“I was addicted and had to have it daily”
“I love beer. I always have. I can remember as a child, stealing drinks of it at family gatherings and to me it was delicious. I grew up in a poor little town where everyone drank. As a teen its what we did every weekend. Then I joined the military, and that’s what we did whenever we could. So though my 20’s and 30’s I pretty much was a weekend drinker only. However, at 40, tragedy hit my personal life and I tried to drown all emotions and became a daily drinker. For 2 solid years, I didn’t care if I drank myself to death. Then I realized that I needed to stop. I needed to change. Unfortunately, it was too late. I was addicted and had to have it daily. For the next 6 years, I tried various ways to quit and was always seeking for another way…any way…anything that worked. Then I found Claudia Christian’s TED talk on Youtube. The Sinclair method. CThree Foundation. I searched for 8 months until I found North Dayton Addiction and Recovery. I made an appointment and now I am 8 weeks into TSM.
Here is what I have experienced so far: I was a 22 to 24 beer per day drinker prior to this. In the first week I felt the naltrexone doing its job. I couldn’t get a buzz. I was very alert to everything. Each moment. Each sip. Each breath. My cravings were very minimal. I was starting my drinking later and later each day. Instead of passing out every night in my recliner, I was getting bored, putting down the beer, and going to bed. In the first 2 weeks my numbers dropped too. I was actually having days where I might only drink 12 or 13 beers. This was the honeymoon phase and I was well aware that it would occur. As time went by I sort of leveled out at an average of 18 beers per day. This went on for several more weeks. Drink around 18 beers…go to bed. Some days I didn’t even want beer, but drinking has become such a habit that I was doing it just because its what I have done for the past 8 years. At night I will get so tired of drinking and start thinking of what else I could be doing instead. I want to break the habit so badly. I kept this up until week 7 hit, then BAM!
Week 7: I had just gone from having a few days that my numbers were low and I knew I was just drinking out of habit, then one day I woke up to rain, which meant i was working my side job that day. As soon as I got the word that I was off…I wanted a beer. This was 9am. Guess who started drinking at 10 after waiting the hour? Yeah…and the entire day was spent trying desperately to get a buzz. I drank 26 beers that day. More than pre TSM. I couldn’t drink enough. I was eating bags and bags of chips…chewing more Nicorette gum…I couldn’t get enough of anything. I was freaking mad! I wanted my damn buzz! Shew! That day sucked! After that I tried being more mindful of my drinking like I was in the beginning. I knew there would be days like that, so I wasn’t too upset. However…I don’t look forward to more of them. I hope it doesn’t happen but I know that it could. Since then I’ve just kept being compliant and mindful. I’m finishing up week 8 and its been a good week. I’ve had 2 record low days…14 beers and 10 beers. Granted, I was out of town all day on that 10 beer day and could have stopped at 6 beers, but I didn’t. That’s where I am now though…still averaging around 18 beers. Still going to bed though instead of passing out. Still being 100% compliant.
Some things that have helped: First, the North Dayton clinic and its staff have been absolutely amazing. They go above and beyond to help. I also started seeing a mental health counselor help me get through this. Also, I started going to a local doctor (I am 3 hours away from Dayton) and she put me on buspirone for my anxiety and depression. It has helped tremendously. Getting through each day is so much easier now. But one important thing that I want to mention is finding other people who are going through this too. I found a Facebook group called “The Sinclair Method Warriors”. It has been a Godsend. I know exactly what to expect now. I can find encouragement from reading other people’s post and the responses from the TSM veterans. I highly recommend this group or any group who are also going through this treatment. Oh! I read the book too…it helps tremendously. The Cure for Alcoholism by Dr. Roy Eskapa.
So that is my experience so far. I know that it is early in the game still, but I am 100% confident that this is going to work.”
– John, an Ohio patient.
“I’ve reduced my drinking since starting it”
“I have been using the services of North Dayton Addiction & Recovery for about three months now. They are apparently the only facility in Ohio that uses the drug naltrexone via the Sinclair Method for alcohol abuse. Naltrexone is not a miracle drug (you still need some mindfulness and discipline), but for me, it’s better than abstinence schemes and other treatments. I’ve reduced my drinking since starting it, and I have hope that I will someday be able to say that drinking no longer controls me. Dr. Kolodzik and the staff are super encouraging and helpful – really a joy to work with. Since I live quite a ways from the office, I really appreciate their use of videoconferences for appointments.”
– Anonymous
“The Sinclair Method…a lifesaver for me!”
“I am entering my fourth month in The Sinclair Method (TSM) for Alcohol Abuse Disorder and I must say that is literally been a life saver for me! I had struggled with alcohol addiction for several years and was beginning to become discouraged and fearful of where my addiction was taking me. I was losing hope of finding any successful change in my out-of-control drinking habits. I tried sheer will power and abstinence and was always eventually met with recurring drinking binges and failure. I was beginning to have problems with my relationships, friends, and family. Although I was never physically abusive to anyone, I was finding that I just wasn’t “available” much of the time and people who knew me, knew something was horribly wrong. I had friends and family members suggesting that I should “get some help”. I felt disconnected and alienated which was reinforced by tremendous guilt. I wanted to make a change…a permanent change. I began looking into various programs that could help me with my alcohol abuse. I considered several programs such as “AA”. However, after much research and inquiry, that type of program just did not seem to resonate with me. I know several people personally who are in such programs and it just seemed that they were making little or no progress. I am, in no way, discounting the validity of such programs as I know that AA DOES work for many people and that is to be commended. I just didn’t think that raw abstinence would ever work for me and I didn’t feel that I could attend all of the meetings etc. I wanted to be in “control” of my drinking, not necessarily abstinent. Several well-meaning people told me the only way I would ever change is to just stop drinking…stand up in front of a group and declare “I am an alcoholic” and attend every possible meeting for life. I was told I could not ever return to alcohol. I was often given the quote: “once an alcoholic…always an alcoholic”. I did want change and I wanted back my control. That prospect seemed daunting, even impossible. Four months ago, someone very close to me, gave me a video called “One Little Pill”. It was a God-Send! The video was by Claudia Christian and featured “The Sinclair Method” (TSM) as the actual cure for alcoholism. Claudia in the founder or C-3 Foundation and a “former” alcoholic. I learned that there is a way to STOP alcohol addiction by means of a safe and effective medication called “Naltrexone”. It is an “opioid antagonist”. The pills are non-addictive and have little or no side effects. The way it works is, you take a 50 mg pill an hour before you think you may have a drink. The Naltrexone blocks the opioid receptors in the brain not allowing the endorphins to reinforce the neural pathways…therefore resulting in “pharmacological extinction”. The rule of thumb is when you drink, ALWAYS take the Naltrexone first, and over time the addiction to alcohol is neutralized. Abstinence in unnecessary and (TSM) does not require extensive support counseling. It sounded too good to be true, yet, it sounded PERFECT for me! I found North Dayton Addiction and Recovery through the C-3 Foundation which recommended Dr. Kolodzik as a TSM practitioner using Naltrexone for his patients with Alcohol Abuse Disorder. I promptly made an appointment with Dr. Kolodzik who has been extremely professional, supportive and compassionate. Nearly four months into the TSM program, I have noticed a tremendous decrease in the amount of alcohol I consume (if any at all) and a tremendous decrease in alcohol cravings. Even though the program takes time, I know that is already working for me. As a matter of fact, my results are amazing! I feel like a brand new person with a brand new lease on life. I am on my way to full recovery and on my way to getting my life back! I highly recommend Dr. Kolodzik and North Dayton Addiction and Recovery and I highly recommend TSM. They saved my life! I am looking forward to being able to say: ‘I once, was an alcoholic, but I am no longer’. Much thanks and appreciation to everyone who has made a difference in my life,” – Extremely Satisfied and Grateful TSM Patient