The Sinclair Method uses naltrexone, taken about an hour before you drink, to gradually reduce alcohol's grip so you drink less over time. It is private, prescriber-led, and assessed online with no visit fee. You keep living your life while the method does its work.
The Sinclair Method is a way of using the medication naltrexone to reduce drinking without having to quit all at once. Instead of taking naltrexone every day, you take one dose about an hour before you drink alcohol, every time you drink. You do not have to give up alcohol to begin, and you do not have to hit a rock bottom to qualify.
It is named after Dr. John David Sinclair, the researcher who found that taking naltrexone before drinking, rather than avoiding alcohol entirely, is what drives the change. The method is built around a simple idea: change how much you drink by changing what drinking does in your brain, gradually, over months.
The Sinclair Method is the core of the Carebridge Alcohol Support Clinic. A licensed BC prescriber assesses you online with no visit fee, Carebridge dispenses or compounds your naltrexone, and a pharmacist supports you through the process. If your goal is abstinence instead, we support that path too.
Alcohol releases endorphins that reinforce the urge to drink again. Naltrexone blocks the receptors those endorphins act on. When you drink while naltrexone is active, the usual reward does not land, and over many repetitions the brain slowly unlearns the drive to drink. Researchers call this pharmacological extinction. It is why the Sinclair Method asks you to keep drinking, on naltrexone, rather than stop.
Straight talk on the evidence: the Sinclair Method is a dosing strategy for an approved medication, not a separate drug, and the large clinical trials specific to the method are limited, so no major guideline names it by name. What guidelines clearly do support is naltrexone for a goal of drinking less, which is exactly the same medicine and the same aim. We will be honest with you about what it can and cannot do.
Naltrexone is the medication at the heart of the Sinclair Method. It is available as a standard fixed-dose tablet, and Carebridge can also compound an individualized dose when a prescriber wants a strength the manufactured product does not offer. For people whose goal is abstinence, acamprosate is a first-line alternative. Every option requires a prescription.
If neither suits you, prescribers may consider other options such as topiramate or gabapentin. Medication works best alongside counselling and support, not instead of it. These descriptions are educational; whether any medication is appropriate is a decision for your prescriber.
Reducing drinking, rather than only quitting, is now a recognized goal in the 2023 Canadian guideline for high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder from the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Matters and the BC Centre on Substance Use, which names naltrexone as a first-line medication for exactly that goal. That is the clinical foundation the Sinclair Method sits on: the same medicine, the same aim of drinking less, delivered as targeted dosing before alcohol.
This clinic also aligns with US guidance from the American Psychiatric Association and the VA and Department of Defense, and uses medications approved by Health Canada and the FDA. We follow that evidence, and we are candid that the Sinclair Method's own trial base is smaller than the evidence for naltrexone generally. Full references are at the bottom of this page.
It begins with a short, confidential eligibility check, then a proper assessment. The prescriber visit is billed to MSP for eligible BC residents through a licensed BC online clinic, so there is no visit fee. You pay only for naltrexone, if it is prescribed.
A brief, private screener, including a standard alcohol questionnaire, to see whether the Sinclair Method or another path fits. Free and confidential.
If it fits, you complete a fuller intake and a licensed BC prescriber assesses you online. Billed to MSP; no visit fee.
If appropriate, we dispense the fixed-dose tablet or compound your individualized dose, and counsel you on taking it an hour before drinking.
Your pharmacist tracks how it is going, helps with side effects, and coordinates changes with your prescriber over the months the method takes.
Assessment and prescribing are performed by an independent licensed prescriber. Joining the waitlist or submitting an intake does not guarantee a prescription. A dedicated online intake is [status to confirm].
We are building quitOH.ca, a focused home for the Sinclair Method in Canada, connected to Carebridge for online assessment, naltrexone dispensing, and pharmacist support. It will carry the full Sinclair Method program and link back here. Ask us to be notified when it launches.
The Sinclair Method involves continuing to drink while taking naltrexone, so it is not suitable for everyone. If you drink heavily every day, do not stop suddenly on your own: alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous and, in some cases, life-threatening. Tell the prescriber how much you drink so your care is safe. Naltrexone must not be used by anyone taking opioids or who may need opioid pain relief, and is avoided in acute liver disease. This program supports, and does not replace, counselling and other supports. If you are in crisis, or experiencing severe withdrawal (confusion, shaking, hallucinations, or seizures), seek urgent medical care now. Support is available, and reaching out is a strong first step.
The Sinclair Method is a way of using naltrexone to reduce drinking without quitting all at once. You take one dose of naltrexone about an hour before you drink, every time you drink. Because naltrexone blocks the reward alcohol normally gives, the drive to drink gradually fades over months, an effect called pharmacological extinction. It is prescriber-directed and works best with pharmacist support.
Evidence supports naltrexone for reducing drinking, and many people on the Sinclair Method drink noticeably less over time. Being honest, the trials specific to the method itself are limited, so no major guideline names it by name, and results vary between individuals. What guidelines do support is naltrexone for a reduction goal, which is the same medicine and aim. Your prescriber will discuss realistic expectations.
No. The Sinclair Method is built around continuing to drink while taking naltrexone before each drinking occasion; that is how the method works. You do not need to quit first or commit to abstinence. If your goal is to stop entirely, we also offer abstinence-focused options such as acamprosate.
Yes. Carebridge's Alcohol Support Clinic assesses you online through a licensed BC prescriber, with no visit fee for eligible BC residents, then dispenses or compounds your naltrexone with pharmacist follow-up. You can pick up on Main Street in Vancouver or get free, discreet delivery.
Yes. Naltrexone is approved in Canada and available as a standard 50 mg tablet, and Carebridge can also compound an individualized dose when a prescriber directs it. It requires a prescription, which the clinic's online assessment provides where appropriate.
There is no visit fee: for eligible BC residents the prescriber assessment is billed to MSP through a licensed BC online clinic. You pay only for the naltrexone itself, and we confirm that cost with you before dispensing. Many private drug plans cover part of it.
Not if it is an opioid. Naltrexone blocks opioid receptors, so it must not be combined with opioid pain medication, and it is not suitable if you may need opioids. Tell the prescriber and pharmacist about every medication you take; this is screened through PharmaNet before anything is dispensed.
The Canadian and US guidelines and regulatory sources this clinic follows. External links open in a new tab.
Join the waitlist and be first in when the Sinclair Method clinic opens. Private, judgment-free, and grounded in the evidence, with a pharmacist in your corner.