summary

Week 1
........Mon, 20.04. pre-SM AF
........Tue, 21.04. pre-SM AF
........Wed, 22.04. pre-SM AF
........Thu, 23.04. 5.7 units (SM Start 25mg Nal)
........Fri, 24.04. 6 units
........Sat, 25.04. AF
........Sun, 26.04. 5 units

........Total units : 16.7 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 5.6

Week 2
........Mon, 27.04. 5 units
........Tue, 28.04. AF
........Wed, 29.04. 5 units
........Thu, 30.04. AF
........Fri, 01.05. AF
........Sat, 02.05. AF
........Sun, 03.05. 1.5 units

........Total units : 11.5 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 3.8

Week 3
........Mon, 04.05. AF
........Tue, 05.05. 1.5 units (switch to 50mg Nal)
........Wed, 06.05. AF
........Thu, 07.05. 1.5 units
........Fri, 08.05. 1 unit
........Sat, 09.05. AF
........Sun, 10.05. AF

........Total units : 4 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 1.3

Week 4
........Mon, 11.05. 1 unit
........Tue, 12.05. AF
........Wed, 13.05. AF
........Thu, 14.05. 3 units
........Fri, 15.05. AF
........Sat, 16.05. AF
........Sun, 17.05. 5 units

........Total units : 9 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 3.0

Week 5
........Mon, 18.05. AF
........Tue, 19.05. 1 unit
........Wed, 20.05. 4 units
........Thu, 21.05. AF
........Fri, 22.05. 4 units
........Sat, 23.05. AF
........Sun, 24.05. AF

........Total units : 9 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 3.0

Week 6
........Mon, 25.05. 5 units
........Tue, 26.05. AF
........Wed, 27.05. AF
........Thu, 28.05. AF
........Fri, 29.05. 4 units
........Sat, 30.05. AF
........Sun, 31.05. 4 units

........Total units : 13 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 4.3

Week 7
........Mon, 01.06. AF
........Tue, 02.06. 5 units
........Wed, 03.06. 4 units
........Thu, 04.06. AF
........Fri, 05.06. 3 units
........Sat, 06.06. AF
........Sun, 07.06. AF


........Total units : 12 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 4.0

Week 8
........Mon, 08.06. 4 units
........Tue, 09.06. AF
........Wed, 10.06. 4 units
........Thu, 11.06. AF
........Fri, 12.06. 5 units
........Sat, 13.06. AF
........Sun, 14.06. 5 units


........Total units : 19 units
........AF days : 3
........avg. units per drinking session : 4.5

Week 9
........Mon, 15.06. AF
........Tue, 16.06. 5 units
........Wed, 17.06. 4 units
........Thu, 18.06. AF
........Fri, 19.06. 6 units
........Sat, 20.06. 7 units
........Sun, 21.06. AF


........Total units : 22 units
........AF days : 3
........avg. units per drinking session : 5.5

Week 10
........Mon, 22.06. 6 units
........Tue, 23.06. 5 units
........Wed, 24.06. 5 units
........Thu, 25.06. AF
........Fri, 26.06. AF
........Sat, 27.06. AF
........Sun, 28.06. 5 units


........Total units : 21 units
........AF days : 3
........avg. units per drinking session : 5.3

Week 11
........Mon, 29.06. 5 units
........Tue, 30.06. 6 units
........Wed, 01.07. AF
........Thu, 02.07. 4 units
........Fri, 03.07. 4 units
........Sat, 04.07. AF
........Sun, 05.07. 5 units


........Total units : 24 units
........AF days : 2
........avg. units per drinking session : 4.8

Week 12
........Mon, 06.07. AF
........Tue, 07.07. 6 units
........Wed, 08.07. 5 units
........Thu, 09.07. 5 units
........Fri, 10.07. AF
........Sat, 11.07. 3 units
........Sun, 12.07. AF


........Total units : 19 units
........AF days : 3
........avg. units per drinking session : 4.7


Week 13
........Mon, 13.07. AF
........Tue, 14.07. 6 units
........Wed, 15.07. 5 units
........Thu, 16.07. AF
........Fri, 17.07. 6 units
........Sat, 18.07. AF
........Sun, 19.07. AF


........Total units : 17 units
........AF days : 4
........avg. units per drinking session : 5.6


Week 14
........Mon, 20.07. 3 units
........Tue, 21.07. 4 units
........Wed, 22.07. 1.5 units
........Thu, 23.07. AF
........Fri, 24.07. 2.5 units
........Sat, 25.07. 3 units
........Sun, 26.07. 2 units


........Total units : 17 units
........AF days : 1
........avg. units per drinking session : 2.8


Week 15
........Mon, 27.07. 6 units
........Tue, 28.07. AF
........Wed, 29.07. 3 units
........Thu, 30.07. 3 units
........Fri, 31.07. 2 units
........Sat, 01.08. 4 units
........Sun, 02.08. 4 units


........Total units : 22 units
........AF days : 1
........avg. units per drinking session : 3.6


Week 16
........Mon, 03.08. 4.5 units
........Tue, 04.08. 3 units
........Wed, 05.08. 3 units
........Thu, 06.08. 4 units
........Fri, 07.08. 5 units
........Sat, 08.08. 4 units
........Sun, 09.08. 4.5 units


........Total units : 28 units
........AF days : 0
........avg. units per drinking session : 4



a very negative week - no AF day - avg. 4 drinks a day and a total of 28 units - the maximum I ever had on TSM
My gf got a new job and there have been a little differences (partial subliminal).

I have combined beer/wine + Whisky.


A very frustrating week. I am very near to pre-TSM numbers now.
This looks very very bad

Yet another example of the TSM roller coaster. It WILL work for you and I look forward to adding you to "the cured" list soon. Remember, it usually happens at the flip of a switch. Re-read stories from THE CURED for a little inspiration.

I think there are several reasons for this spike up

a) My gf thought that I take Bupropion just for "fun" - so I stopped taking it. I was already out of control on monday with eating everything I could catch ... since Monday I am taking it also again. Even my gf told me ... keep on taking it, I do not want to see you going crazy like that

b) I am usually drinking just whisky ... now I was drinking Beer and mixed it even with Whisky. So I had one drink of sort of 3 units


I think the beer is bad, as it dehydrates more than the whisky and contains a lot of things that are totally unnessecary - especially for an alcoholic.

I think I should aim to get back to just whisky and I hope to have myself more under control on bupropion in the weeks to come!

a little chart with

-total units/week
-avg units per session within that week
-total AF days within that week

I have a very strange pattern. It started off with a huge drop and since that bottom it is going in the wrong direction ...

Actually, a huge drop-off (the "honeymoon") followed by increased numbers to pre-TSM levels or even higher, is very typical on TSM. I am cutting and pasting what I wrote to 8 Days a Week, because it applies to you as well:

This appears to be a textbook case of the honeymoon followed by the "extinction burst", recently identified by Hapful. There is typically an immediate loss of interest in alcohol when starting TSM, primarily because while your body adapts to naltrexone, you feel nauseous, spacey, and downright uncomfortable drinking on the nal. This is brief and only lasts as long as it takes for your body to adapt to the naltrexone. Then there is a resumption of drinking, often to pre-TSM levels or even HIGHER. This is explained under conditioning theory as the "extinction burst" and has occurred with lab animals. If you give a bird a food pellet each time he presses a lever, when you stop giving the food pellet, the bird, desperate for the positive reinforcement it is used to getting from pushing the lever, pushes the lever more and more, waiting for the positive reinforcement that does not arrive. That is probably what's going on after the "honeymoon": the endorphins are blocked when we are drinking on the nal so we instinctively reach for the bottle, more and more, in order to get that old endorphin rush we are so fond of, hence the sharp rise in our drinking after the honeymoon. Eventually (after several months), when we realize (subconsciously) that no matter what situation we are presented with (i.e., no matter what the trigger) that the endorphin rush is not coming, we lose interest in alcohol and are cured.

The beautiful thing is that the honeymoon followed by an increase in drinking is absolute proof that TSM is working for you! Great news!

minneapolisnick,

Great explanation of what could be the reason. I also have given similar suggestions in the past about Nal blocking the pleasure we are used to get hence we drink more.
Of course you said it a lot more sophisticated - very good formulated!

I think I am just scared. Everyone wants this to work, especially after the honeymoon, when one saw how great it is to be without the desire to drink.
Then the big spike is frustrating, then it went down to bottom at 17 units / week just to spike above the last high.
I was simply not prepared that it would go further. I thought that it already marked out the top.

The only good thing I see right now is that I did not yet manage to drink 6 units again in one session after the experience of the last times (always puked!). So even if I wanted I would not be able to drink a bottle of red wine as I would end up with my head in the closet.
Before TSM I was drinking a bottle of red wine and then continued with whisky.
Considering that 5 units is probably the max I can handle right now, and considering 0 AF days a week I should have the top around 35 units I HOPE.
The problem are really the AF days - that reduced and reduced and are now at 0! Probably the last straw my addiction is trying to catch ...

I guess there is nothing I can do, but just keep on taking it and waiting.

Hi Craving - I haven't checked on your progress for awhile...

It's a bit frustrating when you spike back up, but I **think**, and there is not much evidence yet to support this other than my own personal experience and a few other success stories on this board, but if you had a honeymoon period, odds are this will work. I have not seen anyone that has had a honeymoon not come back down after a spike. [This is in no way meant to imply that those without a honeymoon will not have success - just that those that have know from the start that they respond to the medication.]

As Nick said - go back and look at other's journey's at the point you are at now (bob, Q). Big rollercoasters that suddenly swoop back down around week 20ish so you can get off the crazy ride . Your levels are similar to mine and I would say it took until the 4.5 month mark for me to feel like my plateau was steady. You are getting there - hang on a few more weeks.

Oh - also, I did the same thing with the AF days - I ditched them at the end for awhile. Think you are right, it's the last straws of your addiction trying to hang on. Don't worry - they will return in full force soon(the AFs).

Take care,

happy4once,

very good post and explanation.

The question if it works or not is actually if we look at it secondary. Of course I want this to work, but in the end I have nothing to loose.
Nal is not doing any harm to my body. It can only get better.

Slowly I start to decode the signals my body is giving.
I have an increased desire for Tiramisu or similar food that contain alcohol.
I keep on drinking every day alcohol and can't handle AF days for now.

I think my subconsciousness really wants to get this alcohol kick so bad. If we would not be on alcohol we would feel it conscious and it would be terrible.
This way we still notice it, but since we can drink we don't have as much craving I think.

I never regretted my decision for TSM. I think it is the best method available. At the same time I get more aware of other stories and people in my surrounding and it is really incredible what alcohol can do to a persons live ... divorce, your love leaves you, no more job, rehab, psycho therapy and being threaded by doctors who really will give your body the rest ...
The "normal" alcohol therapy is really insane. Doctor might even give you Benzos to get away better on the withdrawl of alcohol ... (BENZO!!) .... or you start to be an AA and you have a chance of how much ? 15% to get away with it for the rest of your life without alcohol?
So whatever other therapy you consider, you will screw yourself over. TSM is the only therapy that won't damage you and won't make you addicted to another substance and has far higher success rate than AA ... so I will stick with it for the rest of my live.

craving - Just curious. Where did your definition for moderate drinking originate from?

Bob

from http://www.thesinclairmethod.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=398