I am about 5 months into TSM. I have noted very positive changes in my drinking habits such as I no longer crave beer (which used to be my favorite). I also went through a vodka phase but don't want that much anymore either. I have stop drinking and go to bed nightly...although I don't remember a lot....but I used to pass out wherever I woud fall out (bathroom, hall, couch, etc.) I no longer wake up thinking about my next drink nor do I start drinking before I get home from work. My mom (who lives with me) says she has seen major changes. I still have days that I drink way too much but there not the same. We can now keep beer in the fridge and liquor in the cabinet and I don't get up at night and drink it.

so why do I need encouragement...

Well, I was expecting to be cured now but I have a new beverage of choice....wine.... I never liked wine before but now find that I drink a bottle a night. I stop when the bottle is empty and go to bed but still it bothers me. I keep thinking that maybe I just have to work through this phase like the others. I am hoping that one day the wine will be just as unimportant as the beer and vodka. Has anyone else had this experience? Should I give up on the method? Have I gone over the time line?

I'm glad you came for us for reassurance. If you want to be cured, keep going. There is no set timeline for the method and the length of time to the cure varies by individual, with the amount of your drinking and the length of your drinking being key variables. The longer for each, the longer extinction will take. You can absolutely expect to see continued improvement for up to three years. TSM works, it just takes time and patience. Re-read the stories of the cured for a little inspiration and above all else, don't quit! viewtopic.php?f=7&t=610
Sounds like you are closing in on the cure based upon the progress you cite. We are rooting for you!

Hi Nick,

Do you mind my asking what is the source of your information above? I ask this quite simply because I have never seen this stated before. Looks like I've missed something.

Thanks.

V.

Hi SG,

Over the course of TSM I have found myself switching kinds of drinks on several occasions. I started a thread a while back on that very subject. My personal theory (with no empirical evidence to back it up) is that the brain is saying, "Hey, beer doesn't grant endorphins anymore, let's try wine. OK that didn't work, let's try gin. etc." I have had to go through a lot of different kinds of drink under a lot of different circumstances before settling in to just not really craving AL in general anymore. It takes time and patience, but it works.

Fire

Sillygrits -- I agree with what Firebird said. I've changed up drinks for the same reason. In fact it goes beyond alcohol: I sometimes get sort of a restless feeling, like whatever I'm doing I should be doing something else. I wish I'd chosen something else from the menu when I dine out. That sort of thing. Thankfully it has subsided.

There's something especially tricky about wine, and many have mentioned it: That clean-your-plate compulsion to finish the bottle. I posted about it earlier; I think it got me stuck at 5 units (how I count wine).

You're making great progress and I sense from your post that you know in your heart that you're just around the bend. Just hang in there. All the best.

Hey V --

Interesting that you should ask. My original post was going to say improvement on TSM can last up to one year. But then I consulted Lena on this subject and she pointed out that Dr. Sinclair, in one of his online interviews, states that follow-up studies have shown continued improvement on TSM up to three years. Exactly which interview I can't tell you for certain but they are all available online.

Nick

Actually I didn't quite state it accurately to Nick. The three years is from two sources I can find right now: Eskapa, App. A, p. 243, # 41 cites a 2000 study in which Sinclair documented the progress of patients after 3 years and found continued benefit from TSM patients. I recall this study being described elswhere but can't find it now. The other source is a graph, Fig. 8, p. 119, that shows craving continuing to diminish at 3 years.

Yeah! Key words "cravings continued to diminish" - wish there were more info on these people. Sometimes I feel like I'm participating in a series like "Lost" where we are on one part of the island and "The Others" are on the other...who ARE they? And what are they all about?! LOL

Thanks for all the encouragement. I needed to hear it. Now I think I will go home and have that bottle of wine...lol...and continue drinking myself to a cure. Positives, positives, positives...i must remained focused. love to you all...

I think I'm going to get a stopper that has a vacuum pump on it to keep the wine fresh so I don't have the thought that it'll spoil if I don't finish it as an excuse.

If you get to the point where you are finishing the bottle just to be finishing it you might consider that as well. I don't know what the deal is about polishing off that bottle when I was perfectly fine with three bottles of beer.

Notice how many women have wine as their poison of preference?

Yes, positive thoughts. You're getting there.