Does this method always work in 6 months time? If it hasn't controlled the drinking by then, does that mean it isnt going to work?

The studies show that the subjects who consumed 35 drinks per week were cured, on average, after three to four months, minimum. Our experiences here -- and extinction theory would appear to support this conclusion -- show that the longer you have been drinking and the more heavily you have been drinking, then the longer it will take for extinction to occur, and yes, this could mean longer than six months. There is little reason to think TSM will not work for you if six months have passed and you have been drinking longer and harder than the subject of the studies.

I think the best way to look at treatment time is that one should not expect results in anything less than about 4 months. It is not uncommon for an individual to go through 5-6 months before seeing results.

Based on our group here and Dr. Eskapa's book, most people should see results between 4-6 months of treatment. However, it COULD take longer than this as Nick points out above.

Q

I have been on Nal for 5 1/2 months, and have noticed NO changes in the amount I drink, in fact it has gotten worse. I had been drinking a bottle of wine a night before starting, now I find myself drinking a bottle of wine and then opening another. I hope and pray that my treatment WILL take longer than 6 months, as I'm rapidly reaching that milestone.

I am scared to death that this won't work for me--then what? But I'll keep on trucking because I don't feel as if I have any other options.

On a side note, I have NO sweet tooth at all. Based on some messages I've read, this gives me some cause for concern.

One question/thought/idea I have had is to double the amount of Nal I'm taking everyday. Does anyone know if that might help? I've had absolutely no side affects from it--it's almost as if I'm taking a sugar pill.

Thanks!!

It's very possible, here is a link to a thread with some info on the subject of increasing dosage: http://www.thesinclairmethod.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=681

The docs think it might help.

I've been taking my 50 mg Nal faithfully one hour before my evening wine drinking sessions and must honestly say that of far, I have noticed no significa t changes (it didn't even have any initial side effects). My weekly units have bounced around from the mid-80's to the high-40's. Lately they have been climbing back into the 80's again. The urge remains as strong as ever, always a 10, and sometimes kicks in sooner, as early as 2-3 pm from the earlier 5 pm (I still take the Nal and wait an hour). No tapering of interest or sense of taste. It's almost at the 5-month mark now and I've GOT to get this licked before I travel to South Africa at the end of Oct. for a six week voyage across the South Atlantic in a 2-man 40-foot sailboat. Given that situation, it may literally be a matter of life and death. Dr. Escapa says that the extinguishment effect works in the background without conscious effort, but I wonder if at this point a hefty helping of willpower is also in order. Or could that be counter-productive?

Mike

Mike, I'm starting to fret a bit on your behalf about your trip - it's not something to take on if you're not cured by then is it, and it seems such a big risk to be counting on such a big change in just a few weeks?

If it were me I'd seriously think about tapering off the booze, aiming to finish before the trip starts, or reconsidering going at all (your friend will need notice for a replacement I guess). I'm sorry, I don't mean to be negative or stick my oar in (forgive the pun) where it's none of my business, I'm just worried for you.

Don't worry about the "none of my business" part. It is. We're all part of everyone's business here, which is to play a supportive and non-judgmental role in offering advice. I'll need all the help on the below plan, because finding a replacement at this stage is simply not an option. I appreciate your concern. My feeling is that things will work out. I am confident about that during the day. It's at night that I fret and castigate myself for overindulging the evening before.

I reckon I'll simply have to use raw willpower on top of Nal and not "drink as usual" as the treatment calls for. I've stopped cold turkey before, for periods ranging from eight years to a few months, to a few days. There's a switch somewhere in my brain that I don't have conscious access to, but when thrown, makes me lose complete interest in alcohol--even while watching my wife enjoy her evening wine--until suddenly the switch trips in the opposite direction and I relapse. I'll have to work on visualizing muscling this switch into the "off" position again.

The good thing is that there it is impossible to carry 40 days of enough wine on a 40-foot sailboat to support my roughly 2-1/2 litre a day habit. That would fill a quarter of the entire fresh water supply on board and we need all we can carry or gather from rain for hydration, cooking and an occasional light rinse. Plus, whatever spirits there are, will probably be beer since the Capt.-owner is German. Beer is not my BOC. I don't really care for the stuff, besides it's so filling I find it hard to drink enough to get a buzz. Of course, I'm bringing a sufficient supply of Nal to last the trip, which I will take before having even a single beer. Plus life on board, with rotating 4-hour night watches, is not exactly conducive to drinking since that alternates the need for sleep with the need for alertness. No five-o'clock trigger in the cards. On a two-handed voyage like this, night and day merge as single, exhausting continuum.

Sorry for rambling, but putting my thoughts down like this is in itself therapeutic.

Mike

You've put a lot of thought into this. It's doable. Until the trip, the number of drinking sessions is more important than the amount consumed per session. So AF days should not be a priority before the trip. But do taper down your consumption to preclude withdrawal symptoms. There's a lot in Eskapa's book and on the board about this. If you're capable of AF days, probably best to save them for the trip -- and be sure to practice positive reinforcement on the 2nd nal-free day. Don't white-knuckle it -- you risk alcohol deprivation effect.

All this may change, of course, because there is the very real possibility you'll see big results before the trip. But based on your consumption and years of drinking, maybe not.

Either way, you'll be fine.

Mike, thanks for posting your reply, and I'm so glad you feel positive that it's all possible with your 'on-off' switch (my, how I wish I had one of those!!) I guess not having one it's just so hard to relate, plus the info I was given at the detoxes I've been through have scared me stiff of quitting cold turkey, but as long as you have one or two drinks in your system at some point on most days I guess it's not really a case of that.

Hanging out for a big shift for you soon - wouldn't it be so grand if the 'switch flipped' in the next couple of weeks?! - and even now starting to look forward to reports from your big trip now you've put my mind at rest a little

All the best, bud

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