My experience seeing my GP with regards to alcohol consumption and using Selincro

"Imagine two people. Both start drinking in their teens. Both are irresponsible (as teenagers often are). Both get drunk frequently. Both are decent people just doing what kids do. Person A suddenly gets into a relationship and gets a responsible job. He/she then realises that the days of getting drunk and crawling home are over. Too many responsibilities now to carry on behaving that way. The importance of alcohol fades in their life and, while they may occasionally have a glass of wine or a pint of beer, or even have a real heavy session, it doesn't dominate their life anymore. They become a controlled drinker who can drink or not drink.

Person B also finds a partner and a responsible job, but finds that the alcohol is still important. They have a drink within a few minutes of getting home from work and it doesn't stop at one drink, they may get through a whole bottle of wine, and they feel better for having that. But then they find that, due to an increased tolerance to alcohol, they need more than one bottle to get the same effect, to feel relaxed and, in some cases even, to feel normal. Alcohol continues to dominate their life and everything spirals downward.

Person A and Person B are different biologically. Person A might like to get a bit merry in a social situation, to relax and have a laugh, but it is not crucial that they do this. If they go weeks or months without a drink, they don't think about alcohol. It's there and they sometimes use it, but they are not bothered if they don't.

Person B gets additional reward for drinking. Subconsciously, they get more pleasure just from the drinking. It is not used as a social lubricant like it is for Person A, it becomes a necessary coping tool. Coming home to a fridge with no wine in it is likely to cause a bit of a panic. 'Oh no, I have no wine!'

Physiologically, the difference between Persons A & B is the effect of alcohol on them. In Person B, when the endorphins released by drinking attach to the opioid receptors in the brain, pleasure results which is way beyond the effect that alcohol has on Person A. Even when alcohol causes serious health problems or is so much of a problem that relationships are ruined, that reward is too great to ignore. This is why some people carry on drinking despite knowing that the result of doing so will be devastating to them. THAT is addiction.

It is only in recent years that this physiological explanation, for why some people get addicted to alcohol and others can simply drink if they want to or stop if they want to, has been considered in medicine.

The Sinclair Method resulted from such research. By taking a drug that blocks the opioid receptors, preventing endorphins from attaching to them, a person can begin to retrain their brain and unlearn their addiction.

The Sinclair Method is having success rates of around 78% in Finland. 'Success' is defined as either achieving controlled drinking or abstaining totally from drinking.

Since the 1930s, people have been standing up in group meetings and taking the blame for their excessive drinking. Accepting responsibility for all the 'terrible things' they have done to their family.

There are no such groups for people who have other illnesses. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic. I am slightly physiologically different to people who are not diabetic. I don't have to take the blame. People accept that it is not my fault.

There is a multi-billion dollar global rehab business which relies on repeat customers who have all their dignity and rights taken from them each time they pay thousands to go off and get 'treatment' which consists of them being forced to go to group meetings, not to communicate with anybody in the outside world for a few weeks, to go to bed when they are told and get up when they are told and to accept that everything that has ever gone wrong in their life is their own fault. It's hardly surprising that people involved in this highly profitable business don't want things to change!

It is not your fault that you have an alcohol problem but, because of the effect it has on your health and your relationships, it is your responsibility to find a solution. By accepting it as a medical issue allows you to put aside your guilt (which will help massively with the psychological damage that years of feeling like a 'bad person' has caused you.)"

There are indeed many methods for cutting down or giving up but for those of us who always end up back where we started it is very useful to read an explanation of why that may be AND to be given a possible solution to it.

I have always made it clear that different things help different people and that people should do what helps them best.

I felt once I'd told the counsellor my plans he didn't really have a clue what to do with me. He's booked me in for about six weeks time so my plan is to take him some printed material and a reading list!

Part of my work involves helping people with a visible difference deal with difficult days by teaching them how to use Skin Camouflage Creams to improve the look of their particular problem. I am ALWAYS on the internet researching new products. I don't see how you can enjoy your job without knowing the latest info on your subject.