New to nal

[Paleale]

I have been taking nal for five nights now. I have dramatically reduced my intake. I have not had that much do drink tonight, but it has been more than the past few nights. I feel sort of drunk right now, and I thought nal would keep that from happening. I also have not slept at all since starting the nal. Any input would be appreciated.

[playland]

New to nal

Hello Pal,
I have no experience with Nal so I can't offer any help with that, but just want to let you know you are in a great place here on the MWO site, lots of helpful people, so read as much as you can and keep posting. You can feel free to join us on the "Starting Topa and with a Question" thread, doesn't matter what you are taking or not, just stop by for some company

Best wishes,
Play

[StuckinLA]

New to nal

I've never taken nal, either, so sorry I can't be of more help. Not sure what the side effects (SEs) are with nal, but sleep doesn't sound like one of them. Are you nervous about taking nal? Nervous about taking steps to deal with your drinking? How much less are you drinking? All of these things can seriously impact your sleep, so don't blame the nal just yet. Easy to say, I know.

As for drunk, nothing's going to stop that. If you drink enough you'll get drunk. Might not feel quite the same, since nal's blocking the dopamine rush. So you probably won't get the happy feeling you're used to/expecting/hoping for. But you'll still get drunk.

TSM takes months, so if this is the route you've chosen you've gotta just stick with it. Maybe keep a drink diary? Or any kind of diary? Or join one of the TSM or Sinclair threads here. We're great fun to talk to, and can help out when you have questions.

[YouKayBee]

New to nal

I'm a TSM follower and Nal will not stop you from getting drunk if you really want to drink too much. Nal does however over time reduce the desire and craving for alcohol, which combined with deciding you want to reduce or cut out alcohol allows you to either drink within safe levels, or go completely abstenant.

All you need do is take 50mg Nal (although this dose can sometimes vary from person to person) 1 hour before you drink. Keeping a drinks diary is a good way to track progress and many also find making a conscious decision to try a few AF days after a few months of this also beneficial(sounds scary but you can just get to a point where the drinking is habitual rather than 'driven').

Nal usually has the side effect of making you feel tired, but then again drinking alcohol does that to normal people anyway. I've not heard of anyone having the opposite effect with Nal but it may be a result of you cutting back on your alcohol intake, something most do find causes insomnia.

Nal blocks endorphins which are the feel good, excitable chemicals(to get technical it blocks the opiod receptors and endorphins are opiod-type chemicals so you release them but don't feel em so you don't feel that excited or driven when you drink). Make sure you do carry the red warning cards on you because of the way in which Nal works if you ever need medical attention, pain relief it affects the type that can be used.

You may find the Sinclair Method forum helpful;

thesinclairmethod.com • Index page

It's not as busy as this site so if you do post any questions please do be patient, it's a very niche group and not that many people are using it hence even smaller numbers active on a support forum.

[lostsole]

New to nal

I also found one of the SE's to be a sour stomach. Well at least for me. Perhaps I was drinking too much with it?