My Naltrexone Journey

[hangingon]

My Naltrexone Journey

WOW! I am so happy for you...I wish I was at the beach. We are having some cold rainy weather here in Austin Texas. I started reading the book last night.
hanging

[brightlite]

My Naltrexone Journey

Hey Crown....just checking in with you. Haven't seen you post in a few days. Hope you are still staying strong. Get back to us soon.

It's snowing here today...so it must be snowing there. Good day to read the boards. Take Care.

Bright

[crown86]

My Naltrexone Journey

Hangingon...LOL yep beach here but it's FREEZing..LOL and now snowing like hell.

Britelite Yep staying strong..LOL but no BS it's getting easier and easier...LOL I know the real estate peice oh to well...been in the mortgage business for 20 years..owned my own company closed it down 2 years before this mess thank god and still own a real estate company..mom and pop..have 2 guys working for me...me I am quasi doind it..kind of on the sidelines with it all right now...before this mess started I was burned out on the business...got 2 other small things and storefronts going down in here un related to RE and mortgages.

stay warm

[brightlite]

My Naltrexone Journey

Still snowing here. Burnt out on RE???? I hear ya!

Glad you are staying strong. I can't believe how good you are doing and how far you have come. I remember reading your intro. I can understand the hell that you used to be in. Why do we let ourselves get to a level like that! We forget how great life can be! When you feel like getting a "drink on" as they say, remember the place that you were and how good things are now. Or go jump in the cold ocean...that should do it...LOL.

Best

Bright

[crown86]

My Naltrexone Journey

brightlite

Funny..naltrexone has killed the get the drink-on peice in my head...or when it does come which is starting to get way less I don't fight it..I take my naltrexone wait an hour and have a drink...the difference is the drink doesn't cut it it like it used to and truly after like 2 beers 3 max..when I had the intent and urge to get smashed it stops..example I have been feeling like a beer today..I have none in the house...it's gushing snow here at the beach...a big rarity...I might possibly go get a six pack..not sure yet..but I am in no way freaking out like I HAVE TO have it..ah but probably wont go.

[crown86]

My Naltrexone Journey

Week 10 ending Jan 30th
units 5

Well, if this up coming week was like the last few I am going to say add me to the cured list on the TSM site..I can't see or even think or feel it wont be any different. Alcohol is having no affect any longer and is really not a major part of my life. I never thought this was going to be possible and not in a hair over 2 months...NO WAY. Reading everyone's journey on TSM I was prepared I was going to take 6-9 months for results. Any sooner would be like winning the lottery and we all know the odds on that one. From day 1 naltrexone had a powerful effect in reducing my tolerance and has gotten me to the point that being drunk or buzzed does not feel good..it's hard to describe..I now feel like if I was to get drunk I would just end vomiting and being absolutly miserable...I have faced some seriously hard drinking triggers in the last two months..just about everyone I could think of and I took my naltrexone and drank when they came. The tolerance was smashed everytime and kept getting lower and lower and as the tolerance faded so did being drunk. With not being drunk my life..or more so my rational mind has returned.

Naltrexone was powerful from day one but now it is like superman fighting booze...VERY powerful. Meaning if I want a beer I take my naltrexone and have one but I am starting not to finish even one at times...I really can't see going past 3 MABYE 4...4 I would be highly buzzed. With this new feeling it's so easy to stop or really not to even get started. The thing that does sort of scare me though is in the not so long ago past I could SERIOUSLY POUND ANYTHING..now almost nothing and am begining to really choose nothing and not think about it. The part that scares me is it WAS TOO EASY - take a pill and drink. I keep pinching myself like am I dreaming, is this real, where's the catch?

The other HUGE thing this week I had three close friends at 3 different times comment about how DIFFERENT I sound. They all know about TSM and me trying to quit or control my drinking whatever you want to call it. They said it to me like out of the blue in normal conversation..my respone each time was well you know I was killing alcohol and each one seperatly said the same thing basically..yeah I know you havent been drunk in a while lol or called me drunk..it's not just that you sound SO DIFFERENT..Happy motivated ..and damn haven't heard you this way in years.

I sort of look at alcoholism like a treadmill that spun out of control and once your on it , it's damn close to impossible to get off, at least you feel that way when on it. But once you off the treadmill and continue not to get back on it..it gets easier and easier and life just falls into place. Naltrexone is what threw the brakes on the treadmill PLAIN AND SIMPLE. IT WAS NOTHING I DID - except take the pill and wait an hour to drink as I normally do. As far as my life falling into place thats another story - it was just so easy to do the right thing that I knew I should have been doing without the vice and hell of alcohol to kind of sum it up in a simple manner. And life is just getting better and better, the same old stress and BS is there but without drowning in a whiskey soaked mind it is managable and actually challenging and fun..not sure if fun is the right word...put it this way I now have peice of mind...by biggest gift from TSM. With peice of mind anything is possible.

I beleive I have been given a seond chance at life and plan to make the most of this chance, my drinking to me and the people close to me was like a near death experience..cliche sounding maybe, but TRUE. I learned of TSM by a woman at MWO..she read my story I posted and sent me a PM..her screen name was Brit0ny...she has some post's here but I have not seen her post in quite a while I hope and pray she is ok. Funny intially I thought the PM was an infomercial..sounded way too good to be true. Brit0ny if you ever get a chance to read this THANK YOU THANK YOU - YOU HELPED SAVE MY LIFE and HELPED RETURN ME TO A HAPPY LIFE WITHOUT THE CHAINS OF ALCOHOL. YOU ARE AN ANGEL. I will never forget that PM.

I can now see my Naltrexone journey turning into a plain old simple life journey.

My suggestion to anyone thinking of quitting drinking or trying to control it and are adament you will not go to AA or another abstinence based program...even if you want to make a what I call half-assed attempt to quit or control your drinking to satify or shut up your wife husband boyfriend girfriend etc...Give TSM a try..You have ZERO to lose and everything possible gain...It's too simple.

[com1]

My Naltrexone Journey

Thanks Crown for the detailed journal of your TSM journey. You have what I want!! I have been an alcoholic for my adult life, as I reflect on it. I have tried many times to stop but to no avail. Recently went 18 days AF but the cravings were always lurking. And I was getting very crabby. And this is an understatement.

Anyway, I received my Nal on Friday after a week of anxious anticipation for its arrival. I took it one hour before I planned to have beer. I drink to get drunk and will normally drink 14-16 beers to accomplish this. I had to push down 8 beers on Fri. and then absolutely did not care for any more. What an absolute surprise for me! Sat. I did not care for anything. I am not expecting a miracle but I am very optimistic at this early stage. If this is only psychological now, I don't know, but I am going to monitor closely and see what happens.

For now, onwards and upwards.

Com1

[brightlite]

My Naltrexone Journey

Great Crown...sounds like the final part of your recovery will be to use your knowledge to help someone else. You are definitely an inspiration to many here on the boards. We are all in this fight together and your success is a win for all!

Com1, sounds like it is working for you too, keep posting your progress.

[crown86]

My Naltrexone Journey

Com1

Man I could have been over at your house for those 15-16...well would to have brought my own..I drank whiskey mostly..LOL...it's good sign they say if you get the honeymoon effect..like for you your tolerance being cut in half. Everything I read on the TSM board I think it's one other guy and myself that it happened this fast for..meaning time frame...I went into this with the attitude I am F-ed-up with booze so it's not going to be an overnight fix...meaning I was committed TSM for 1 year before I was going to say no it doesnt work for me. Most member are taking 4-6 months...so If you are in your honeymoon phase dont get discouraged...My experience was the tolerance cut and kepy going down to nothing. A lot of people go down then up to where they were pre-tsm and then drop off.

I also did the AF thing for a hair over 30 days before TSM...most days were good a few bad and irratable...but man when that craving came it was HUGE...jesus himself could not have stopped me from drinking when I went off the wagon. Now no big deal take the Nal wait and hour and drink but the biggest difference when I fell off the wagon it was 20+ drink night with naltrexone its maybe one or two..no damage done.

Britelight - so true..I would tell anyone about TSM that cares to listen. BTW how are you doing with it?

[brightlite]

My Naltrexone Journey

Crown,

I've been taking Nal for about 1 1/2 months except for the 4 days in Vegas. I usually have a bottle of wine in the evening about 4 to 5 times a week. Definitely on the weekend nights. I've have a tolerance now for my pinot grigio and I can very easily finish a bottle. Occasionally I will have a red wine, and rarely drink beer or liquor. Anyway, I felt queasy the morning after the first two times that I took the Nal. I think I have adjusted to it now. However, I am not feeling a reduction or disinterest in my wine. Once I have one, I will usually finish the bottle. I would love to stop after 2 drinks....that would be what a normal person would do..right? If the Nal can help me do that, it would be great. I'm really going to try this week for AF.

AF nights...exercise...that's the plan this week.

Check back later.

[eight days a week]

My Naltrexone Journey

brightlite;799134 wrote: ...I would love to stop after 2 drinks....that would be what a normal person would do..right? If the Nal can help me do that, it would be great. I'm really going to try this week for AF.

AF nights...exercise...that's the plan this week.

Check back later.

Brightlite, crown is absolutely the exception, not the rule as far, as real-life experiences on Nal under TSM seem to have gone (as opposed to the studies and some of the examples given in the book). Be patient, and don't expect to see any results or noticeable change whatsoever until maybe four months in, and most probably at least six or more.

Good luck with the plan - sounds great

Crown, you lucky thing you, so happy for you my friend!! :goodjob:

[crown86]

My Naltrexone Journey

8 & Brightlite

I agree the only person I know of on TSM That naltrexone hit this fast fast and furious is AJ...Everyone else is like 6mo on average it seems...so hang in there brightlite....your still early in treatment...did you have a honeymmon period? Alot of what I have read is if you have the honeymoon and and the side effects there is a good chance it will work for you. From everything I have read it is still too early to tell if you will be one it works for or not...I hope it does

[eight days a week]

My Naltrexone Journey

Crown, can I ask where you get your Nal from?

Perhpas it's all in my mind, but this stuff from Alldaychemist doesn't seem to affect me the same way as the stuff from River or the official UK version did.

[brightlite]

My Naltrexone Journey

Hi all,

Ok the plan was no AL and exercise. Well my appointment ran late and couldn't get to my exercise class. BF called and said he was coming over and he usually drinks a couple of beers. So just in case I took a NAL. Good thing that I did, because he brought over some wine. I'm trying not to have any in the house and have asked him nicely that he does not have to bring me any wine. Anyway, I drank very slowly and had 1 and 1/2 glasses before BF left. I did finish the last half glass, but could have taken it or left it. Just wanted to let you guys know that I actually felt like the Nal worked last night because normally I would have finished that bottle off.

[eight days a week]

My Naltrexone Journey

brightlite a very good sign that Nal is having an effect on you! Just a word from someone who's been there and wished he had - if you feel like leaving it, try to sometimes! The habit needs to be broken, I believe, as well as the endorphin addiction (although you didn't finish the bottle - good on you )