Nutrition & Vitamins for Recovering Alcoholics?

[LBW]

I recently read that "A lot of the cravings in withdrawal are caused by low blood sugar; your body is used to 1,000 calories or more of empty sugar from alcohol and has adjusted to working with that every day, and suddenly it's not there anymore."

It was suggested that adjusting your diet and getting vitamin supplements to balance out your blood sugar levels and improve your health can help recovering alcoholics with cravings.

I've heard that B-12 can help with the feelings of guilt. (sounds weird, but I saw it on House so it must be true! Ha, ha!)

I've heard that Omega 3 supplements can help with stress. (Dr Oz on Oprah)

I read that "Niacin can kill a craving pretty quickly when coupled with Glutamine, an amino acid which also controls blood sugar"... (seems to be from the book Seven Weeks to Sobriety).

I was just wondering if anyone has explored any of this. I haven't looked into it in detail yet but I think it sounds helpful. I like focusing on improving my health as a way of abstaining from alcohol.

[Sugah]

If you're pregnant, you really should discuss your alcoholism, your diet and any supplements you're considering with your doctor.

Peace & Love,
Sugah

[EvilBunny]

I haven't tried it, but I've also heard that folic acid is helpful for recovering alcoholics.

I think alcoholism must deplete your B12 because my doctor always gives me a B12 shot along with a recommendation for rehab.

[LBW]

Sugah,

I honestly appreciate your concern, but I swear on the Bible, I haven't drank this entire pregnancy until I had the "incident", as I'm now calling it. The "incident" was one night where I binged drank at 17 weeks prego. I haven't drank a drop since. So the sequence of events were: 3-4 months of not drinking, then one horrible night, and now back to not drinking.

Honestly, it hasn't been difficult to not drink since the incident... partly because I didn't drink prior to the incident, partly because I don't ever want to hurt this baby again.

The good thing is that the incident was a turning point for me. When I said I am NEVER am going to drink again, it was the first time in my life I have ever said that. Before this I just tried different ways to control the circumstances and days I drank so as to minimize damage.

Even though I don't have urges to drink at this moment in time, just making this declaration has stirred up alot of emotion. I'm trying to confront it now so when I am no longer pregnant, I will continue on this sober path. I know I will be tested when I'm no longer pregnant. I will get cravings and I will start to wonder if I can handle drinking again.

I've thought about it and decided I will not tell my doctor about the incident. I do not believe there is any test she can do to see if there damage. If there is a test, I do not believe she can prescribe anything to correct it. I just had a doctor's appointment and the heartbeat was strong, all indications are the baby is perfectly healthy. I have an ultrasound next week.

I was just posting this thread to ask if anyone has heard of using nutrition and vitamins to help with cravings and to help repair liver damage or whatever. Me being pregnant right now, I'm taking only vitamins that my doctor says I should. But I just thought this topic was interesting. I wondered if focusing on the nutrition side of it could help me stay sober after I give birth.

[joedris]

Proper nutrition isn't going to do anything to reduce cravings or help you stay sober. Proper nutrition will help you stay healthy provided that you don't drink. Abstinence from alcohol and an effective recovery program will help you stay sober. One danger alcohol consumption poses to nutrition is that alcohol prevents the body from absorbing Thiamin (Vitamin B-1), and this can lead to Wernikie-Karsakoff Syndrome, or wet brain. Unfortunately, this is an irreversable condition resulting in spending the rest of your life in a mental institution.

[justanothrdrunk]

I've heard of B-12 helping in that (if I remember correctly) alcohol reduces the body's ability to absorb B-12 so it's not uncommon for alcoholics to be B-12 defficient.

And my Pyschiatrist recommended I take a fish oil supplement (omega-3) to help with my concentration. She didn't mention anything about stress.

In addition, I read somewhere that men should stick to the fish oil sources of omega-3s as opposed to vegetable sources like flax due to evidence suggesting increased prostate cancer incidence associated with flax.

That's about all I've heard about.

[LovesToTravel]

I have been taking the vitamins listed in this article. It seems to help or I just feel better because I am taking them. Makes sense that our bodies are deprived of nutrients.

DoctorYourself.com - Alcohol Protocol

I just love these faces!

[CarolD]

After consulting with my doctor.....for about
6 months after I quit drinking.....
I followed the eating plan found
in "under The Influence"
by Dr. james Milam and Katharine Ketcham.

You can Google for hypoglycemia for similar plans.

I also began taking a daily multi vitamin + a B Complex

I consider the factors above helped me get back in balance.

[jazzz]

Originally Posted by LovesToTravel

I have been taking the vitamins listed in this article. It seems to help or I just feel better because I am taking them. Makes sense that our bodies are deprived of nutrients.

DoctorYourself.com - Alcohol Protocol

I just love these faces!

I can't help but getting a bit irritated that the article entertains the idea that "we" can actually be cured by taking vitamins. "Cured", as in being able to drink like normal people. One or two here or there..Cos in my sick mind I start contemplating that I might be able to drink normally again, and this just confuses me.

Does anyone on here know of any alcoholic that's been cured from taking vitamins?

Sure, that would be fantastic, but I just don't buy into it. Perhaps there are VERY FEW exceptions, but I can't stretch it any longer than that.

[CarolD]

There were several things I found on that site I don't agree with.
For instance....the "recommended dosage" seems awfully high.
Abd...as we all know....you can find all sorts of info on the web

That's why I posted my experience rather than referring to a site.

Please do see your doctor before jumping into any over the top information.

To answer your question....I've not met any....

[LBW]

The idea of "curing" an alcoholic with diet and/or vitamins is ridiculious. However, diet and vitamins can help empower me to be stronger. I know that when I focus on eating healthy, exercising and getting good sleep, I feel so strong physically and mentally. If I study how bad alcohol is for my body, it's just one more reason I don't want to drink it. I love feeling healthy and strong. It's such a contrast from what I used to feel in the throws of alcoholism.

My mother-in-law is a hippie new-age vegan and she would probably say (if I ever were to tell her, which I won't) that all my problems with drinking could be solved if I went on a raw food diet. She's been trying to convince me not to get the swine flu shot. I'm pregnant and she thinks vaccines will damage the fetus. So I asked her what she thought about these pregnant women and children that have recently died from the swine flu in our area. She told me they only died because they didn't have proper nutrition. She shrugged and said some people feed their children a diet of junk food. Once she told me that a family friend's baby got cancer because the woman didn't breastfeed. For all her new-age talk, she sure is judgemental blaming people for their own sicknesses. She would never understand alcoholism.
Some people don't.

[TCH]

A large body of clinical evidence dating to the 1970s (along with my much more limited personal experience) indicates that the following (including nutrition) help reduce physical cravings (and later mental urges) along with the fatigue and depression often associated with early sobriety.

• Nutrition: Eating a diet rich in lean protein, low in simple carbohydrates (i.e. sugar). This helps take the newly sober off the glycemic roller coaster, which can play havoc with mental and emotional health. (A multivitamin is also suggested for health reasons, though the jury is out on its contribution to sobriety).

• Hydration: Drinking plenty of water and limiting caffeine intake, as the latter is not only a stimulant (which can be dangerous early on), but also a diuretic.

• Rest: Getting a good night’s sleep. The number needed varies by person – I need the traditional eight. Also, short naps can be a very potent weapon against the first drink.

• Daily exercise: This can be as simple as taking a walk or as complicated as a kick boxing class. I joined a gym; it helps me stay motivated.

Will these four things, alone, keep me sober? NO. But they do make staying sober easier and, just as important, more enjoyable.

[gonezo77]

It is my experience any sort of artificial stimulation to the nervous system (including the supplementation of vitamins [notably B vitamins]) is detrimental during my recovery process. I am surprised others have not noticed the same effect.

--Nate

[Texasblind]

In the spirit of the thread. Yes, a multivitamin is essential with an extra B-complex. What alcohol depletes is Folic Acid and Thiamine. If you're gonna try anything herbal, always take LESS than the recommended dose. There's no reason you're body needs 1500% of daily value of anything. You'll just pee out the excess anyway.

The bottom line is you have to flush all the bad out of you while replacing it with good. So forget all those expensive "liver detox" things and just keep downing water. Tons of it. Exercise if you can and keep the body sweating. Replace it all so that you don't have any chance of dehydration.

If you've been drinking very heavily, it is important to monitor your pulse and blood pressure. That's why we always suggest medical help. All the vitamins in the world aren't going to help you if your BP skyrockets.

[blackbirdsing]

You will "pee out" the excess water soluble vitamins/minerals, but some are not water soluble and the excess is stored in your liver and fatty tissue. (these are referred to as fat soluble and are dangerous in high levels) Vit's A, D and E are examples of fat soluble vitamins and I would definitely talk to your doc before ingesting amounts in excess of the RDA, esp. during pregnancy.
I do know that Omega 3's are essential to brain development, and can be easily added to your diet through oils, nuts and even some veggies. Again, I would talk to your doc- most will advise avoiding supplements such as fish oil during pregnancy- flax oil is a better choice.

[CarolD]

TCH ....Welcome to SR and our Alcoholism Forum
:

[LovesToTravel]

When I originally placed the thread in my response I really hadn't read it carefully. I just thought it was good giving advice about vitamins. I did take some vitamins and they did make me feel better. Haven't placed any links in since. (look the smilies are back!)

[Coolmel]

food definately impacted my drinking. on an empty stomach i could drink 12 beers in 4 or 5 hours.

if i ate a big meal it seemed to impact my desire for alcohol. i could maybe drink 6-8. it may have been just because i was a beer drinker...which seems to fill me up more than the gin and tonics.

[CarolD]

Coolmel....
Welcome back to our Alcoholism Forum
I hope your early sobriety is running smoothly.

[barb dwyer]

Someone very dear to me,
who can understand the jibberjabber
confusing & conflicting 'health' food talk
and jargon told me ONE thing

that I did... and it worked.

"Eat real food".

Period.

So I don't buy all that processed stuff any more.
The occasional salami, but ...
other than Ice cream... everything else is from scratch.

[Coolmel]

Originally Posted by CarolD

Coolmel....
Welcome back to our Alcoholism Forum
I hope your early sobriety is running smoothly.

thanks carol...day 19 here.