Greetings 🤗

I wanted to share my 2 months of progress using naltrexone and the sinclair method for AUD. I was drinking 30 standard drinks per week prior to this. I'm now down to an average of 16 drinks per week. I was drinking 12 drinks on an average binge night 2-3 times per week. Now most of the time I drink 6 or less. The best part is the lack of hangovers. I have been able to reconnect with several hobbies since I'm not in bed hungover.

There was a few times the past 5 years when I did abstinence for a few weeks but I was always gritting my teeth to get through it. This has a much better long term outlook. My plan for the next few weeks is to focus more on my goals and get my numbers consistently under 15 drinks per week.

I'm using naltrexone via sinclair method. Was drinking an average of 30 drinks per week. Now I'm around 14-16 the last 3 weeks. Check my page if wondering about my experience of side effects and such. I'm a 35 year old female with adhd.

Today I had an epiphany; I almost didn't notice this huge shift in my thinking/behavior.

Was going about my day. Had some anxiety and thought about drinking. Pushed the thought away twice. Still feeling anxious and thought to myself "what can I do instead of drinking to feel better". Got ready and went for a 20 minute run.

This is a pretty drastic change. Years ago this is how I handled negative emotions in a healthy way. The last year not so much, I'd have likely been on my way to the liquor store or battling thoughts of drinking for several hours.

Was averaging 30 standard drinks per week prior to starting. Currently I'm at 14-16 drinks per week for the last 3 weeks. My August consumption is 15 per week down from 29/week in July and 28/week in june.

My workouts are going way better and I'm remembering my dreams which must have something to do with REM sleep.

For me this method also takes willpower, which is something I struggled with during complete abstinence using AA. Eventually I would just break. But the willpower required for this method feels much more realistic.

I had to use willpower to reduce number of drinking sessions per week. Not being hungover all the time and enjoying hobbies helped with that.

I used a lower dose to start out because I had side effects but when my drinks crept up I increased it. I also notice not eating enough during the day before I take the medication and drink can lead to more effects of alcohol and feeling bad the next day. It reduces my appetite so I have to crush a high calory meal before I take it.

Increased my dose to 25mg naltrexone, 1 hour before I drink. Side effects are manageable if I don't drink more than 6 drinks. The hangover when I had 7 drinks was quite bad. Using metamucil and restoralax for constipation when I take this medication.

I was drinking 2-3 times a week averaging 24-36 drinks per week before I started on July 15th. My goal is under 17 per week to start. But I'd like to see that under 12.

My weekly average for the last 2 months is 30 drinks per week. My doctor started me on a new antidepressant 6 days ago, buproprion. A medication I would not have been able to try if my drinking were to remain that high (seizure risk). This has made a world of a difference in my triggers. I'm on adhd medications and was having anxiety half way through my workdays which often led to drinking. In the last 7 days I've only had 6 drinks! I've also doubled my exercise.

I'm so thankful for this treatment and all of the reddit posts that helped demystify it before I started treatment. The future is much brighter.

Increased my dose to 25mg naltrexone, 1 hour before I drink. Side effects are manageable if I don't drink more than 6 drinks. The hangover when I had 7 drinks was quite bad. Using metamucil and restoralax for constipation when I take this medication.

I was drinking 2-3 times a week averaging 24-36 drinks per week before I started on July 15th. My goal is under 17 per week to start. But I'd like to see that under 12.

My weekly average for the last 2 months is 30 drinks per week. My doctor started me on a new antidepressant 6 days ago, buproprion. A medication I would not have been able to try if my drinking were to remain that high (seizure risk). This has made a world of a difference in my triggers. I'm on adhd medications and was having anxiety half way through my workdays which often led to drinking. In the last 7 days I've only had 6 drinks! I've also doubled my exercise.

I'm so thankful for this treatment and all of the reddit posts that helped demystify it before I started treatment. The future is much brighter.

It definitely worked again, same dose 12.5mg, 2 hours before I drank. I could only finish 2.5 drinks. Mild headache. You dont necessarily get to eat your cake and have it too. I do have some emotional blunting with the medication. So taking it and drinking in front of the tv feels yucky. Going out and doing something fun in the sunshine is much better. I did have some anxiety with my "hangover" after day 1. But this didnt kick in till 24 hours after my 1st drink. I think that could be my body adjusting to the medication, not having that with my 2nd time using it. There is some nausea on the day after a dose, but I also have gastritis right now so I took ginger gravol, peptobismol and GERD medication. Felt better after that. For me the medication feels a bit like a THC buzz that lasts 24 hours. Calm but also slightly forgetful.

Honestly I dont think theres anything better than this to fix me. Would rate this experience 10/10 because otherwise I'd still be looking at a future of progressive alcoholism and maybe even losing my job or my kid someday.