Question 1

Is The Sinclair Method hype or harm reduction?

Accepted Answer

How do doctors approach alcohol abuse and gray area drinking? Do they have a blanket order to send everyone with an alcohol problem to AA or rehab? What if a patient says they cannot put down the booze, and they refuse to get help?The Sinclair Method (TSM) is an alternative method of treating alcohol use disorder. Essentially, patients continue drinking while on naltrexone. TSM may appeal to the sober curious person who is in the first stage of confronting their addiction and is not ready to quit.So, while proponents of TSM have claimed that it is the cure for alcoholism and the best way to provide alcohol treatment, there are those on the side of traditional rehab who are against any treatment that does not involve abstinence. But, what about harm reduction? If a patient will not put down the beer, wine, whiskey, or cocktail, why not offer them something that may help with controlled drinking to reduce alcohol intake?Harm reduction, or the approach of meeting an addicted person where they are at right now in order to protect their health and safety, is not always well-received in the US. Harm reduction, when it comes to alcohol treatment may involve helping someone to cut back on heavy drinking and binge drinking.Of course, the ultimate goal is to help the person to achieve sobriety and to become a sober person. Naltrexone treatment is medication assisted treatment for alcohol dependency, and, it can be a form of harm reduction.

Question 2

Why are we so much against harm reduction?

Accepted Answer

Harm reduction is an approach that can help to save lives. And, it can start now, right at home. For example, if you find that a loved one in your home is using heroin, what is the right thing to do?Do you kick them out and change the locks? Is tough love the answer? Or, do you keep the opioid overdose reversal drug, naloxone, or Narcan, in the house?Is allowing a person who is actively addicted to street opioids to stay in your home a good idea? It may be the best way to keep them alive and safe until they are ready to get help.In the US, there has been a backlash against harm reduction, particularly when it comes to opioid dependence treatment. Local sheriffs have come out and stated publicly that they will not allow their deputies to administer Narcan to the same person multiple times. Life-saving clean needle exchanges and supervised injection sites have been blocked from opening in the communities that need them most.In other countries, there has been a more pragmatic approach to harm reduction. From medical heroin to biometric drug dispensing machines, to supervised consumption sites, they are finding success in getting more people safely into recovery.The primary way that this works is not by giving in to their addiction, but by forming and maintaining close relationships with the victim of addiction. The goal is to keep people safe until they are ready to take the next step in moving away from active addiction.

Question 3

What about alternative medicine and integrative medicine?

Accepted Answer

This podcast is not simply a Suboxone podcast or a Sinclair Method Podcast. While these topics may have been the focus of more than one episode each, the idea is to be open-minded about all approaches to addiction therapy.To take the integrative approach means to look at everything that is available now, or may become available in the future, and see how it might fit in for specific individuals. It is all about thinking outside the box and taking on new perspectives.In one episode, I interview an expert on dietary supplements for improving brain health. Overcoming addiction has a lot to do with giving the brain a chance to recover. My guest made the case that nutrition supports that recovery, though the evidence for specific supplements is limited and those choices are best made with a doctor.Conventional medicine may often overlook the significance of nutrition and how it relates to wellness and healing. In addition to nutrition, we also have tools available to help with such alternative therapies as guided imagery, mindfulness, and meditation.Another episode focuses specifically on work addiction. However, the guest, the top expert in the world on work addiction, provides a method for getting started right away with mindfulness and meditation.By taking this tool that he provided in our brief 30-minute interview, we can apply its use to helping with other addictions, or even as an overall life-enhancing, performance tool. Interestingly, many methods that are helpful in addiction treatment are also helpful in the lives of people who do not suffer from drug addiction.In another podcast episode that was primarily about overcoming food addiction and binge eating, my guest discussed the importance of self-respect and setting boundaries. She stated that people can learn to not be everyone’s “welcome mat” to be stepped on and disrespected. This is good advice to consider, even for people who do not have an issue with overeating or drug addiction.

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