit, but once you really think about having the drink you decide you just really don't want it because the craving isn't there.

My guess is that these drinking out of habit thoughts will fade with time as I fill these situations and time periods with other activities than drinking.

Just my opinion here.

Q

Hi Q!

I'm interested in your comment above as I very recently started the thread entitled Extinguishing Triggers - What Does This Mean? at viewtopic.php?f=5&t=594. Would you care to add a post on this thread as I am intrigued to get your valued input on this question?

All the best.

V.

That phrase from Q also rather caught my eye . Infact now I'm going to start another thread that connects with this and concerns whether in view of point above
abstinence would seem a better option , ie where to go after extinction . I too would like to hear what Q says ( as well as anyone too ) .

I think this is a great topic. It totally applies to me. TSM has done it's work with me I am certian and now I definitly would drink because it may be one of the usual days I drink and I have nothing else to do. I may have already done alot in the day and am then tired from eveything I have done and am just bored. This is especially true if I am say preparing for leaving town to see family for a few days and am packing to head into a situation where I know there will be some stress. It also is predictable for after the situation is over and I am back home. I think "well you made it through that" and then I think I need it to relax. I don't really have cravings just certian habitual times where I always used to drink. I wonder if this is just old habit.

Once again Dr. Sinclair addresses this very issue in his radio interview. I included the link to the interview in three other places, including the "What does extinguishing triggers mean?" thread and the abstinence versus continued-social-drinking-after-being-cured-by-TSM thread. Dr. Sinclair says that "habit" and "craving" (or urge) should be thought of as two concepts that exist on a continuum. Habit would be on the moderate end and craving/urge would be on the extreme end. A person who drinks out of habit can take it or leave it and has no craving/urge. As we become addicted we drink because of an overwhelming urge or craving. The conclusion I draw from this is that we alcoholics are not drinking out of habit, but due to craving/urge. Once we are "cured", the thought of alcohol will come up in our mind, out of habit, and we will be able to take it or leave it. There will be no craving/urge to drink once we are cured.

I don't know...I am drinking our of habit & urges. Everyday. I wake up and think about what I did the night before, when I went to bed, how routine my life is, how I would just as soon roll over and go back to sleep than wake up. A little depression from the booze for sure...

But my numbers haven't changed much. My cravings haven't changed. I feel nothing almost 6 months in. It's not enough to make me quit - like I've said before, I will stay on NAL til the end of time, "just in case". And it's funny, a couple of times I came to the end of my Rx and between the DR approving & faxing the pharmacy, I sort-of panicked I'd be without it...I've had only a couple of glimmers. Not much, but I have invested so much hope that I can't give up...

Don't give up! Remember, many people feel very little improvement and then "click", they see a major change. Just keep taking the nal. While you do not yet know TSM will work for you, you know for a fact where unaddressed drinking will lead you: to a miserable life inevitably cut short. So quitting is not an option! We are rooting for you, chin up!

Hi houtx,

My sentiments entirely!

V.

Hi Mike - I can give you my experience...I believe given Nick's explanation I am cured or nearly there...

I still have the same things bother me as before. The same events that are triggers are there and they still produce unpleasant emotional / physical reactions in me. But I no longer connect drinking with any form of release. Example - after a stressful day of work or a particularly stressful day with my kids, I still feel stressed and I still want something to relax me, but the answer is no longer alcohol. I do something else to relax. Or am simply able to deal with it rationally without the veil of Alcohol over my min.

I no longer drink every night like I used to - the desire to do so is completely gone at this point. There was a point about 4 or 5 weeks ago that I continued to drink nightly out of habit and at that point, when I recognized it was purely habit, I was able to try to go AF a little bit. One success led to another, then another, then I started to enjoy the AFs more than the Alcohol - at that point the 'habit' aspect was shattered because my wash-out days as Dr. Roy calls them, were far more relaxing & rewarding than my Alcholol days.

So - at some point you may still be drinking out of habit but my experience was once you got to the point that you were able to recognize it as habit and the intense cravings were gone, it's a simple matter to take the next step...