A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

May Week 1 AF Days - 4

May Week 1 - 34 units. That is just under 5 per day.

I actually did 3 days straight AF. Friday nights are always hardest for me, being the end of the week. I usually get some DVD's for the kids, order takeout or buy some meat pies & chips for the kids. I usually stock up on my cheeses, salami's & wine and settle in for the night.

I had the hypnotherapy session on Friday morning and I felt really good afterwards. We concentrated on the wine aspect (my fave tipple) and I'd say for now that it worked. I did some shopping last night, walked past the wine section and felt a bit icky thinking about it. Even thinking about it now reminds me of vomit!!

Hubby was home last night so I bought a six pack of beer, hired a movie and after the kids went to bed settled in. I only had 3 beers. I could have had more but I thought about waking up sickly on Mothers Day and ruining the kids fun. I took the Naltrexone 1 hour before I opened the beer. I did't get the tipsy feeling in my legs as the alcohol rushes around my body and didn't have the "break out in a sweat" need to have more beer.

I do feel a little headachy morning, but nothing too bad. Just a little feeling of nausea and a distant ache in the brain. Not bad at all.

Noelle, I thought about what you wrote and the effect of Naltrexone and alcohol on the liver and I think that has played at the back of my head also over the last couple of days.

Overall from about 55-60 units & 2 AF days a week , this was a good week! I'm aiming for another 4 days of AF this week.

[moglor]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Great to hear about your progress, Danabe! Does the Naltrexone change how alcohol affects you? Also, was the hypnotherapy specifically designed to make you feel icky about wine? The effect you describe sounds very similar to antabuse, although not as intense.

[RudyB]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

danabe,
just wanted to chime in and say i've enjoyed reading about your dance with the demon here, and that i'm with you in it. that dance, i do it too. what you describe is very familiar, and sad. but, m'dear, let's keep our chins up and keep fighting the good fight. we shall win!
please keep posting. it's cathartic to read. it's helpful in ways you'll never measure.
rudyb

[Noelle]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Congrats Danabe! It sure sounds like the Naltrexone is working for you.

:goodjob:

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Hi Moglor, yes I have found that taking the Naltrexone before I drink takes away the effects of the alcohol.
If I had drank wine though I think I could have easily kept going.
The hypnotherapy was specifically for the wine which is my drink of choice. I had to picture a glass of vomit!! The doc even mentioned the texture of the vomit!! It really helped that I had only a day before watched a documentary on Youtube. It was link that I found on the TSM forum website and showed 4 people and their fight with alcohol. 2 of them died. There is a scene where one bloke is vomiting into a bucket and it shows you every detail. I keep seeing that scene when I think of grabbing a bottle of wine!

I have taken Antabuse in the past and yes it does have a similar effect. Not as nasty though. I almost killed myself drinking on the those and had to stop.

Hi RudyB,
Thank you for your kind words . I?m so glad you are finding it helpful. I found reading other ?threaders? who were fighting the same fight quite inspirational. Yes we can do this!

Hi Noelle,
I do believe the Naltrexone is helping here, the added hypnotherapy has tweaked it just that little bit more.

Here?s a run down of this week:

Sunday ? had 3 stubbies of beer. Could have had more but was too tired and went to bed

Monday - stood at the wine section but didn't feel like anything. Ended up buying 2 x UDL's (cans of premixed) of Gin & Bitter Lemon. Only drank 1 and a half. The second sat on the sink and I tipped it out then next morning.

I am finding it difficult to relax and once the kids are in bed, I'm a bit lost without my ?friend?.
I've joined a local bookclub that I found and I've finalised my enrolment for my degree. I took an extra subject to keep me occupied.

I'm pleasantly surprised...

I'll send an update in a few days.

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Another week over and it's 43 units this week. Feels like the honeymoon is over

I had a few bottles of wine this week, took me quite some time to fight the urge of NOT wanting to get one - what's up there? When I did sit down with it, it was like my old friend again. I enjoyed it and thought ok, now just this one bottle this week. HA! Oh how I do jest....:H

Only 2 AF days but the drinking was quite light considering my normal sessions. An average of 6 drinks per day. Not good but again, not horrendous.

I have another session of hypno on Friday so I'm looking forward to that.

I had my loving sister in law state at a family gathering that she cannot understand how ANYONE (yep, me) can not stop drinking after just one or two. She shook her head sadly at the same time. As she and her husband and kids are substantially overweight I had to fight the urge of saying "Why then can't a fat person just stop eating?"

I keep the peace for the sake of my husband but boy it can hard at times

[bleep]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Hey Danabe,

I've had that same argument, it drives me up the bloody wall. "Surely you just stop. Just say no. How hard can it be?" I have not managed to convince anyone, so I have given up. Partly because I don't really understand it myself, I suppose.

I also get that every now and again - overcoming an urge NOT to drink. It is bizarre behavior, certainly.

It is great watching your progress. Although I'm not overly familiar with naltrexone, isn't having a honeymoon a good indicator of eventual success?

How many weeks have you been taking naltrexone now?

[RudyB]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

danabe, i hear your words as if they were mine: that part about loving your kids but drinking anyway; what would they do if you weren't here? i'm a single mom of a delightful 4 yr old boy. i love him more than anything. of course. i hate that he'll have the association of the smell of alcohol on my breath probably for the rest of his life. i hate that he might have a positive association with that smell (i am a very 'happy' drunk). it's hard to forgive myself for that one. and for the fact that drinking makes me less vigilant about getting his teeth brushed, and reading before bed instead of letting the video put him to sleep. this is NOT who i wanted to be as a mother!!! i am horrified. but i keep taking the bac and trying to curb my al appetite, which is surely helped by the bac, even at this low dose (30 mg/day atm). so good to have you here, sharing, fighting the good fight. keep us posted.

yours in crime,
rudyb

[Noelle]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Danabe;1114893 wrote: I had my loving sister in law state at a family gathering that she cannot understand how ANYONE (yep, me) can not stop drinking after just one or two. She shook her head sadly at the same time. As she and her husband and kids are substantially overweight I had to fight the urge of saying "Why then can't a fat person just stop eating?"

I keep the peace for the sake of my husband but boy it can hard at times

This made me LOL. What is wrong with people? Like, "why can't you stop saying stupid things?"

When people say stupid things like this, I have great fun smiling at them, while inside my head, I'm saying exactly what I think. It *does* keep the peace. Although I have to say that if a fat person said that to me, I'd probably say out loud what you were thinking, smiled and walked away. Being older has it's advantages! :H

*I* think you're doing great Danabe. :goodjob:

[KatieSmiles]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Danabe good for you for biting your tongue on that one, I doubt if I would be so nice.

Sounds like the Nal is doing what it's supposed to be doing, remember this is a long journey and there is gold at the end of the rainbow

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Hi everyone,

It's been over a week I think since I last sat down and wrote something! I have been reading and rereading your comments in that time. On my bad days they give me a "chin up" and on my good days remind me of why I'm doing this.

We're having a tough time financially just like a whole lot of others in the same boat. I'm seeing hubby become more and more depressed and it worries me deeply. I'm still having some 2 bottle benders but me worrying about him worrying has made me at times think twice about getting that 2nd bottle! I'm sending him off to the doc's next week. Let's see how that goes.

As per my last post, yes my sister in law is a piece but she's nothing compared to her mother! This woman is evil. They banned me from their house when I first started dating my husband because of my nationality and barely spoke to me for years. I would cry myself to sleep. I remember my dad coming in one night and cuddling me and me just sobbing and asking why can't they just like me.... I was 18 then. Move forward and I've had 20 years of putdowns, looking down their noses at me and tut tutting about my various family members. It was only about 3 years ago that I thought you know what, I don't give a crap about you or what you think, any of you. And life actually got better.

I feel better now! that's been on my mind all bloody day LOL!!

Thanks again, till next time!

Best wishes to you all :thanks:

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

May

G'Day all,

What an up and down month May was. I drank on more days but in a very different manner.

Units April May
15> 2 1
15 6 7
11 to 14 0 7
7 to 10 7 3

[Guest]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Hey Danabe

I too am finding I'm drinking more days than not BUT the big difference is I'm hardly drinking anything when I do drink. Are you finding this too?I've found a better way to measure the nal effect is to work out an average for each drinking session. For instance I drank 6 times last week, but only averaged ~ 3 units per session. Big improvement for me, especially since 3 units doesn't impinge on my life very much at all.

[Danabe]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Hi Ukblonde,

I'm actually finding I'm drinking more per session but am having more days off. Not a lot more but there is a difference. It's easier to not have a drink but once I do I tend to knock 2 bottles off.

I'm hoping to do 17 days AF this month and do 3 AF days at a time rather than one day here, two days there.

Today I've been thinking about having a bottle of wine, I got close to taking my Naltrexone but the thought of how tired I am now (had a bottle last night) and how tired I will be tomorrow. It's close to freezing outside so the thought of heading out pick up a bottle wasn't a nice option either! So I've decided to head off to bed early and read. It's 7.30pm here now and I'm just waitng for the kids to go to sleep then I'm off to join them. I might have a drink tomorrow, but I'm glad I didn't today

[bkyogagurl]

A shiny brand new start with Naltrexone - my journey

Danabe... I loved your starting page. I feel like I was looking in the mirror.

I haven't had time to read all the post yet but I plan too. After lurking for a long time on the Nal posters I am convinced that I must try it. I tried the the Topamax regimen which did work but the loopy feeling was much to hand with my 3 kids. So I decided that I could not take it. I started drinking over it too.

just wanted to stop in and say Hi... I'll be back... Ha ha

BK