If you’ve ever tried not drinking alcohol, you know how weird it is to be the only one who can’t. You may opt to decline invites to these parties because you believe your abstinence distinguishes you from everyone else. On the other hand, you are aware that if you start drinking, you will most likely lose control and behave in ways you would regret. There is now a third choice.
You Don’t Have to Quit Drinking Altogether
The Sinclair Method permits you to partake in our culture’s regular alcohol-related traditions. You will ultimately be able to regulate your drinking if you take Naltrexone one to two hours before your first drink.
Where Did The Sinclair Method Come From?
Dr. John D. Sinclair created the Sinclair Method for Alcohol Use Disorders, which is an evidence-based treatment for problematic drinking. Unlike standard therapies, which demand total abstinence from alcohol, the Sinclair Method enables you to drink alcohol at the start of therapy.
In reality, therapeutic effectiveness is dependent on ongoing alcohol use in conjunction with the prescription drug Naltrexone.
The Sinclair Method (TSM) for Alcoholism relies heavily on naltrexone. When you take Naltrexone before drinking, it prevents endorphins, which are naturally occurring opiates in the brain, from being released when you consume alcohol.
How Does Sinclair Method Alleviate Alcohol Addiction?
When you drink, your brain releases endorphins, which make you feel happy. Your brain recalls this over time and may begin to associate alcohol with pleasure. You may begin to drink in order to achieve the same ecstatic feeling. Even though you know it’s bad for you, it’s difficult to stop since the need has become uncontrolled.
If the problem is a link between pleasure and alcohol, then we must sever that link. One method is to take a medicine that blocks endorphins when we drink. That is exactly what naltrexone does. When endorphins are inhibited, you don’t get the same joy from consuming alcohol; it becomes less gratifying.
Length of Sinclair Method
Depending on the individual, the Sinclair Method might take anything from a few months to a year or more. Some people see a rapid reduction in alcohol cravings following their first naltrexone dose. Others find it to be a slow process. However, the vast majority of persons who adhere to TSM eventually lose interest in their previous drinking habits and achieve moderation or abstinence.
No of how long you’ve been on TSM, you must always take your medicine if you want to consume alcohol.
What to Know About Naltrexone
Because of the nature of naltrexone, persons with opiates remaining in their system who take this drug may experience a precipitated withdrawal, which is essentially the same as an opioid withdrawal but is brought on nearly quickly rather than gradually as one is detoxing off opioids. The risk is that anyone suffering from an alcohol or opiate addiction must be entirely drug-free.
Is Sinclair Right for You?
Although the Sinclair Method appears to be a one-step “cure-all” treatment plan for people suffering from a substance abuse disorder on paper, the reality is that the Sinclair Method is significantly flawed due to a lack of understanding about the true nature of the disease of alcoholism and drug addiction.
Main Photo by Ketut Subiyanto.
