Naltrexone -- A Drug That Can Cure Alcoholism Instantly

It is available cheap as a 1-pill-per-day generic drug or as an expensive 1-injection-per-month specialty drug. If you or someone you know is an alcoholic, check it out.

Its effectiveness depends on whether you have a specific expression of an opioid receptor gene. For some people, it works instantly and there is zero craving. For other people, it is less effective or does not work at all. It appears to work for most American Indians, Asians (60-70%), some whites (30%), and very few blacks.

It is not habit-forming (unlike methadone). It does not induce nausea if you drink alcohol (unlike Antabuse/Disulfiram). It is safe for impaired livers if taken at the standard dosage (excessive doses may be risky for the liver). The side effects may be lower than the side effects from consuming alcohol. In general, side effects seem to be mild headaches and nausea for the first several days, but this can be reduced by starting at a reduced dose of 12.5mg tablet for a day, then 25mg for the next 2 days, then 50mg per day thereafter. It might render some pain killers ineffective, so use it with caution before surgery.

There is another similar drug called Nalmefene. It also is an opioid receptor antagonist. Compared to Naltrexone, it has a longer half-life, greater oral bioavailability and no observed dose-dependent liver toxicity. Nalmefene and Naltrexone have different receptor activity, so if one does not work for a particular person, the other one might.

Thanks!

Here are links to 2012 and 2008 versions of a book on the Sinclair Method. The book is titled “The Cure for Alcoholism.” I think this is the book you refer to. The reader reviews are interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937856135/#customerReviews
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1933771550/#customerReviews

Other sources say that Naltrexone is very effective if you have a certain “G” gene expression and is equal to placebo if you have the “A” gene expression. (more info here: http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Rs1799971)

Do you know if the Sinclair Method is meant for the unlucky people with the “A” gene? Or the lucky people with the “G” gene? Or both?

A google search for The Sinclair Method brings up a lot of resources:
https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Sinclair+Method

I’m not familiar with which genes it will work for and which it won’t. The person I know used it a couple of years ago to get off alcohol, and has remained alcohol-free since then. (And this after many years of boozing!!) I do remember reading that it works for about 85% of people who try it, but the amount of time it takes to work can vary. As I recall, a three-month supply of naltrexone from River Pharmacy (assuming you take one pill a day) was around $100 or maybe a little more, I can’t remember now. Money well spent, in my opinion! ;o)

Rather than worrying about genes, I’d just give it a try. It is a very safe drug and shouldn’t hurt any adult. If you can simply get your person to commit to taking the pill about an hour before he starts drinking, and do it every single time, that would be a big step.

As for the book, yes, I believe that’s the one. You just want the one that has Sinclair himself as one of the authors so you make sure you read the process. Also, my person found the book reassuring, because it was a whole BOOK that told him it would work! LOL! I think that gave him faith so that he stuck with it long enough for it to work. It is a physical process and doesn’t happen overnight.

Also, it’s not absolutely painless. My person was conflicted about wanting to stop ... he wanted to and yet didn’t. As a result, even after the drug started working and he no longer had any physical desire for alcohol, he kept on *forcing* himself to get drunk for a while. As a result, he woke up with AWFUL hangovers and yet he’d had no fun in the process! He finally got the message and began to actually drink less, and from that point it was pretty easy. But he did go through that difficult period where he was still sort of making himself drink because that was what he had done his whole adult life. I can see that someone might backslide at that point, if they didn’t really want to change, or if they lost faith in the process. Anyway, so I think having the book in hand as a sort of touchstone is useful.

Best of luck!! BTW, I’d love to hear results, positive or negative, if your person tries it. Feel free to FReepmail me. :)

“That is wonderful. Are you, at all, religious? Just curious.”

Not in the sense of belonging to and attending a particular denomination, or a rigorous set of beliefs.

I am more along the lines of believing there is a God, ands I am not it. Be willing to help others, if they are willing too.

I pray sometimes. I am healthy, vertical, breath in and out, walk 4+ miles every day, have no remaining vices. Age 67.

In case anyone is still researching the drug Naltrexone for eliminating alcohol craving, it is hard to find a doctor who has ever heard of it. At least 99% of doctors will be too lazy and careless to do any research, and they will absolutely refuse to help.

Fortunately, you can get a list of doctors who already prescribe "Naltrexone" oral 1-per-day tablets or "Vivitrol" (monthly injectable Naltrexone).

Go to https://www.propublica.org/ and search for the name of the drug along with the name of your state. One of the search results will be a list of the top prescribing doctors and how many prescriptions per year that doctor writes. The data is from Medicare prescriptions. The website is buggy, so you might have to try a few times. Some states might not have any doctors listed for a particular drug.

For Vivitrol, you can also search for providers on the manufacturers website here: http://www.vivitrol.com/getstarted/findadoctor

Some of the doctors are Addiction Specialists, but many are primary care providers. Some doctors will be politically correct and require you to participate in some kind of counseling program, especially if it is a money-maker for them. A primary care doctor is less likely to have an interest in a counseling program.

You can also check out who is prescribing other drugs referenced in this thread, such as Baclofen.

Good luck!

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