I'm with you all on this one. I don't find naltrexone inhibits my pleasure with exercising - just the opposite. I definitely feel more like getting out and walking in the mornings now than I did pre-Sinclair, and always feel great when I'm done.

While we may get more endorphine reinforcement when not on naltrexone, I hardly think that means we should altogether avoid sex, exercise, good foods, etc. Heck, if that's the case, why should we even bother to get out of bed in the morning?

I'm a newbie, just finished my second week. I weight train 3 days a week with a serious PT and do cardio 3 other days.

I have not and will not alter my workouts as they are one of the things that keep me sane (?)

I still feel good after excercise or at least feel good about myself and don't see that taking the Nal

has had any effect.

It maynot be the "runners high", but it ain't bad.

I am still doing the same with weight training and exercise with no problems

I exercise every day and completely agree with your non-Dr Eskapa observations. I have noticed zero reduction in the positives I get from daily exercise. I realize that there not that many alkies who are in great shape but I am one of them. Cutting down on exercise is not an option for me and I fail to see why under extinction theory I would be asked to do it. Two weeks into the program and naltrexone + drinking = huge reduction in craving/consumption for me, so sorry, can't go with Dr. Eskapa on this one. It seems to me that this is an area where the lab rat can teach the professor a thing or two about the real-world consequences of the theory that the professor observes but does not personally experience. Also, haven't read much, if anything, about my huge sleep disruption/nightmares either as a naltrexone side effect, but they are both very real to me.

NOT COMPLAINING, JUST OBSERVING. The program is working like a charm for me already. Love Eskapa's book and more importantly, love TSM!

I had the sleep disruptions & "nightmares" early on too. Just weird dreams really, but I think it's a common thing and mostly over now. Exercise endorphins being extinguished? I don't think so.

It's a habit for me too, that keeps me sane (and looking good :-)) No, my "problem" is I am still waiting for a significant non-buzz to occur. I am still enjoying wine just exactly the same as I ever did...one solitary blip on the radar screen a week ago is good & something I think about often...

But I am at the 4 month mark & nada -

I'm a weight lifter and a runner and while I understand that exercising hasn't had an affect on some of the people in this forum, my concern is will the endorphin rush associated with exercise interfere with the naltrexone treatment? In other words, is it better to get through the first three or four months of treatment with moderate exercise in order to ensure that pharmacological extinction works properly? This is really a question for Dr. Eskapa.

Exercise will not impact your progress on TSM.

You've got it backwards, Rocketman. The theory is that when we take naltrexone, it blocks the endorphin rush we experience when we drink, which ultimately leads to our alcohol addiction being extinguished. However, the problem is that naltrexone also blocks the endorphin rush for positive behaviors, like exercise and sex, in addition to the alcohol-related endorphin rush. And since we do not want to extinguish these other positive behaviors, the theory says try not to do positive things like exercise and sex while on naltrexone because your enthusiasm for these positive activities might decrease.

The big problem with that is that many of us are taking naltrexone daily and therefore if we follow the rule, don't do positive things like exercise and have sex on naltrexone, then we'll rarely, if ever, get to do the other positive things since we are taking naltrexone daily.

I run 6 days a week, 3-4 miles. I also lift weights three days a week. I have done this continuously since starting TSM in late May and I take naltrexone 3-6 days a week, depending upon how many AF days I have. I HAVE FOUND THAT TAKING NALTREXONE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT ON MY EXERCISE REGIMEN. I still feel good after workouts and I still work out to the exact same schedule I did before TSM. I am just as enthusiastic about exercise as I ever was and notice no subjective difference before, during or after my workouts. Dr. Eskapa has confirmed this conclusion on this site -- if you are a daily exerciser, don't worry about it -- continue your regular pattern and follow the formula, naltrexone + drinking = cure. Daily exercise will have absolutely no impact on the way naltrexone cures your alcohol addiction.

I am a regular excerciser and also usually excercise without waiting the reccommended 36 hours as I am a daily drinker. However, I am at week 17, and though I have definitely seen improvements in my drinking behavior overall, I am still very dissatisfied with my numbers. So I am going to force myself to have AF days in order to excercise after waiting for nal to be completely outta my system starting today...my numbers will surely go down and maybe combined with the positive reinforcement of endorphins from activities other than drinking, I will be pushed closer to my cure. I kind of 'force' myself to take the first drink sometimes now anyhow, my life situation still kinda sucks and I want to escape mentally, and after the 4th the oblivion still comes (even tho I no longer get 'high'). Seems weird not to feel anxiety over the fact that it's 11 am and I already know I am not gonna drink tonight. Hmmm. Just to be able to choose to go to bed, what a novel idea! I will post here agin and let y'all know how the whole excercising while completely off the nal works for me. Anyhow,maybe the endorphin rush from positive activities is what I need to help me have more and more AF days at this point...just a thought, I'll let everyone know how my lil experiment goes=)
PS - If you happen to be new reading this, please keep in mind that this is something I would NOT have been able to do in the beginning as I HAD TO drink daily, so don't get all caught up in the 36 hour thing at the beginning if you are used to drinking daily, eventually, it will come where you can choose to have AF days without too much discomfort.

I think what you are trying might be a good idea so long as you are not white knuckling through cravings on the AF day(s). And congratulations on the very real improvement you are seeing!

That being said, for we daily exercisers, I would not worry about waiting 36 hours to exercise after taking the nal. I have exercised 6 out of 7 days since starting TSM and my enjoyment from it has not diminished one bit. In fact, I'm exercising even more enthusiastically these days for whatever reason. If I didn't exercise, I'd get depressed and probably drink a lot more. If you were a daily exerciser before starting TSM, I would not even consider reducing it because of TSM. Just my personal opinion and not based on any evidence other than my personal, anecdotal experience.

I agree with not trying to 'white knuckle it', but I am at a point right now where I often don't feel like i have to start drinking, just have a hard time stopping, and the reasons I do start are pretty much boredom, loneliness, and a desire for escape... AL still works for me for these things but like I wrote, I no longer get the 'high', which is why since the beginning of TSM, I stopped drinking in the day, when I had other options, etc., quite easily. That's why I want to try and do this excercise experiment, bc maybe I can trick my brain into being rewarded by NOT drinking. Maybe if I did this from the beginning, my numbers would be down and my cravings to self medicate as well. I am a very body concious individual, but I am going to try the 36 hour thing, even if I slip up and drink on a day I was planning on being AF in order to excercise and have to forgo a workout, my body may eventually start to reprogram and tell me, "Hey girl! We are taking a spin class tomorrow at 9am. Put the beverage down! I wanna feel good=) This doesn't get us high anymore, just sad, oblivious, and then cranky the next morning...remember?"