Alcohol Addiction Sinclair Method Step 2

It’s a disease: That’s why there’s a cure

The American Medical Association, in its statement of policy on viewing alcoholism as an illness, writes that it would urge for a change in the federal laws and regulations which would require the Veterans Administration to determine that alcoholism is a disease for benefits eligibility. The issue of ‘alcoholism as an illness’ is mostly relevant when talking about funding. When patients suffer from a ‘disease’, then it becomes much easier to get funded access to treatments through both public and private health insurance programmes. The American Medical Association considers alcoholism an illness which is characterised by a significant impairment which is directly associated with the persistent and excessive misuse of alcohol. Impairment, in this case, can involve psychological, social or physiological dysfunction.

The amount an alcoholic drinks is not the fundamental issue – the issue centres around what occurs when they drink. So it stands to reason that if someone experiences problems when they drink, they have a “drinking problem.” Problems can include impairment as a byproduct of alcohol intoxication, an accentuation of their feelings at the time of drinking, both good and bad, and the impaired judgement that alcohol can have on problem drinkers, such as unusual or aggressive behaviour towards a simple misunderstanding. Alcohol can greatly lower inhibitions and allow the consumer to do things he or she would never dream of when sober.

While these are all problems most drinkers have faced after a few too many, what distinguishes an alcoholic from an average drinker is what occurs when they have not had a drink. Alcoholics, in many cases, do not realise they are one until they attempt to stop drinking and find it very difficult – and in some cases, almost impossible. Many fully-fledged alcoholics experience cravings ranging in severity, but nevertheless, the craving is there. This inability to sustain abstinence in practice is one of the more significant signs of alcoholism.

Alcoholism is considered a ‘progressive disease’ as it can be broken down into stages. If you can identify yourself in any of these categories, it may be time to evaluate your drinking habits or seek professional help.

Early stage

You are aware that you are experiencing problems concerning your drinking. You may have become quite preoccupied with the thought of drinking. Perhaps you have begun to start hiding your drinking or have feelings of guilt surrounding drinking and your behaviour with it.

When drunk you have experienced blackouts – these are categorised as periods of time where you cannot remember anything you said or have done.

You actively look forward to heavy drinking sessions with other heavy drinkers and are perhaps becoming less interested in activities that don’t involve alcohol.

Friends and family have expressed concern about your drinking. Alcohol may have begun to interfere with your work – such as calling in sick due to a hangover.

You experience withdrawal symptoms, including tremors (the shakes), feelings of depression, and general anxiety when you do stop drinking.

Middle stage

Whether or not you have openly acknowledged it, drinking has become a problem for you if:

There is an unwillingness or an inability to manage your drinking. Even if you wish to stop, compulsively you will drink anyway.

You fall into a cycle of using alcohol as a form of antidepressant, but find hangovers amplify your depression and anxiety the next day, creating a further depth of depression.

You experience health problems due to your drinking, causing doctors to recommend less or total abstinence from alcohol.

You get into trouble with work, the law or cause conflict within your circle of family and friends. You may also begin experiencing alcohol-related diseases such as heart disease, liver inflammation, or even diabetes.

The withdrawal symptoms listed above now become a regular part of your life as the alcohol wears off.

Late stage

Your life has become completely unmanageable.

You may be suffering from a myriad of alcohol-related diseases.

It is highly probable that you experience sleep disorder, with deep memory issues becoming more prominent.

You might have experienced convulsions, hallucinations, or brain seizures when you have not been drinking for periods of time. In some cases, this can be fatal and medical attention is urgently required.

Is the cure right for me?

Can you identify yourself as being in one of the stages outlined above? Do you feel alcohol is controlling your life?

Do you want to regain control over your alcohol consumption?

Do you want to quit drinking for good?

Has alcohol interfered in your personal relationships or work life?

Have you experienced any alcohol-related health issues?

Have you had accidents while drunk, resulting in cuts and bruises?

Do you regularly experience ‘blackouts’ when drinking?

Have you been on the wrong side of the law as a result of your drinking?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then you should consider learning how to control your drinking with the Sinclair Method.

Not only is it proven to work a large percentage of the time, but it is also established in mainstream science and has been clinically proven to break the compulsive drinking cycle without giving up drinking during or after treatment is complete. If you have attempted to go cold turkey, alone or paired with other therapies, with little to no success, the Sinclair Method could help you achieve those goals. Not only will you be able to help yourself reign in your drinking, but the long-term research on the programme now proves that patients can proceed with treatment with minimal therapy, on the basis that they are medically healthy enough to receive naltrexone or nalmefene prescriptions.

Your mental health

Those with a psychological or psychiatric condition outside of their alcoholism can still benefit from the Sinclair Method as it can still help with compulsive drinking. However, if you have been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition, consult with a trusted physician before undertaking the Sinclair Method.

In Sinclair’s analysis of Finnish alcoholics in treatment, the Method helped produce a significant decrease in depression. His patients tested for depression using the Beck Depression Inventory test before treatment. They were tested again three months into treatment with naltrexone, or nalmefene, with patients’ depression seemingly dissipating as their drinking decreased. Naltrexone and nalmefene are not used to treat depression nor have they any antidepressant qualities; the depression subsided alongside the decrease in alcohol consumption.

There were, however, exceptions in this study. Those patients who had been diagnosed with depression outside of their drinking did not see their depression levels drop. This helps to prove that drinking does cause depression in alcoholics and can be helped by the Sinclair Method.

The cure does not judge you

The Sinclair Method expressly advocates a position of non-judgment in matters concerning addiction. While labelling does not help with your treatment, it is useful for you to ask important questions concerning your drinking patterns. There are important questionnaires and tools below which can help you do this. The Sinclair Method will help to cure an alcoholic, but can also be incredibly useful for heavy drinkers who feel they are losing control and wish to prevent themselves from developing alcoholism. The Method is very safe, completely painless, and very cost-effective.

There are some positives in being diagnosed as an alcoholic, the most important of which is by identifying the problem, the person can then access help and get into a treatment programme. The self-diagnostic tools below have been created to help with exactly this.

If you believe that you may fit the criteria below, then please contact us today to access help. The Sinclair Method can also be utilised by those who want to experience more control in terms of their drinking or want to prevent future problems with alcohol they feel they may experience.

Questionnaires and tools to help with self-assessment.

Please consider the following questions about yourself right now:

Do you have a blood relative who has had a drinking problem? Yes/No

Has anyone ever told you that you drink too much? Yes/No

Do other people have different opinions about your drinking style than you do? Yes/No

Do you, on occasion, believe that your drinking is causing problems in your life? Yes/No

If you answered yes to question 1, you may be at risk of alcoholism. If you answer yes to questions 2 through 4, you should consider how relevant your answers are.

Others might be wrong, but sometimes they can tell if you are harming yourself, even before you recognise it.

CAGE

The CAGE questionnaire, which was developed in 1970 by Dr John Ewing, the founder and director of the Bowles Centre for Alcohol Studies for family practitioners and alcohol treatment professionals, consists of four questions:

Have you ever felt you should stop or reduce the amount of alcohol you consume or occurrences of drinking?

Have you felt annoyed when people have criticised your drinking?

Have you ever felt any guilt or worried about your drinking?

Have you ever experienced an eye-opening situation or realisation the next morning after drinking of something bad you were doing because of drinking?

Interpretation of CAGE Questions

These questions are significant if you have answered yes and thought of situations that have occurred during the last twelve months. Answering yes to two questions would be considered strong indications of a compulsive drinking problem; answering yes to three questions is confirmation of a compulsive drinking problem. While these questionnaires are not to be used as, or intended to be, a formal diagnosis, they have been included here to help you think about and acknowledge your own drinking style.

Go on to Step 3 >