The Sinclair Method is not for everybody, it would seem...

I've been following this forum for about a year and had two attemps at reducing my drinking with Nalfamene (Selincro) in the same time. I must conclude this wasn't my solution, but I see how it could be one for others. (Re: side effects, yes they can be bad for 5 days max but at the same time they help lessen your desire to drink. My advice is to take the pill with a lot of water.)

For context I'm a full-time married working mother of 2 young children, early 40s, who started drinking socially at age 16 and it had only progressed. I typically drink about 2 glasses of wine a night and a lot more on weekends and vacations. I'm more than happy to drink alone in public or at home although the partier in me goes a bit crazy when out at bars with friends or at parties (6-8 drinks including vodka leaving me with a bad hangover and embarrassing memories). This continues today.

My first Nalfamene attempt lasted 2.5 months. At first I thought I had found my solution, I was drinking a lot less due to the inital lack of a buzz and being aware of my intake. But after about a month I started taking it irregularly and then when I did the side effects became a problem again, shutting down my night completely. So I stopped for a few months. My habits from before hadn't changed.

On the last Nalfamene attempt, started 5 months ago, ended 2 weeks ago, I took my pill regularly 2 hours before desire to drink. I had read a lot more about how consistency and long term commiment was essential. However, since I always want to drink something (even just a glass or two of wine) I took it 6-7 days a week when leaving work. As usual with these drugs, the first couple of weeks seemed to work - I had less interest in each glass and purposefully kept the bottle far from me. But then those effects wore off and drinking under the pill became drinking as usual. This time I held out the suggested 4 months, while taking the pill 2 hours everytime I was at risk to drink, but again, there was ultimately no final/net, reduction of alcohol for me.

During the year I saw a psychiatrist monthly who prescribed me the meds. I told him, at the beginning and during treatment, that I want to be able to continue drinking as I do (socially and personally, loving the taste of some alcohol) and just not have any negative health effects or have the habit get worse. He said that sounds lovely but it's not possible. He also voluteered, after my last treatment period basically failed, that he only sees a 50% success rate among his patients with Nalfameme / Natrexone. 

At this point I'm going to continue drinking as I do (approx 30-35 units a week) and maybe I'll try taking a month off alcohol this fall, to help my liver. I really don't want to stop drinking wine, beer and yummy cocktails, I just don't want my drinking to get worse. I recently took another liver panel blood test and my levels are fine. I plan to do this annually.

Point being, I guess it isn't an adrenelin issue for me and so this method didn't work. After the past year of effort, I am disapointed, but I can also see how it can work for people who perhaps don't have this habit and this taste for alcohol so embedded in their daily lives (ie drinking wine daily and drinking for 25 years).

Anyone else have a similar experience?

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