According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 28.9 million Americans had alcohol use disorder in 2023. That number is astounding.
Alcohol dependence is a serious issue that affects physical and mental health. Treatment can be tricky, but you’re in good hands with a professional like Dr. Lori Scott. She offers the Sinclair Method at Lori Scott Family Care in Kinston, North Carolina. It's a proven treatment option that gives patients their lives back.
Dr. John D. Sinclair developed this program, which utilizes naltrexone, an opioid antagonist that blocks the receptors in the brain that make you feel good after alcohol or opioid use. Naltrexone is an FDA-approved treatment for alcohol use disorder.
Instead of abstaining from alcohol altogether, you continue drinking in the first stage of treatment. Before taking a drink, you take naltrexone, which blocks the feel-good endorphins in the brain.
As you drink, naltrexone continues to block endorphins, so you don’t feel "tipsy" or "buzzed" – which is the key to treatment. After several weeks to months of following the Sinclair Method protocol, your brain no longer associates alcohol with pleasure.
The result is the reduced dependence on alcohol to feel good. Without the pleasurable feelings of alcohol, most people either quit drinking or significantly reduce their alcohol intake.
Dr. Scott evaluates your health and alcohol use to determine if the Sinclair Method suits you. It does mean sticking to the program and consuming alcohol at the beginning of treatment to allow your brain to learn to dissociate from alcohol dependence.
This program may be a good option if you want to significantly cut back on drinking but don't want to cut it out altogether. The goal is to take away the pleasurable feelings alcohol provides to the brain to make it a less enjoyable or addictive experience.
It's appealing for those who are looking to eliminate alcohol dependence without detoxing or going through withdrawal symptoms. It doesn’t require inpatient rehabilitation; the medication works on its own, and you have regular check-ins with Dr. Scott, often through video conferencing.
Naltrexone is the key component of the Sinclair Method. Dr. Scott uses it for opioid addiction as well as for treating alcohol use disorders because it carries significant advantages to your health. The primary benefits of naltrexone include:
Maybe the best part about naltrexone is that it prompts no withdrawal symptoms. You don't need to attempt to quit drinking to detox yourself before use because the medication requires you to consume alcohol for the first few weeks.
It's a more comfortable option than detoxing, going through withdrawal, and then rehab to overcome alcohol dependence.
Naltrexone is entirely safe and easy to use. It can have some mild side effects, such as nausea or headache, but not everyone experiences these issues.
Naltrexone is extremely easy to implement; you take the pill and consume alcohol to begin the recovery process. You take it at home or while you're out, drink alcohol, and let the medication work for itself.
Dr. Scott checks in with you regularly to ensure the treatment is working. After about three months, many patients are able to overcome alcohol dependence.
Getting your life back from alcohol dependence often requires medical intervention, but it doesn’t need to involve lengthy, expensive rehab stays. If you're ready to give the Sinclair Method a try, contact Lori Scott Family Care today to schedule an appointment to learn more about naltrexone and how it can release you from the uncontrollable urge to drink alcohol.
