Rethink Drink FAQs

Rethink Drink is a UK coaching programme for people who want to change their relationship with alcohol, built on The Sinclair Method (TSM).

You don't have to hit rock bottom first, and you don't have to promise never to drink again. Our coaching works on the habits, routines and triggers behind your drinking. The medical side is separate and properly done: clinical decisions are made by our Clinical Lead, Professor Jonathan Chick, a consultant psychiatrist, and a partner pharmacy dispenses.

The Sinclair Method is backed by controlled trials. Here's what the research shows, and where the famous 78% comes from.

Matt Brindley, co-founder. Matt spent over 15 years stuck in the same loop with alcohol before The Sinclair Method gave him his choice back. Rethink Drink is built from that experience.

Bruce Rose, co-founder. Bruce lost his father to alcohol and fought his own decade-long battle with drug addiction. He then spent years managing alcohol and drug rehabilitation centres, and working with people using The Sinclair Method.

Professor Jonathan Chick, Clinical Lead. Consultant psychiatrist, researcher, and former editor-in-chief of the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Porter Pharmacy, our partner pharmacy.

Meet the whole team.

Anyone who knows alcohol is taking up more room in their life than they want it to. That might be drinking every day, weekend binges, or a desire to drink that feels bigger than you.

You might want to drink less, or not at all. Either is fine: your goal is your goal. What matters is that you want to change your relationship with alcohol.

We treat alcohol dependency as a learned pattern in the brain, not a moral failing or a lack of willpower. That's why The Sinclair Method is at the core of what we do. It works on the desire to drink itself, and our coaching works on everything around it.

It isn't right for everyone, and we'd rather tell you now:

• If you're pregnant, or planning to be soon.
• If you take opioid painkillers, such as codeine, tramadol or morphine. Naltrexone blocks them, so they stop working.
• If you use opioid drugs, such as heroin or methadone. Naltrexone can bring on sudden withdrawal.
• If you're alcohol-free and doing well with another approach. If you're alcohol-free but struggling and close to drinking again, talk to us.
• If you want an instant fix. This is gradual by design, and it involves drinking while taking the medication and changing your habits alongside it.
• If you're doing it for someone else. It works when you want the change for yourself.

The prescriber will also check your medical history, including your liver health, before deciding whether the medication is suitable.

The Sinclair Method (TSM) is an approach where you take a prescription medicine, naltrexone, before drinking. It blocks part of the reward alcohol gives the brain. Over time, the brain gradually unlearns the link between alcohol and that reward. Researchers call this "pharmacological extinction".

It's named after Dr John David Sinclair, the researcher who developed it. The full explanation is here.

Yes. Drinking while the medication is working is part of how the method works, so nobody asks you to stop on day one.

The one rule that matters: take it before you drink, every time. Consistency is what teaches the brain. Over time, most people notice the desire to drink getting quieter, and they drink less.

If you drink heavily every day, speak to a doctor before you change how you drink. Cutting back suddenly can be dangerous if you're dependent on alcohol. How to cut down safely.

We offer two programmes, depending on how much support you want.

Launch (3 months). For people who want a structured start: 1-2-1 coaching, access to your coach between calls, and someone keeping you accountable. At the end, you can continue with us if you want more support.

Ascend (12 months). 1-2-1 coaching for 6 months, two group coaching calls a week, and 12 months in our private community, where people doing the same thing share what's working. The community is on your phone too, through our app.

Both include a private medical consultation. Compare them on Get Started.

We'd rather you see the prices up front than hear them for the first time on a call.

• Launch: £649
• Ascend: £899 (was £999)
• The mini course and a discovery call: free

The medication is separate. It's £90 for 28 tablets, with next-day delivery, paid directly to the pharmacy. You only take it on days you drink, so how long a pack lasts depends on you.

We sometimes run offers, and we can withdraw an offer at any time. Full details on Get Started.

Yes, as discreet as you want it to be. Who you tell, including your GP, is up to you.

Coaching calls are confidential, and in group calls you can stay anonymous. What you share with us stays within the Rethink Drink team unless you give permission.

The medical side is handled by the prescriber under the same confidentiality rules as any other consultation. If they thought your GP should know something, they'd talk to you first.

It's different for everyone, and anyone who promises you a result or an exact date is guessing.

For many people, it means drinking a lot less. Some choose to stop altogether. Success here isn't defined by never drinking again, unless that's your goal. It's defined by being back in control.

It's gradual by design, because it's a learning process and learning takes repetition. Look out for fewer drinks on the nights you do drink, easier alcohol-free days, and less alcohol noise in your head. We track it with you week by week, so you see it for yourself.

The research behind it: The Sinclair Method success rate.

Right now we work with people in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. If you're in the US, our partners at Thrive Alcohol Recovery offer Sinclair Method support.

Ask us. There's no such thing as a daft question here.

• Email: [email protected]
• WhatsApp: +44 7445 000608
• Phone: 0808 501 4123, answered 24/7 by Victor, our AI assistant
• Or book a free call with one of the team.