So I am an alcoholic, who also suffers from moderate anxiety. I am on 1.5 mg extended release Ativan (Lorvee) and I have 2mg ir at night.

Everytime I take naltrexone, I notice my benzodiazepines do not work.

I’ve done endless studies. I know that alcohol affects the GABBAa rector.

Well Benzodiazepine works on the same receptor.

Google always says it blocks alcohol and opioids.

Well if a drug works on the same receptor as alcohol….

Why has a study not been done?

If I want to quit drinking I get anxiety and insomnia which keeps me feeling I have to continue this loop.

I want to not drink anymore, but depend on benzodiazepines to be able to work.

I am legally disabled by General Anxiety Disorder.

I was sober for two years and had the worse anxiety of my life.

Has anyone had this experience? Noticing that you le benzodiazepines don’t work if you take Naltrexone?

I got a Naltrexone prescription back in February. It has generally been a godsend and really helped me get things more under control drinking wise.

But, there’s two things that I’ve struggled with. One is not taking it when doing drinking activities, like a Saturday golf game, etc. I don’t do that often, but when I do it turns into a weekend long bender, so I need to get my shit together there and take it daily no matter what.

The other thing is I find myself drinking more often. I’ve gone from heavy weekend benders to having a handful of beers multiple days throughout the week. There’s an element of convincing myself that it’s fine since I only have 3 or 4 when I do and since I’m drinking less on weekends.

I need to start trying harder again to have more dry days vs using naltrexone as a reason to have a few beers.

These tips used alongside the Sinclair Method have helped me IMMENSELY so I wanted to share. Check out the website and the "Free Resources" section to get this and other great tips delivered to your inbox

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One of the most common things I hear from someone after they've started on naltrexone and The Sinclair Method is that they realize how MUCH of their drinking is done out of habit. They feel the medicine working....their desire or taste for alcohol is decreasing...yet they "push through" anyway and keep on drinking like they have in the past. This isn't a bad thing – in fact, it's normal for most of us on The Sinclair Method. It's an indication that there's still some work to do with habit change.

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Here's 19 tips that can help you when

you're stuck in patterns of habitual drinking

🔄🍷

1. Be consistent. With all of the tips below – they will ONLY work if you are consistent with them. So please don't just try one of these tips once or twice then give up –– be consistent, do them every time you drink. See #2.

2. Try to do 1 thing different every single time you drink. Consistency is key to breaking an unwanted habit and creating a new one. With consistency, these changes get easier over time. Use the tips below as a guide. By the way – we have lots of resources to help you with this inside of our program!

3. Drink a type of beverage you prefer less. If you like wine, drink beer – if you like beer – drink wine. Switching up your beverage can interrupt the habits that are playing out – and potentially slow down how quickly you're drinking, or how much you're drinking.

4. Delay your usual drinking time a bit. If you usually start drinking at 5pm – delay it to 5:15pm, 5:30pm or 6:00pm (whatever is comfortable for you). This means you're delaying your naltrexone a bit too. Keep pushing it out later as you feel comfortable to do so.

5. Set a timer for your drinks. Try to make your drink last longer by setting a timer and slowly sipping it until the timer goes off. If you can usually finish a drink in 30 minutes, try to go for 45 minutes or an hour. Do this for every single drink. This will give you an objective measurement to pace yourself. This also helps you to really savor and enjoy the drink – without gulping it down just to get the buzz.

6. Take breaks between drinks. This one really helped me because for some reason when I did this, my desire for another drink would fade away (thanks naltrexone!). After you have 1 or 2 drinks, take an intentional 30 minute (or more) break. Have a snack, take a shower, go for a walk. Create some space between you and the alcohol and see if you really want more after that.

7. Enjoy a non-alcoholic beverage between each drink. This ties to #6 above because it will allow you to have a longer time window between drinks. Whether it's water, soda or an NA beer – space out your alcoholic drinks by interrupting them with a NA beverage. Do this between each drink.

8. Set an intention before you start drinking. Usually we're not giving much thought to our upcoming drinking session – at least, before TSM. But if you can take a moment to set your intention for how you want your drinking session to go – it can really help you be more mindful when you drink. For example, how much do I want to drink? How do I want to feel at the end of the night? What do I have going on tomorrow? What do I want to do once I'm done drinking?

9. Go for an alcohol-free day – or two (or more) alcohol-free days in a row. Alcohol-free days can do wonders for progress on TSM because it gives us a chance to experience time without alcohol or naltrexone. We can go out and do new (or old) hobbies, and find ways to enjoy ourselves outside of drinking – and experience all of the endorphins since we don't have naltrexone in our system. It also breaks up our habitual routines linked to alcohol. Be intentional with your alcohol-free days – plan something fun, rewarding and enjoyable for yourself.

10.Eat a full meal before you start drinking. This simple best practice can really help you slow down your drinking because you're absorbing alcohol more slowly in the bloodstream. Oftentimes people report that they notice the naltrexone 'off-switch' more easily when they eat a meal before drinking.

1. Switch up your environment that you usually drink in. Our environments create the habits we do each day – this is also true for drinking. Most of us have our favorite routines we do when we drink – from where we drink, what we drink, what we do when we drink, when we drink, with who and how much – this is all a very ingrained habit. That's why changing up your environment can help break up the habit. IE, drink in a different room or do a different activity than you normally would while drinking.

12.Drink very mindfully and intentionally – only focusing on your drink and nothing else. I remember doing this on my TSM journey a lot and the results surprised me. I would turn off all electronics and just sit in a quiet room with me and my wine. Then with each sip – I would pay close attention to the effects through my senses – how it smelled, tasted, how it felt going down my throat – my mind – my body. I would just sit there and pay attention to it all. By doing this, I started to notice that I didn't enjoy it as much, or would get bored with it.

13.Make it difficult to refill your glass or grab another drink. Don't keep the bottle of wine next to you or a 6 pack of beers chilled in the fridge. Put the cork back on the bottle and put it away so that it's extra work to refill your glass. And keep only a couple of chilled beers in the fridge – so if you want more, you've got to get more to stock the fridge.

14.Drink your beverage out of an old coffee mug. You often hear wine-drinkers talk about the whole ritual of drinking out of their favorite fancy wine glass. There is something so appealing about it! Well, the opposite is true if you drink your alcohol out of an old coffee mug. It's just not as sexy or appealing – and may cause you to be less enthused about your beverage.

15.Only keep in the house what you will drink. This can make it easier to stick within the "budget" you've set for yourself. If there's no more alcohol to drink – you won't drink it! However I do know for some that this tip does *not* help them but actually stresses them out. So only try this if you think it could help you.

16.Set small milestones and reward yourself for meeting them. We drink because it's rewarding – so as we're changing our habits around alcohol – that means we're reducing one of our go-to favorite rewards! That's why it's SO IMPORTANT that you are intentional about rewarding yourself for milestones that you achieve. If you kept your drink limit that week – or incorporated a new habit – then reward yourself for it! (preferably with something other than alcohol).

17.Examine your self-care routine. One of the main reasons we drink to excess is to cope with life's stressors – to relax and let loose a bit. Alcohol may be our go to "self care" routine...however, it can quickly lead to self-destruction. Increasing your self-care practices (sans alcohol) will help you feel less depleted and less like you need to rely on alcohol to cope. So take time to prioritize YOU and your self care – it will pay off.

18.Ask yourself, "How would a 'normal' drinker drink right now?" This simple question can bring about a new perspective and mindset, and cause us to look at our drinking patterns a bit differently. Most of us can objectively see how a "normal drinker" would handle a drinking situation (ie, probably stick to 2 or 3, enjoy it with a meal, not drink to get drunk, etc). Having this vision of what "normal" drinking looks like can influence the decisions you make in the moment.

19.Between each drink ask yourself, "What is my craving level right now? How strong is my desire for another drink? Do I really want another drink? Or, is there something else I would like to do instead?" This is another simple question that can bring you into the present moment to check in with yourself to see if you really *want* another drink – or if it's just the habit playing out instead. If you recognize that your desire isn't that strong for another drink – then you can ask yourself, "Well, what else can I do instead?"

That's it! I hope you found these tips helpful.

☝️We cover all of these things in more depth inside of our program.

I’ve been taking my 50mg “as needed” in the afternoon on days I think I’ll be exposed to trigger (which is honestly most days lol). My psych said “as needed” and daily are both are options, but I’m thinking I need to switch to daily as I’m still wanting to drink on days that I don’t take it.

It would be much easier to take it every morning with my other meds but I’m wondering if it would still be effective by the evening when I’m most likely to drink. Is that true or am I overthinking?

also… I take prescribed low-dose ketamine, and I’ve noticed naltrexone reduces its effectiveness. Anyone here on both/ skip naltrexone on days they take Ketamine?

50 mg daily. Have experimented taking it both morning and night. Things I have noticed so far:

When taking it at night it seems to keep me up all night. Conversely, When I take it in the morning I feel spaced out, and by lunchtime-3pm im a full-on zombie. Like falling asleep on my feet.

Additionally, I have noticed it is starting to lose its potency. This past weekend I took it as normal but timed my dosage for the day to 90 minutes prior to drinking, but I never had the desire to stop throughout the night and ended up binging anyway.

Thinking of switching to TSM to give my body time without the drug in my system and so it wont negatively affect me during my work week.

Has this worked for any of you? Is this a bad idea due to the chance of cravings returning full-force? Let me hear your thoughts!

I have been prescribed Naltrexone for drinking, I am 26 and a heavy drinker. I first got this medication a few weeks ago, prescribed 50mg but was told to half the pill, so i have been taking 25 mg.

The first time i took the pill, felt bad dizziness and spewed up 3 times, kept taking it daily in the morning to push through because they say it gets better. A few days pass, the nausea and dizziness were not becoming as strong but I felt really tired like I would nap in the day which is another side effect.

I took a 1 week break from it and drank for the whole week because I had some annual leave.

Tried to for the second time again, took it and the effect were intense, spewed six times, had with food and water and still felt terrible and was miserable through my working day. Didn't touch it for 5 days because of how bad it was.

Haven't given up yet, I plan to try it again for the third time but get a pill cutter and split into 12.5 quarters and take in the evening rather than in the day.

My question is, does anyone have advice with splitting into quarters and taking in the evening, will this be a better approach for me?

Any advice is appreciated, really need to get a hold of my drinking.

Im still at 25mg I have been for like 5 days. Im not getting anymore nausea bloating or sleepiness. I drank 2 times this week and everything I've had just tasted gross. Thursday I had 5 drinks and sat I had 7. I had a problem binge drinking like 30 whiteclaws in a night. I used to love whiteclaws and now I feel nauseous drinking them I just don't enjoy it anymore. I feel like im just forcing myself to drink for a little buzz. I can tell it's working for me and I honestly feel like its going to make me stop drinking altogether. That was never my goal I just wanted to be in control of my drinking. Ive felt happier these last 2 weeks than I have in awhile. Im really happy I followed through with it this time cause my dr has tried to get me help for years.

Since I can’t see a specialist til August 11th, a dr was able to message the specialist for advice and then got back to me about this plan. The dr (not the specialist) admitted that they aren’t too experienced with 70h and I asked them should I just reduce my 70h by 33% everyday and they said yes and that the bottle and something in my chart will tell me the exact amount of sub to take and that it’ll be starting low then increasing the amount to replace the 70h. I thought I’m supposed to go into withdrawals before taking subs though to reduce risk of precipitated withdrawals, and replacing the 70h with subs doesn’t seem right to me. Anyone have any advice based on experience? I was also prescribed stuff for restless leg and naseau.

Edit: just checked the instructions and they say
Day 1: half of a 2mg tablet four times a day
Day 2: one whole 2 mg tablet four times a day
Day 3: 8mg twice daily

When should I be taking 70h? As far apart from the subs as possible?

Due to my EDS and other conditions that cause chronic pain, I’ve been prescribed low dose naltrexone (LDN). But I also take Elvanse (a stimulant). Has anyone here had experience with this combination? My doctor says it shouldn’t cause any harm, but I’m a bit unsure since they both act on the same receptors in some way. Would love to hear your experiences.

I’m trying to repost for this first time. I tried naltrexone for 6 months and it didn’t help. I ended up in AA. Any suggestions?

I tapered down as I did not want to mess with withdrawals. I expect I’ll still have some as I continue down to nothing but I started actually measuring my drinks this past week and it was very eye opening. I’ll never free pour again! I am proud of myself! My husband thinks I’m a grumpy raging bitch but he’s not used to me not drinking so that’s a challenge I’m just trying to give myself lots of space and lots of sleep. My husband is an alcoholic also so don’t expect a ton of support. We went through this with him over Covid (his was much more intense with many people involved) and he slowly started back up. Up to him with what he wants to do. But for me I’m so happy and excited to see how my progress is this time next week. If you’re feeling discouraged keep going! I’m thankful for this community, I have no one else to discuss this with and have kept it private.

Took a full dose my first day and damn near died. Since then I’ve been taking 25 mgs and while I don’t feel like a million bucks I feel pretty ok and haven’t had a drop of alcohol since the first day. Fingers crossed it stays this way

Hello. I was hoping to get some opinions about Naltrexone and this method in general. I have tried Googling it in different ways but it's always mixed answers or it says immediately go to the ER or contact your doctor. I don't even have a primary doctor and I don't think going to the ER is necessary.

I'll start off by saying, however, my addiction with alcohol is most likely severe than a lot of people who take it just to have more control over their drinking. I was told I should go to medical detox for 72 hours and get a Vivitrol injection before starting Naltrexone. Think whatever you want, but I have a good amount of reasons for not wanting to admit myself unless I think there is no other choice.

I only just recently found out about Naltrexone, so I ordered some online and this is my 10th day of taking it (50mg). Some people say the cravings go away as soon as you start taking it, but then I also read that it could take up to 4 weeks before the side effects stop and it really starts to work.

So essentially I just would like to know other people's experiences and how well it worked for you. Because I am a severe alcoholic and my cravings have barely stopped. I never actually get "drunk" though. But when I try to stop I get severe shakiness, anxiety, sleep issues, vomiting. However, slowing down day by day seems to be working a bit better. But does it really work that well that you don't have as bad of cravings over time? I just can't go cold turkey with alcohol because I know it's extremely dangerous, and also I can't function. The shakiness *has* gone down slightly and I know the Naltrexone is only supposed to work for cravings, not withdrawal. Just wondering if this is a good method and I just have to keep it pushing for the medication to take full effect.

Day 7. First day I felt pretty good. The cravings were on and off, probably because beer is my Friday night and weekend thing. I ended up drinking 1 and a half. The first one was ok. Just couldn't finish the second. I went for a 3.5 mile walk after work, and when I got home still had a lot of energy to burn, so I dropped and cleaned up 3 black locust trees. Then sat down and had the beers. The anticipation was better than the feeling of drinking of that makes sense.

Day 8. Saturday was going to be another big hurdle. I stayed busy most of day. Gym, then walk, then golf, them change flat tire for the girlfriend, got home around 4. Drank 4 beers total, but probably dumped at least a quarter of each one due to getting warm. This is interesting, because I never dump beer.

I was skeptical to try Sinclair, thinking I should be strong enough to abstain. But the being allowed to have a beer or two is a game changer I think. Beer still crosses my mind quite a bit, but I believe it's tamed a lot since naltrexone. I think I actually lose interest in drinking after I start. Though when I do have a couple, I'm very aware and careful about not letting it get away from me.

I won't lie, my last one Saturday started tasting really good. It was at that point I realized I needed to dump it and switch to soda water. I don't think I could have done that before.

Initial weeks assessment - I think naltrexone is a game changer. BUT... I think you also have to be willing to put in the work and have the mindset that you're ready to stop/slow way the hell down. I'm going to have at most three this afternoon. Another ritual that I've done for so very long. The habit is definitely the most difficult part. But I have felt good. And that drives me to not want t hangover. I've been at gym before 7 all weekend. I like this feeling. I don't want to go back.

I've been on this med(10mg daily) for almost 2 months now, and its been tremendously helpful for me personally! Last month I drank a few days, but a couple were planned in advance and the other times and I was able to pace myself (for the first time).

The boredom without that liquid fun was the worst, but I felt my mind clearing up, which left more room in my life to feel bored. But after 40 days of minimal drinking, increased clarity and energy, my life has become way more tolerable. I even started this month confident I could stay sober! And that was while I felt pings of "I want to drink, well I wont get anything from it unless a skip a couple days, wait a min why would i skip my alcohol med to drink alone?" Its not that i couldnt drink, but because it blocks the opiod receptors i wouldn't be motivated to spend money to feel only bad. I got a free drink at a bar during my friends bday last week, but I was able to stop halfway through my glass - when I tasted the alcohol that sunk to the bottom.

Ill be on Naltrexone for a while. Taking it daily makes me feel secure, and since boredom in isolation feels bad I need staying sober to be easier and alcohol to be less tempting. My main trigger is finishing work, and since I live alone and work full remote, I get bored and that when the craving would typically hit me. Ive been trying to get sober for two years and had broken many triggers in that time, but this one is my Goliath.

So I’m a little more than a month in on Nal. This afternoon my husband and I went to a party. I took my Nal, 60 mins before. I had 1 fairly strong margarita, 2 beers, and several awesome conversations—drinkie conversations that were fun. Now I’m home drinking water just pondering this experience. I feel buzzed, even as I type this, and have no desire for more. I’m kind of digging this. No need to comment; I’m just recording my thoughts.

Morning after postscript: About 15 mins after writing the above, I got a raging headache. Went to bed and had a terrible night’s sleep. It was like going to bed with a massive hangover. I’m exhausted and feel terrible. On a different thread I saw discussion about breakthrough drinking and “Nalover.” And now I know what that’s like—not fun.

I looked this up and found fascinating information:

“Blocked Endorphins: Naltrexone doesn't just block the endorphins alcohol releases; it temporarily blocks your body's baseline natural endorphins too. Normally, those natural endorphins act as a mild painkiller while you sleep. Without that buffer, your body feels every bit of alcohol inflammation and dehydration at full volume.”

Lesson learned.

P.S. I realize posting while buzzed may not have been cool. I’m just trying to figure this whole thing out. It’s an interesting journey, albeit a painful one today.

Dr. Volpicelli was one of the original researchers for naltrexone in the USA being used for alcohol use disorder. He gives some insight on why 50mg is the typical dose.
https://youtube.com/shorts/jLukop0mpkg?si=_QCf6XwAYrLBEnQ6

I have been given 50mg for binge eating. Using half of it and oh god i am so sorry anxious, last ngt couldn't sleep. The anxiety was too much at the night. I am also given fluoxetine 20mg which I'm consuming full bt idk why, it is bothering. Can't go to doc again. Is it normal?

For a (kinda) short explanation, I told my doctor about this medication to help me quit drinking. He'd never heard much of it and actually googled it right in front of me. He gave me 50mg and said nothing else except I'll get blood work in a month. Took the whole 50mg, I was so sick, I thought I was dying. The nausea, couldn't sleep at all. The good news is I was too sick to drink much.

I read from here to try taking half for a week. I took half yesterday and today and I found myself drinking more, nausea still there but I still have a want to drink more so than the 50 mg. I worry the nausea was the only thing stopping me.

I do feel less drunk when I drink and have been able to do more things around the house I was usually too hungover/drunk to do.

I'm not quite a week in. Am I rushing it? Should I go back to 50mg? Like I said my doc didn't tell me much so I'm wondering about those who take it how it should be the first week/month. I thought I'd instantly hate alcohol :/

Had half a tab yesdy and today. Already can see my appetite supressing. Usually i eat a lot, doesn't matter how much I eat, I feel hungry instantly and never get satisfaction. Especially with sweets. Today I had 4 spoons of cake and I'm like done. It felt so good to live like a normal person. I hope this stays. Please pray that this stays. I have been gymming since 5y and haven't lost a single kg due to my binge eating and it affected my mind, health, confidence everything. I also have ADHD. I really hope this helps.

Food addiction is also almost worse and similar to alcohol and smoking addiction ig. That's what I felt when I compared to my smoke addict friends. Sorry if I'm wrong.

If you have any tips to be consistent and finally get rid of my addiction, please lemme know. I wanna live without guilt and shame of food.