C Three Europe’s first project was an incredible success, completed more quickly than we originally believed it would be. Two out of the three Members of C Three Europe – Claudia and I – are now accredited Drug, Substance and Alcohol Counsellors and Moyra will soon be joining our ranks. This is a vital step forward, made possible by support and donations from YOU.
In England and Wales, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) indicates two treatment goals for those with alcohol dependence:
- Abstinence for those patients with moderate to severe alcohol dependence
- The potential for reduced drinking in patients with mild alcohol dependence and no significant co-morbidities.
These are the terms on which we, as an organisation, have to work, irrespective of whether we agree with the principles that underlie them. All of the clinical tests carried out have shown, of course, that The Sinclair Method could be beneficial for even the most hardened drinkers but until there is a sea-change in the attitudes of the medical profession, that is something that will remain officially unrecognised for now.
The introduction of Selincro (nalmefene) across Europe in May 2013 led to the majority of countries within the European Union adopting The Sinclair Method of one tablet, one hour before each drinking session, and no tablets on any non-drinking days.
This is The Sinclair Method in nature, if not in name.
NICE recommends, if the patient’s medical condition permits, that Selincro be prescribed to those who meet the required alcohol consumption criteria for a diagnosis of mild alcohol dependence.
NICE has also put in place a second prerequisite for treatment with Selincro, however, namely a requirement for the patient to receive psychosocial support while taking the medication. The aim of this support is to ensure that the patient is adhering to the prescription instructions by taking the medicine correctly, to enable realistic goals to be mutually agreed and regularly reviewed, and, where necessary, to explore any other issues the client feel contributes to their drinking, whether they be work, family or relationship issues.
In reality, we are hearing from far too many people who are unable to obtain their prescription for Selincro (and often for naltrexone, too) because the area in which they live in does not have the funding in place to provide this psychosocial support, or the waiting list is simply too long. Lundbeck, the manufacturers of Selincro, expect 600,000 Britons to be eligible for the medication. Even at a modest uptake in this first year of availability, we are seeing how the need for additional support is placing a strain on the mental health services in this country, which are already under immense pressure. The situation is only going to get worse…
Meeting this obvious need is where C Three Europe comes in!
Click To Download Counselling Pack (PDF)
Our next long-term project falls into two phases, outlined below.
Phase One
As accredited alcohol abuse counsellors, we are extremely proud to announce the launch of a counselling service for use by those who cannot obtain access to counselling in their area. This is in addition to the support we already offer to those enquiring about, or already using, The Sinclair Method, and it is available with immediate effect. It is available to anyone worldwide, with the only stipulation being that English must be spoken as a first or conversational level second language, or that the client has someone present during Skype appointments who can interpret for them.
The counselling, in common with all of the other support, information and resources that C Three Europe provides, will be a FREE service, and will utilise the video conferencing system, Skype. We only request that if they are in a position to do so, the client considers making a voluntary donation at the end of the counselling process to enable us to continue providing this valuable support to others suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder.
Importantly, our counselling service complies fully with the standards outlined in “A Clinician’s Guide to Psychosocial Support for Clients with Alcohol Dependence”, published by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals, to support healthcare professionals who prescribe Selincro. The standards provide a five-step process for counselling patients being prescribed the medication, involving all the elements that Lundbeck feel are most beneficial to providing a lasting, long-term benefit to the client.
On initial contact with us, the client will be sent an information pack by email. Download Pack Here. It includes everything they need to print out and take to their doctor, including our certifications, an overview of the service we offer, and what is expected of them (and us!), along with additional information and links detailing how we will protect their personal data and confidential information.
After reading through the pack thoroughly, if the patient is in agreement with its terms, they can print it out and take it to their doctor in support of their request for Selincro, as evidence that they have the required alcohol counselling in place.
Phase Two
The second part of this project will be implemented in early 2016, and is projected to be ongoing throughout 2016, 2017 and most probably into 2018.
Our counselling service will initially be launched via our website, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and our OptionsSaveLives community forum. We hope that friends will tell others, leading to an increasing awareness of the service across the UK and Europe.
There are many reasons for such a ‘warm’ launch, the most important being that, as much as we would love for this service to be available for everyone, as a voluntary service we should be mindful of ensuring that we gradually increase the numbers of people we are helping in line with our external time constraints and commitments. Remember that we all have full-time careers in other areas, and since this service is being provided in addition to all the other support we offer, we must plan our time accordingly, so that we do not cause disappointment by being unable to stand by our commitments. We want to offer the service… What we don’t want is to be turning people away, or creating waiting lists, so it’s vitally important that we plan effectively and increase the number of counselling appointments gradually.
Once we have a more accurate evaluation of demand, plus the average length of time it takes to provide everyone with the counselling support they need, we intend to issue the information pack directly to doctors’ practices across the UK for them to keep on file. This will, hopefully, enable doctors to prescribe Selincro immediately upon request, passing our counselling service contact details on to their patients.
Again, this will be a gradual process to ensure that we can cope with the increasing demand this will likely cause. Local doctors will be contacted first, and we will then extend our reach out within our medical authority areas. We will target the primary care GP population first, as this is the point at which treatment using Selincro should be first initiated.
The pressure and demands within the psychosocial service sector are unlikely to decrease in the future, so we must ensure that C Three Europe grows at a pace this is not only sustainable but also one which guarantees an exemplary level of service.
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From a very humble beginning, C Three Europe is making large strides forward and as we do so, more and more of those suffering from Alcohol Use Disorder are finding us, and finding the valuable help they need.
Both Claudia at C Three Foundation in America, and I offer freely of ourselves, spending time supporting those who reach out to us, whilst Moyra also gives freely, offering valuable support to the family and friends of those who suffer from AUD – a section of the population who are sadly often forgotten in the haste to get treatment to the drinker.
This is an on-going process that exists, in a large part, because of the support we receive from you. Your donations, your kind words and your sharing of the information we provide helps make C Three Europe possible.
From the bottom of our hearts, and on behalf of everyone you enable us to help – thank you!