What’s that? Well, it’s a name that alludes to many mental health disorders including alcoholism. Alcohol is a symptom of an underlying problem and often the problem is a mental health issue. How many alcoholics are accurately diagnosed?  Not many. Alcoholism is an emotional disorder coupled with a physical allergy to alcohol.  One of the many thinly veiled mental health disorders is Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline personality (BPD) is associated with strong, sometimes shifting feelings and behaviours, which in turn contribute to an insecure personal and professional life. There are many “functional” borderline personalities undetected in our society. Just the same as there are many “functional” alcoholics in our world today. Some dominant traits of BPD are fear of abandonment, extreme sensitivity to rejection, and frustration at being misunderstood. Consequently, relationships tend to be unstable and riddled with conflict. What happens when an alcoholic enters the arena of a toxic relationship?  There is chaos and the lives of two or people are enmeshed with fear of the unknown. The alcoholic might impulsively quit a job, end a relationship or make an enemy out of a friend due to real or imagined fears of abandonment, disappointment or perceived threats. The alcoholic might also suffer from rapid mood swings as alcohol is also a depressant. A lot of people think alcohol will soothe their jangled nerves after a hectic day in the office but sometimes the opposite happens. Anger, shouting, smashed dinner plates and the family is again in a state of turmoil, all because the “functional” alcoholic decided to take a glass of poison. Take away the alcohol and you still have the problem.   Is it Borderline Personality or is it another mental health disorder like Bipolar 1 or 2?    It could be both – what a disaster! The only way to tease out the problem is for the alcoholic to seek medical help.  A GP or counsellor could be the start but it’s going to take a lot longer to be correctly diagnosed for the single or multiple mental health disorders plaguing the alcoholic. Some alcoholics go to AA and are happy ever after.  I don’t know too many of them but there are a few around to tell others how to get sober and stay sober, one day at a time. Most alcoholics I know have an underlying mental health problem that often goes undetected for years and years. They may not be drinking but they are not happy either. They are called “dry drunks.” Now they are dealing with two mental health issues as the alcoholic reaches for another drink to digest this information.  What’s going to happen?   More often than not, the undiagnosed alcoholic with a myriad of mental health issues continues to drink until his/her blood pressure, heart or a form of alcohol related cancer takes away their last breath.  What is written on the Death Certificate?   I bet the word “alcoholism” is never mentioned.  If alcoholism was taken into consideration as one of the major causes of any of the major illnesses, it would take over as the No.1 killer in our society today. How many people consider they are only social drinkers, even though they are daily drinkers or binge drinkers?    How many women drink more than one Standard drink per day?  How many men drink more than two Standard drinks per day? How many people are walking around as “functional” alcoholics?   How many people are walking around with BPD and/or Bipolar and masking it with alcohol?  How many men and women are able to participate in family and career commitments but “dying inside” because they have an undetected serious mental health issue masked by alcohol? If you have a partner, relative or friend who consumes more than two Standard drinks per day, ask them if they can stop drinking and stay stopped.  Can they go a day, a week or a month without drinking alcohol?  Probably yes. Many people can go a day, a week and even a month without drinking alcohol, but can they stop drinking?  To the alcoholic, this is a challenge that many of them aspire to, just to prove they can “take it or leave it.”  Once the challenge has been won, they are quick to revert to their daily reward of “just a few drinks.” If you are a wife, husband, partner, relative or friend of the functional alcoholic, ask them to take a look at themselves and see if their drinking might be masking another insidious problem.  You can look after yourself by taking some supplements to help you cope with living with someone who is slowly killing themselves with alcohol and masking their real problem. They may be open to taking a good liver tonic to help repair their liver damage and there are specific amino acids for the liver to help breakdown toxins and drugs and also for efficient metabolism in the liver. Glutamine – This amino acid is required for phase two detoxification in the liver and is required in increased amounts by those who consume excessive alcohol. It is able to reduce the craving for alcohol. Glutamine supplementation is helpful for intestinal disorders such as peptic ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut is the term used to describe an inflamed condition of the lining of the bowel, which makes the bowel too permeable, so that toxins and incompletely digested food particles can be absorbed from the bowels directly into the liver. This increases the workload of the liver and may cause many health problems. Glutamine is essential for the white cells to fight viruses such as hepatitis B and C. Glutamine is converted in the body into glutamic acid, which, along with the amino acids cysteine and glycine, is converted into the powerful liver protector glutathione. Glutathione is essential for liver phase two conjugation reactions used during detoxification of drugs and toxic chemicals. Glutamine can be found in our Ultimate Gut Health Powder. Livatone is a natural liver tonic containing the liver herbs St Mary’s Thistle, Globe Artichoke and Dandelion, combined with the amino acid Taurine, and Lecithin. It also contains natural sources of Chlorophyll, Carotenoids and fiber. It is available in both capsule and powder form. The liver is the main fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism. A healthy liver will take fat in the form of cholesterol and pump it via the bile into the intestines where it will be carried away in the bowel actions provided the diet is high in fiber. Tyrosine Mood Food – Tyrosine is a natural amino acid – one of the building blocks of protein.  It is required for the manufacture of the brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) dopamine and noradrenaline.  These neurotransmitters are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood. Magnesium – the great relaxer. Magnesium plays an essential role in maintaining and promoting efficient muscle function and nerve transmission. Magnesium is a vital mineral for hundreds of cellular enzymes involved in the body’s energy production and metabolism. It is required by the nervous system to regulate the function of nerves and muscles. Magnesium may also assist in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness.   The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.