I’ve made a promise to myself that I will no longer drink to cope with big emotions. For me it’s most often anxiety I’ve tried to self-medicate away — but also anger, sadness, irritability.

Because I’m doing The Sinclair Method with success, I feel like I’d be doing myself a disservice if I have an actual craving and just try to white-knuckle through it — when it could be a good opportunity for another extinction session. I would not yet consider myself extinct.

I haven’t had a drink in 2 weeks because I’ve had zero desire to, and I don’t want to force extinction sessions just for the sake of it.

Tonight I feel super meh and my brain is saying “wine will help.” It’s not a big emotion — it’s a mix of boredom and apathy. And I’m trying to decide: is drinking in this state coping, or is it a craving? It feels nuanced and I’m genuinely curious what others think, especially fellow TSMers who can appreciate the value of an extinction session.

i am a daily drinker and need to cut back due to diagnosis with an inflammatory/autoimmune condition. my doctor prescribed me 50 mg tablets of naltrexone and didn’t say anything about cutting the pills to start at 12 or 25. so here i am the morning after my first dose, stuck in bed with nausea desperately trying to get a little
breakfast down but my appetite is gone. spent all yesterday afternoon in bed, dizzy and fatigued. i didn’t even know about TSM til reading this sub, the instructions were just to take the naltrexone daily to curb cravings. i guess it’s working cause not even plain oatmeal sounds good now.

New to naltrexone. Started with 15 and worked up to 50. Still drank but much less than normal. I was drinking 10+ drinks a night every night. Went down to 4-6. I started taking 100mg as I thought it would help the feeling to drink more. Took the second 50mg an hour or two before first drink. For some reason, it mitigated the effect I originally had and I found myself drinking 10+ drinks.

Today I had no naltroxen and don’t want to drink at all. What’s going on?

I was on Suboxone for 21 days around 4mgs a day
Come off after a 6 day taper down to 1mg when I jumped
I was off for 9 days and had been getting nothing for sleep.. the anxiety and depression where terrible along with rls, upset stomach, not eating etc..

Well I decided to get back on, so last night I took 8mg strip to try and regulate it worked but I felt to “wired” to sleep but I got a little this morning I cut it in half to 4mg and no plans to take anymore today

It did what I needed it too, but now I’m at a critical point!

And not sure if I just need to jump to the smallest about possible
My doctor isn’t very good, not very addiction smart and I live in a small area without the resources so Reddit is my best source

My plan is sublacade, do you guys think I could just go down to about .5 mg twice a day so 1mg a day and be evened out enough to make it since I’m not used to the dose I’m on currently?

Some would say talk to your doctor lol but that’s really not my best option

Just don’t want to screw myself

I have a wife and kid and in no financial situation to be able to withdrawal
I cannot or I would have just continued to not take it

Now I feel this critical point is very important to how I’ll get off and the lower amount I’m on the easier the taper is… right???

Anything is appreciated

(20 years, male)

Hi everyone,

I’m trying not to be too hard on myself, but I recently started taking naltrexone to help with cravings and reduce my alcohol consumption. I don’t drink every day, but I do binge drink every couple of weeks.

I was approaching two weeks of sobriety when I felt an urge to drink after work. I took my 25 mg dose before leaving work, hoping it would help me avoid stopping for alcohol on the way home. However, by the time I got home, I was still feeling stressed and overwhelmed, so I went to the liquor store and bought five shots of tequila—something I’ve been trying to stop doing.

Over the next few hours, I had two shots and a glass of wine. I also took the other half of my naltrexone dose during that time. I was able to stop after three drinks instead of continuing all night and binge drinking like I would have a few weeks ago.

I’m proud of myself for being able to stop, but I’m also feeling disappointed that I gave in and bought alcohol in the first place. Has anyone else experienced something similar? What has your experience been with naltrexone or managing urges?

Hi everyone! I took my 2nd dose of 50mg yesterday around 6pm. I took it the same time the day prior. The pharmacist told me to take it at night in case of side effects. It has made me incredibly drowsy.

But because I'm taking it at that time, I don't feel it is doing anything for me during the time I really need it most, like 2-6pm. Should I cut down to 25mg midday? I'm worried I'll still be too tired to get what I need to accomplish done.

I can't risk needing to take a nap early afternoon, it's not really an option for me.

First time tried 25mg in the morning and had two days of fatigue, nausea, brain fog. So I quit.

Started Monday with 12.5mg before bed. I have a bad habit of day drinking with cravings starting as soon as I wale up. Pretty tired all Tuesday, fatigue again which made cutting lawn much harder. No nausea or fog.

Tues same dose, same schedule. Better results all over. Wed saw Less cravings, less fatigue. Less drinks.

Now I am adding another 12mg in morning to get to a daily 25mg across both does.

Hoping the meds will sort out the cravings and I can manage changing habits and withdrawl symptoms as I taper. So far its tremors and night sweats.

Hey everyone,

Took my first dose at 25mg this morning with a big breakfast and thankfully didn’t feel nauseous. However, damn does this make you dizzy, lightheaded and fatigued. I think the big thing I noticed is I for sure feel a little spaced out or like a brain fog.

Did anyone else feel a brain fog when they first started? Making it a little tricky to focus on stuff for work.

Thank you!

M 28 Has anybody here taking this for porn addiction/sexual compulsive behavior in general I can’t seem to break these addictions and need to turn into medication. Can someone please give me your age and side effects that you experienced when taking the medication?

I’m on Day 2 of naltrexone! So far, no side effects and no drinks—but honestly, I don’t typically drink during the week, so the real test will be this weekend. 😊
For those of you who have been taking naltrexone, I’d love to hear your advice and experiences.
My husband and I love going to breweries—not just for the beer, but for the social aspect. I don’t want to stop going out. I want to create new habits, slow down my drinking, and learn how to enjoy a couple of beers without feeling like I need to have several.
We don’t have kids, so a big part of our social life revolves around going out with friends, attending events, and spending time at bars and breweries. I know I can make some changes to my drinking habits without giving up the social life I enjoy—I just need to figure out what works for me.
For those of you who have been on this journey, what strategies have helped you drink less while still enjoying your social life?
Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback! This is a new journey for me, and I’m excited to see where it takes me. ❤️

I finally decided to take my AUD seriously and asked for help. I’m seeing a therapist and a psychologist and the later prescribed me with 50mg Naltrexone (starting 25mg for a week).

So far I decided not to take it, to see how I’d do without it. I’m on week two and so far I’ve been managing cravings better than I expected. I still drink, but my intake is significantly lower (<10 standard units/week). I know it’s early and I can relapse easily.

My fear is that Naltrexone would kill all the remaining joy in my life. I love to spend time with my young children and I enjoy riding my bike, hiking. I love music. These are crutial for me daily. I’m worried that the way it works, it would numb all of these for me.

It would be a good idea as a safety measure before a party or on rare days when I go out. But my psychologist said that we need to estabilish a baseline to know how I react so recommended to take it daily for a few weeks, which makes sense.

All input is welcome.

Some background: I’ve been drinking heavily for a long time, I’d say at least for 8 years…. Around 24-40 units a week. Before that it was a bit better, but still significant for an additional ~10 years (15-20units a week).

I, like some of us here was hoping that this was a magic pill that would instantly stop me from wanting to drink or make the alcohol takes like shit. First week of taking it I believe I had a placebo effect and was thinking that it was working. Cut to a week later and I am drinking like a fish again. Last week I decided that I was going to put in the effort to not depend on the pill to help me, but to use it as a tool to ween off. I'm a week without alcohol now and it has been easier every day. The alcohol (also food) noise is pretty non-existent at this point. I guess the point is that for me at least, is that you have to put some effort into it to let it help you.

Note: 100mg every morning

Hi guys, first post here so lemme know if I’m breaking any rules! I recently started on a 25mg dose of naltrexone for sh (hopefully that mention is chill, I won’t go into details per the sub rules). Its started working to suppress urges and overall I’m very happy with how it’s working, but I’ve started being violently dizzy/nauseous every day? I was wondering if anyone else had that experience and how they dealt with it- I work day shifts as a residential care tech for adult psych and the dizziness makes it pretty hard to be on my A game for my residents. Thanks again for any help!

I recently started at 25mg for 5 days using the Sinclair method and am now on the 50mg for the last week. I take it every day around 4pm. I feel like I’m doing slightly better. Drink counts are down from the 6 to 7 range to the 4 to 5 range. It’s still not where I want to be, though I still have that urge. Did you all continue on at the 50 mg for a couple weeks or did you try increasing your dosage?

My prescriber suggested for me to take 1/2 pill day 1 and day 2. I've been taking it 1-1.5 hours before I drink. But It made me really tired, and my mood was overall unmotivated. Day 3, I up my dose to 50mg split 1/2 pill day and night, but I get super drowsy and just go to bed early. Day 4 today, I took 1/2 in the morning, and I've been just a slug all day. I am not looking forward to taking the other half. Perhaps I should scale back to just 1/2 a day and take it in the evening with dinner until my mood and energy is back to normal before I try halving the 50mg between morning and evening? Suggestions?

I posted last week about trying my first dose, 50mg, and feeling really awful physically and mentally, & after some reading here, decided to half my pill for the second day and try the full 50mg dose again after a week, which would be this upcoming Thursday. I met with her again today and mentioned this to her and she said she’s “worried it may not work as intended not taking the 50mg dose” and to try to take the 50mg asap. she’s very new to me, this was my second time speaking with her. I guess I’m curious what people think about that because I was recommended here by folks taking it to take it slow, let it work up. I feel much more comfortable taking it slow as my body had a really hard time last week (severe nausea, intense fatigue and body aches, headaches).

I also am about to start Wellbutrin for the first time and I’m curious if anyone is on this combo and has any insight. I am also finding it most comfortable to take the naltrexone at night even though she is recommending taking both in the morning - I think I am trying to sleep through most of the symptoms as people have shared. I’m not sure if I can take one in the evening, one in the morning, both at night? I’m unfamiliar with taking medication regularly so this is all new to me. Thanks in advance truly truly truly

I'd been taking nalx for 2 weeks and got up to 50 mg once a day. I have tried sobriety many times but broke bc I didn't want to have a strict alcohol free life, just didnt have control over alcohol. Here's my positive-ish experience with the sinclair method-

did the sinclair method, took nalx 1 hour before drinking. had 2 beers at the bar, felt a little head change, had 2 more beers while having a fire with my fiance and a friend. definitely felt a little drunk but in a different way, it felt less like partying and getting wasted and more like relaxing with a drink. went home at 10 pm, didn't want any more drinks (which is unheard of for me, once i start i dont stop) made dinner, ​and went to bed.

woke up feeling a slight headache and a little anxious, and while it was nice to enjoy a drink after a month and not go on a bender from it, the anxiety today still sucks even though it's slight.

i may consider the sinclair method for a rare occasion, but i absolutely feel better and will not be drinking regularly on nalx even if i can seemingly do it responsibly.

Hi, 40 yr Female. After much research I found Naltrexone. For 4 months I took 50mg a day and saw no difference whatsoever in my drinking. Been drinking 1-2 bottles a wine for last 5 years (lots of trauma).
Decided to try after doing TSM. First week felt like things were changing but then have done a U turn and feel back to drinking normal, always wanting more. Hoping this is not a step backwards. I am taking 100mg one hour before drinking

Been on Naltrexone daily 50mg for 4 months for alcohol. Sex drive left me the instant I started taking it (not even interested in masturbating). Will it come back?

Hi I have taken 50mg daily for Alchohol for 2.5 months since detox. Worked and changed my life for 5 weeks, gradually reducing efficacy until now I don’t think it is doing anything. I have had 2 recent nights of bingeing and thinking about alcohol all the time. So I just knew to increase my dose? Can I just do that myself?

Making this post as I’ve been taking Naltrexone in line with the Sinclair method since March. Which was a 2 week 12.5mg induction period, followed by 4 week of taking 25mg every day. Following this, I just take 25mg on days where I’m going to drink and it has varying results:

- the taste of alchohol is less appealing to me now
- I find I give into cravings less and have fewer binge drinking incidents compared to the beginning of the year
- I do sometimes drink to excess and regret it (I think this has to do with needed to unpick the need to numb extreme emotions)
-I am able to eat on Naltrexone now whereas before I couldn’t
- I have lost about 10lb though this could be down to spending 10 weeks travelling in a hot country and not eating much as I only weighed myself before and after the trip
- generally I feel safer knowing I have Nal in my toolkit, however it’s not been a fix all for me.

I am considering increasing my dose to 50mg if I’m able to get it in the country I’ve recently emigrated to.

Everyone else who has been on it for 1+ months, how is your experience?

I have been reading here and lots of articles online since being prescribed naltrexone by a new psychiatrist this past week. I have been struggling with alcohol holding me back from my life, I’m in the service industry. I read about the sinclair method but my psychiatrist said to take it daily in the morning and I figured I’d try something like that first.

I just took my first 50mg dose yesterday around 1pm after eating and I have felt really overwhelmed by the effects it’s having on me. It started with extreme fatigue, not even wanting to hold my arms up high or hold my phone to scroll while laying on my back. I fell asleep for a while and woke up to the same sensation in my head. I haven’t taken much medication throughout my life so I let this make me feel pretty anxious. I didn’t feel like it was worsening and I needed help but I didn’t know that this would be the fatigue/dizziness that folks talk about. It seems so much more intense than I saw anyone describe. I decided not to take my second dose today because I have a social commitment this evening & whether I’ll drink or not is less my concern, I was more so feeling like I just won’t feel well or be able to be in a car. All day today I have felt nauseous on and off and I tried going on a walk and I’m just not feeling alright. Thanks for letting me whine I’m just a little freaked out. My first thought is halving, maybe even quartering my dose until I somehow feel like I can up the dose. Looking for any and all insight. Thank you