I am a lifelong heavy drinker. I will be 62 years old in a few weeks and until recently I had not had an alcohol free day since my early twenties. I have never been a ?binge drinker? I would drink heavily every day. I suppose you could say that I have been on one 40 year binge.! When I was younger I would drink mostly beer and then I would end the night with a couple of spirits, whiskey usually. In later years I have tended to drink less beer and more and more wine. When I was in my thirties I would regularly drink 12 pints of beer per day, and often more.
I had been worried for a long time about the amount that I was drinking, but giving up was something that I would do next week, or after the holidays or whenever. I tried many times to have a day off the drink but by early evening the cravings would become to much and I would revert to the bottle.
Last year a friend told me about TSM and how it had helped her. I did some research into it and decided that it might be for me. I found a private clinic in Glasgow which practices TSM and made an appointment. My first consultation lasted an hour during which I was questioned about my drinking habits and my lifestyle and my motives for wanting to give up. At that consultation I was given my first prescription for Naltrexone.
I stated taking Nal on 17th. October 2013. Within a week my alcohol cosumption had dropped from 140 units or more per week to 80 to 90 units.
I am now 18 weeks on and I am down to 50 to 60 units per week and one AFD each week. I am hoping that I can increase to 2 AFD's per week (hopefully today will be my 2nd AFD this week) I still get cravings, but nothing like as bad as before I started Naltrexone.
My goal is to quit alcohol totally as I am not sure that I could stick to a moderated drinking regime long term.
Thank you for reading my story so far, I hope to update it on a monthly basis.
Alan
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