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Twelve weeks and no interest in alcohol. Bit stunned.

Posted , 11 users are following.

alex01280
alex01280

A quick recap: 51 year old male. Drinker for 30 years, heavy drinker for the last ten, 200 units a week last year, Started Naltrexone at the start of January. Weekly units on Naltrexone: 81  114  98  48  20  110   91  95   90  70  122   0

?So. Here we are. Week eleven was a hard week for me and, even though I have been taking my tablet every day one hour before drinking, I had to make a real effort to keep the units at 122 during week eleven as I could quite easily have hit 200 again. On the last day of week eleven I felt terrible. Not exactly depressed, certainly not suicidal, but lost. There was a sense that the pills might not be working and I felt that everything in life was wrong. My wife is currently working overseas and I felt like buying a ticket that night to run away and live with her for a while.

?Then, on the first day of week twelve I woke up and felt very different. I was full of energy and spent five hours running around doing household chores that would normally last me a week. I then thought about going to the pub and the answer was no. But this was a different 'no'. This was a genuine lack of interest in going there, a genuine lack of interest in drinking and a real desire to do something else instead. I've had plenty of non drinking days in my life but I can't remember ever feeling like this. A genuine, deep, lack of interest in alcohol.

?End of week twelve and nothing has changed. Seven dry days without any effort. No desire to drink at all.

?To be honest, I'm a little scared. If I can go to bed and wake up teetotal then maybe I can go to bed and wake up a drinker again. Seven days is too short a time to declare victory even if it feels like the war is over. Maybe this is an oasis on the road to recovery or maybe this is it. I'll know soon enough.

?But here's the irony. I wanted to do TSM and join a forum like this because the religious aspects of AA really annoyed me. But it looks like, thanks to naltrexone and the posters on here, I've been born again.

?Any thoughts?

4 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • vickylou
    vickylou alex01280

    Posted

    Hi alex

    ?“ANY THOUGHTS”!!  Yes definitely, The main one being WELL DONE! That’s great news, you must be chuffed to bits.

    AA did nothing for me, apart from making me feel worthless, ashamed, depressed listening to people who’d been sober for years. I know it suits many people and they swear by it. I’ve said it before, during some meetings all I cared about was how and where could I get a drink!!

    You are another example of how medication and determination together can achieve what I thought was impossible. Research shows the high success rate of TSM, compared to AA and higher powers. That’s why I get so annoyed that the very people who should know and understand the benefits  of TSM (ARCs, the medical profession) have either never heard of it, or dismiss it.

    After numerous attempts to stop drinking, the longest being four years, (although I constantly craved a drink),  it was my gp who suggested acamposate (calpol). I admit I was sceptical to start with and had never heard of anti craving drugs, despite going to AA, support meetings and umpteen ARCs.

    However after taking it for about a week, I suddenly noticed that for the first time in years, I’d not thought about alcohol all morning. After a fortnight I no longer craved a drink. My social life improved as I was no longer jealous of people drinking, it didn’t bother me at all. My husband was able to keep drink at home and over the next ten months I got my life back on track.

    I do drink socially now, or share wine and drink with my husband and look forward to Friday night at the curry house, after a fair few drinks. The difference now is I have one pint of cobra instead of 3, I don’t have brandy coffee (only on very special occasions)!. I don’t have a night cap once home, I sleep well and no longer wake up with a dreadful hangover and need a hair of the dog!.

    Again, very well done and proof that medication does help, whether it be TSM or campral.

    Keep posting on here, in my opinion the advice and help available is better than any ARC. The sad thing is for many people, being prescribed medication can be a long and drawn out process, at the very time you need it.

     

    • vickylou
      vickylou

      Posted

      OMG I’ve done it again, CALPOL SHOULD OBVIOUSLY BE CAMPRAL I had just given my grandson calpol!, so it must have been on my mind. Many apologies, not aware of any research into how calpol can help with addiction haha!

    • gwen45436
      gwen45436 vickylou

      Posted

      Ha ha Vicks - I knew you would kick yourself smile But good advice given as always for Alex.  It is a long road but it can be covered and conquered and certainly with the help of the Fam here on Patient.

      G.

    • vickylou
      vickylou JulieAnne101

      Posted

      Hi JulieAnne

      I know! I thought I’d read through my post before replying. Obviously not. I’ve said calpol instead of campral before, RHGB spotted it and made some sarcastic comment!!

      An even bigger and mortifying mistake was when I sent OH to our local chemist when my grandson was poorly. Gave him a shopping list, amongst which. I’d written a bottle of Campral. The poor bloke showed the pharmacist what I’d written. One not very amused OH eventually came back with a bottle of sugar free calpol!

    • JulieAnne101
      JulieAnne101 vickylou

      Posted

      Hahaha😂😂😂

      Your 💖 is in the right place tho, that's what counts xx

  • Joanna-SMUKLtd
    Joanna-SMUKLtd alex01280

    Posted

    Awesome, Alex! 

    And should you wake up feeling the urge to drink, take the tablet and have the drink..... It may not happen, but if it does, all you are doing is extinguishing that it wasn't worth it and the gap between these occasions will get larger and larger each time :-)

    At 3 months in, your brain can still be up and down, especially emotionally.  One of the biggest changes I tend to notice in people (and indeed, myself) was a month or so when I was really, really angry at the fact that I had never been told about this before.  It's a justifiable reaction that virtually everyone has at some point, so if (when) it hits, just ride it through. 

    Medically-assisted treatment can be so beneficial, no matter whether it is TSM or Campral like Vickylou and RHGB found as the perfect fit for them. 

    I am truly happy for you, Alex.  Despite any drinking instances that might follow over the coming months, it'll just get better and better for you.

    ) 

    • JulieAnne101
      JulieAnne101 Joanna-SMUKLtd

      Posted

      Know what you mean Joanna. I was absolutely fuming that my Husband needlessly suffered so much. Still get annoyed for people who are struggling when they don't need to grrr!

      Keep going Alex, have faith in TSM it does work.

      Regards

      JulieAnne x

    • vickylou
      vickylou Joanna-SMUKLtd

      Posted

      Very true Joanna. I still can get wound up when i read about the lack of knowledge of the very people who should be ‘in the no’ . Like yourself, JulieAnne with her husband, I spent years going from one place to another, from pillar to post, wasting time, not knowing that there was any medication other than ANTABUSE available

  • Up4life
    Up4life alex01280

    Posted

    It’s wonderful to read this report - thank you for sharing and for the reply posts. I have developed a real problem with alcohol - a slow burner that is now so problematic mainly because of the manageability of daily drinking and the secrecy concerning work. I have been to my GP on more than one occasion over the past two years and they can’t/won’t prescribe medication and refer me to Substance Misuse services that I can’t access because I work in them... the GP’s are aware of this. Could anyone help me with an on-line contact for the Sinclair Method where I can purchase medication and access on-line support. I’d be so grateful - I want to hold my head high again.
    • vickylou
      vickylou Up4life

      Posted

      Hi Up4life

      Joanna C3Europe is the genius on TSM. She’s an alcohol counsellor who used TSM herself. She will definitely be more than happy to help and advice you on TSM once she’s seen your post.

      The medical profession never cease to amaze me. You’ve had the strength and courage to seek help from your gp more than once, which takes some doing. To then expect you to go to the Substance Misuse Services where you work is unbelievable.

      Several members on this forum have used on line pharmacies. The other way is to see a private doctor for a private prescription, but it costs.

      ?Am sure you’ll get replies soon. I’ve not used TSM, I used an anti craving drug, CAMPRAL

    • Robin2015
      Robin2015 Up4life

      Posted

      Fully agree with Vickylou. C3foundation Europe and ts m is the way forward...Robin
    • Up4life
      Up4life vickylou

      Posted

      Dear Vickylou

      Thanks so much for replying to my post & for being so encouraging - I felt really touched & I will drop Joanna C3Europe a line re TSM. I’m sorry it took me a long time to reply, I was with a friend who needed some support in hospital. 

      Thanks again for your support

  • sportyfiftysix
    sportyfiftysix alex01280

    Posted

    Hi Alex

    What a wonderful success story. I can completely understand that you feel born again.

    Wow, are you following the Sinclair Warriors on Facebook?

    They would love to hear your story. We are all desperate for this change in our life.

    Well done.

    I can't believe that after such a bad week you went to such a good one.

    I drink out of habit and habits are hard to break.

    A big hug to you. XX

    • alex01280
      alex01280 sportyfiftysix

      Posted

      I'm not on Facebook but feel to link/cut and paste what I've said anywhere you think it might encourage people.

      ?Having said that, I'm not massively evangelistic about this because I think different methods work for different people. In my case it was all about ethanol addiction/tolerance and nothing else. My life is pretty good apart from drinking too much so a pill that made drinking seem a waste of time was perfect for me.

      And then came the storm before the calm!

    • vickylou
      vickylou sportyfiftysix

      Posted

      I’m on Facebook a lot so checked the Sinclair Warriers. Some good info, thanks.

      ive not used TSM myself,  but I’ve joined the group. It’s good to see how many success stories there are from using TSM. Shame the powers that be aren’t more aware of it

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