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Cured of alcoholism. My last post.

I celebrated my 50th birthday just over 3 years ago. I was aware by then that my relationship with alcohol had slowly and quietly changed to dependency. I, like many other people, utilized alcohol to lift my mood, dull my disappointment, boost my confidence and erase my resentment. What was once a helpful aid, alcohol dependency made me feel ashamed, secretive and unhealthy both mentally and physically.  My aim was not to abstain from drinking but to have a healthier relationship with drinking. AA was not the answer for this busy mother and wife. For someone who is not religious, its cult-like doctrine is of concern. The methodology is antiquated and remains rooted in the largely unsuccessful Temperance movement and Prohibition era. Where AA fails is its inability to overcome the Alcohol Deprivation Effect which is obvious by its low ongoing success rate.  In contrast, The Sinclair Method is a modern approach with scientific data to confirm its success. Today, in the midst of the Covid
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A beautiful life cut short because of alcoholism...

The life of a much loved mother and vibrant woman from our school community was cut short recently. She was intoxicated and while resisting help to get into an ambulance, fell and hit her head and went into a coma.  She died two days later. The shock followed by the tittering of gossip (yes, normal) was followed by personal introspection (normal). Perhaps you are you asking yourself, "could this have been me?" I’m sure I’m not the only person who has been told that this beautiful person had a problem with alcohol.  There was no malice but it does shine a light on how our society processes that information. Out of respect for our friend, it's vitally important to dispel some common myths here. "Why couldn't they just stop?"  No one sets out to or wants to become alcohol dependent. If it was as easy as "just stopping" then there would be no alcoholics. "They must have been unhappy!"  No, it's purely an addiction.  The brain o

Week 15 and not craving alcohol thanks to Naltrexone and TSM.

I'm still not officially at pharmacological extinction because I'm drinking socially but I'm not experiencing any cravings on a day to day basis.  My past trigger point (late afternoon/early evening starting to prepare dinner) comes and goes without a thought now.  I don't miss it.  I don't want it.  I'm not missing out on anything and am enjoying the clear head and productivity. My graph at 15 weeks shows that I consumed 8 glasses of wine this week.  This was over 2 nights at friends houses. I find that if I am out at a bar or restaurant, I'm less likely to drink that amount and of late it would be 2 drinks maximum.  Also, I've noticed that my friends don't offer water to their guests but keep topping up the wine.  I was guilty of that too before starting TSM.  Now when people come over to our house, I am topping up water glasses for everyone.   Of course, I can get my own water at someone's house and need to remind myself to do that in futu

No longer alcohol dependant thanks to Naltrexone and the Sinclair Method.

Fourteen weeks ago I started on a journey to cure myself of alcohol dependency via a little known at home treatment using Naltrexone in conjunction with the Sinclair Method. When I say little known, that is to say it's little known in Australia but not in Finland where upwards of 77,000 Fins have been cured of alcoholism using the same method.   It's a safe and inexpensive treatment done in the privacy of your own home with many added bonusses...  Dignity is restored, shame is removed, the symptoms of depression and anxiety lift within a relatively short period. The short explanation of how the Sinclair Method works is NALTREXONE + DRINK = CURE but before you dive blindly into that there is more you need to be aware of.   Online support is invaluable.  You'll be warmly welcomed and greatly helped at Options Save Lives forum which is moderated by C Three Foundation. Online education is imperative.  Dispel the myths about Naltrexone and gain clear and concise

Am I cured of alcoholism already? ...or close to it?

The cravings have become less and less, so much so rhat it's hard to even pinpoint one and week 10 has ended without any desire to drink for the past 8 days. I can attribute much of my recent success with keeping my thirst quenched throughout the day.  Keeping a bottle of soda water (and a tasty sugar-free cordial) by my side while I work coupled with the insight I have gained over the last 10 weeks regarding the "habit" hidden underneath the addiction.  ...that robotic ritual of automatically pouring a drink to signal the end of the day and the start of the evening - the time of day when my thoughts turn to preparing the family meal. I refer to the timing of the underlying habit of mine as my "trigger point".  With the aid of Naltexone and TSM (the Sinclair Method), my brain is being retrained to learn that there is no reward gained and as a result of this water is just as "rewarding" as a glass of wine (and with some of the wines I've dru

Letter to Jenny Brockie, Insight, SBS regarding "Wine O'Clock"

It's all very well and good to bring attention to the growing issue of alcoholism amongst middle-aged, middle class Australian women but it needs to be followed up with realistic solutions to the issue of Alcohol Use Disorder. I made the following plea to Jenny Brockie via email to SBS. "Hi Jenny Great program last night and based on how much impact it has had, now’s your opportunity to talk about how to solve the problem. I’m not here to share my story but to plea to you to broadcast to the many desperate women in the same situation as me that there are options other than the downward spiral into the bottom of a bottle. AA has a 7%-9% success rate that drops to 1% by year 5 but a little known (in Australia) cure has a 78% success rate.  77,000 Fins have so far been cured of alcoholism using the Sinclair Method.  It’s an in home treatment, low cost (only $38.50 per month on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme) and because you regain control over your drinking within a

My deepest compassion for Yumi Stynes and her alcohol problem.

The normalisation of alcohol in Australia has been happening since the First Fleet when rum was the only drink of choice. The Australian Government (who take their cut via bond) normalises it by allowing it to be advertised during sporting events when children are watching. (Of course there is gambling too - another government "sponsored" addiction!) I missed the SBS Insight program called "Wine O'Clock" and will watch it later on iView but I suspect it's going to make me very angry. Angry for all the pain and shame that people are living in when the cure is close at hand. If no one talks, no one knows...about both the problem and the cure. The promo on the SBS website reads, "Recent statistics from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education show drinking is on the rise among mid-life women. “This is not a teenage story. These are women who are usually highly functioning, career-and motherhood oriented, who then begin or return to drink