Hi all,

Feeling very nauseous and disoriented today.

My doc started me on Naltrexone about two months ago. This was administered to help curb my addictions, to sugar and alcohol.

It worked like a charm for the first 6 weeks. I was waking up at 6am each day, refreshed, and enthusiastic about taking on the day. I'd get up, sit outside for a half hour, drink morning coffee and read a variety of books (some motivational / self help, some history). This was because I refrained from my usual nightly routine of downing 3-4 gin and tonics, and wharfing down 4 cookies / .5 pint of Ben & Jerry's. Also, I reduced my reading of news b/c all I read was negative - COVID-19, racial unrest, Trump still being president, etc.

About two weeks ago it felt like everything came to a crashing halt. I started sliding back into having 4-5 cookies (although abstinence from alcohol has been fairly easy). And now, I do get up, but when I get to my desk to do work I am very disinterested, and it takes me a long time to get in the groove.

I've gone through this many times in the past, although it was far more extreme. I'd go about six months of a manic episode, with unbridled creativity and boundless energy. Then, I'd either crash, or get disheartened after a family member / colleage would make an idle disparaging comment.

My plan is the following:
- Wake up every morning no later than 6:30am. Continue association of this habit with pleasure. Helps me get a jump on the day, to get my bearings and "feed my head."
- Stick with Naltrexone. Focus on how far it's helped me come in 6 weeks. For most of my life, alcohol and sugar were my go-to avenues for self-medication
- Continue abstinence from sugar. This is from associating consumption with pain.
- Continue abstinence from alcohol. Honestly, the smell / taste of red wine or gin (my "poison" of choice) makes me ill. I'll maybe have a glass of wine with dinner on the weekends, but stop after 1.
- Continue self-affirmations, and remind myself of the progress.

Ok back to the grind. Thanks for being a good sounding board. Hope this helps some of you; feel free to weigh in as you see fit.

Have an extraordinary day!