4 step plan
There are 4 steps to take to tackle your alcohol addiction with the Sinclair Method. 1. Introduction Talk, 2. Screening, 3. Prescription, 4. Starting therapy. In addition, we agree on one thing. You are honest about the amount you drank and drink before we start and also during therapy. Otherwise it makes no sense and you have less chance that it will work for you. After our first contact you can quickly start!
step 1. Introduction Talk
You have contacted me by phone or email and together we have scheduled this first free introductory meeting. During this conversation, preferably via video calling, you can ask me anything about The Sinclair Method and the experience I have with it. You tell me about yourself and your drinking problem. We will elaborate on this if you like to go on to the screening. If it feels good and you want to be guided by me, we will immediately make a follow-up appointment for the screening or we will do the screening immediately via tele-counseling (video call).
step 2. screening
Screening only via tele-counseling (video call). This is not possible by telephone. I need to see you to help you the best I can. On the basis of this conversation I can quickly determine whether The Sinclair Method could be something for you. This screening includes a personal letter for your doctor explaining The Sinclair Method and the application for the prescription of the drug Naltrexone.
During this conversation we also discuss your:
Goal: Do you want to drink less and gain control over your drinking habit or stop completely?
Alcohol history: How much did you drink and do you drink at the moment? How often? Your experiences with quitting. What have you already tried?
Psychiatric history: Have you had or are you still suffering from Depression, Anxiety, Sleep problems?
Medical history: Are you or have you been seriously ill. Do you have a chronic illness? Do you take any medications and which ones?
Other addictions: Have you been or are you still addicted to anything other than alcohol?
step 3. prescription and intake
You make an appointment with your doctor and give or send him the letter explaining the Sinclair Method. In some cases, if the doctor does not cooperate, I can put you in touch with another doctor. In the meantime, I make a schedule based on your drinking habits and the amount you drink.
stap 4. start therapy
If you have the medication, we can agree on how you are going to start and I can follow you for the first 2 to 4 weeks. You can always email and call me. This way we know for sure that you are on the right track. This is really important in the beginning, don’t underestimate the therapy. After that, good communication remains important in order for The Sinclair Method to do its work as well as possible. Sometimes people want to give up too quickly because they think it won’t work for them and that’s a shame. Keep communicating, then you have the best chance. If you also want to work on yourself, we will make other agreements.
You have received a drink log that you will keep in the near future. This way you have an overview why and when you take that first glass. Also what changes during the application of The Sinclair Method. This will give you more insight into why you drink that first glass. You also get a drink-log table so that you can keep track of the progress in a chart.
drink-log en DRINK-LOG Chart
If you have decided to do The Sinclair Method then you will have received a drinking log from me that you can keep for the time to come. This way you have an overview why and when you take that first glass. Also what changes during the application of The Sinclair Method. You also get a day / week and a week / year chart (see above) so that you can see and keep track of the progress in a graphic chart.
how long does it take to work?
This is different for everyone. It is very dependent on your drinking history, your metabolism and your attitude. In addition, it makes a difference what your atitude is towards the method. Do you have the idea in advance that it is not working? Are you (too) obsessive about it? Some people already have less cravings for alcohol after a few days. For others it takes longer. It is a process and everybody reacts differently so you have to give it time.
Side effects
As with many medicines, you can also experience some mild side effects with The Sinclair Method. Talk to me about that, I have extensive experience with this. It is different for everyone and side effects are usually transient.
Who can not start immediately?
The people below must always ask permission from a doctor to use the medicine Naltrexone or Nalmefene.
* People addicted to narcotics. Narcotics do not work the same if Naltrexone or Nalmefene is present in the brain.
* People with severe liver damage.
* Pregnant women.
some COUNSELING TECHNIQUES
Thoughts – Feelings – Behavior
Often you think that an event causes a certain feeling, but it is your thoughts that you have about it that causes the feeling and emotion about it. Followed by behavior. If you start to think differently, your feelings and behavior will change, while the event remains the same.
Positive attitude
With a positive attitude, the neurotransmitters Serotonin and Dopamine are released in our brains. These make us feel strong and confident. Having confidence in the future, etc. They also strengthen our immune system. For example, negative thoughts can weaken our immune system. They can cause pain, doubt, a feeling of inferiority and other emotions. When we keep having the same negative thoughts over and over, a biochemical reaction takes place that causes us to relive the experience over and over again. We can, as it were, make and break ourselves with our own thoughts.
Alcohol addiction
In addiction to alcohol, it appears that alcohol causes our reward system to become unbalanced by increasing the effect of dopamine. Alcohol creates an artificial “high” that is more intense than a naturally occurring happiness feeling. Our brains adapt to this and become less sensitive to dopamine. As a result, more and more dopamine is needed to get the same good feeling. Unfortunately, this has to be done through alcohol because alcoholics themselves produce less and less dopamine in their brains. Alcohol imbalances your neural system. You feel good for a while and then that feeling quickly disappears. Which often relates in being anxious, depressed and gloomy. If you stop or strongly reduce alcohol and also start to think positively, your dopamine level will get back into balance. I make a lot of use of this therapy that focuses on your thoughts and I am happy to tell you more about it.
Living and being in the NOW
Mindfulness is really nothing more than being attentive and aware. But how do you do that when your thoughts are running away with you.
Then how can you be focused and fully engaged with what you are doing. Being in the NOW, doing things in the NOW and seeing things as they are NOW. Not as you think they are, not as you think they will be, and not as you think they were. Living in the NOW because the present is the only moment we have.
Your whole life takes place in your head. Give your thoughts some rest and try NOT to think. If you don’t think or meditate, your brain will get some sort of a reset. You can already start with special mini meditations. They don’t cost you time and have a huge impact. And you can do them wherever and whenever you want. I love to tell you more about them!
Meditation
Many people are afraid to meditate because they don’t know how. However, you don’t have to worry about not doing it right, there is no wrong meditation and no meditation is the same. One time the dog barks at the neighbors, another time someone is unexpectedly at your door. The only meditation that is not good is the meditation that you have not done. With mediation you reset your brain and Breathwork helps you with this.
Pranayama or Breathwork
In my opinion, proper breathing is the most important part of yoga and meditation. Of life actually and we take it for granted. Proper breathing has a direct impact on our nervous system. With pranayama you ensure that more oxygen enters the blood and is supplied to the brain. The various breathing techniques provide rest and recovery and renewed vitality of body and mind.
Yoga is, in my opinion, the healthiest way to work on your body, members, organs and brain. Every exercise contributes to a healthy, balanced body. Yoga also helps you in meditation.
Yoga brings balance, activates the self-healing power and contributes to a good balance between body and mind. Yoga practice (asanas) also activate the muscles that we hardly use in everyday life. It stretches the muscles that are under tension every day and massage our organs. Through yoga, focus on the asanas and by controlling the breath (pranayama) we are able to remove energetic blockages. Find a yoga school in your area or on channels such as YouTube. I am also a yoga teacher and can teach you special asanas that will benefit you personally.
Emotional Freedom Technique
9 acupuncture points and repeating affirmations targeting the emotional blocks. ‘Tap’ your problems away with EFT, as it were.
Every emotion is a kind of turmoil in your inner life, your body and mind. Positive or negative. Emotions determine your behavior and your well-being. Pleasant emotions make you happy, you feel good, negative emotions make you feel unwell and even develop complaints. With EFT you can easily convert negative emotions into positive or neutralize them for good. Change your feelings and therefore your behavior and your well-being with EFT.