I am a 50 year old single male, living in Australia. Since I first tasted alcohol in my pre-teens I have longed for the effect and especially the euphoria. When it was possible, I drank to excess, resulting in a lot of "sick" days and plenty of blackouts with one DUI charge.
As the years progressed my consumption steadily increased to a point where it was not possible for me to go out to dinner or a party or even the local pub unless someone else drove.
Then, in my early twenties I injured my back at work and that's when I really hit the bottle hard. Regular pain medications did nothing for me but alcohol did wonders. Apart from the usual feeling of euphoria, I experience muscle relaxation, physical numbing and was able to go to sleep easily. For many years I kept my use a secret from my Doctors and Therapists alike. I have seen Therapists of one sort or another, from Social Workers to Psychiatrists, for many years for treatment of my Social Phobia, PTSD and Major Depression. (I had an unhappy childhood)
After some years (I forget how many) of living in the bottom of a beer/scotch bottle, I new I had a problem and joined AA. It took me six months to stop drinking and feel comfortable about it.
Two years of "sobriety" later, I'd had enough of that cult and left the fellowship. At first I didn't drink, but the Monkey came back and he brought my old friend with him. Slowly and surely over the last twenty odd years my units have increased. So has my isolation from friends and family.
There have been occasions that I was so desperate to stop drinking, I attempted suicide. The last attempt landed me in a psyc. ward where they kept me for a week to detox. As soon as I got out I went straight back to the bottle. There have been plenty of other attempts to stop or control my drinking over the years but of course they all failed.
Today, I am a daily drinker of Red wine, starting at about 4 pm (sometimes starting with a bottle of beer) and drinking myself to sleep/blackout. It is not unusual for me to wake up at 4 in the morning still on the couch. A few years ago I was in a bad state emotionally and I declared all to my G.P. He was most understanding and between the two of us we worked out that first I needed to become more emotionally stable before tackling the booze problem. Consequently I started taking a tranquilizer named Zyprexa. This not a Benzo, nor is it addictive. It has changed my life. It has calmed me down to the point where I no longer fly into fits of rage at the drop of the hat, I can tolerate the fools and idiots of the world and no longer want to die young.
A little over a week ago I visited my G.P. and told him that I really wanted to do "something" about my drinking. He prescribed me Naltrexone without hesitation but did warn me that it blocked the opioid receptors and that my pain medications wouldn't work as well. "Take one a day and keep drinking" were his instructions. I dont think he knows about The Sinclair Method but I'll ask when I see him next. There wasn't any information included with Revia (naltrexone) so I checked it on the web and then I Googled it. I found TSM and then this group. After a false start, where I took 50 mg in the morning and was "spaced-out" all day, I started reading this board and learnt how I should be taking NAL. Thanks to all of you that posted instructions. Without you I would still be stumbling around in the dark. I probably would have stopped the NAL by now and given up hope again. So here I am, a lonely, anxious, depressed alkie, hoping that TSM is really a Cure.

As another lonely, depressed alkie, your story really moved me. I'm glad you are here. You are not alone, my friend. Please keep taking naltrexone one hour before boozing and please keep us posted.

All my best,

Nick

This is quite interesting: it shows that even if he is not aware of TSM, per se, he may understand the basic underlying principles behind it. Pretty good for a doctor anyway.

Keep with it Tuttle - this works!

tuttle, thank you for sharing your story. I suspect your doctor knows about The Sinclair Method, or he would never have instructed you to keep drinking. However, be sure to take the Nal ONE HOUR PRIOR to drinking. This means your opioid receptors will be completely blocked b/4 you take a drink, and you should be covered for at least 12 hours.

W2E, I agree - news of TSM is surely starting to spread, and I think we're going to see an explosion of acceptance in the very near future as this snowballs across the world!

Amazing doctor story! You are lucky