Hello all,

Week 3 into the Sinclair Method. I am 39 yo man and have had a drinking problem in some compacity since my early 30s. Sometimes it was black out binge drinking in the weekends - sometimes it was daily drinking and just surviving at work with all the hangovers. Alcohol has significantly affected my life and has caused a “stunting” of my personal growth and a block toward close personal relationships - romantic and otherwise.

I have tried AA for many years and in addition to talk therapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, exercise, nutrition, supplements, moderation management. The most I had was a year of sobriety at one time but inevitably relapses.

My sister (who also has issues with alcohol) has been doing the Sinclair Method for 9 months and her drinking changed for the better. With nothing to lose I got my Naltrexone script from my MD, though he was quite confused when I explained the method. I am about halfway through the book - the Cure to Alcoholism.

3 weeks in I have noticed some very mild changes in my drinking. I have followed the Golden Rule - taking Nal 1 hour before drinking. I just began a drinking diary about 1 week ago. I am currently a daily drinker for the most part 3-5 beers a night on weekday. Then one binge drinking session (6-10 drinks) on the weekend. Sometimes I will notice that I don’t want to finish a drink or I don’t crave another - but this is rare.

Friday night was my night out (binge session). Things were going well. I was at a nieghborhoof bar, seeing a performance. At about 7 drinks in; I blacked out - somthing which has not happened since I started TSM. I lost about an hour at the end of the night where I vaguely remember getting into a verbal fight with an old fiend, i remember kissing someone in the bar bathroom, I remember stumbling home. I was so hungover yesterday wondering what other nonsense I could have done and I don’t remember. Events like these are what made me realize I have a problem.

I want to continue TSM but I am wondering if I should give myself a drink limit for now (say 4 or 5 drinks tops on any given occasion). I don’t want to hurt myself or other or jeopardize personal relationships or my job while drinking myself sober.

Anyone relate?

Brian

Setting a limit is always a good idea if you can manage it, Brian. Drinking while you're out is a different surrounding, so the triggers are going to be different. Were you drinking liquor?

Thanks for keeping up with me. I had about 3 or 4 beers at home. The. About 4 to 5 beers at the bar. The. Total blackout.

When was your last benzo that day?

I take .5mg Klonopin twice a day every day. So my last benzo Friday was around noon.

You might want to talk to your doc about how to work that. Benzos strongly increase the odds of blackout drinking and klonopin has a longer half life than others.

I have been benzo dependant for over 10 years. I have tried unsuccessfully over al long taper to come off (I used to take 4mg daily). One thing my psych did tell me is that I could skip my afternoon Klonopin dose if I planned on drinking. I don’t know why I don’t take that advice. It atleast gives me a better shot.

Brian

.5 twice a day is considerable progress over 4mg!

Have you ever tried Gabapentin to help you taper further? Some docs will use that for tapering off benzos. Had an exchange with one lady that said it was working well for her. It's anxiolytic too.

Hey Joe,

1mg Klonopin a day is definitely an improvement over 4mg a day. I tried many methods to completely come off benzos but was unable. I have heard of gabapentin but never tried it. I tried various methods with a psych who specialized in getting people off benzos. I truey believe I would need a period of 3 months of not working to get become benzo free - which is not financially feasible.

But what I can do is not take my second daily dose if I plan on drinking that night. It’s a suggestion from my doc years ago and kind of a no brainer. I am quite in the know that benzos and heavy drinking are not a good combination. I’m attempting harm reduction I supppose.

Brian

That sounds like a good plan, Brian. Who knows, if you get your drinking whittled down to NIAAA low risk levels (max 14/week 4/day) you may decide that you don't need that morning dose. Many have remarked that when they got the booze under control, the depression/anxiety largely left with it.