The Sinclair method- anyone with experience?

Hi secondslong please don't despair but hold on to that feeling of hope. Remember :Without Hope we are nothing !

'I have a permanent black secret that would make everyone see me differently' God that so hit a chord with me and that's how I felt/ feel oh too often as do.many others on here I'm sure.Understand now that at least there is an opportunity to turn it around by trying the Sinclair Method.I started this in December taking nalmefene .I had to buy it privately as not yet got it prescribed but I imagine by what you say you are all set with the medication to start.I am 8 weeks in and I have to tell you that it is most certainly working...I didn't need detox before starting as my drinking was stop start binging style . I drank several bottles of wine a week on clusters , binging in the evenings into oblivion.Now with the nalmefene each time I drink I don't feel I want more than a couple of small glasses or even less.I have to admit had a couple of little blips( avoidable ones ) but of course we must remember we are only human and humans aren't perfect. I hope you go ahead Thursday and it works for you.I noticed a difference immediately.I haven't had any counselling but do think it's probably an important part of this method so hope you have some in place..What meds do you have ?

Take care and have hope ..hope for both you and your beautiful son x

Thank you so much nat666- and it's so good to hear that it's working for you, I haven't got the meds yet but hoping to get them on Monday- naltrexone.

Can I ask why you think you had the blips? You don't have to tell me. I know only too well that we are all human, but also think it can be helpful to try to understand what makes things go wrong as well as right.

Your response helps me to keep hope.

Thank you joanna,

I think I have found someone very good to support me. But it's just so hard to believe which is why I really felt I needed to hear from people who have actually done it/ are doing it. I think I'm getting the medication on Monday.

It's like after so long of thinking I will never be able to do this- that I can have will power but only for so long - and then that adding to just utter hopelessness about the level of my self destructiveness- I can't really believe that something could actually change this for good.

I do wonder about the issue of compliance though- and whether that somehow also ends up being the same as will power which seems never to be enough.

I will look at your recommendations.

Try not to worry about compliance.  Once you start seeing some results, it becomes a very positive experience and that will help you to remain compliant because you want more back of the person you used to be.

Everything we are told about our drinking has been bad, and negative, and shameful and embarrasing.... and all of the other type of 'bad' stigma.

But once you begin to see that this method does work well for such a large majority of people (around 80%), and that you are starting to get some small amount of self-worth back as you begin the method, then it all propels you to keep on track with it

Hi joanna, when you said you need support when starting the Sinclair method, can I just check what kind of support you mean?

I'm a bit scared reading all the things about conscious control!

The support is usually basic psychosocial support and it usually provided, or arranged, as part of the prerequisite of getting this medication.

It's pretty much to help you ensure compliance, set some goals and monitor progress.

Although the scientific side of the method will work regardless of whether support is provided or not (as long as compliance is followed), the additional support can be very useful for a lot of people.

The conscious control is actually much easier than you can imagine.  Part of the reason that you may drink out of control right now is because your brain is getting an endorphin high from the alcohol.  In turn, that high compulsively makes you want more alcohol to give it the high again.

When that high is removed by the medictation, it 'short-circuits' that cycle, and allows you to drink without the desperate need to get it down you as fast as you can. 

If you imagine that you are desperately, desperately craving a coca-cola on a hot summers day, and you feel like you can drink a gallon of it.  Once you have the first drink or two of coca-cola, it satsifies you and you don't feel compelled to drink the whole 2 litre bottle - even though you were so desperate that you thought you could drink tons of the stuff.

That is what drinking on this method is like.  You find that with just a little bit of conscious control in the beginning so that you don't pound the stuff down you (as you will just get drunk and not be able to make a rational decision) you will hear your brain tell you that it's satisfied.  When it does, then it is up to you to put the drink down.  You can always go back to it later, but the only conscious control you need is to drink the first drink slowly, listen for the satisfied signal, and then act on it.

Hope that makes sense.

It does make sense- I just think I'm so good at complete out of control and mindlessness when it comes to alcohol! I'm not like that with everything. You are right the idea of a gallon of coke sounds horrible but wine - It's like I'm in a race against time. I'm really looking forward to starting, but worried I'll be one of the 17% or whatever it is that can't do it or doesn't comply. It's not because I don't want to do it - I do so much.

When you said it took you quite some months to reduce- did you find it hard?

It's not hard, it's just that is the amount of time that it takes to competely break down those strengthened pathways in the brain that associated drinking with 'reward'.

Everyone is different though.  A rare few respond almost immediately, some take 3-4 months, others take 6-10 months and a rare few take over a year.

There is no way to predict how long it will take.  It will take as long as it takes, but in the meantime at least things will be improving.

Thank you 😊

It does sound that you would benefit from the additional support, so I hope that has been organised for you too.

As I say, it's only helping you don't lose your way.  Once you have your foundation of compliance built, it will be plain sailing from that point on as you will start to see improvements and the successes breed success - especially in your self esteem and positiveness when you realise that you CAN and ARE doing it!