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Sinclair and Pavlov and Alcohol Use Disorder
Dr. John David Sinclair developed a treatment protocol for alcohol use disorder called The Sinclair Method (TSM). The Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, who received a Nobel Prize for his research in animal conditioning inspired Dr. Sinclair.
Pavlov would give his dogs a food treat shortly after the ringing of a bell. Pavlov noticed that the dogs would associate the bell with food and begin salivating at the sound of the bell. Salivation would decrease if he gave them smaller and smaller treats. Pavlov called this process “extinction,” which later laid the groundwork for Sinclair’s scientific approach to treating alcoholism.
Sinclair Research on Alcohol Addiction
A key discovery Sinclair discovered that detoxification and deprivation do not stop the craving for alcohol, but actually increased alcohol consumption. Sinclair concluded that alcoholism is a learned behavior after conducting laboratory experiments on alcohol addiction and the effects of alcohol deprivation.
Naltrexone and Alcoholism
TSM uses the drug Naltrexone to reduce cravings for alcohol. The controversy is in that you use naltrexone in combination with your normal drinking habits. No detox first or need to stop drinking. TSM challenges the idea that physiological dependence on alcohol led to alcoholism. TSM believes in the concepts of ‘learned behavior’ and ‘pharmacological extinction’.
Naltrexone must be used in combination with drinking to be effective. This is one reason why groups like Alcoholics Anonymous do not endorse this treatment, even though it is ten times more successful than AA. If you are currently drinking, you are a better candidate for naltrexone treatment than someone who has not been drinking for over a week. You can take the naltrexone without drinking, but you cannot drink without taking naltrexone.
How Naltrexone Effects Drinking Behaviours
Depending on genetics people get different levels of reinforcement every time they drink. Throughout their lives, they drink and get additional reinforcement. Eventually, this turns into behavior that becomes too strong to resist. At this point, they have alcohol use disorder and control their drinking. The reinforcement occurs at a neurological level.
The brain has two ways for changing its own wiring on the basis of experience. One is the learning for reinforcement-providing and strengthening behaviors. There is also extinction for removing behaviors that no longer cause reinforcement. Sinclair was inspired by the Pavlov classical conditioning experiment with his dogs where he was able to induce salivation and then remove by extinction.
TSM is basically pharmacological extinction with use of the opiate blocker naltrexone. You have to take Naltrexone approximately one hour prior to drinking every single time you consume alcohol. By having naltrexone active in your body at the time alcohol is consumed, endorphins normally released by drinking are blocked. Over time, drinking loses its appeal.
The Sinclair Method Success in Curing Alcoholism
TSM works because the naltrexone blocks the enjoyment one feels from drinking alcohol. Because of this, drinking is gradually reduced over a period of a few months. Forty-five percent of people who have used the Sinclair Method can enjoy a drink or two socially without drinking to excess. Twenty-five percent of people choose to abstain from alcohol altogether. What is incredible is that they get to this point without acute cravings.
Naltrexone is a non-addictive drug and does not directly reduce the craving for alcohol. Naltrexone blocks the reward center for drinking which then reduces your desire to drink. TSM has been confirmed in more than 90 clinical trials around the world and observed to be successful in approximately 70 percent of alcoholics. In 18 years in Finland TSM has helped 70,000 alcoholics recover.
TSM Principles for Alcoholism
- Once activated in the body naltrexone blocks the release of endorphins when alcohol is ingested.
- The blocked reward system caused by naltrexone when alcohol is consumed gradually weakens and eventually stops the behavior of drinking.
- Reduction in craving and drinking is a process. You can see results as soon as 10 days after starting, but the effects are more than three times stronger after three to four months.
- The benefits continue increasing indefinitely as long as you take naltrexone every single time you drink alcohol.
- Naltrexone has no potential for addiction, does not make you feel high or low, and seldom produces side effects.
- TSM is effective with or without any counseling. Medical monitoring is required.
- You have to use Naltrexone for the rest of your life for it to work.
- People with a positive family history respond particularly well to naltrexone treatment, though they may need higher doses than usual.
Interesting TSM Article in the Press
Alcoholics Anonymous just is not effective. They have cure rates ranging from 5-8%. Their strong faith-based program just does not work for a lot of people. Outpatient counseling and rehab centers also have a high failure rate. TSM boasts a 70 % success rate. Watch this movie One Little Pill to learn all about TSM. Here is a great article in The Atlantic about Alcoholics Anonymous.
Sinclair Method Book
Drs. Roy Eskapa and David Sinclair of The Sinclair Method have put together a sound scientific book that proves that with this particular method, alcoholism can be cured in more than 78 percent of patients. What’s more, the treatment avoids dangerous withdrawal symptoms, allowing patients to detox gradually and safely while they are still drinking. This removes the need for expensive and unpleasant inpatient rehabilitation programs. Actual drinking levels and cravings automatically decrease until control over alcohol is restored. The bottom line is that patients can control their drinking or stop altogether with the simple yet powerful process outlined in The Cure for Alcoholism.
Loveland Medical Clinic Alcohol Program
The Loveland Medical Clinic uses The Sinclair Method (TSM) to help people with drinking problems. Our method is very simple. You come in for an initial interview and we do a physical and order some labs. We explain in detail how the entire process works. We use vitamin IV’s to beef up your body’s nutrient level. As long as your labs are normal we will call in your first prescription.
You take a naltrexone pill one hour prior to your first drink. You will find this blunts the feeling you usually get when you have a drink. As time progresses you will drink less and less. We meet once a month for three months until extinction has occurred. At that point, we give you a years supply of medicine and we only need to see each other once a year. If you have a regular doctor you can explain to them what protocol you are on and they could write the prescription for you. The process is easy and does not interfere with your normal life. It is also cheaper than any addiction clinic you have ever been to. I do ask that you watch the movie One Little Pill first before you call us for an appointment. Take control back of your life!
Call us now for an appointment
1-970-541-0903
- Loveland Medical Clinic
- 4105 Plum Creek Dr #201
- Loveland CO 80538
- 970-227-0526
- https://lovelandmedicalclinic.business.site
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