John David Sinclair (March 28, 1943 – April 6, 2015) was an American scientist and researcher best known for discovering the Alcohol Deprivation Effect (ADE) and targeted pharmacological extinction, otherwise known as the Sinclair Method, as a medication treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).
John David Sinclair | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 28, 1943 Bluefield, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 2015 (aged 72) Evitskog, Finland |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | The Sinclair Method, Pharmacological extinction |
| Spouse |
Kirsti Kaarina Laine
(m. 1973–2015) |
| Children | Stephanie Sinclair Lappi, Joanna Sinclair, Pamela Sinclair, Annette Sinclair |
Early life edit
Sinclair was born March 28, 1943, in Bluefield, West Virginia, and grew up in Fairmont. He was the son of the John and June Biddle Sinclair, having a sister Vicki and brother Stephen.[1]
Education edit
He graduated from Fairmont Senior High School, and attended Carnegie Tech University. At the University of Cincinnati he was a teaching and research assistant from 1963 to 1967 whilst gaining his bachelor's degree (1965) and his master's degree (1967). From 1967 to 1970 he was National Defence Education Act fellow at the University of Oregon, Eugene, and from 1970 to 1971 National Science Foundation trainee, gaining his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon (1972).[1]
Career edit
Sinclair's research work for his master's degree and Ph.D led to the discovery of the Alcohol Deprivation Effect (ADE). Contrary to earlier beliefs, detoxification and alcohol deprivation did not stop alcohol craving but in fact increased subsequent alcohol drinking.[2][3]
After getting his doctorate in 1972 from the University of Oregon on the ADE, Sinclair immediately went to Helsinki to work at Alko Laboratories (now part of Finland's National Public Health Institute). Research here showed that alcohol drinking is a learned behavior[4] and in most cases the reinforcement from alcohol involved the opioid system, i.e., the same system where morphine, heroin, and endorphin produce their effects.[5] Taking an opioid antagonist such as naltrexone or nalmefene reduces the reinforcement such that a person is no longer interested in alcohol.[6]
This solution, pharmacological extinction, became apparent when he wrote The Rest Principle: A Neurophysiological Theory of Behavior. The Sinclair Method, as the protocol has been named, was the subject of a large body of laboratory studies[7] and used in over 90 clinical trials around the world.[8][9]
The Sinclair Method, which is simply taking an opioid antagonist before drinking, has been found to be successful in about 80% of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) sufferers. The method's unconventional requirement for drinking to continue during treatment conflicts with the tenets of traditional abstinence-based treatment, and is a significant barrier to wider acceptance by the treatment community.[10] More recent publications have seen greater acceptance by medical professionals.[11]
Targeted pharmacological extinction is explained in Roy Eskapa's book, The Cure for Alcoholism, written with the assistance of Sinclair.[12] The C Three Foundation, founded by Claudia Christian, is the world's only non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the Sinclair Method for treating and preventing alcohol use disorder.[13] One Little Pill is a documentary film about the use of generic medications (primarily naltrexone, but also nalmefene) for treating and curing alcohol use disorder.[14]
In later years, Sinclair was the chief science officer with Lightlake Therapeutics (now named Opiant Pharmaceuticals, researching using a similar method for the treatment of binge eating until his retirement. He also worked with Stephen Cox to try and create a treatment for panic attacks using a pipe that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide being inhaled.[1]
He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism, International Behavioral Neurosci. Society, and Research Society on Alcoholism.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ a b c "David Sinclair obituary". Times West Virginian. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, J. D.; Senter, R. J. (1967). "Increased preference for ethanol in rats following alcohol deprivation". Psychonomic Science. 8: 11–12. doi:10.3758/BF03330642. S2CID 143465932.
- ^ "The alcohol-deprivation effect: Influence of various factors". Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, J. D. (1974). "Rats learning to work for alcohol". Nature. 249 (5457): 590–592. Bibcode:1974Natur.249..590S. doi:10.1038/249590a0. PMID 4834086. S2CID 4212256. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, J. D.; Adkins, J.; Walker, Susan (1973). "Morphine-induced Suppression of Voluntary Alcohol Drinking in Rats". Nature. 246 (5433): 425–427. Bibcode:1973Natur.246..425S. doi:10.1038/246425a0. PMID 4587154. S2CID 4296199. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Method for treating alcohol-drinking response". Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Sinclair, J. D. (1990). "Drugs to Decrease Alcohol Drinking". Annals of Medicine. 22 (5): 357–362. doi:10.3109/07853899009147920. PMID 2291844. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Heinälä, P.; Alho, H.; Kiianmaa, K.; Lönnqvist, J.; Kuoppasalmi, K.; Sinclair, J. D. (2001). "Targeted use of naltrexone without prior detoxification in the treatment of alcohol dependence: a factorial double-blind, placebo-controlled trial". Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 21 (3): 287–292. doi:10.1097/00004714-200106000-00006. PMID 11386491. S2CID 43477685. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "Evidence about the use of naltrexone and for different ways of using it in the treatment of alcoholism". Alcohol and Alcoholism. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Barrio, P.; Gual, A. (2016). "Patient-centered care interventions for the management of alcohol use disorders: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials". Patient Preference and Adherence. 10: 1823–1845. doi:10.2147/PPA.S109641. PMC 5029836. PMID 27695301.
- ^ "How the Sinclair Method Changed My Mind About Naltrexone and Alcohol Recovery" (PDF). Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ Eskapa, Roy D. (2012). The Cure for Alcoholism: The Medically Proven Way to Eliminate Alcohol Addiction. BenBella Books. ISBN 978-1-937856-13-7.
- ^ "C Three Foundation". Retrieved February 26, 2023.
- ^ "One Little Pill A Documentary Film". Retrieved February 26, 2023.