Sinclair Method - Evidence of Efficacy

Evidence of Efficacy

Evidence for this treatment was originally published in 2001 in a study entitled "Targeted Use of Naltrexone Without Prior Detoxification in the Treatment of Alcohol Dependence: A Factorial Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial". In this study, patients were divided into four groups. The first received naltrexone and was given counseling to encourage moderate drinking. The second received placebo and was given counseling to encourage moderate drinking. The third received naltrexone and was given counseling to support abstinence. The fourth received placebo and was given counseling to support abstinence.

Although all groups in the study experienced a decrease in drinking, the group which received naltrexone in combination with moderate drinking were far less likely to relapse into heavy drinking than the other three groups. In the 32 week run of the study, 27% of those who combined drinking with naltrexone had never had a relapse to heavy drinking, compared to 3% for those who combined abstinence with naltrexone.

Roughly a quarter of the participants of the study went completely abstinent and stayed that way. Overall, four-fifths of the participants reduced their drinking to at or below healthy drinking levels. In three- and five-year follow up studies, roughly half of those who benefited from the program continued to take a dose of naltrexone before drinking. For all those who continued the program, there was zero incidence of relapse.

The Sinclair Method is used extensively as an outpatient treatment at The Contral Clinic in Finland. To date, they have treated tens of thousands of patients with a success rate around 78%, with 25% reducing their drinking to complete abstinence with little or no craving. The effect of opiate antagonists on addictive behaviors has also been demonstrated for gambling and kleptomania.