For Your Doctor
Options Save Lives is grateful to SinclairMethod.org for sponsorship of the For Your Doctor resource page.
On this page you will find common physician concerns and some helpful documents you can show your provider when talking about the Sinclair Method.
We encourage people to be straightforward with their doctors about their drinking and recovery efforts, because we have documented that when a person feels supported by their doctor, they are more successful with TSM. That's why we provide these free reference materials so you can help your doctor help you better.
Doctors who are unfamiliar with the Sinclair Method, or are skeptical of its success generally hold similar misconceptions. We've provided some talking points to help you and your doctor navigate the process together. We offer peer support and individual coaching to help you succeed. Assure your doctor that you are committed to the entire process and you have help and support to reach your goal.
Traditional treatments hyper-focus on the internal and behavioral changes of recovery while completely neglecting to properly treat the physical part of addiction that leads to cravings. The Sinclair Method is a complete approach that targets the physical cravings so you are empowered to change your relationship with alcohol on your terms.
Eliminating the cravings won't fix all of your problems. You still have to apply effort to changing the habits alcohol helped you to form. But we are here to help you along the way. Recovery is about more than reducing or eliminating alcohol use. It's about having the power to decide the version of yourself you most want to be...and feeling empowered to make it happen.
"I'm not permitted to prescribe naltrexone."
In all likelihood, if a doctor says he or she is 'not permitted' to prescribe naltrexone or needs special permissions from the DEA to do so, they are confusing naltrexone with another medication such as naloxone, suboxone, or methadone. Do not be afraid to be firm with your doctor that he or she is mistaken. A good doctor who cares about your well-being will, at the very least, research the medication, even if they ultimately still do not feel comfortable prescribing it.
Anyone who is legally permitted to write prescriptions may write a prescription for naltrexone and may do so for an unlimited number of patients. Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist, which basically means that it is an opioid blocker. The medication has been FDA-approved since 1994 specifically (but not exclusively) for use in the treatment of alcohol use disorder. In more than two decades of use, naltrexone has been determined to be free of any addictive potential.
"You can't just fix addiction with a pill...or by drinking."
The Sinclair Method involves more than just simply "taking a pill an hour before drinking." It involves mindfulness (such as keeping a drink log and asking yourself why you want the next drink), behavior change by actively training the reward system to replace alcohol with other, healthier, activities, and motivation to continue the small wins and successes during times of stress, disappointment, or triggering situations.
Abstinence is easier to measure success - you're either drinking or you're not. With TSM, success is not always clear at first. That's why we recommend many of the same things traditional treatments address - peer support, addressing any cooccurring mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and trauma if you have them, and getting a TSM Coach to help guide you through the process.
"I will only prescribe this for a limited time."
Research indicates that using naltrexone for longer periods decreases the odds of alcohol-related health risks. For any individual who is practicing harm reduction or wishes to drink occasionally, drinking alcohol without the medication can rapidly escalate to pre-treatment levels. For these reasons, refusing to refill prescriptions for moral reasons, instead of medical ones, can put patients at risk.
"Naltrexone can dampen the reward system."
The reward system re-training happens when a user is able to have an alcohol free (AF) day. Since the medication is only taken when drinking, and the oral naltrexone has a limited half-life, on non-drinking days the endorphin system isn't blocked. This is a great time for the TSM user to exercise, eat their favorite foods, and do healthy things that will trigger their reward system. This is the key difference between TSM and time-release methods of using naltrexone such as the implant or shot. Time-release medication is designed to stay in your system evenly, providing a constant blockade.
"What about peer support groups?"
One of the reasons doctors like peer support groups like AA, Moderation Management, SMART, etc. is because science has shown that people are more successful at tasks they feel supported in. That's both good an bad (think peer pressure).
Options Save Lives agrees that peer support is a valuable tool in recovery and we offer support to those on the Sinclair Method in many ways. We have a moderated digital peer support forum that is free to join and available 24/7/365. We also have support groups both for individuals on TSM and for the family of those in recovery, because we understand that AUD affects more than just the person drinking. We plan to continue adding additional support communities and opportunities in the future.