Alcohol Addiction The Sinclair Method

Dr Sinclair started his research in America during the 1960s, establishing what he called the “alcohol deprivation effect” which he noted was a driving force in alcohol addiction. Later, after moving to Helsinki, Finland he began to use rats bred specifically with genetic predispositions which would render them addicted to alcohol. In conclusion, Sinclair’s experiments posited that alcoholism is, in fact, a learned behaviour. He found that when a certain response or an emotion has been “reinforced” with the reward of alcohol over a prolonged length of time, it is learned. Some people have genetic traits leading them to feel increased “reinforcement” when alcohol is consumed, eventually creating these uncontrollable cravings.

Sinclair was largely influenced by the work of Nobel Prize-winning Russian physiologist, Ivan Pavlov. Pavlov was famous for making his dogs salivate on cue when a bell rang. Once the dogs were conditioned to the sound of the bell, they were rewarded with food after, thus creating a learned reaction of salivating at the sound of the bell itself. Over time, Pavlov rang the bell without rewarding his dogs with any food. The learned behaviour of salivating began to taper off. This phenomenon is called “extinction,” Sinclair also believed that the learned behaviours of alcoholism could be removed through extinction as well.

Through his early research, Sinclair hypothesised that alcohol creates reinforcements in the brain, similar to how it does with opiates. His research showed that alcohol created this reinforcement through the release of endorphins which bind to opioid receptors in the brain. His solution to stopping this reinforcement cycle is to block these receptors every time that alcohol was consumed. Sinclair initially tested this theory on his rats, using an opiate blocker called naltrexone, then advanced his theory with clinical trials in humans and his results were very encouraging.

The solution, he discovered, meant that alcoholics could, in essence, drink themselves back to sobriety, providing the perfect, and safest, solution for many alcoholics. The impulse to drink will take time to reduce and successfully works for around 80% of people who use the method properly. It’s very important to note that medication must be taken an hour before drinking alcohol or the treatment is unlikely to work. Over time, the desire to drink will fade and addicts will abstain most of the time or will occasionally have a drink when they wish.

The Five Steps below will equip you with a plan to help break free from drinking compulsively. Curing you of your addiction and allowing you to regain your control over alcohol should not have to be complicated and will not require abstinence. It does, however, require meticulous preparation before, during and after treatment. The Five Steps does not ask you to complete complex psychosocial therapy or an examination of past events to find the cause of your addiction to alcohol. There will be no insistence on psychotherapy, inpatient detoxification programmes, withdrawal, or indeed, abstinence for the rest of your life.

The Five Steps guide you through the de-addiction process:

• STEP ONE – Understanding and thinking about addiction in an entirely new way.

• STEP TWO – Checking the severity of the problem to find out if you need help.

• STEP THREE – Work with your doctor to obtain a prescription for naltrexone or nalmefene (selincro).

• STEP FOUR – Learn about alcoholic beverage measures and keeping a strict record of your drinking and cravings as you begin your journey through de-addiction. Now you will be taking naltrexone or nalmefene before drinking any alcohol. You are no longer addicted – your cravings and drinking levels will decline over time.

• STEP FIVE – After three to four months – in some cases up to six months – you will be cured. Now the goal will be to remain cured after completing the program.

Go on to Step One >