My #1 Tip for The Sinclair Method

In today's blog, I wanted to share with you my #1 tip for The Sinclair Method. There are really about a million tips I could share with you because there are so many things we can do to help ourselves be successful with this method. But today I'm going to keep it to just one.

 That's because I believe when we can improve this – everything else becomes much easier. 

 So without further adieu... my #1 tip for The Sinclair Method is to...

 CULTIVATE the right mindset 🧠

 

Man's mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild. 
– James Allen

Honestly, I think the mindset piece might be one of the main reasons people struggle with this method.

Here's what having an "uncultivated" mindset might look like for someone going on The Sinclair Method to change drinking habits:

• A mindset that does not have a strong understanding of WHY we want to change our drinking habits.  If we aren't clear in our mind of the reasons WHY we want to change – AND if we're not constantly revisiting that why...then we have no reason to put in the energy needed to make these positive changes
  
  
• An abstinence-only mindset where we allow ourselves or others make us feel "guilty" for drinking at all
  
  
• A mindset of fear whether that's around the side effects of naltrexone or fear around the method not working (remember the clinical studies show a 78% success rate!! If you had a 78% change of winning the lottery would you be excited?! 🤗)
  
  
• A mindset that fears the unknown. 😳 We have to do so many things we've never done before (or haven't done in a LONG time) when we change our drinking habits. Like experience emotions without numbing, start new hobbies and socialize without getting drunk. It's really easy to do what we've always done...but you know how Albert Einstein's quote goes, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."
  
  
• A mindset of unrealistic expectations where we expect this method to work faster than it does 😬
  
  
• A mindset of comparison where we are constantly measuring our own progress against others. The ONLY person we should be comparing ourselves to is the person we were yesterday. Can I get an amen??!! 🙏
  
  
• A mindset of self-criticism where we are regularly beating ourselves up for little mistakes or failures (👋 hello, we're human aren't we? But trust me, I'm guilty of this too!)
  
  
• A mindset that the pill will do all of the work and we don't need to do anything else other than TSM (☝️ ask most people who reach extinction and they will tell you that the pill is only about 50% of it...)
  
  
• A mindset that believes "this is going to be hard." Yes, changing our drinking habits will be challenging and uncomfortable at times...but the beauty of this method is that it can be done slowly, gently and gradually...some even call it "the easier and softer way" 🎉
  
  
• A mindset that believes "I still NEED alcohol to cope with life." While this might feel very true in the moment – we need to be focused on what's possible in the future and stop telling ourselves these things that have gotten us stuck where we are now
  
  
• A mindset that is ONLY focused on the here and now... looking for instant gratification and instant relief. Instead of thinking about and visioning our future selves and who we want to BECOME

• A mindset that only focuses on what's going wrong instead of focusing on everything that is going RIGHT. 😕 So often I see people dismiss their "little wins" on The Sinclair Method...when that's mostly what this method is – a series of small steps of progress in the right direction. We need to recognize and celebrate them regularly!
  
  
• A mindset that IGNORES the power of the small things. 💪 Any meaningful change in life happens in the small decisions we make every single day. Sure it might not seem like a big deal to skip the naltrexone just this one time...or to put off that coveted alcohol-free day until tomorrow... but where are decisions like these going to lead you one week, one month or one year from now?

I hope this helps you to reconsider your mindset you have as you go on The Sinclair Method to change your drinking habits.