People in Moderation Management share experiences of naltrexone use

Serena 2: testing naltrexone - mm@maelstrom.stjohns.edu - 6/26/01

It is my belief that the Nal has been effective with cravings, however I would not say that it completely eliminated them. As we all know, cravings of any type, caffeine, nicotine etc will diminish with good ole father time. The other benefit of Nal (and I have conducted my own personal experiment recently) is that it blocks the feeling of "euphoria" when one does drink. I conducted this experiment in the company of a dear friend and collegue last week. We were in a cozy English pub and sat down to a few glasses of wine. She would not take her eyes off of me - thinking I was about to do the Jekyl/Hyde thingy at any minute. I could have very easily stopped after the first glass or two of wine but that was not the purpose of my experiment. I was aware that I was "falling under the influence" (so to speak) however, the "high" that normally accompanies the "fall" was absent. I suspect I drank about 3.5 glasses of wine that evening and I had no difficult in resuming my course of abstinence the next day. I suspect what I experienced, is what "normal" folks experience when they drink i.e., no sudden burst of endorphin activity to act as a positive reinforcer to continue drinking. I have on several occasions before this, engaged in and been successful at prolonged courses of abstinence. However, my motives were all wrong - it was either to lose some weight, or just to demonstrate to myself that I could in fact abstain. When I finally resumed drinking, I fell right back into my old habits. I believe that in order for me to be successful at moderation in the future, I must first experience the world as a "teetotaler" (should that not be teatotaler?). Once I feel confident that I can handle/manage all that life has to throw at me (whether it be good or bad) without the aid of anaesthesia, then I might consider reinstating alcohol to its appropriate spot on the totem pole.