Alcohol Use Disorder, Naltrexone and TSM

In thinking about my own pre-TSM self, I didn't want to give up alcohol but instead I wanted to control it. My "primative" lizard brain does NOT want to give up alcohol so therefore seeking help is risky because it goes hand in hand with abstaining. In the depths of AUD when the lizard is having a lovely time sucking on those scrumptious endorphins that it doesn't have to work hard to get, abstaining would be untenable. Scenario: Brain considers, "I can get endorphins by running for 30 minutes or I can get them even faster and with less effort by drinking alcohol..." Not only is my brain supremely "lazy", but it's also an efficient energy conserver! In hindsight, we know now that TSM puts the Alcohol Use Disorder sufferer back in control but before that, it's a daunting topic with a bleak prospect. I can understand why people are in denial because the only solution known to them will bring them no joy but a great deal of suffering. Who ...

I wouldn't be physically where I am today if I hadn't found TSM .  Instead of sitting at my computer typing this, I'd most likely still be in bed recovering from a massive hangover and feigning food poisoning or a sinus infection.     Where I am mentally is another part of the story.  TSM is helping me to rediscover myself by allowing my brain to think more clearly than I have in years as the alcohol induced depression and anxiety is lifting.  I'm finding myself smiling, less prone to dark thoughts, more able to enjoy the moment and finding peace where previously I found isolation. My journey has so far been easier than I had anticipated.  Before I took my first dose of Naltrexone, I thought it would be impossible to decrease my drinking level.  I certainly had great hope that it would work but believed it would only come with great sacrifice and pain.  It hasn't at all.  Instead it has brought relief, given me power and restored my ...

Yesterday my pill holder arrived from C Three Foundation in America.  I excitedly put it onto my set of keys. Inside it I placed a Naltrexone tablet.  The pill holder is lightweight and is a discreet size and the printing "cthreefoundation.org" is a tiny reminder that help, support and information is never far away.   There is room inside for two Naltrexone tablets and the silicone rubber seal is designed to keep the medication fresh. For more information about the Sinclair Method and Naltrexone, take a look at C Three Foundation's website at www.cthreefoundation.org

My life is improving and it feels good to be out of the pull of alcohol and protected by Naltrexone. One glass of wine last night - cheap Sauvignon Blanc (left over from the afternoon tea party) and it was absolutely AWFUL. (Sincere apologies to any SauvBlanc lovers - I'm a chardonnay girl.) My child is wanting to do more with me of late and asked if he could help with cooking dinner - Beef Stroganoff.  I was very surprised! but he happily stirred while I added ingredients and we chatted.  He also wanted to read to me at bedtime. It melts my heart and I am grateful that the "old drunk short-tempered dragon" has left the house because I want the remains of his childhood to be spent with love, kindness and patience. I never meant to be unkind or impatient or unloveable but 10 plus years of AUD did that to me. I'm finding that I am now able to laugh out loud where previously I was suspicious of a joke. I do hope that Claudia realizes how terribly important her role...

I'm too delighted with the downward slope on my one week drink graph not to share it!   I've dropped from 49 drinks to 8. Aside from the internal health benefits, I'm feeling happier and sleeping better too. Thank goodness for the Sinclair Method and Naltrexone.

Reading around the C Three Foundation forum " Options Save Lives " has made me realise that I am not actually an "early responder" but I am in the honeymoon phase.  From what I can understand, in the early stages the Naltrexone has the upper hand but after a couple of weeks, the brain will fight back wanting its fix and that's when I may see an increase in the cravings.  I'm going to ride with it.   Until then, I'll continue as I have been and won't force an alcohol free day because there's really no point until I experience the "fight for the fix". Then I'll know what I'm in for!  Here is information from C3 regarding the Honeymoon phase...   "It's like the term 'Quick Responders' or 'Early Responders'. This is something that we at C3 are working on clarifying for people. We have seen people on this forum notice an immediate reduction and call themselves a quick/early responder, without realising tha...

This must see documentary, One Little Pill, is another important resource to utilize to gain an understanding of the way alcoholism is cured via pharmacological extinction (the Sinclair Method) and with dignity.   "The extraordinary new documentary One Little Pill is Claudia Christian's moving international crusade to confront the realities of alcoholism with a new treatment that actually works, and is a stunning expose of the current social forces that delay or even obstruct all new advances in medicine. In this intimate visual portrait, Claudia (Christian) courageously reveals her own past struggles with alcohol in order to help others in far worse situations find a new path to living with a disease that affects us all. This beautifully produced documentary takes us from a housewife in Chicago, a research institute in Helsinki Finland, and even the rural villages of India as we are immersed in her (Claudia Christian's) war against a crippling disease and a system t...