The author is right - there are no magic bullets. Fortuneately for alocholics there is a medical break through that works. It is not magic, it is medical science. The Sinclair Method works !! I am a cured alcoholic. I began drnking in 1972. I have tried AA, RR, MM, SOS, psychiatry, religion, and the like. I have been in 2 detoxes, 2 rehabs, and 1 mental ward due to alcoholism. I have lost 2 really good jobs and had many broken relationships. I tried AA for 15 years. I really tried, I got sponsors (all good, selfless men who only wanted to help), I did 90 in 90, I hit my knees, I read the big book, I chaired meetings, came early, left late, went for coffeee, made coffe, and did an honest 4th and 5th steps. I met many fine people in AA who got and stayed sober via the 12 steps. I applaud their success and I admire their dedication. I was dry for up to 5 years at a time but it jus tdid not work for me due to a variety of reasons. Several months ago I tried the Sinclair method. After 17 weeks of taking Naltrexone and drinking, I am now cured. I know people will say I'm in denial or that I was never a true alcoholic but I know the truth. Every cell in my body no longer craves alcohol, I have no fear of it and it no longer controls me. As long as I take my Naltrexone, I am able to drink socially, not alcoholically. I cannot adequately describe how I feel. All I can say is that I am free. I would like to add that I do not advocate TSM for everyone. If someone is sober in AA and is happy, joyous, and free then they should keep that up. If however you are struggling and are looking for a alternate way out then maybe you should give TSM a try. I think any method that helps you beat the beast is a good method.
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Sadly, There is No Magic Bullet
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More significantly, to treat addiction solely as a disease of the brain is to ignore the psychological factors that generally prompt and sustain it, the behavioral factors that derive from it and a broad range of social and practical issues that need to be resolved before most addicts are able to arrest drug use and achieve what is called recovery. Guilt, remorse and anger must be addressed. There are relationships to repair. It is through talk therapy that most drug abusers come to understand themselves well enough to take control of their lives, working with an individual therapist or some form of group therapy. Groups generally provide a more powerful intervention for addicts, and proper medication often proves a useful adjunct. This combination of drugs and psychotherapy can work as well for addiction as it does for depression.
What may make the search for a magic pharmaceutical bullet so attractive, however, is the harsh reality that addiction is a lifelong condition and can recur at any time. It can—but it need not. This makes addiction no different than any other chronic disorder—diabetes, asthma or heart disease—that can be treated, monitored and controlled. Neither chemistry nor psychotherapy is going to provide a quick fix or sure cure. Relapse is always possible, but it is never inevitable. To argue otherwise is to deny that treatment can be empowering. This eliminates hope—and it is hope, grounded in self-awareness, that is the best safeguard for recovery we now have.
Rosenthal is the founder of Phoenix House and the executive director of the Rosenthal Center for Clinical and Policy Studies at Phoenix House.
© 2008
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