Just finished week 5 counting units and got down to 18 units this past week with that 1 AF day. Don't let the numbers mislead you; every day continues to be a huge struggle to limit the drinking. Now on to week 6 (week 3 with Nal).

Gotthegene,
Glad to hear that you were finally able to get your Nal after a long wait. You are just starting out on this journey and it is important not to force a reduction too quickly. If you are craving a drink, take a Nal, wait an hour and drink as you normally would have. This is an important part of the extinction process, once you have been at it for a while you can apply some will power.

Best of Luck,
Diver

Yes, yes, yes...(exactly what Diver said). Go w/ the flow and drink what you want now. We can understand your being anxious to "get better" right away but from my understanding and experience you're supposed to just drink as you did before to get the extinction underway. You don't have to fight it, or white knuckle it, as long as you're not driving drunk, etc.

You're off to a good start! Keep in touch...
Chrissie

Hi! Good to see you hanging in there! This is a long term, but slow cure, and we all have to exercise good judgment about being safe and using moderating methods. I agree with Diver, the process is take the nal, wait an hour, drink normally. There isn’t any need to white knuckle through the process.

Just be sure to wait the hour, be somewhere safe and don’t worry. There isn’t any guilt in this process, no more than there was for Sinclair’s rats!

Take care, be safe!

Thank you for Diver for posting that I should not "white knuckle" it....b/c that's what I am doing! I'm on my 3rd drink tonight and really want that 4th; my reduction in units is only due to extreme will power, not due to lack of interest in alcohol. Okay, I have to relax a bit and let the Nal work. Thanks for reminding me folks!

Just finished week 6 (wk 3 post-nal) with 18 units. Still "white knuckling" it b/c I started a job and have to be in good form---can't afford to have any embarrassing hangover days. The upside is that at least I'm feeling some control over my drinking; 2 months ago I didn't know how I would get a grip.

I continue to work with the Nal to the extent I can and think I'll be okay the next day. I really appreciate this forum as a place to be honest and be among kindred "spirits".

Hi Gotthegene,

The fact that you can actually exercise the self-discipline to avoid drinking to excess because of work, is in itself a wonderful thing! And not to be underestimated. I would give yourself some credit for being capable of 'white-knuckling' it when absolutely necessary - some of us are not so restrained

Please allow yourself to drink like you always have, when it is an option... the chemistry will do the job for you, over time.

Best of luck.

Hi Gotthegene

Yes I agree - give yourself a pat on the back for exercising some control and keeping those units under 20 - that's great. It bodes well for your future success with TSM too.

Cheers
Sticky

Hi there, just catching up. I think if you can exercise some restraint for work reasons, that's great. I guess the whiteknuckling is more about not building up a craving (by abstaining) that when you do give in, you go overboard. But sometimes not drinking is really the best solution because of the circumstances. You're just starting out - as others have said, hang in there and try not to overthink things:)

Gwenyth, Sticky & EL,

Thank you all for the encouragement.

I'm taking it one day at a time---which is all any alcoholic can do. I managed to just have 2 US units last night but it takes extreme willpower and going to bed at 8:30pm to pull that off. I've only had 1 AF day in 2012 (largely attributed to a bad hangover that day) and I can't imagine doing it again in the near term. I think about the possibility of an AF day in the morning and then quickly conclude I don't have the strength.

My father wasn't a daily drinker (like I am), he was a binge drinker---so once a month he'd go off the rails and be totally plastered for a week or so. Then he'd dry out and be fine for 3 weeks. So he seemed to have control for a few weeks and then lose it. I can't get control and not drink for a few days. This of course is extremely worrisome. Worst worry is that I end up being a daily drinker AND binge drinker. Thinking "Murphy's Law" here...

The pluses are that I've gotten my 46+ units/week down to <20. The journal has been really helpful with that. I'm also using far fewer sleeping aids to sleep than I used to---A couple mugs of Sleepy Time tea and maybe one over-the-counter sleep aid (instead of 2 or more). My sleeping patterns are much more "normal" now than they have been. I've also been exercising ~5 days a week---bummed tho I haven't lost any weight.

Am hoping tonight will be a low intake night b/c my husband will be out and I can go to bed again at 8-8:30

Hope you all are winning your battles!