The short answer: The Sinclair Method isn't a cure in the sense of a treatment you take once and are finished with. Dr Sinclair himself said there should be no end to naltrexone treatment.1 What the research shows is that naltrexone, taken before drinking, can help people drink less for as long as they keep using it.1
People can reach a point where alcohol no longer causes them problems. The clinical word for that is remission, and it doesn't have to mean never drinking again.2,3
Where does the idea of a "cure" come from?
Many people first hear about The Sinclair Method through a well-known book, The Cure for Alcoholism by Roy Eskapa.4
In health, a cure usually means a treatment that makes someone well again for good, so they no longer need it. That's a high bar, and it's worth being clear about whether The Sinclair Method meets it.
What did Dr Sinclair himself say?
Dr John David Sinclair, the researcher the method is named after, didn't describe it as a course you finish. In his own words:
"There should be no end to naltrexone treatment."1
His advice was to take the medicine only on occasions when drinking is likely, and to keep doing that. He reported that the benefits last for as long as naltrexone is used, and gradually weaken if it's stopped.1 In a trial of nalmefene, a medicine that works in a similar way, 57 people who had taken it for 28 weeks were then split at random: some carried on, and the rest were switched to a placebo without knowing. As a group, those switched to the placebo went back to heavier drinking.5
The longest follow-up comes from Dr Sinclair's own trial in Finland. Patients didn't have to stop drinking first, took naltrexone before drinking, and had no end date. His team contacted the first of them on average 31 months after they started (between 25 and 40 months). All 27 who replied and were still taking naltrexone before drinking said they were drinking less than before treatment, compared with 8 of the 30 who had stopped. Those still following the method also had fewer cravings, drank less per occasion, and had better results on blood tests linked to drinking. Patients knew they were taking naltrexone and there was no placebo group, so this can't prove cause and effect. Dr Sinclair's own conclusion was that continued targeted use is "safe and effective for at least 3 years".1
That's what makes The Sinclair Method different. It isn't a course you finish and then hope for the best. As long as you drink, you take naltrexone first, and every drinking occasion becomes another step in unlearning the habit. On days you don't drink, you don't need a tablet at all. In Dr Sinclair's words, "If they never drink, it costs them nothing."1
If it isn't a cure, what is it?
The better word is remission, and the good news is that remission doesn't have to mean stopping drinking completely.
- The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines recovery as no longer meeting the criteria for alcohol use disorder (craving aside) and no longer drinking heavily. Stopping altogether isn't required.2
- The World Health Organization's disease classification includes "sustained partial remission" for alcohol dependence: a significant reduction in drinking for more than 12 months, where someone still drinks but no longer meets the criteria for dependence.3
In other words, the medical world recognises that drinking less, without problems, is a real and lasting outcome, not a failure to get "cured".
What that can look like in real life
For me, it looks like this: alcohol is a non-issue. I rarely even think about it. I don't call that a cure, and I don't call myself "in recovery" either. It's simply that drinking became my choice again.
That's what we mean when we say "control is the goal". For some people it's fewer drinks on the nights they do drink. For others it's more alcohol-free days. Some decide to stop altogether, and that's their call to make, now or later.
Want the full picture on how well it works? Read: The Sinclair Method success rate, what the research shows.
Is The Sinclair Method right for you?
The Sinclair Method is one route, not the only one. Some people do best stopping altogether with support. There are other medicines, such as acamprosate, as well as talking therapies and free local alcohol services. The NHS sets out the options: alcohol-use disorder, treatment and support.6 The right choice is the one that fits you.
Whether naltrexone is suitable for you is a medical decision, made after a consultation. It usually isn't suitable, or needs extra care, if you:
- are dependent on opioids, or take or may need opioid medicines such as codeine, tramadol or morphine, including some cough and diarrhoea remedies.7
- have liver or kidney problems.7
- are pregnant or breastfeeding.7
If you drink heavily every day, please don't stop or cut down sharply without medical advice. As the NHS puts it, "It can be very dangerous to stop drinking suddenly if you're dependent on alcohol." Call 999 or go to A&E if you or someone else has severe withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking visibly, confusion, seeing or hearing things that aren't there, or a seizure.6
How to start The Sinclair Method in the UK
- Curious? The easiest first step is our free mini-course. It explains The Sinclair Method from the beginning, privately, at your own pace.
- Prefer to talk it through? You can book a call whenever you're ready.
- Ready to start? Our programme options are here.
Sources
- Sinclair JD. Evidence about the use of naltrexone and for different ways of using it in the treatment of alcoholism. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2001. academic.oup.com
- Hagman BT and colleagues. Defining recovery from alcohol use disorder: development of an NIAAA research definition. American Journal of Psychiatry, 2022. psychiatryonline.org
- World Health Organization. ICD-11, 6C40.2 Alcohol dependence, including sustained partial remission. icd.who.int
- Eskapa R. The Cure for Alcoholism. BenBella Books, 2012 edition.
- Karhuvaara S and colleagues. Targeted nalmefene with simple medical management in the treatment of heavy drinkers. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2007. PubMed 17451401
- NHS. Alcohol-use disorder. nhs.uk
- British National Formulary (BNF). Naltrexone hydrochloride. bnf.nice.org.uk
This page was last updated on 27 September 2026.
