Naltrexone

[Hudsonh]

After slipping many times and never getting many times 18 months..I resent the needless suffering I endured unril I found Naltrexone and the Sinclair method. It needs far more wide spread knowledge within AA and seemingly is more effective than AA itself.

[Brock]

I resent the needless suffering I endured until I found Naltrexone and the Sinclair method.

We who have recovered from alcoholism thanks to the AA program, are quite positive of a couple of facts, born from the experience of members, and medical research.

Firstly, we know that at the start stopping drinking is not easy, the 'needless suffering' you endured is as a direct result of not doing the work required in a timely fashion. AA is a program of steps, and within a matter of a few weeks a person who wants it can get complete relief from the urge to drink. Those who 'suffer,' are invariably the ones who believe it's a matter of sitting in meeting after meeting, it may not be entirely their fault, some meetings do not have members who continually tell newcomers where the answer lies, on this site we try to do that.

We drink alcohol to ease the suffering of anxiety, and the inability to deal with life's problems in many areas. We therefore need a program which will give us another way to deal with these problems, taking Naltrexone does not accomplish that. It has been proven many times, once an alcoholic always an alcoholic, a recovered AA member can never go back to drinking, the whole point is he does not want to go back even if he could, because he has found a new way of life vastly better than anything he previously knew.

With a chemical solution, I would still have all the problems which led me to drink in the first place, and when I try to drown them with drink, the chemical would block there effectiveness, what's the point in doing that? And since the problems are still there, be it lack of self confidence or any other thing which encourages us to drink, we would indeed suffer. AA can and will remove the problems at their root, and with practice, enable us to live a very good life without even thinking of drinking alcohol. A chemical 'cure' like that you speak of, is simply putting a band aid on the problems, the problems will still exist, and any alcoholic who was unhappy before they drank, will continue to be unhappy, and that is what I call 'needless suffering.'

[avaneesh912]

There is a short video from David Sinclair were he himself admits there was certain segment of the drinking community for whom the method didn't work. Aa has been telling all along about the 3 type of drinkers. Perhaps the medical community doesn't still want to admit that there is something called alcoholism. Actually I have thinking about posting about that link so somebody looking for relief without working the 12 steps can benefit from it.

[Blue Moon]

e-AA is an AA Group. What this means is that whilst AA has no monopoly on alcoholic recovery, it does have the monopoly on discussions here.

There are many ways of quitting drinking, and even of moderating drinking, outside AA. Anyone is welcome to discuss any of those other options... outside AA. Just not here inside an AA Group.

Meanwhile, anyone expressing resentment about AA itself should be prepared to answer some searching questions about what they did or didn't do within AA which may have contributed to that resentment. Many of us here would agree that some AA meetings could perhaps do more to offer the 12-Step program inside a 12-Step meeting. But if I personally had done little more than sit in meetings, I would have no right to complain about getting little more than a sore ass.

[clouds]

LOl!

I don't know anything about the various drug methods to quit, but AA is free and treats the mental and spiritual malady first. So there is no need for meds. Besides meds are expensive and as others mentioned, wherein is the cure for alcoholism, the desire to drink would return when the drugs wear off.

[tomsteve]

let us know how they work after millions have tried it.

rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.

did ya work the steps?
rest on your laurels?
stay in fit spiritual condition?
practice the principles in all your affair?

[ezdzit247]

After slipping many times and never getting many times 18 months..I resent the needless suffering I endured unril I found Naltrexone and the Sinclair method. It needs far more wide spread knowledge within AA and seemingly is more effective than AA itself.

Hi Hudsonh and welcome.

I'm a total pragmatist about recovering from alcoholism. Whatever works. Anything and everything that cheats the hospitals, mental institutions, jails, prisons, or morgues out of another drunk and helps an alcoholic keep the plug in the jug is a good thing as far as I'm concerned. AA worked for me but I fully recognize that AA has no monopoly on recovery. Even our Big Book says this and advises us to accept the fact that some alcoholics will want to try a different approach to his or her drinking problem. If Naltrexone and the Sinclair method are working for you....great! If down the road a bit you find that not drinking is simply not enough to help you become happy, joyous, free, please know we have a tried and true recipe for "happy, joyous and free" and that you are always welcome to fellowship with us in meetings....

[Brandon1981]

As an active member of AA, who has received an endless amount of support and personal growth with this program - I'm constantly reminding people/sponsees that medications should be between you and your Dr. AA has made official statements about this. I threw everything at the wall to see what would stick, because I was close to dying. An inpatient program, followed by sober living, an intensive outpatient program, exstensive treatment of my mental health, daily AA meetings and service, and both Antabuse and naltrexone. We should both stop asking advice about medications from other alcoholics, AND we should stop giving any advice. This is where some members take things too far, even telling severely mentally ill people to stop taking prescribed medications - it's dangerous. AA has strictly stated that we aren't Dr's. Any medications I'm on or not on isn't up for debate within AA, it's between my sobriety team and me, and as a sponsor, when someone asks me my opinion about medications, I may share my experience, but remind them that they need to ask their Dr. I highly credit naltrexone for helping me with my cravings in early recovery.

Just saw how old this was - but this topic gets me fired up.

[D'oh]

But how do you Live?

I don't suffer from Alcohol, I suffer from Ism, the "Why I drank" the Alcohol is but a Sympton.