Hi everyone, I am very new to this method of alcoholism treatment, despite drinking heavily for 20 years and trying almost every possible treatment. I have known of naltrexone for years aswell, but am only now fully aware of how it works. Doctors in Australia seem to think it reduces cravings when a person is abstinent, but of course that is not possible, since it only acts on the opioid receptors, and they are only activated in a non-opioid addicted alcoholic when the person actually drinks.
I have always been a person interested in science, and I'd like to hear from anyone else who has had experience in researching alcoholism, and who has had, or still has, problems with alcohol dependence. I'm not a doctor however. I'm just another person trying to end my powerful dependence on alcohol.
I'm a 41-year-old male who started using alcohol at night to dampen and escape from emotional problems such as shyness, loneliness, and depression. I have been drinking to excess for 20 years, and my current level of drinking is 20 standard drinks every night. Obviously I spend most of the following day getting sober and clear-headed, and I don't even get out of bed until after midday. I can't hold down a job, I am an embarrassment to my family and friends, and I can never achieve my goal of finding a relationship with a decent woman as long as I live like this.
I have a lot of knowledge and experience with the various methods of alcoholism treatment, due to my life-long interest in science and research. I'd like to hear from anyone wishing to say hi, especially anyone living in Australia and still battling an alcohol problem. I'm not a doctor but I will try to find out if any doctors here will prescribe naltrexone according to the Sinclair Method.
IF YOU WISH TO CONTACT ME IN PERSON, just reply and I will send you my email address if this site permits that. Being new here, I don't want to step outside any rules about sharing personal details.
Best wishes to all,
Greg

Hi Greg

I am not in Australia, but just wanted to say Hi anyway- your story sounds very similar to mine- I began drinking when I was around 14 because it made me outgoing and sociable- as by nature I also was very shy.

I was not sure from your post- are you practicing the Sinclair method at the moment?

Nice to have you on board!

Howdy, Mate!

Good to have you on board. My heart goes out to you for all the feelings of shame and embarrassment you must feel over your heavy drinking. There's no need for that here. It's apparent you're an intelligent person who walked under the wrong tree - and had a d*mn monkey jump on your back. We all understand that, and are here to pull for you.

Won't it be wonderful to get a healthier lifestyle, motivation, and clear thinking back again?

Thanks for the replies and encouragement! I'm not yet practicing the Sinclair Method, because doctors here are very narrow-minded and won't listen to anything outside established viewpoints. However naltrexone is available by prescription in Australia and I'll just have to find a doctor who doesn't insist on regular liver tests to determine drinking levels, and lie about naltrexone by saying I'm asking for it to be abstinent. The drug is only approved for use within a comprehensive abstinence-oriented treatment plan, so if that means having to go along to AA and counsellors then so be it. And yes I do look forward to regaining my quality of life; drinking like this is just a misery, as I'm sure you all know. Being new to the site I didn't realise it already allows personal messaging, so just contact me that way or post here if any of you want to discuss anything.

Hi Greg, I'm pretty new here too. I too have been drinking heavily for 20 years plus, with all the misery that entails. I stumbled across the Sinclair Method while on a miserable de-tox and was immediately fascinated. Luckily my shrink has agreed to give the Method a go and I hope to start on Friday night! Can't wait. I know exactly how you feel about the shame and despair - I'm trying to keep hopeful - so should you. Good luck.

Greg, as you no doubt know, some folk who can't get a prescription from a doctor just buy it online- is that an option for those of you in Australia?

Greg,
Welcome.

If you have trouble finding a doctor who is on board with the Sinclair Method, then just let them prescribe you Naltrexone and believe that you are going abstinence. The important thing is to get the Nal and to follow the protocol.

If you cannot find Eskapa's book then study all you can on this MB and similar posts on MWO. Between the two sites, the entire book is nearly posted.

Having said that, the only thing you need to know is:
Nal + Drinking = Cure

or take Nal 1 hr. prior to drinking.

Good luck Mate

Thanks folks for the welcome and advice. I actually came across this treatment under the title of "pharmacological extinction" quite a while ago (over a year) but unfortunately I dismissed it at the time. I just didn't read enough to fully understand it. Recently I did a google search on the subject and found this site and also MWO. Naltrexone can be bought online here if I need to resort to that, but I may just pretend I'm using it for abstinence if I can get a doctor to prescribe it. In this country all they do is send you off to detox for a week then insist you go to either AA or rehab (which is usually based on AA anyway). Naltrexone is available to be used only within an abstinence-based "comprehensive treatment", which makes sense with acamprosate but not naltrexone . Of course naltrexone could never work that way. I will look around for the book, as it would have to be available somewhere. We do have some large bookstores that cover almost every topic. Thanks again, once I start this method I'll let you all know how I'm going.

Riverpharmacy.com do ship to Australia- it takes around 14-21 days.

It is around the same price I am paying for it here in Spain, might work out more expensive but it could also save you lots of hassle. You could ask for a liver test anyway just to put your mind at rest without telling them about the Naltrexone?

Thanks, but the Australian federal government's customs division is too powerful, and strictly controls all imports into this country. I wouldn't like to get into any sort of trouble with them, you can be sure of that. The only thing I have ever imported into this country is kava kava, a herbal material made into a drink on some islands of the Pacific Ocean. That was back in 2002, and the laws are a lot stricter now. Regarding liver tests, I can already predict that they would be disastrous, and I can also tell you that my drinking level is 130-140 units per week. That's a LOT of booze. I had liver tests done back in 2001, and way back then they were bad, with the GGT many times above 50, and the ones starting with A not too good either. If I have to help my liver by going on a detox program using diazepam (Valium) then I'm prepared to do that, because detox is often funded by the Government here and basically free. There is also a medication called acamprosate calcium (Campral) available here that does seem to help during abstinence, and also study of another drug baclofen. If I can get enough naltrexone here legally to start the Sinclair Method then I'll let you know.