Hi Anna! I like your name - my daughter is named Anna.

I am the founder and admin on this board and have probably been on TSM longer than anyone here. If not, close.

I was in a similar situation with insurance and my wife was VERY skeptical of a treatment that includes drinking. Even now she's probably not totally aware of the difference it's made because I hid my drinking pretty well and continued to do so as I followed TSM. But my drinking is now a fraction of what it was and by most standards I'm drinking "normally," meaning a few drinks a night, a few nights per week.

If you would like me to talk to your husband, I'd be happy to. Just PM me and we can chat. We can take it from there.

I can modify that e-mail...

Anna,

You have been on my mind. How are you doing?

bb

I cut and pasted Goin4more's incredibly great argument for TSM and sent it to my mother and brother, both of whom are skeptical of this treatment. So, I believe this article should be re-entitled: "Dear Spouse/Family Member/Friend of an Alcoholic." My only criticism of the summary is that if people assume that Dr. Sinclair is a quack -- and most will, based upon his prescription of drinking and taking Naltrexone -- then you need as much fire power/backup in support of the science backing the method that can possibly be offered. I would also cut and paste this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/healt ... one&st=cse and keep it handy for anyone you wish to persuade. The author of this article, Jane Brody, is as mainstream as it gets and the Times has world-wide credibility. You can declare accurately, "Jane Brody and The New York Times have cited the success of treating alcoholism with Naltrexone in a very recent New York Times article. See for yourself." Also, and perhaps most importantly, if your doctor doesn't want to give you Naltrexone while you drink (as mine didn't), give him/her both the book, The Cure For Alcoholism, as well as a copy of the Times article. Even the most stubborn doctor will relent and prescribe Naltrexone if you present the irrefutable evidence that it works. We addicts need as much credibility in support of this method as possible because it WILL NOT be received by a welcoming audience. Telling someone to drink in order to cure alcoholism is a bit like telling a domestic abuser to punch someone in the face in order to cure their violent tendencies! The article in the New York Times and Eskapa's book also contain the names of other HUGE, credible organizations that agree that TSM works, including the World Health Organization and domestically, the American Association of Addiction Psychiatry. In summary, when presenting this method to new people, you will need to cite every supportive group you can get your hands on in order to bolster your argument in favor of the treatment because you can bank on a hostile, non-receptive audience. It's up to us addicts -- WE who have the MOST AT STAKE -- to educate people about this treatment.

PS Just looked over Eskapa's book. Page 50-51 cites the COMBINE study, the largest clinical trial in the history of alcoholism research, confirming naltrexone works, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (May 3, 2006). This may be the most compelling and credible study you can cite to show naltrexone while drinking works and had a lot to do with my doctor agreeing to give this a try.