Learning that AUD is not a moral failing was key to lasting success

Wayne M. started drinking at age 12, and by age 15 had moved out. With parents who were heavy drinkers, and having suffered childhood trauma, a path towards a life of excessive drinking seemed almost inevitable.

Wayne chose to move north: “It was a great place to go to because at that point in the Yukon you could drink in the streets, and it didn’t seem to matter much if you were underage.”

In his late teens, Wayne moved back to BC to work in the mining industry “where excessive alcohol was not only accepted, it was almost forced upon you.” In the ensuing years, Wayne married and built a successful career but continued to drink heavily. On business trips to Vancouver, he would end up spending days on the Downtown Eastside. ”It was a place where I was fully accepted, and I could drink as much as I wanted to.”

Eventually Wayne could not cope, and his marriage ended. “The mode of the day was you had to hit bottom. And that was certainly my bottom.” He sought help in Alcoholics Anonymous and was told that his drinking was a moral and spiritual failing, and that to find relief he needed to quit drinking altogether.

This message and treatment worked. He didn’t touch alcohol for 23 years until on a trip, and sitting poolside, he decided to have a beer. Breaking his abstinence led to social drinking, and then gradually to a renewal of his heavy drinking from years before. At more than 10 drinks a day, Wayne was heading towards rock bottom once again. “I was desperate and I had no where to turn.”

This time, the idea of seeking treatment that labelled him as a moral failure just didn’t fit. “I was a big contributor to my community, travelling the world with Rotary International, I started an organization to help build schools, medical centres and irrigation systems, and so I thought I was being a good person.”

Through research, Wayne discovered a medical treatment option called the Sinclair Method, which advocates for the use of a medication called Naltrexone to help curb cravings and ease withdrawal while still allowing people to reduce but not stop drinking.

Armed with new information and an extensive understanding of how alcohol use affects brain function, Wayne visited his family physician. His information was dismissed. “He laughed and said, “There you go, Wayne. Just another excuse to drink again.’”

Fortunately Wayne was persistent, and advocating for his own health, continued consulting researchers and clinicians who were spearheading new treatment options. Once prescribed Naltrexone, Wayne was able to reduce his drinking to about 3-4 drinks per day.

Finding a treatment that allowed him to drink socially was important. “I never wanted to be abstinent,” he says, adding that drinking socially was a part of his community and culture. “I always wanted to be a part of that, and always felt like an outsider.”

And yet with Naltrexone, Wayne was never able to reduce his consumption to what he considered to be an acceptable level. After consulting with Dr. Jeff Harries of the Canadian Alcohol Use Disorder Society, Wayne discovered that although Naltrexone is well-known and effective for many, several other medications can be prescribed, depending on a patient’s personal experience, health and consumption history.

After listening to Wayne’s story, Dr. Harries recommended a medication that is particularly suited to treating early onset alcohol use disorder. “I noticed within 10 days to 2 weeks, everything had changed,” says Wayne. “I could stop at one or two drinks.”

Wayne undertook a few different therapies to deal with resurfacing PTSD, but he mostly credits his lasting success to the understanding that alcohol use is not a moral failing, but is a treatable medical condition. “I’m now where I want to be with my drinking. It’s a life changer for sure.”

 Wayne is actively working to spread the word about the variety of treatment options available, and encourages family and friends to learn more about alcohol use disorder. “Understanding it as a medical condition is so important on a road to recovery.”