A gentleman, I presume from the U.K. based on his writing style, managed to convince two retailers of The Cure for Alcoholism to withdraw the book from their websites. I don't believe he has even read the book. He went so far as to accuse Dr. Sinclair of treating patients with opioids and said AA was the only proven effective treatment. It would have been good for some laughs if he hadn't succeeded in getting the retailers to drop the book.

This is alarming - but if the news is news in the community where it happened, then perhaps the public will be curious enough to demand the book be made available again. If it's in the UK, surely the crowd at the local Pig & Whistle will start slamming their pints down in disgust - the ol' Brit/Irish spirit of unity at work??

"I may be fallin on me arse but bring back the bloody book??!!"

Here is my e-mail to the gentleman. I hope he seriously considers what I said and does a bit more homework before continuing to undermine this so far very successful approach:

Hello Mr. xxxxxxxx,

I was made aware of your recent conversation with Dr. Roy Eskapa about his book, The Cure for Alcoholism. My being told of the conversation was part of a larger discussion and neither Dr. Eskapa nor Dr. Sinclair asked me to contact you. Indeed, neither of them knew I would contact you, but I'm copying Dr. Eskapa on this e-mail as a courtesy.

My impression is that you are dismissing this method of treatment out of hand without even having read the book. Have you read the book?

I am an alcoholic. Or more properly, I was an alcoholic. Now I was never a sleeping-in-the-gutter hopeless drunk, but I certainly drank far too much for my own good and must have been damaging my health. Despite numerous attempts, I found it unbearable to abstain from drinking, usually fairly heavily, on a daily basis. In November I picked up a copy of Dr. Eskapa's book, read through it and got myself on Naltrexone which, contrary to your statement, is not an opioid but a cheap generic opioid antagonist.

Since then my drinking, with virtually no effort on my part other than to remember to take the naltrexone, has dropped from about 60 [typo: I was more like 50] units per week to 15 with the ability to abstain at will - well within what the World Health Organization considers a safe drinking level. When I was interviewed for an article about my emerging success, the reporter even said "Well gosh, I drink more than that..." I am only three months into the treatment but can say with no reservation that it has quite literally saved my health, perhaps my life and certainly my marriage.

There are a couple of things I'd like to point out in response to your position. The first is that alcoholics are going to drink. That's what they do. They might abstain here and there and a minority even have some long-term success. But the vast majority will drink again because unless they can extinguish the craving, it's a daily struggle to remain abstinent. Drinking while on naltrexone for a few more months isn't going to kill anyone who wasn't nearly dead anyway. I consider this a non-issue because the vast majority of alcoholics aren't in such dire straits and the eventual craving relief The Sinclair Method brings is well worth an extra few months' drinking. Additionally, Drs. Eskapa and Sinclair are adamant that an abstinent alcoholic should NEVER begin drinking again in order to follow this method.

The other thing is your assertion that AA is "generally accepted as the most successful..." Without putting too fine a point on it: AA is an abject failure. The vast majority of AA members don't make it past their first month and the retention rate at one year is around five percent. That's not even considering that for many patients, myself included, the Kumbaya-singing-in-a-circle touchy-feely nonsense is absolutely revolting and we never make it in the door. I am NOT helpless and refuse to associate with people whose primary objective is to indoctrinate me into their culture of helplessness and hopelessness.

For some, alcoholism is a complex and deep-seated condition that is accompanied by various psychiatric conditions that must also be dealt with. For others like myself, it's a very simple thing: We are addicted to alcohol much like some become addicted to nicotine. It isn't helpful to make the problem more complex than it is but unfortunately, that is exactly what AA and rehab treatment clinics invariably attempt to do. Dr. Eskapa's book offers a method of treatment that offers a lot of hope to people like me who may never have sought treatment otherwise.

If you would like to discuss further with others who are actually doing this, you are welcome to come to our message board at www.thesinclairmethod.com. I set up this board myself after seeing the success I was having. While Dr. Eskapa drops by to answer questions, it is otherwise unconnected with him, Dr. Sinclair and the publisher of the book. I am known as "N101CS" on the boards.

Whether you care to discuss further or not I would encourage you to really research this, rather than shooting from the hip, before getting too enthusiastic about bashing it. If because of someone like you my local bookstore had withdrawn the book before I found it, you might very well have cost me my health or marriage, albeit indirectly.


[Minor changes to correct typos were made. I was at work and in an extreme hurry to answer him and actually get some work done!]

N101CS,

Residing, as I do, in the UK, I am appalled by this kind of activity. I think I know the two websites to which you refer because I have recently been in touch with them. Unlike yourself, however, I have no idea who committed this misinformed act. I guess it illustrates what we're up against.

I congratulate you on challenging him and eagerly await his reply, assuming he does reply.

Please keep us informed.

V.

We really have to get the word out about this in a positive way- it is difficult when we are not through with the treatment ourselves- I mean how ethical is it to shout how wonderful it is when I have only been on it for a week? Although I am convinced it is a miracle for me and fellow sufferers, my experience so far will hardly count as proof.

I am going to do one positive thing everyday to get the word out- I have just reviewed the book on Amazon.co.uk- should be published there within 48 hours.

Eventually the truth will emerge- however individuals like this one deserve a great big boot up the backside. I hope he reads this and realises he could be costing people their lives.

I have been waiting for this backlash. The is one of the things that has drove me out of AA. It is a essentially a cult. There is always a cult leader and if you substitured coffee of cyanide laced kool-aid, you would have another Jonestown.

Can you provide links to this news? I would like to see what has happened.

I fear we are in the risk of regulation. It will come from the Recovery Industry. If you don't think it is a huge empire, we now have two TV networks dedicated to recovery. Do you think they will let themselves go down without a fight? They will lobby the government and will argue that this drug must be highly regulated and only administered through a state "certified" recovery program by certified doctors...

From there you will need to enroll in a $10,000 program to take Naltrexone while not drinknig and going to mandatory AA meetings, all along having youself documented as an Alcoholic for all the world to see.

In a selfish way, it would probably be better is we drew less attention to ourselves. As long as we are a few, we don't threatened a very lucrative industry in hard times. But if drunks begin to leave the recovery centers and no longer attend AA meetings, there will be hell to pay.

We are in danger here. We don't have much momentum. A paperback book by a small time publisher is hardly having the "wind at our backs". If you can do so, stock up on Nal. A little ammo wouldn't hurt either.

Naltrexone is the equivalent of the car that runs on water.

Brilliant letter. As a Brit I feel quite angered by this. The book is simply information about another supposed method to conquer alcohol abuse/dependence. I come to the conclusion that the said person was acting not only misguidedly but plain scared of another way of dealing with alcoholism other than the 12 steps. I am not in a position to defend the Sinclair method since I am only one week in to it but I have 100% faith I am doing the right thing and over the last week I have reduced my alcohol intake by 30%. Can't wait until I am in a position to defend this by my actions.

Lets drink to our health!

Ashl

Oh Eff- I hadn't thought of that.

I am going to the doc ASAP to get a few months supply.

Though I will disagree here, I think we do agree. And the point I am going to make is the crux of the matter. If a person is a ****-up as an alcoholic, they will most likely still be a ****-up when the alcohol is removed. I see the psycho/emotion problems and the extinction process as two entirely different issues. That is the blessing of the Sinclair Method.

First cure the addition and if after that, you are still looney as a ****-house rat, go get some couch time.

Some people drink because of emotional issues. Others develop issues as fallout from drinking.

The only real psychiatric fallout I've had that I can associate with drinking is a series of panic attacks I had a couple years ago. I got through them largely without help - doc prescribed Ativan but an unknown coworker stole my bottle after I had only taken a couple (assh*le - what kind of lowlife would steal someone's medicine like that - especially a panic attack medicine)- and have had no issues since then.