Hi all,

I noticed there have been a couple of attempts to get a glossary of TSM terms/abbreviations put together as a reference for newcomers. I was hoping that this thread could serve as the comprehensive list. Please feel free to add/modify/correct.

Abbreviations

ADE - Alcohol Deprivation Effect
AF - Alcohol Free (Day)
AL - Alcohol
Bac - Baclofen
BOC - Black Out City
C - Craving (on a 1-10 scale)
Nal - Naltrexone
TSM - The Sinclair Method
U - Units (AU - Australian Units, UK - UK Units, US - US Units)

Terms

Alcohol Deprivation Effect
ADE is characterized by transient excessive alcohol consumption upon reinstatement of ethanol following a period of ethanol deprivation. In other words, an alcoholic that is deprived of alcohol for a long period of time will often experience a serious binge when first starting to drink again. ADE is sometimes experienced by AA patients following a substantial period of sobriety.

All Day Chemist
A popular online distributor of Naltrexone based in Nicosia, Cyprus.

Baclofen
A medication used in the treatment of alcohol dependence and withdrawal, by inhibiting both withdrawal symptoms and cravings. Baclofen is often used as an alternative to Naltrexone. There is a wealth of Bac information found here.

Binge Drinking
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. This typically happens when men consume 5 or more drinks, and when women consume 4 or more drinks, in about 2 hours.

Dreams (Weird/Vivid)
A phenomenon experienced at the beginning of TSM, in which the patient experiences unusually strange and/or vivid dreams. This may be the result of actually remembering dreams due to sleep that is not alcohol-induced (due to passing out). This experience gradually subsides.

Extinction Burst
The phenomenon of a temporary spike in alcohol consumption as the body attempts to overwhelm the opioid receptor blockade produced by Naltrexone. In classical conditioning, an extinction bursts is a short-term increase in the frequency and intensity of a response during the extinction process (due to a lack of reinforcement).

First Drink Effect
The stimulating effect of the first alcoholic drink that results in increased alertness and energy. Naltrexone seems to block this effect in many people.

Hangover (TSM-related)
The hangover that a TSM patient experiences following a night of drinking on naltrexone. The hangover symptoms may be more intense despite less alcohol intake than would normally be required to produce similar symptoms pre-TSM. The amplified hangover may be attributed to a reduced tolerance during the TSM process, or the lack of endorphin lasting through a hangover (it is thought that endorphin helps to alleviate hangovers).

Honeymoon
The initial reduction in drinking often seen when beginning The Sinclair Method. The Honeymoon is not experienced by everyone and is an artifact of extinction. It is thought to be caused by the suppression of the first drink effect by naltrexone.

Naltrexone
An opioid receptor antagonist used primarily in the management of alcohol dependence and opioid dependence.

Opioid Upregulation
A phenomenon experienced by long-term TSM patients that drink alcohol while not on Naltrexone. Opioid upregulation is characterized by a "super-sensitivity" to endorphin produced by alcohol, which suggests that alcoholism can re-establish itself if the patient does not continue dosing properly.

Pharmacological Extinction
A mechanism which works by blocking the positive reinforcement effects of ethanol-triggered endorphin in the brain.

River Pharmacy
An popular online distributor of Naltrexone based in Canada. The medication itself is actually shipped from India.

Sinclair Method
A treatment for alcoholism that involves the use of opiate antagonists such as naltrexone or nalmefene while continuing normal drinking habits in order to decrease the craving for alcohol over time.

TSM Roller Coaster
The wild swings in alcohol unit counts that many Sinclair Method patients experience during treatment.

Unit (of Alcohol)
Varies by country of origin. Please refer to this chart for reference. Units of alcohol are recorded by TSM patients in order to track their objective progress with the treatment.