I have not been able to log on so much during the past few days- I am quite behind with a lot of stuff I should have been doing lately but will try to get on more often:)
I have noticed the last few days/week that some people are getting despondent- there seem to be three different reasons-
a) Drinking has gone up during the second/third weeks to pre-Sinclair or above pre-Sinclair levels.
Dr. Eskapa does explain in his book that this is to be expected, so no worries there.
b) That although the method is working, as in drink levels/cravings are reduced people just 'don't feel right', feeling low, bad moods, things seem dull etc. Even Springer reported this in his last post and I thought sounded quite fed up.
c) That in spite of following the method correctly people have no reduction in cravings/drink levels and feel completely depressed that it may not work for them.
Assuming up till now, I am probably one who among our group would consider a success (with my cravings and units reducing just as well as can be expected using the method) I would like to voice the following opinions-
(PLEASE REMEMBER-ONLY MY OPINIONS!!)
Robert noted and I also remember reading or hearing that Dr Sinclair found that 'by the third week most people were able to take a weekend off'.
My own experience was that I did not have a day of until day 28. I did not manage 2 consecutive days until the 4th and 5th days of week 6. If I had taken note of the 3rd week thing I would have been downhearted, maybe worried it wouldn't work for me, etc. but I did not take notice thankfully- everyone is different- just because our progress is not exactly as described in the book, we should not worry.
Maybe you will get days off in week 5 maybe they won't come till week 8- While I know this is not a cure that is based on faith, nothing will work if we worry about it 24/7.
We really have to relax a bit- just concentrate on that red circle on the calender and THEN we evaluate if it has worked. By comparing progress and numbers, I honestly think we are making things worse for each other.
Some of us took decades to get addicted- some only months, some of us drank every day, some went on a binge once a month- some of us drank 100 units a week some 40, etc, etc, we are all COMPLETELY different!
I do not doubt that Dr Sinclair's patients were ready for time off drink and Nal after 3 weeks- but they were in a very different situation. They were working with a doctor they trusted who told them to take a pill before drinking and come back in 2 weeks. There was nothing to research, no internet to read a million different opinions, just a pill to take and forget about it.
Most of us have here had to battle to find a doctor, lied to him or her, don't know if our livers are healthy enough to take this, had to glean what we can of the net, or order of an online company and then worry if we might have been sent $100 sugar pills. Some of us only have each other here on the board for support- no wonder we are confused, doubtful and scared.
On top of that, the founder/first members here, RV, Springer and Lena, all kind of just disappeared- yes, they had/have personal reasons, but it does not boost morale.
I think we have to stop thinking so much- just follow the program as best we can and wait for the date to decide if it worked or not.
I too, have felt a bit low this week, and now I see another problem on the horizon- when I have a day or two alcohol free, then go back o the Nal I am feeling the nausea when I take the pill again. Now, that does not sound bad, but it is not really nausea as such, it is a spaced , sick feeling, which makes me feel quite out of control. I don't know if I can continue to take a pill every few days that will make me feel that way- my plan is to reduce the dose after I have had an Alcohol free day- so my week could look something like this:
Monday- 50mg- 5 drinks
Tuesday- 0 mg- 0 drinks
Wednesday- 25mg- 3 drinks
Thursday- 50mg- 4 drinks
Friday- 0mg- 0 drinks
Saturday 25mg- 4 drinks.......................etc, etc.
Now, I know people will disagree with this and say you must take 50mg for it to work- but it will not work for me long term if I feel the bad side effects everyday after I have a day off Nal. It will end up that I am forcing myself to drink so I don't have to have a day of Nal and later suffer the side effects. That would be rather perverse wouldn't it
What I want to say by all this is I think we really do have to be our own physicians- try to guage ourselves, as much as possible without just referring to what is going on with others, and if necessary make tweaks here and there for ourselves when we feel it is going wrong. While I feel Dr Sinclair was/is definitely on the right track, I do feel there need to be modifications to the method, perhaps we have to be the ones to self-experiment or nobody will ever know for sure if this is a viable cure or not.
In the worst case scenario, that by the time the red circle comes up, and we are drinking the same as pre-Sinclair, we do not have to panic. There is lots of new information emerging concerning Baclofen, and Ocean is having good success with a combination of Nal/ Baclofen- that is already my plan B if things don't work out.
Lets lighten up a bit about it- for the first time in years we are feeling some hope- I don't know if the method 'as is' will work long-term for many of us. (I think a combination of the problems we are now encountering are part of the reason it is so difficult to find long term Sinclairists). I think we have to use it as a stepping stone to find out what will work for each of us as individuals. At least we have the support and learning experiences of each other.
*Hugs*
(Please Remember - it is only my thoughts at this time- I don't know any more than anybody else).
(Also, the board has become quite confusing- lots of threads basically all on the same subject, I don't really know how we can rectify that- I just use the 'View New Posts' link on the top left, that way I see every post and have an idea of who said what (I hope!)).
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