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TSM, nalmefene, selincro - trying to control my drinking!!!

Posted , 15 users are following.

foreverfuzzy
foreverfuzzy

I'm really busy reading all I can all over here and the internet in general, about The Sinclair Method, Naltrexone and Nalmefene but as I took my first tablet last night, I thought I'd start my own thread about it too!

Background...

​Female, 40 years old, "functioning" alcoholic as in I work part time, I have a husband, children, own a house, am an active member of the community where I live.  I drink at home, evenings only but from 1 to 2 bottles of wine a night, every night.

​In August last year I realised my units had crept up from 60-80 per week to a record high of 135 (I log the next morning on drink aware ap).  I went to my GP and requested help, he told me not to stop drinking suddenly as I could be at risk of seizure, he referred me to Addaction.  I met with them and told them my drinking felt out of control, the levels were crazily high and I was drinking on work days with no regard for what was happening the next day.  She was brilliant, everyone was, so non-judgemental and kind.  We set a date for a home and dry detox which I did in September.  Took tapering does of librium for 7 days and then went onto acamprasate.  Stayed sober for 7 weeks.  Felt great, mornings were lovely, sleep was fantastic, sober days out with no headache or fog was brilliant but I felt like I was really missing out.  I went to some support groups and people there were in different stages of alcoholic / moderating / absteining / cutting down / on serious drugs etc...  Whole range of people and problems.

​I started questioning "was I that bad?" "why can't I just drink moderately?" "What's wrong with me?" Anyway, long story short I started drinking again, first just at weekends, bottle of wine, then some days a bottle a night, some days off, eventually back up to a bottle a night, every night but not as high as before.  All this time I'm still talking to addaction and being totally honest about my situation and spending all day googling alcoholic forums trying to figure out what to do.   AA was at the back of my mind as my last resort because I have tried it a few years ago and found it to be a bit cult like.  Its like "yes it can save you but it kind of takes over your life aswell". 

​When I stumbled across The Sinclair Method, C3 Europe, naltrexone and nalmefene I thought it was a joke.  I'm still not 100% convinced it can really work, it sounded too good to be true. 

​Anyway, I picked them up yesterday and took my first pill at 5.10pm last night.  I felt quite spaced out, it was almost like the feeling of coming up on a pill/trip from when I was a teenager!  I was sat chatting to my children and helping them with their homework but I was feeling a bit "odd".  Put them to bed and had some red wine about 7.00pm.  First couple of glasses went down as quick as normal but then I slowed down.  It was strange, I had the bottle next to me but I wasn't getting through it as quick as normal.  I wasn't racing to get the 2nd bottle out, ready to swap it over.  I felt really glad that I had an instant effect off it.  I decided to drink as much as I wanted to so probably did a bottle and 2 glasses but almost had to force myself to finish the last glass before going to bed (stupid I know).

​Woke up at 2am, went to the toilet which isn't that unusal anyway.  But this morning felt a little "removed" from myself.  Didn't want to eat anything.  Ended up having a banana at 10am and now I feel OK.  I'm going to take another pill tonight but drink a smaller amount (if I can control it). 

​I'll update later, would love to hear from anyone in a similar situation.

​Sorry for essay length of post!

1 like, 71 replies

71 Replies

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  • foreverfuzzy
    foreverfuzzy

    Posted

    Update;

    Before taking nalmefene units per week;

    Week 1 - 87

    Week 2 - 104

    Then started taking nalmefene;

    Week 3 - 70

    Week 4 - 27

    Week 5 - 31

    Week 6 - 34

    Week 7 - 16

    Week 8 - 44

    Week 9 - 40

    Week 10 - 36

    How am I feeling?  Good.  The nights I don't drink I don't miss it, infact I rarely drink 2 nights in a row now, I tend to drink one night and then really enjoy a night off the next night, relaxing and getting an early night and a really good nights sleep. 

    I'm aware that I'm still drinking a bottle of wine when I do drink.  Do I "need" to?  Not sure.  Probably not, but I like it. 

    I'm religiously taking the tablet 2 hours before I drink and haven't slipped up on that once, which I'm proud of.  I do feel pretty spaced out when I take the tablet though, I only ever drink at home but not sure I'd want to take it if I was going out for a social evening as it makes me feel quite paranoid and on edge until I start drinking.

    I've got addiction counselling tomorrow so I'm looking forward to exploring in more detail why I use alcohol to relax / switch off / zone out / reward myself and if I can or want to change this.

    On the whole though, I feel physically and mentally pretty good : ))

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree foreverfuzzy

      Posted

      This is looking very good, foreverfuzzy! I'm very happy for you, congratulations!

      Remember the 2nd consecutive AF day is good for an endorphin releasing activity that will help your brain "learn" a healthy practice to replace the old unhealthy one. I'm still working on getting my first AF day, I'm sure it will come soon. I've just cut my drinking by another 50% in the past few days, let's see if I can stabilize there. I did it by delaying my start time and then putting my drink back in the refrigerator in between sips. Starting later and not keeping the drink with me has really made a difference! The two really help to break up the habitual part of drinking for me.

      Anyway, well done and keep on going!

       

    • IChooseLife
      IChooseLife foreverfuzzy

      Posted

      Great going, foreverfuzzy! 

      I hope you will continue to share your experiences here with those of us who are following - at least, as much as you feel comfortable doing.

      Keep up the good work!

    • IChooseLife
      IChooseLife ADEfree

      Posted

      This sounds like a good tactic, ADEfree.  I have not been able to get access to nalmafene here yet... so I'm just trying to drink "mindfully" - with varying degrees of success... :-(( 

      So... I am very grateful to hear of any strategy that might help (for example, starting later, putting the drink back in the fridge - good one! Surely better than clutching it in my grasp as I tend to do...).

      In general, though, I would say that coming to this site, and trying to apply things that I have read here, has already had a very beneficial impact - compared to previous years when I just drank like there was no tomorrrow....

       

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree IChooseLife

      Posted

      Good deal, IChooseLife! Glad to hear it!

      If the local dinosaurs won't co-operate, there are other ways of going about things. Are you in the UK?

    • IChooseLife
      IChooseLife ADEfree

      Posted

      I'm not in the UK, but in a European country where, apparently, Selincro has been approved. Joanna from C3 Europe has also been very helpful in explaining the process to me. The problem is that I'm due for some other surgery soon - skeletal rather than organ-related, thank goodness - and I need to get that behind me first. I'm also hoping that my attempt to change my drinking habits will get a major boost during and after the hospital stay, and subsequent physiotherapeutic in-patient treatment. Thanks for the reply!
    • ADEfree
      ADEfree IChooseLife

      Posted

      This sounds very good, IChooseLife. I hope your surgery goes well and you heal quickly!
    • IChooseLife
      IChooseLife ADEfree

      Posted

      Thank you! I hope I will be able to continue following the posts and threads here... I find it very encouraging and useful. Thanks also for all your positive advice.

       

  • nicole36330
    nicole36330 foreverfuzzy

    Posted

    I can relate to the putting the drink in the fridge,I generally walk round the house with my wine glass and the bottle is usually stashed down the side of the sofa.

    Many a time I've found half full bottles of wine down the side the next day

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree nicole36330

      Posted

      Yes, whatever you can do to disrupt the old routine, it helps!
  • foreverfuzzy
    foreverfuzzy

    Posted

    Well I've managed Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday alcohol free, woo-hoo!!!

    The first 3 nights were pretty easy, I had a hot drink each night - either hot chocolate or cup a soup and enjoyed watching TV and actually taking it all in, not drifting off half way through!

    Last night though I drove home thinking "wine, wine wine..." but I had a meeting in the evening from 7.30-9.30pm so I knew if I did drink it would be late and I would feel the effects more in the morning (today when I am at work).  I ended up actually talking out loud to myself on the way home in the car...  It went like this;

    "Do I want a drink tonight?!

    "Yes!"

    "Why should i?"

    "Because I want to!"

    "Why shouldn't I?"

    "Because you've got a meeting tonight"

    "Because by the time you get home it will be late and you'll be drinking too late"

    "Because you'll have to take the selincro during the meeting and will feel spaced out"

    "Because you're not near Tescos and the only local shop doesn't sell your favourite wine, what's the point of drinking a wine that you don't even like that much?"

    So after actually talking to myself like a mad woman I stopped to buy a pint of milk, some crisps and a kitkat and went home.

    I am so proud of myself, I actually wanted wine but talked myself through the situation and didn't give in!  I went to the meeting, came home, had a hot chocolate and a biscuit and was very happy with myself!

    Am looking forward to a bottle of lovely chardonnay tonight, feel like I've earned it!

    • ADEfree
      ADEfree foreverfuzzy

      Posted

      I think you managed that quite well! Congratulations on the AF days too. I wish you an enjoyable "extinction session" tonight and look forward to your next post!
  • OOOOO
    OOOOO foreverfuzzy

    Posted

    Hello foreverfuzzy.  It has helped me, just reading through your posts, just now.  Thank you for sharing all your feelings about alcohol.  I am fed up about it all, again.  You are more positive, that's what I would like to be.  I don't know what to do today.  I overdid it yesterday.  Back to hating self.  P.S. How did you get the little owl picture?

    Very well done, on your journey.  Giving me hope.  Alonangel

  • Paper_fairy
    Paper_fairy foreverfuzzy

    Posted

    Hi. Glad you are getting on well with nalmephene and I hope it continues to help you. Amazing that addaction helped you as they weren't helpful at all and I stopped going. I am on naltrexone a few weeks in, taking it for a few days then stopping as I find I'm quite hungover the following day and end up sleeping a lot. But I'm determined to see this through x
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