(21-03-13) How to kick the alcohol habit naturally

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) There are many unique factors such as life experience, social
status, and family history that can drive a person towards a life of excess
alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse. But one area that is almost never
addressed as it pertains to alcohol abuse is malnutrition, and particularly a
lack of proper nutrients for maintaining a healthy physical, mental, and
emotional state. For many people, traditional rehabilitation techniques and
weekly meetings with other alcohol abusers is not enough to kick the habit for
good, as these methods typically address the symptoms rather than the root
cause.

Though there is no one-size-fits-all regimen for curing alcohol abuse, there
are a number of natural approaches that can help bring about true recovery and
healing that will last. Here are six ways to help naturally kick the alcohol
habit and never look back:

1) Transactional analysis. The problem with modern medicine's approach to
alcohol abuse is that the addiction is often classified as a disease known as
"alcoholism," and treated accordingly. By attaching a formal name to this
addiction and categorizing those who suffer from it as diseased, the tendency
is for those who abuse alcohol to actually take ownership of their addiction
and make it a core component of who they are as a person, which actually makes
it more difficult for them to kick the habit.

This is why many physicians who take a more naturopathic and holistic approach
to health prefer Transactional Analysis (TA), a system of analyzing behaviors
that avoids turning every addiction into a disease. TA, as explained by Dr.
Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D., encourages patients to take charge of their own
healing, and recognize that their addiction is not a disease, but rather a
symptom of some other underlying problem, which is typically emotional or
physical in nature. And part of addressing such a problem includes kicking
other bad habits such as poor diet.

"Establishing a good diet to improve and maintain better health would
certainly be a major part of such a health-promoting plan of action," explains
Dr. Dean about the TA approach to curing alcohol abuse in a 2005 piece for
NewsWithViews.com entitled Curing Alcoholism Naturally. "In addition, it can
improve a person's state of mind, as malnourishment can lead to depression and
other emotional imbalances, not to mention muddled thinking."

A great book on the subject of treating alcohol abuse with TA is Healing
Alcoholism, which you can access for free online: http://www.emotional-literacy.
com/healing.htm

2) Niacin. Part of this nutrition-based healing process includes loading up on
vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in order to balance and maintain proper
brain chemistry. And one of the most important nutrients for achieving this is
niacin, also known as vitamin B3, according to one prominent expert on the
subject.

"Niacin is the most important single treatment for alcoholism, and it is one
of the most reliable treatments," says orthomolecular medicine expert Dr. Abram
Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., about his Treatment Protocol for Alcoholism.

You can read Dr. Hoffer's full paper on the subject here: http:
//orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/v01n06.shtml

3) Mega-doses of vitamin C. In the same orthomolecular vein, vitamin C is
critical for chemically neutralizing the toxic byproducts of alcohol
metabolism. As reported by The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State
University (OSU), numerous studies have shown that vitamin C in high doses
reduces oxidative stress as a result of alcohol consumption, and prevents
alcohol-induced hyperlipidemia and lipid perodixation. The nutrient can also
help eliminate alcohol addiction (http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w99/newresearch.
html).

"To titrate to saturation, take 1000 mg (milligrams) of vitamin C every hour,"
explains Dr. Hoffer about how to effectively stop drinking alcohol and return
to normal body function. "When saturation is reached, there will be a single
episode of diarrhea; then reduce the dosage to 1000 mg every four hours."

4) Whole food-based B vitamin complex, sunflower lecithin. This same protocol
also includes supplementing with a B vitamin complex six times daily that
includes at least 50 mg each of the major B vitamins. Since many popular B
vitamin complexes contain synthetic vitamins derived from petroleum sources, it
is recommended that you supplement with a whole food-based B vitamin complex.

Dr. Hoffer also suggests supplementing with two to four tablespoons of
lecithin daily, as this relative of the B vitamin complex will fortify your
body with necessary inositol and choline, as well as help mobilize fats out of
the liver, which can become congested from alcohol abuse. We suggest using non-
GMO sunflower lecithin rather than traditional soy lecithin.

5) L-glutamine. Part of kicking the alcohol habit involves eliminating alcohol
cravings, which can be achieved through supplementation with the non-essential
amino acid L-glutamine. According to Dr. Hoffer, L-glutamine decreases
physiological cravings for alcohol, while also replacing what has been lost of
the nutrients in the liver and kidneys as a result of alcohol abuse. The entire
process will help reduce your cravings for both sugar and alcohol.

6) Chromium. Since many alcoholics are also hypoglycemic, it may be important
to supplement with the mineral chromium as well. By taking between 200 to 400
mcg (micrograms) of chromium daily, alcohol abusers can help stabilize their
blood sugar levels and balance out the body's metabolism of carbohydrates.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.newswithviews.com/Dean/carolyn20.htm

http://www.brighteyecounselling.co.uk

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/ta_alcoholism.html

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