Hi Folks,

I notice that there have been a few posts recently in which people have started to become a little despondent about their progress with the Sinclair Method. And that started me thinking about the importance of maintaining a positive outlook by keeping one's hopes up. So, I did some trawling around on the internet (as one does) and I came across the following statement:

"Expectation is a powerful thing," says Robert DeLap, M.D., head of one of the Food and Drug Administration's Offices of Drug Evaluation. "The more you believe you're going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that you will experience a benefit."

Powerful stuff, eh? What an incentive!

For those interested in learning more, go to:

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2000/100_heal.html

The quotation above is the seventh paragraph in the article, which I hope you find useful. From my point-of-view, the value of this article is that it demonstrates the role of the human mind in ensuring benefit from treatment.

V.

I agree Virgil, keeping a positive outlook is really important. Some people have been doing the treatment for a while and have moments of despondency which I can understand, but I don't necessarily agree with them, and others get discouraged after only being on the program for a week or two!

It IS sometimes difficult to keep feeling positive when you have a raging hangover and are in a deep depression about what you drank the night before, but remember a huge part of that is the alcohol making you feel depressed- just keep plodding on with the program, there are bad days among the good- nobody anywhere has said this was going to be a bed of roses, but it is certainly the easiest method I have ever tried.

Of the small percentage it did not work for during Dr Sinclair's trials, as has already been stated by the DRs, is that some of the failures were not sticking 100% to the protocol. So lets say it doesn't work for around 10% who DO stick to it. But I am also wondering what about the ones who say they stuck to it religiously but actually did not?

There is no denying that for many (All?) drinking with Nal is not quite the same as drinking without it. There MUST HAVE been people among Dr. Sinclair's testers who said they had stuck to the protocol exactly, but who actually did not.
Addicts DO lie to cover up their addictions- we all know that, it is part of the condition. I think if we were to add up those who did not stick to it and admitted it, and those that did not stick to it but pretended they did we would find this method has a VERY VERY high success rate- far higher than the percentage stated during the trials.

I also think Houtx has made a good point in her latest posts, that it is VERY important to keep a drinking diary. Mine takes me about 30 seconds to complete every morning, or before I go to bed. This is part of the program, there are only 2 rules- take nal before drinking and keep a diary. If you are not doing this you are not following the program to the letter.

I recently met a friend who I have not seen for a few years who had lost a lot of weight, she was always struggling with diets, but never got much in the way of results. She told me the turning point came for her when she started keeping a food diary. I don't know what it is about writing down your intake down every day, but something in the process seems to work, it seems to encourage you to make more conscious choices, apart from it being the only way we can really see our individual progress. I have had quite a few days when depressed with a hangover I swore blind it wasn't working, but when I looked at my drinking sheet, I could see damn well it was:) If I had not had the sheet to look at, it would have been easy for me to give up then.

So if anyone isn't tracking, please start today!!

Virgil -- Thanks for starting this thread. I certainly agree with you about the importance of a positive attitude.

One of the best things about TSM is the opportunity to reinforce positive opioidergic behaviors. Sinclair and Eskapa both stress that this is a very important part of TSM. We will not be on daily nal forever, so we can always re-learn the behaviors we choose. The AF nal vacation days are an opportunity to reinforce behaviors we choose. While some here have expressed concern, noone has reported an impaired sex drive or a lost will to work out. Some have reported enhanced experiences during a no-nal interlude, when our brains temporarily have more active opioid receptors. In response to a question on this board, Eskapa said not to worry about extinguishing desirable behaviors, but instead to keep in mind that we are permanently extinguishing alcohol addiction.

So according to reports here by those who have actually experienced it, it works just as Sinclair and Eskapa told us it would. Our experts have armed us with knowledge!

When we are no longer addicted, Eskapa says those of us who continue to drink (at a mean of 9 per week after 3 years) just as any non-addicted person would drink. To me, if I am drinking, this will mean a great glass of wine with a meal or maybe a bottle of beer with my son when we golf.

Let's hear more from everyone on the importance of keeping a positive Outlook!!

LOL, Yes we are very good at changing the subject on this board!

I just posted my feelings and thoughts on this subject in the post "Is anyone having trouble?"
My post was exactly about "positiveness." It is not easy, but it is one of our strongest allies in this quest of reconditioning ourselves.

I hope nobody minds, but I have deleted/moved the posts that took away from the Virgil's original topic of a positive outlook of the thread as Q has started a new thread to discuss endorphins.

Thanks, Marby! A positive outlook is soooo important and, I believe, is one of the main things many of us come here for, so I hope we drop by here often to share positive and encouraging thoughts.

AsRealityTurns - where is that thread about "Is anyone having trouble"- I can't find it now and I was reading just yesterday and it was helpful. I'm new to the site coming from MWO site Strictly Sinclair. Thanks.

Hi Folks,

In-keeping with the spirit of this thread, I discovered an inspiring article on the net entitled "The Importance of Never Giving Up Hope". The following is an extract:

"I try to keep in mind that hope is not a promise of achievement. It is a will to reach a goal and a tool to use in trying to get there. Hope is knowing that you will go on and never give up".

The relevance of these words is abundantly clear to anyone following the Sinclair Method. For anyone interested in reading the full article, point your browser at:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... tml?cat=72

V.