The truth sets us free.  Finding the truth about alcoholism allows us to come to terms with who we really are. It does not, however, mean that we need to be content with our defects of character.

When we have a clear view of our faults, we can begin to do something sensible and constructive to correct them. We can discard our defects of character instead of covering them up the way we throw a shawl over a worn out chair. We can give up defenses by getting a better view of what needs developing in ourselves. We give them up because we do not need them when we have learned to be honest with ourselves.

A great sense of relief comes when we no longer drink to feel fifty foot tall and bullet proof. We can just be who we are without mentally and emotionally belting ourselves up for getting drunk again. Much of our emotional pain lifts away when we give in and start changing our thinking.  More importantly, a deep kind of peace, the kind that nobody can take away from us, settles on us when we come to terms with our human frailties.

We realize that we have a lot of growing up to do to catch up with our physical self. Our emotional intelligence lags behind because we have anesthetized ourselves in order not to feel.

Over the years, we have used alcohol to numb our feelings. Turning to alcohol for comfort distorts our emotional reaction to whatever is happening in our life. We don’t get to learn the lesson and we avoid the lesson by drinking our way through the problem. We physically age but our emotions are retarded. We end up as 60 year old adults with the emotional intelligence of a 16 year old teenager. That’s why alcoholism is called an emotional disease. We don’t emotionally grow up.

Until you come to terms with the reason why you drank you will drink again.  Some people say, “Oh, it’s the job” or “I’m in an unhappy relationship” or “if I only had more money, I wouldn’t have to drink” and so the excuses go on and on.  I’ve heard them all before and I have to stop myself finishing a person’s sentence once they start justifying and rationalising the reasons why they drink.

Alcohol is a symptom of an underlying problem and it’s not the job or an unhappy relationship or poverty.  There are alcoholics working in fantastic jobs. There are alcoholics in relationships, somewhat strained, but still with the same person. There are very rich and famous alcoholics but they all suffer the same problem.  They have trouble staying in that fantastic job or staying in that great relationship and they often have a lot of money.  Alcoholism is an emotional disease and it affects our self-worth/self-esteem. Get rid of the alcohol and your life will improve. There is life after alcohol!

We try to con ourselves into thinking that there is a reason why we drink. All the “what if’s” and “if only” flood our every waking moment. If you really knew me would you still like me?  Those words echo in our mind, day in and day out, silenced temporarily by alcohol.

People often say “you’re a top gal” or a “great guy” but you know that’s not really true because you have this self-hatred eating away inside. There is an emptiness that is difficult to explain.

That self-hatred is exacerbated by alcohol. The more you try to drink away those awful feelings of self-loathing, the more you hate yourself in the morning.

I’ve met top business men and women in their field of expertise and they are “functional alcoholics.”   Alcoholism does not discriminate. 

Self-esteem often gets confused for confidence – there is a difference. Alcoholics find this hard to understand because they can often appear to ooze confidence but have very little self-worth/self-esteem.

Self-esteem is how we really fell about ourselves – our self-image. Confidence is a learned skill just like you learn how to drive a car or learn how to do your job.  Alcoholics get through life on confidence and ego but no self-esteem.

Accepting life on life’s terms is hard to do when you’re an alcoholic. Being emotionally wounded in life is not just a risk, it is a sure thing. Knowing that hurt lies out there somewhere makes it hard to believe in oneself or to have much confidence that one can ever do better than just protect oneself from the bad things that may happen.

There is no sense in denying it. We fear that if people see us with our “make-up” off they will reject us and so we put on a false front to impress. We think that if others saw deeply into us they would only see what is wrong with us.

In order to get sober and stay sober, an alcoholic has to get honest with who they really are.

The 4th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is a fearless moral inventory and is not for the faint-hearted. Total honesty is required to look deep inside one’s soul and get rid of the weeds.

You can take the alcohol out of the fruitcake but you still have the fruitcake.  The alcoholic has to change his attitude towards himself. If you like yourself, you’ll like other people. If you hate yourself, that makes it hard to like other people.  You can put on a mask and pretend that you like people, but that’s all it is – a mask.

Part of your task in recovery will be not just to give up drinking but to start to rebuild your self-esteem. You may not have had any self-esteem/self-respect to start with so you will be starting from scratch.

You may be able to do this just by going to an empathetic AA group and working with a supportive sponsor. Or you may also need counseling from a therapist who has experience in helping alcoholics.

Your best bet is to find a counselor who is a recovered alcoholic and they are hard to find because of the stigma that still surrounds recovering alcoholics.

Some of the physical problems encountered in early sobriety can be alleviated by taking certain supplements. I recommend taking Tyrosine Mood Food to help with the neurotransmitter Dopamine , the reward and satisfaction neurotransmitter. Tyrosine is a natural amino acid and one of the building blocks of protein.

Magnesium Ultra Potent is another supplement I recommend to help alcoholics in recovery. 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.

A lot of alcoholics switch addictions and start using food for comfort. An addiction is an addiction no matter whether it is ingested or a behavioral problem. Anything that is done in excess is an addiction. Sugar is the No.1 chemical that is ingested when an alcoholic starts recovery. They are grieving for their “lost” crutch – alcohol and reach for the next best thing. Sugar!

Glicemic Balance will help to reduce your cravings for sugar. I would also advise reading the book, Want to Lose Weight…… But Hooked on Food?  to help you with co-dependency issues and emotional overeating.

Livatone Plus is another supplement I recommend as a high potency formula that supports liver detoxification. With all the alcohol you have consumed, your liver would be in a very sad state. A fatty liver is not pleasant and comes with a lot of problems including fatigue, unexplained weight gain, depression or moodiness.  Headaches especially associated with nausea.  Indigestion/intolerance of fatty foods or reflux.  Overheating of the body.   Excessive sweating and abdominal bloating.

Total abstinence from alcohol is a good start followed by a good liver detox. Livatone Plus contains all the B vitamins and also contains activated folic acid which is vital for people who are poor at methylation. Livatone Plus also contains the most important lipotropic (liver building) factors, including inositol and biotin.  It also contains antioxidants, selenium and sulfur rich amino acids (such as NAC) for detoxification pathways in the liver.

Adrenal Natural Glandular is another supplement I recommend to help fight adrenal fatigue during early recovery.

 

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.