Skip to main content

Naltrexone and its important role in TSM.

Of all the resources I found , I think that the following information from HAMS.cc sums up best how Naltrexone works with the Sinclair Method...

"Naltrexone has been shown to be highly effective in helping people to moderate their drinking or to quit when it is used according to the Sinclair method also known as pharmaceutical extinction.

In pharmacological extinction (also known as the Sinclair Method) one always takes a dose of naltrexone (50 mg) an hour before drinking alcohol. One never takes naltrexone unless one intends to drink.

Pharmacological extinction works because alcohol addiction is an example of operant conditioning. When you drink alcohol, endorphins are released and reinforce the drinking behavior. Drinking is learned behavior. More precisely, drinking is an example of operant conditioning.

Operant conditioning is normally a good thing because it helps us to learn new behaviors needed for survival. However, in the case of alcohol addiction it has led us to learn a maladaptive behavior.

Pharmacological Extinction works to undo this operant conditioning. You take naltrexone one hour before drinking alcohol. The endorphins are still released, but they cannot bind to the mu receptors because these receptors are blocked by the naltrexone. There is no reinforcement for the drinking behavior. In the absence of reinforcement, the behavior becomes extinguished.

The Sinclair Method takes three months or more to achieve its full effect. However, you should not stop taking naltrexone merely because the alcohol habit has gone into remission. You should always continue to take the naltrexone before you drink for the rest of your life. If you stop taking the naltrexone and drink then the drinking habit will simply re-establish itself.

After three months or so of naltrexone treatment you should be drinking at either moderate levels or abstaining with no difficulty and no craving for alcohol. Naltrexone alone cannot eliminate or reduce alcohol craving. Alcohol craving disappears only when people drink after taking their dose of naltrexone.

It is important that you do not take naltrexone unless you intend to drink. Otherwise you will wind up losing interest in healthy activities like sex or learning or sports. Naltrexone can lead to the extinction of any behavior that is reinforced by the release of endorphins."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Overdrinking and desperately looking for a solution to reduce my intake.

By mid-July 2017 I had to be honest with myself.  I had a problem with alcohol. It was hard to link the words "problem with alcohol" with how I presented myself to society.  I'm a respectable person - a successful small business owner, designer, mother, wife, somewhat of a high-achiever, always on the go, creative, stylish, well presented.  How did this happen to me? What caused me to start hiding the amount I drank (from my husband), waiting for him to leave the room so I could sneak another drink without him knowing.  Why did I clock watch for 5.30pm to come around so I could pour a drink?  And get agitated if I couldn't have one at the regular time. Was I alone in this?  In thinking about my friendships, I suspected not but no one ever talks about problems with alcohol.  It's a secret shame and one that I have lived with for at least 10 years. I turned 50 in March and organised an 80's themed party for myself - complete with a DJ, drinks waiter, che

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