Hi Everyone,

I need some help with the Sinclair Method. I have been trying to get sober for 6 years the longest I've made it had been 3 years. A month ago I picked up again and I'm seriously considering this method, I have to wait at least a week before my doctor will prescribe Naltrexone. He wants to get some blood work done first to see if I can take this safely.

He also wants me not to drink this week, nor drink while I am on the drug. I'm not able to do this now because I am drinking daily, and he is not understanding what this method is about. I am feeling a since of urgency because I don't want to go back to the heavy drinking that got me here in the first place. I have to work and I want to live life without being tied to a bottle.

I'm am going to need some support through this and I am not willing to bring it to the tables of AA. I am not up for that battle, it's hard enough with my doctor. Can anyone support me through this?

Zippy

Zippy, you have definitely come to the right place. We're all here to support you and one another. As you read through many folks' progress threads on TSM you'll learn so much. Post your own progress - we're all here to do the same thing: get out from under the alcohol grip on our lives.

You'll find posts from others similar to your story where their doc prescribes naltrexone with the requirement to take it every day and not to drink. That is not The Sinclair Method. On TSM we take nal, wait one hour, then drink. Some docs understand that, many do not. Read Dr. Eskapa's book for all the details; there's even a chapter to share with your doc if you think that would help. Some folks here get the Rx from their doc (or online) and follow TSM instead of the "nal + no drink" which some doctors who don't know TSM say.

Others will tell you more eloquently, and direct you where to find more info on this, but just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know we're all here for you.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Hi Zippy, and welcome!

We will all support you as best we can!

You know, it's funny, 3 must be a "lucky" number, you are the 4th person that I know of who is trying TSM after 3 years of sobriety, myself included, so I totally get where you are coming from.

If you can at all, try to remain abstinent until your Naltrexone arrives, I think this will help you gain control faster than if you drink without it. There is something called Alcohol Deprivation Effect (ADE), basically, people (and rats) binge hard when they start drinking after a period of abstinence, like someone who has been in the desert for a few days without water will gulp down several pints of water event though their thirst has been satisfied. Having said that TSM works for active drinkers who were never abstinent, so don't sweat it too much.

I told my doctor I wanted to be abstinent with Naltrexone, I didn't go into TSM details initially with him, this has the added advantage of insuring a good and regular supply of Naltrexone. Later, when you have regained control of your drinking and are drinking moderately or are abstinent, you can go back to him with your numbers and information and show him how it works. So don't worry too much about that for the moment. Just be sure that you ALWAYS take your Nal one hour before you drink, every time you drink, if you don't intend to drink, don't take it.

Have you read "The Cure for Alcoholism" ? You can download the ebook on Amazon, absolutely everything is explained in the book. http://www.amazon.com/Cure-Alcoholism-W ... 1933771550

Read around the different progress reports to see what others have experienced, and it would be a good idea to start recording the number of units you drink so you can objectively judge how TSM is working for you.

Good luck!

Curi

Many people do not tell the MD they are doing TSM instead of abstinence until they have success to show for it.

Good for you to start making this big change in your life. You'll get a lot of support here.

Thank you for your support, this means a lot to me, kinda feeling out there on this one. I do have to do something different because the other methods are not working for me. Could be the stubborn Irish in me... Really, I don't want to think about it too much that is what gets me into "BIG" trouble all the time. You might also call it "Over reacting". Anyway, I mean, to wind up in emergency with a .5 alcohol level and not remembering how much I drank, what I did and how in the hell did I get here?...

I am reading the book, I downloaded it to my iPad and I'm excited to find that there might be an answer. As in with all good things it takes time, so I'm trying to slow myself down so I don't end up in a bad place again. Thankfully, I am in a understanding, supportive relationship now where I don't feel I have to hide drinking. It is really big for me to be able to speak my truth.

Thanks again ~ Looking forward to making some new friends!

Welcome Zippy! As everyone has said so far, on TSM you take nal, wait an hour (at least) and then you may drink. You should not take nal if you don't plan on drinking. Many doctors are confused on this point.
One word of warning: the book states 3-4 months for a cure. Most people on this board that have been cured will tell you that it took quite a bit longer for them, on average I think about 9 mmonths. so be patient! That is in some ways the hardest part of TSM.