J12Pack

Those are all legitimate questions and there is a chapter in the book about "If its so great why haven't I heard about it?

If you don't have the book it might be worth getting,...although as you'll read there are some possibly hmmmmm indulgences with the time frame. As anyone here will tell you, folks like myself are probably looking at a 8-12 month cure. I think its right around the bend for me though.....

All those Finns,...good point....Anyone? Jim

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Dr Sinclair's only page is Maynard Ferguson, so that's enough to put me in his corner right there.

That and the whole I'm cured thing. I'm pretty stoked about that.

For a long time, I had a problem with the word "cure", but 33 weeks after I was cured (at week 21), I no longer have that problem. It IS a cure, pure and simple. I can understand that people who do not believe that it is a medical cure, would have problems with it, but I won't downplay the word cure since both Dr. Eskapa and Dr. Sinclair use it.

However, if you want to keep your AA friends, you may want to revise my philosophy. My AA friends are still battling their demons and I am free, in control and empowered. And yes we've drifted apart. I live a normal life now and they live lives self-absorbed with not-drinking. The two lifestyles are incompatible, unfortunately.

Regarding the doctors' web presence, it is not that good, I agree. I didn't even care for the way the book read when I first went through it. But the treatment makes so much sense from what we definitively know about learning theory. And what is the alternative? AA with its 5% success rate? This method is a hell of a lot better than that even if it wasn't 80% effective which we really can't accurately measure here because too many people disappear after joining. Some we know it worked; some we know it didn't; most we have no idea.

The main point I want people to get is that there is nothing to lose by sticking with the treatment for a very long time. I think it will eventually work at that 80% figure if you stick with it long enough. And at the end, you are cured.

Bob

PS Too many of my coworkers are on Facebook and most do not know I had an alcoholism problem. There is a societal stigma attached to alcoholism and there is nothing I can do to change that. So despite my strong conviction to TSM, I still have to stay employed. When I retire in several years, then I can open up more.

I enjoy FB for what it is - a place to connect with old friends, etc. It irritates me when people post their every move: "Susie is now about to bake cupcakes", etc - I am like www. whocares.com. And it is curious Escapa and Sinclair are on there, altho I shouldn't be surprised. But the very idea of "friending" them? Are you kidding? No wonder they don't have many friends - we are all scared to death of being scarlet lettered no matter how much we like and admire them.

Joe12, I hear your frustration and share the answers of others, that this takes time. Granted, it may not work for you, but give it at least 6 months. I've been on over a year, and not cured but felt and seen differences enough to where I don't think I want to ever drink again w/o NAL "just in case".

We've all wondered where the Finns are...and yes, a handful of "cured" isn't exactly what we'd hoped for, but this board has only been in existence a little over a year and it's mostly the "old-timers" who have seen success w/in 4-6 months. Be patient and look at what little changes have occured for the best in you.

I wish you well - and caution you about going public on FB. I share Lena's opinion. But I am sure going to check out their Walls! Good luck -

I am one of them. If "cured" is not the right word, at least my alcohol consumption has decreased significantly! Thanks to this forum, and all of you. I am so grateful.

Joanna
PRE TSM 45+ units
now, week 30, only 10 units

Most who have success do not continue to hang around on this board. I'm sorry Sinclair and Eskapa are not living up to your exacting standards. They may not be media savvy, but give them their due: Their cunning has duped you out of twelve bucks for the book. Meanwhile, I've heard the administrator is livin' the life with all the stock you've put into this board.



That's really all you need to do. Just keep going.

BTW, most Finlanders do not speak English and the language is tough to translate. Hence Lo0p's sig line.

I understand the concerns and can tell you first hand, TSM is no scam. Not a single person here is making a penny off TSM. My biggest concern about the legitimacy of TSM initially was the relatively small number of people declaring themselves "cured." However, there are several explanations for this. First, I still grapple with the word "cure" because I still can abuse alcohol like a long-time alkie. HOWEVER, I used to do this three days a week and now it's more like once every two months. My weekly numbers remain in the safe range and my cravings are almost always zero, but for a few rare triggers. The moral of the story is that the word "CURE" is a very dicey word and I can see why almost all TSMers would be reluctant to use the term and put themselves on the list. The bottom line for me is this: I have read every post on this board and the vast majority (dare I estimate 80%) have met with significant success in reducing cravings and consumption on TSM. There has been a significant failure rate but a wild estimate would be about 20%. Also, the vast majority who come through here are not regular posters so they do not tell us how things are going, one way of the other.

Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Eskapa are doctors and not business men. I personally like the fact they are not used-car salesman types. If they were, I'd be suspicious. I have not one iota of doubt about their sincerity and their good motives. If they were motivated by money, as opposed to humanitarian concerns, they would be all over FB and everywhere else. They are not media hounds and that's fine by me. You can doubt some of the numbers -- 3 to 4 months for "the cure" is not accurate but I do not think there was any malice intended. I think the subjects of the study for which those numbers were based were younger, college students who "only" drank 35 per week, hence the rapid time frame.

So, I understand the concern about legitimacy, but as one of hundreds who have been helped here, I can safely say that any concern about TSM being a fraud are entirely unfounded.

I was super wary of TSM at first, and I was turned off by the word "cure" as well as some other of what I considered to be red flags. When I first encountered this board, it was brand new, with hardly any members, and no one here was "cured". But at that point it was either give TSM a try or quit drinking - something I wasn't ready to do. I will agree that there is a certain "huxterish" vibe to some elements of this thing, but I forged on with it because I was nearly at the end of my choices.

Fast forward almost 1 year: The good doctors could wear handlebar mustaches and sell naltrexone out of a wagon for all I care. It doesn't matter to me because I am free of my alcohol addiction!. TSM has literally given me my life back. Whether you call it cured, healed, "at the helm", transmorgrificated, saved - I don't care because bottom line: it worked!!

I wouldn't award style points for the way TSM is presented, either in the book or on the web, but when you're not drunk every night it just doesn't seem to matter. J12, trust me on this. You have very little to lose, and very much to gain.

We couldn't have said it better, nor agree more. The real hucksters are the clinics preaching AA nonsense and charging 20k per week for their trouble. Now that's a medicine show PT Barnum would be proud of.