As soon as an alcoholic passes through a detoxification program, they start to learn about their disease and progressively more and more about themselves. In addition to comprehensive information, they are given a very specific set of tools, to implement change in their lives.

It’s all about altered attitudes and changing their toxic belief system.

I was rather amused recently when viewing details of a local treatment centre that claimed juice fasting helped reduce alcohol cravings along with relaxing massages, nature walks and group socialising to help control stress.  There is no ‘quick fix’ for alcoholism.

If recovery from alcoholism was easy, then everyone would be sober.  It’s as simple as that. 

Recovery from alcoholism means a lot of hard work and commitment to change.  Accept the things you cannot change, courage to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference.  The word ‘courage’ means commitment, doubt and action. Without a certain amount of doubt, there can be no courage.

It means taking the cotton wool out of your ears and listening – really listening, and not looking for an easy way out of your addiction.  Alcoholics are well-known for their “know-all” attitude when in fact, they know absolutely nothing.

I have known many alcoholic boundary riders in my time of counselling alcoholics and have never known any of them to succeed through “easier, softer ways”.   The statistics for long term sobriety are lean although many health professionals would have you believe otherwise.  The reality is, long term sobriety is tough and it is a life-long commitment to living one day at a time and being very, very vigilant. There is no room for complacency.  Alcohol is very cunning, baffling, powerful and very, very patient. It waits!   I have known people to pick up a drink after 20 years sobriety.  Why?  Because they took their eye off the ball.

Alcohol is only a symptom of an underlying problem and most alcoholics have mental health issues that go undetected. It often takes up to 10 to 15 years to diagnose certain mental illnesses and sometimes, they are never identified leaving the alcoholic swimming in a sea of alcohol trying to self-medicate.

Most people, including GPs, are not aware that more than 55% of alcoholics suffer with Bipolar 2 and/or Borderline Personality Disorder, which I prefer to refer to as Emotion Regulation Disorder. Alcoholism is an emotional disease coupled with a physical allergy to alcohol and cannot be fixed with juicing, saunas, walks in the forest and hugging trees.  Yes, one of my patients was told to go out and hug a tree . . . unbelievable!  He was also plied with antidepressants which exacerbated his alcoholism because he really suffered with another mental health disorder that required a mood disorder medication not an antidepressant.

You do have to be very careful when seeking help for alcoholism.

The first step in rehabilitating an alcoholic is get their brain chemistry balanced.  Secondly, get them on a program for living in the real world by using the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous The first Step applies to all alcoholics:  “Admitted I was powerless over alcohol and my life became unmanageable”. The first Step of Co-Dependency Anonymous can also apply to alcoholics: “Admitted I was powerless over people and my life became unmanageable”.

Co-Dependency issues are often paramount in alcoholic’s lives. An alcoholic is very dependent on other people for their self-worth/self-esteem and this rules their life. Co-dependency is learned behaviour growing up in a dysfunctional environment, often an alcoholic environment.

The next step in treating alcoholics is helping them to untangle their complicated emotions and understand their feelings by using Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) which has been specifically designed to help alcoholics.  Mindfulness is used to help the alcoholic live in the NOW and take responsibility for their own feelings.

The next step is to practice active meditation (creative visualisation/guided imagery) to help change your thinking to change your feelings (emotions) to change your behaviour.

Balance your brain chemistry with good nutrition and supplements, if required. Exercise to help the endorphins in your brain is another part of my recovery program.

In the meantime, you might like to help your liver with the following suggested products. LivaTone Plus is a more powerful formula that can support liver function when there are more chronic liver problems. LivaTone Plus combines the proven doses of St Mary’s Thistle with the benefits of all the B vitamins and the amino acid Taurine as well as the antioxidant vitamins C and E. LivaTone Plus is designed to support the step one and two detoxification pathways in the liver.

L-Glutamine, found in our Ultimate Gut Health Powder, can help support efficient brain function along with Tyrosine Mood Food as Tyrosine is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy stable mood.

Magnesium is known as The Great Relaxer and may assist in the reduction of stress, nervous tension, anxiety and sleeplessness.

Glicemic Balance Capsules aid in the metabolism of carbohydrates and supports insulin function and is helpful in curbing sugar and carbohydrate cravings when you are detoxing from alcohol.