I received an email this week asking me why a glass of wine is dangerous to the liver, even though the writer said they completely understood the toxins and dangers of overuse, they still wanted to know why they could not have ‘just one drink’ to reap the benefits. I have spoken to hundreds of alcohol dependent people over the years and every so often, I encounter denial and ambivalence.  When you have a problem with drugs or alcohol and you haven’t recognised your insanity, you may hear the word “denial”. We use this word to describe patients who do not fully understand the severity of their alcohol consumption. Denial is supposed to grow out of some character flaw, such as fear of conflict, false pride, stubbornness, inadequate willpower or reluctance to face unpleasant facts. However, the truth is that most people are not blind to their drug or alcohol problems. They may rationalise, create alibis and excuses for their behaviour, repress unpleasant memories and even suffer blackouts that affect recall, but they are not completely in denial. If you use too much alcohol or too many drugs, you are more likely to be ambivalent.  You probably can see the damage that alcohol causes.  You can envisage how many of your problems would be solved if you quit drinking, smoking pot or taking uppers. However, it isn’t that simple. You probably have some compelling reasons for continuing in your familiar patterns of substance abuse and you undoubtedly can see drawbacks in quitting.  You might question and challenge why you can’t have “one little drink” when the medical professions tells you there are benefits in two wines per day.   If you can socially have two wines per day without collapsing into a heap after finishing the whole bottle, by all means – go ahead and have two social drinks per day. Remember, one drink is too many and a hundred is not enough to the alcohol dependent person. To get a clearer picture of your own reasons for quitting or not quitting, spend a little while with pen and paper and write down the good things and the bad things about your alcohol consumption. To help you out, here is a checklist of the good things about quitting. This assessment for quitting is a valuable tool to keep on hand for relapse prevention. Good Things About Quitting Physical Implications: healthier liver, reduction of high blood pressure, prescribed medication can do its work without interference, more energy, weight reduction, you will sleep better, improved digestion, and you can guarantee your behaviour when you are out socially. Mental Implications: greater sanity, better memory, better judgement, enhanced ability to focus your thoughts and actions, clearer mind for creative work, worry less, more relaxed, less anxious. More time for hobbies, community work, home improvements and more money in your pocket. You will be able to concentrate on problems and work things out without having to resort to alcohol to self-medicate. Social Implications: Better chances for saving your marriage/relationship or the chance to create a sober relationship with someone new. Motivation to make peace with parents, siblings and friends. Opportunity to make new friends. Enjoy a wider range of activities. More time for family and friends. Improved productivity at work. Ability to take up your favourite sport again. Opportunity to redeem your reputation as a sober, productive member of the community. Enhanced ability to plan for the future. Emotional Freedom: Feeling of pride in having the courage to quit. A chance for true happiness. A stable emotional life and the chance to emotionally mature. More freedom as you are no longer a slave to alcohol or drugs. More control over your life. More self-confidence. A chance to improve your self-esteem and self-worth. Ability to pursue higher aspirations now that substance abuse is no longer a problem. Greater feeling of maturing. Opportunity to make amends toward people you have hurt through your drinking or drug use. There is life after alcohol. Now we will look at the bad things about quitting. Physical Implications: Withdrawal symptoms. Cravings. Missing the feeling of intoxication. Diminished pleasure in eating certain foods. Weight gain because you substitute food for alcohol or drugs. Sleep problems. Mental Problems: Inability to drown out self-doubt, regrets, guilt. Boredom. Loss of agility and ease of talking without the aid of alcohol. End of excuses for not dealing with other problems. Social Implications: End to social evenings at the club. Your drinking friends will feel abandoned. You will have endless free time on your hands. You will feel less confident without the use of alcohol. You may feel lonely and unloved. Perhaps awkward and self-conscious at social gatherings. Inability to entertain other drinking buddies. Fear that intimacy may be impossible without the social lubricant of alcohol. Emotional Drawback: Diminished fun, spontaneity, sense of adventure. Loss of self-image as a misunderstood person. Inability to blame alcohol anymore. Need to take responsibility for your actions. Chance of failure - as long as you don’t really put yourself to the test, you can always imagine that you will be able to quit – anytime, anywhere. Feelings of being deprived of the comfort that came with the use of alcohol. Feelings of being vulnerable, fragile and isolated – no one could possibly understand how I feel! I also ask my patients to write down the history of their drinking and to ask themselves, at the end of that exercise, if they are really a social drinker.  Social drinkers don’t worry about having “a glass of wine” in the evening. A social drinker doesn’t worry if they have enough alcohol in the fridge when they get home from work. A social drinker doesn’t try to stop drinking. Ask yourself: “am I a social drinker?” or “Is alcohol costing me more than money?” We recommend supplements to help my patients detox and improve their brain chemistry in order to concentrate on their recovery. LivaTone Plus is a very comprehensive formula containing a wide range of nutritional ingredients plus high dose of St. Mary’s Thistle. LivaTone Plus supports phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways, ensuring optimum detoxification of many toxic substances. It also supports liver function and metabolism and contains the full range of B vitamins, essential to alcohol dependency recovery. Tyrosine, necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood.  Dopamine is the neurotransmitter for the sense of satisfaction and why do we drink – to capture that elusive, transitory thing called “satisfaction”. Magnesium Complete – The Great Relaxer. Magnesium assists in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness. A must for anyone quitting alcohol or drugs. L-Glutamine is a natural amino acid vital for healthy intestinal function and supports efficient brain function. It is an integral part of glutathione; the body’s most potent antioxidant and detoxifier. Glutamine can be found in my Ultimate Gut Cleanse. The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.