I found about about the Sinclair Method maybe a year back and I did try to get a prescription for Naltrexone from my doctor but without success. At that point I kinda give up on it, thinking that I wouldn't be able to find a doctor to prescribe it.

About 4 months ago, after seeing an inspiring "progression" picture, I started a gym program that helped me lose about 22 lbs since February - from beer belly to 6 pack. I did get in a very good shape about a month ago, yet I wanted even more and that's when I realized that the nightly drinking is ruining my hard work. I got even more determined to get Naltrexone and after trying a few doctors, I finally found one that had no problem with it. Once I started taking Nal and reducing my alcohol intake I was able to get even better with my workout. When I do have a drinking day (such as 3-4 glasses of wine, with Nal of course) I can see the effects it has on my body (my weight goes up at least 2 lbs and I don't feel that good anymore). That makes me hate the drinking days and I am trying my best to limit them.

So, get in shape and you will have a powerful motivation to limit your drinking. Combined with Nal it should lead to great results!

I'll second that. I'm not doing any intensive fitness stuff, but my weight has dropped by about 15 lb since I quit the crazy drinking, and I'm looking forward to seeing a number on the scale any day now that starts with a 1 -- something I haven't seen since the mid-1990's. Also noticeable improvement in my blood pressure numbers. The boost this gives to my self-image is a tremendous help in dealing with drinking urges. Most boozers, I'm sure, secretly feel that they're the scum of the earth, and that becomes just one more reason to drink away the hurt; looking and feeling better physically goes a long way toward starting to believe maybe you're not so bad after all.

Andy-
You were able to get to a 6-pack while still drinking??

Yes, I dropped all those pounds without making any change in my drinking habits. In fact I started that program because it did not involve any diet adjustments. Only after my weight loss started to slow down I've become more motivated to find a doctor to prescribe Nal... It makes a big difference on the way I feel (drinking vs. no drinking) and at least for me it is a big motivation factor to reduce alcohol as much as possible. You become quite aware of changes in your body. You start to realize that you make all this effort to bring your body to a nice shape, feeling all energized and healthy, just to ruin it by filling yourself with alcohol.

Anyway, here is my fitness progress: http://flickr.com/gp/78785934@N04/g734zr. If I also manage to get on the "cured" list, than 2012 will be a great year!

Andy
That's pretty dramatic progress. Good for you.
So - you made the progress without changing the drinking - but then plateaued until you cut out the sauce?
What plan was this? Also, how much do you have to drink to gain 2 pounds in a day - would it be safe to say that it wasn't just alcohol-related calories, but ancillary effects - perhaps, increased appetite as a result of drinking?

Well, those 2 lbs are probably not that much fat as water retention and such and they tend to go away in 2-3 days (unless I keep drinking). And yes, when I drink I like to take a snack as well but not as much as to be a problem. Alcohol days are definitely slowing down my progress. For example, drinking a bottle of wine one night makes me sluggish, puffy and tired and really it takes some effort to go and do my workout. If I don't drink for 3-4 days (and happily that is now possible due to Nal) I feel energized and quite in shape. When you start a workout program it is quite common to keep a log of your weight and seeing how long it takes to loose 1 lb you feel really bad when overnight the scale shows 2 lbs more then the day before

The program that I do is called MAX Workouts (www.maxworkouts.com) but there are other similar programs (look for anaerobic exercise). With the reduction in drinking I did break that weight plateau but I still drink now and then and I reached a point where additional weight loss requires special diet and I don't want to go that route. Yet I still loose weight though very slowly now and for that reason it bothers me even more when I drink and see all that work wasted... Here is where I am now: flic.kr/p/ctSmko, about 6 lbs less than the previous pic.