Using Naltrexone to Combat Alcoholism and Other Problems
Naltrexone is a drug that has been FDA –approved for the treatment of alcoholism and other addictions. It works by blocking the endorphins that are usually released when people drink or use drugs. In the US, people being treated for addictions are given daily doses of Naltrexone only if they promise to abstain from drinking. The success rate of this method is not much higher than the placebo.
Unfortunately, many people who take Naltrexone under these conditions seem to relapse into more severe drinking problems in the long term. Studies have shown that the people most likely to stop drinking using the US method of taking Naltrexone are those who “cheat” on the program and continue to drink. However, in Finland, Dr. David Sinclair has developed a method of using Naltrexone to combat alcoholism and other problems that is 80-90% effective in getting people to stop drinking or using drugs. This has become known as the Sinclair Method.
According to Dr Sinclair’s research, alcoholism and other drug addictions are learned behaviors. When an alcoholic drinks, he or she gets a “high,” or a good feeling that reinforces the act of drinking. The more people drink, the more they feel that “high”, and the more they want to drink. Many alcohol and drug treatment programs insist that people have to quit “cold turkey” in order to truly gain control of their addiction. In the Sinclair Method, however, patients are allowed to continue to drink while undergoing treatment. They are told to only take Naltrexone if they are planning to drink alcohol (or use drugs), and are told not to take it if they aren’t planning to drink. Naltrexone works by blocking the absorption of endorphins that are released when an individual drinks. In other words the person drinks but doesn’t get the “high” that he or she has come to expect. Without that high, the drinking behavior is not reinforced, and the desire to drink is greatly diminished or altogether eliminated. In this way, the alcoholic weans him or herself gradually, by drinking less and less each day as the desire wanes.
Given that there are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide suffering from alcohol and drug addictions, the Sinclair Method is an effective way of using Naltrexone to help people break free from their problems. Naltrexone is inexpensive, and is available in Europe as a generic. It also does not require an inpatient stay or frequent monitoring of drug levels. This makes Naltrexone an effective treatment for combating alcoholism and other drug addictions and problems, when it is prescribed according to the Sinclair Method.