The Sinclair Method

[ImnotadickheadIpromise]

Just wanting to hear people’s experiences of using this really. I joined up towards the end of last year but was having really bad side effects when I took it and didn’t feel it had much impact in terms of reducing my compulsions to drink/drink more.

Was advised to build it up gradually even when I wasn’t having a drink and it does seem to have become tolerable - I was planning to test it with some big nights out over the festive period but I was then poorly so didn’t end up going anywhere.

I’ve moved back to taking it just when I have a drink (currently on hols so it’s every day right now but I’m not really in a position to keep drinking all night anyway while I’m here). Just haven’t found it’s had any impact at all on my desire to not have the next drink!

I can't personally speak from experience as I haven't used the Sinclair Method, but I have successfully gotten (now edging into long-term) sober.

My reflection from the outside looking in though is that it's much more complex than simply extinguishing the desire for a drink. I am an alcoholic and was drinking very heavily before I stopped (3 bottles of wine/litre of spirits a day). Actually for me, the hardest thing about stopping wasn't getting rid of cravings for alcohol. That was a pretty short lived phase, lasting probably days.

What was more challenging was re-structuring my life to do things other than drinking. So for example, you say you are on holiday and are drinking every day. Rather than using meds to eliminate the desire to drink more, what would it be like if you changed up what you do on holiday so that it isn't based around drinking?

So for me, it was the practice of those ordinary life things, without alcohol, that really made a difference. My first sober holiday was when I was 4 weeks sober and it was the best holiday I've ever been on. I really enjoyed the conversation. I can back rested. I found it really empowering to have done it without alcohol and to have figured out how I needed to do it differently, if that makes sense. Like I wasn't sure what I'd do with my afternoons relaxing on holiday if I wasn't drinking. But being made to do it, I figured out that I went to the spa and I read and I went for a walk on the beach and actually it was totally fine and not so scary after all.

All that said, what I think is a really important skill to develop in early sobriety is how to do all your usual things, sober, because that's how it becomes not a big deal anymore. I don't think the Sinclair method is the wrong approach, but I do think it has to be paired with new habits and a new lifestyle.

@mindutopia Thank you for your honesty and advice. My issue isn’t usually the desire to drink overall (I’ve done weeks at a time previously without a drop and haven’t really even missed it) but that once I start I don’t want to stop, which is dangerous since I go from sober to blackout with ‘the next drink’ but never know which drink that will be. That’s why the Sinclair method was advised as I wanted to drink in moderation still but I’m not convinced it’s having any effect.

In terms of being away I’m staying with family currently in a country where it’s not safe to go out and about without them. But my drinking has been limited to 1-2 glasses of wine with a meal, maybe one in the house after dinner but not every night, and a couple of cocktails when we went to another city. No afternoon drinking unless we’ve been for lunch and then I didn’t continue when we got home.

I’ve been doing this for the last six months or so. I’m finding that if I take naltrexone, then when I start drinking, it’s much easier to stop. Previously I’d want to keep drinking - kind of hey, it feels good, let’s drink some more. I still get that feeling to start, but after a couple of glasses it’s like my body realises that it isn’t getting a buzz and I lose interest in drinking more. I’m still drinking a bit more than I’d like, but much much less than before, so that’s a definite benefit.