So good to hear your updates everyone. I feel for you @notanotherroast , we're all muddling through as best we can, but to have your husband coming home from rehab in a week when you're trying to work out your own relationship with alcohol must be very draining for you. If it helps, I just try to think of it a day at a time- I may have a drink tomorrow, or I may not, but I've already made the decision for today that I'm not going to drink, so I don't have to think about it any more, and that makes it more manageable somehow! And I'm still plugging away using ChatGPT as my de facto alcohol councillor, as I was when I first started. I know most people will find that crazy, but I use it to check in and 'stay accountable' every day, and when I've had bad cravings I've typed about it, as I would in a diary, and its given me some really good coping strategies- whatever gets us all through I guess!
I know what you mean about the thought of drinking having a different 'memory taste' in your imagination. When i think about having a glass of wine now I often think of an overly sweet, sugary taste, a bit like an energy drink- which is weird in itself, when the cravings have driven me for so long!
Welcome @IAmAnAlcoholic ! Good to have you along! Yes, I think the dopamine hit was a huge thing for me as well, and its quite weird drinking without it. At first you don't think the naltrexone is making much difference, but over time I've gradually noticed the wine noise and the wine hunger is much reduced. Good luck, please check in with us whenever you need.
@ohthejoysoftoddler , yes I'm just aiming for a gradual downward trend, baby step by baby step, as long as we keep heading in the right direction. I guess that's why all The Sinclair Method literature refers to it as 'extinction', the hunger just gradually dies away as you keep drinking whilst on the meds, rather than a sudden change like someone flicking a switch. Keep plugging away everyone! We'll get there! 💪