Please help! I have been at this for almost 19 months. I am either totally AF with no cravings or I am all out trashed. There seems to be no in between. My daughter is starting to notice and that kills me. What should I do. I want this to stop. I am at the end of my rope.
GA

Georgiamom,

I'm a little too new at this to be giving advice but what I can say is that you're in the right forum, these folks are full of helpful advice. Don't give up and be proud of those AF days, if you bash yourself then from what I've found is that it gives you another reason to drink.

Hang in there and you're in my prayers.
Marianne

GA,
I'm not sure that I can advise, but I feel for you. What is the difference on the AF days and the trashed days? Are there things that trigger the drinking? Has it been like this throughout your TSM journey or have things changed. If so, what?
I'm too new here to offer any real advice, but I'm sure some of the old timers might be able to help. Would an increase in dosage help?
If your daughter notices the trashed times then she also notices the AF times, so there is some balance there and a little something to be thankful for. Don't give up.
Ruth.

Obviously, that's not how it's all supposed to work. It sounds like you went from a daily drinker to a binger, right? Binge drinkers don't always have cravings to drink, just under certain circumstances. How many days are you having those alcohol binges and how much are you drinking? If you've been following the "Golden Rule" for all this time, it's possible Naltrexone just isn't working for you (well, it always "works," but it doesn't stop everyone from drinking). How would that make you feel if you really believed it was having no effect on your drinking? (This is often a "last ditch effort" for drinkers.) What would your Plan B be?

GA -- Do say more about what the situation is now. And remember that some people take even more time at it than you've put in. But don't give up -- at least not yet!

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If you are AF with no cravings, have you considered seeing how long you can go? If you read my thread, I started extending my AF days and found I could go and go. The longer I went, the less I drank when I did.

Hi GeorgiaMom,

I just wanted to chip in here. I haven't posted for quite a while, but what I found might be echoed in what you are experiencing. Anyway, I went through twelve months of the Sinclair Method, and my units did not drop. at all. I decided I just had to stop drinking altogether, so went completely AF, and immediately noticed that that "voice in my head" was gone. No cravings at all. I started AF 3 June 2012.

One of the enticing claims of the Sinclair Method is that it allows you to drink moderately. After seven months of AF, and with encouragement from my wife, I did start drinking again, with Nal of course, to find out if I could drink moderately like other people.

I could not.

After a three month long experiment, I concluded that moderation was not something I was going to be able to achieve. So on 1 April 2013 I returned to abstinence.

That's only four and a half months, I know, but I couldn't be happier. Lost 13kg (what's that, about 28 pounds), feel great every day. I have no cravings. none at all.

I obviously wasn't an ideal candidate for the Sinclair method. But I think it's taken away enough of the demon so that I can achieve abstinence. And for that I am hugely grateful.

Maybe you are like me, in that regard?

c

If you are not experiencing cravings then go AF it's the obvious thing to do.


By the way I was a binge drinker and I had cravings on a daily basis, drove me bonkers. It would build up until I allowed myself to drink which could be a few hours, days or a week after my last drink. Sometimes I'd decide to drink and spend the next however many hours dreaming of it, then give in a bit sooner.

Hey guys, I'm back. Thank you everyone for your posts. I have read them many many times and have put some serious thought into them. I don't have a plan B so this has to work. My life is better than it was before I started this thing. However, it is time for me to work on my mental demons. My biggest trigger is the stress caused by the dependency on me by my mother. My dad died 4years ago and she worries and freaks out about everything. Calls me 5 to 6 times a day. I feel so torn between her and my own family. I am trying to learn boundaries. Not an easy thing. Many tines at night I know I drink to escape. Sooooo....

Here is what I am goin to try and do so that I can make it to the cured list.....

No drinking at home during the week.
Up my dosage to 75 mg. I am drinking thru the 50 mg.
Learn to say no!
Track my numbers!!!!
Pray, pray and pray!

Thank you all again for your help. I can almost see the light of hope at the end of this very long journey.

GA