Hi elfern,

Looking back over this thread, I think you'll find that it was Virginia who said "I simply can't imagine being AF for a week or on vacation". However, I echo Virginia's sentiments entirely.

All the best.

V.

Virgil said ,

"Gosh, I find it impossible to think so far into the future. I would truly need to consult my crystal ball but it's shattered into lots of tiny little pieces because I dropped it onto concrete from a great height! Seriously though, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. From my current vantage point, I've got a long way to go before I'll be weighing up the pros and cons of abstinence over continued drinking."

hello Virgil ,
Actually it was this that I had in mind , but It counts even so for Virginia .
I think most find abstinence scary and I don't feel able to take it on beyond a few Af's , so it's still hypothetical for me , that's why this was intended as exploratory
of feelings .
Also and apart .....by "edge" I meant as in advantage , not as on the verge of , that was perhaps ambiguous .

I hope you won't get pestered by the flu up there , I gather it's gathering momentum . It's expected here in the autumn .

All the best . Elfern .

Hi Elfern,

Thanks for the clarification.

As regards the flu problem, it does appear to be gathering momentum and I cannot deny that it worries me. It's not easy being a human being, is it?

All the best.

V.

True, but the trial referenced in the book doesn't look out in time much beyond the point where drinking tails off to a safe level. There is no indication that drinking levels settle on any specific level long term. This initial study tells us TSM works, not what really happens to people after their craving has been extinguished. Once cravings are low and consumption is low, switching to abstinence, or near abstinence, is very easy.

Some time ago, a couple of us put this question to Dr. Eskapa and he referenced a follow-up study (can't remember the study name at the moment) that looked at Sinclair Method test subjects 3 years after the initial study was conducted. It was apparent from this study, as well as the response from Dr. Eskapa, that many Sinclairians choose abstinence long term.

It is also interesting that most, if not all, of the people in the first hand Sinclair Method stories presented in the book end up abstinent.

Q

This link, an interview with Dr. Sinclair, definitively ends this debate.

http://www.podcastdirectory.com/podshows/1571068

It's a long interview, well-worth listening to. Regarding this issue, Dr. Sinclair says, "Most alcoholics want to be social drinkers." He goes on to say that a 3-year follow-up study (in Finland) showed 26% of the participants quit drinking entirely; the remainder drank once or twice a week, well within safe limits.

This interview also sheds light on the trigger debate, and I will post it there as well.