Addiction
Medication Assisted Treatment
Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
Buprenorphine is the first medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) that can be prescribed or dispensed in physician offices, significantly increasing access to treatment. As with all medications used in treatment, buprenorphine should be prescribed as part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes counseling and other services to provide patients with a whole-person approach. Buprenorphine offers several benefits to those with OUD and to others for whom treatment in an Opioid Treatment Clinic is not appropriate or is less convenient.
Naltrexone for Alcohol Use Disorder
Naltrexone is a medication used to help individuals with alcohol use disorder by reducing cravings and the pleasurable effects of drinking, which can lead to decreased alcohol consumption.
The Sinclair Method for Alcohol Use Disorders
The Sinclair Method for Alcohol Use Disorders is a treatment approach that involves administering the opioid antagonist medication naltrexone as needed to reduce the pleasurable aspects of alcohol consumption. This approach was introduced by John David Sinclair, a researcher who discovered that naltrexone could be used to block alcohol-reinforcing effects. It is sometimes described as targeting naltrexone to use only when needed. The Sinclair Method is an option if you want to reduce your drinking, but don’t necessarily want to abstain from alcohol altogether.
This article discusses how the Sinclair Method for alcohol addiction recovery works, the potential pros and cons, and some things you should consider before deciding if this approach is right for you.
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Overview of the Sinclair Method
Unlike many traditional approaches to alcohol recovery, the Sinclair Method is a medication-based approach. By administering naltrexone prior to consuming alcohol, the pleasurable feelings that drinking usually produces are blocked.
Because people feel less pleasure when they drink, they find it much easier to drink less. In some cases, they completely lose the urge to drink at all. While this approach is less common in the United States, it has become much more widely used in Europe.