I am an alcoholic that, up until my divorce a year and a half ago, I would have categorized myself as a "functioning" alcoholic, or a maintenance drinking. Meaning, I drank 4-5 beers everyday, with the occasional stints of no drinking; maybe two week to a couple of months here and there.

But since the divorce, I have gradually become more of a 7-9 beer per night kind of drunk, with the occasional 14 beer blow out. And it's been that was for almost 2 years. Every night. I have MAYBE taken three or four nights off from drinking in almost 2 years.

So, anyway... I have been really thinking about this Sinclair Method and taking the medicine etc. And ever since then, I have become very aware of how much I've been drinking. I keep a log now, so that when I start to take the pill, I can compare how much I was drinking without, and then how much I drink on the pill. And ever since I've started keeping that log, it has really made me want to start cutting back. But here's the problem...

I have always had enough money, time, and access to alcohol, that I have never really experienced "withdrawl". Sure, back in the day I used to decide that I was drinking too much, and I'd step off it for a week or so, and the getting to sleep would be weird for the first two or three nights, and then after that, I'd be very sleepy, and sleep an UNGODLY deep sleep every night. Hell, the "sobering up" mornings, were worse than hangovers, sometimes.

But anyway... these days, since i have been trying to cut back, I usually just wait until much later to start to drink. Where I used to have my first drink at 5:00 - 6:00, I try to wait until 7:00 - 8:00. But what I am experiencing now, is a very VERY bad feeling. It is like a panic feeling. My neck hurts really bad. I sometimes get a head ache. And my hands shake as if I am freezing, but I am not. I get incredibly tense. And, distant, and withdrawn... and I don't even feel like it's an alcohol "craving", but I don't know what that feels like. All I know is, when I crack a beer, all that feeling goes away. Almost as soon as the beer hits my mouth, I breathe a sign of relief.

What the ****!?!

So, what I want to ask is... since I am obviously PHYSICALLY addicted to Alcohol. How does the Sinclair Method help me get to sleep? Or ease my tense neck? Or make my hands not shake?

Am I still going to have to go through all the withdrawals?

That's the beauty.

You naturally taper off. Or so goes the theory...Some of us have experienced and some of us are mid trip...(As I am)..

One thing I say too much is...here....we're all in the foxhole together. There is nobody here to judge, just help, and you can do no wrong. I've found no hatred and if it seems that there is,..its usually misunderstood.

Come join us and share the journey and your hope and experience and ultimately cure (or whatever word you use)..Best, Jim

If you are experiencing withdrawal symptoms, you can just have a beer. As you progress through the method and gradually start to drink less, your body will detoxify but not abruptly. You shouldn't have to worry about withdrawal symptoms or the DT's at all. Sleep is another issue entirely though...

Come on... What does that mean?

For me, only two things get me on a regular sleeping schedule: Alcohol or exercise.

TSM hasn't yet reduced my drinking, so my sleep schedule was normal up until I started baclofen.

Baclofen causes me to drink MUCH less than normal, but it doesn't knock me out, not even massive doses of it. When I drink only like 2 glasses of wine or 2 beers at night I sleep for a total of like 2 or 3 hours. This might resolve itself with time but I don't expect it to before I start hitting the gym on a regular basis.

I've heard one person's story about how TSM made them not drink very much but they stayed awake every night because they weren't drinking. I think most other people haven't had to deal with this because I haven't heard of it being a really big issue around here.

LoOp, interesting. I have taken a low dose of baclofen and I take it at night and it really helps me to sleep. I have weaned myself off the bac because I added wellbutrin to my mix and a psychiatrist told me I could have seizures with the AL, WB and Bac.
The point here is I have had marvelous sleep with Bac. And now I am off the Bac, not such good sleeps..
I guess we are all different chemistries.
It is confusing because we all have such different programs.
I am doing well, and my numbers do seem to be decreasing.
ART

Yeah, the reason I ordered it initially was because I thought it'd put me to sleep and cut my drinking hours down. It makes me not drink but it gives me wicked dreams...crazy stuff and I end up waking up in shock. I was crushed by a big rig one night and I was having a conversation with Bill P. from My Way Out on my front porch another night. One night Jess came back to me...wish I could have that one again.

Is Baclofen something that is mentioned in the "Cure for Alcoholism" book, or part of the Sinclair Method, or have you guys just started talking about something entirely different? Because I have no idea what you are talking about. I went and read about Baclofen, and it said that it was a muscle relaxer for people with multiple sclerosis, and that it can cause seizures etc. I didn't see anywhere that it was part of the Sinclair Method. I did read that some French cardiologist said it helped him with his alcoholism, but what the hell is it?

I was under the impression that it is a muscle relaxer. Well, everything I've ever know about muscle relaxers is that they are habit forming. Now, what good would that do an alcoholic? Even if they aren't physically addictive, I am sure that any medication that helps you do anything, (get to sleep, relax... hell even chapstick) will eventually become something that you "need" in order to do those things.

Am I wrong?

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6644390

http://www.olivierameisen.com/en/

http://us.macmillan.com/Retailer.aspx?isbn=9780374140977

I also have a couple PDF's of human case reports published in JAMA and Alcohol & Alcoholism and also a study of baclofen suppressing voluntary alcohol consumption in rats. I can email them to you if you want.

I started taking this stuff and when I have enough of it (when All Day Chemist decides to ship me the orders that I pay for) it reduces my nightly alcohol consumption from 11-17 US units to 2-3.

There isn't nearly as much science behind it as TSM but there is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence that shows it to be very effective. It certainly works for me. I'm hoping that TSM is working in the background but can't be absolutely sure. We've discussed here: http://www.thesinclairmethod.net/community/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=795&sid=576001dd5da2bfa9a6dce2b2fc7de5cc