Alcohol and drugs are only the symptom of an underlying problem. You have to give in to win the battle of the booze or the battle with any substance abuse, including sugar, which is the major addiction followed by alcohol and then drugs. It is easier for me to get someone off cocaine that it is to get them to stop ingesting sugar. Obesity is a world-wide problem followed by alcohol dependency. Clinical Notes: I had a patient named Claire who sadly passed away last year from cancer. Claire was an alcoholic and I got to know her very well, once she got sober, and we remained friends for the remainder of her 15 years of sobriety. Claire had come from an impoverished background in England and migrated to Australia determined to make a good life for herself. She was very successful in business and her infectious laughter made her welcome everywhere she went. Sadly, her first marriage failed and she began to turn to alcohol as a means of escape from emotional pain. That journey led her down a spiral that included a serious car accident, mounting debts and some disturbing personality changes, including a short fuse, quick to anger and lash out at whoever was in her way. I described her alcoholism as “a disease of denial” as she blamed everybody and everything for what had gone wrong in her life. I explained that pointing the finger at other people, there were three more fingers pointing back at her and she needed to look within to find the core issue of her problem. The turning point came after a prolonged period of domestic strife with her second husband. One night, after downing a bottle of wine, day she lashed out in a fit of zealous rage and verbally abused her husband. Claire could not remember the lead up to her outburst and did not remember anything about the night before. Her husband filed for divorce and Claire’s drinking escalated to the point of daily drinking and passing out on the lounge, waking up at 2 or 3 am the next morning in a “sea of alcohol” and blurred memories of the previous 24 hours. Claire’s memory loss and the fear of abandonment propelled her to seek help for her alcoholism. I started Claire on a regime of amino acids to balance her brain chemistry and then we worked together on changing her thinking to change her feelings (emotions) to change her behavior. The breakthrough came when Claire discovered the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous in conjunction with dialectical behavioral therapy and the use of amino acids to balance her dopamine levels. The biggest challenge was breaking through Claire’s denial that she was an alcoholic.   Success came when she finally “gave in to win” the battle of the bottle. Claire accepted that she was powerless over alcohol and that her life had become unmanageable. That was the start of a new life and Claire had been born again.  Talking to Claire years later, she summed up her experience in one classic phrase: she said, “You’ve got to give in to win,” meaning that when dealing with the deepest part of ourselves – our spiritual being – we have to accept our spiritual emptiness before we can look to something more powerful than ourselves, to restore us to sanity. “Acceptance….”  “When I stopped living in the problem and started living in the answer, the problem went away. From that moment on, I have not had a single compulsion to drink.” “Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. Whenever I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, things or situation – some fact of my life – unacceptable to me and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly as it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God’s world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life’s terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and on my attitudes.” P449. Ch.17. Alcoholics Anonymous – The Big Book. I recommend amino acids to help balance brain chemistry and a good liver tonic to help repair liver damage. Specific amino acids are essential for the liver to 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. 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.