“I’ve been sober for nearly 6 weeks and my head still feels and acts like a can of worms. I can’t think straight. Can’t concentrate and it’s impossible to get anything done. My motivation has gone along with my friend, the bottle! They told me that sobriety would clear my head and relieve me of my depression. I’m still waiting.” Although you will wake up to what your body is saying in early recovery, you may feel your mind is not saying anything at all. A reasonable description of the recovering alcoholic at this stage is “muddled and befuddled.” That’s almost certainly how you will feel but your mind is likely to be so numb and out of focus that you won’t even realize how bad your mental state was until you’ve passed through it. Your emotions, too, may seem frozen at first.  Eventually the fog will lift but won’t vanish completely. Your brain is, in fact, probably the slowest part of the body to recover from the ravages of alcohol dependency. Many brain cells were destroyed during alcoholism and new brain cells can’t be grown by the body. But fortunately the brain can rewire itself, in a sense, manufacturing new nerve fibres to connect the billions of cells that remain unscathed. This takes time. Studies show that through the greatest upgrading in brain function occurs in the first six months of recovery, gradual improvement in emotional and intellectual functioning continues for ten years and more. Emotional growth has been stunted by using alcohol to anaesthetise unwanted feelings.  Our emotions get the chance to catch up to our physical years, in recovery, by working through problems without the use of alcohol. Have you ever met an alcoholic say, around 35 years of age with the emotions of a teenager? That’s because they haven’t had the chance to “grow up” and work through their problems without the aid of a chemical. If you are experiencing short term memory, lack of concentration, motivation and mood swings, it is a good idea to take an amino acid called Tyrosine Pure Mood Food. Tyrosine is necessary for the manufacture of dopamine and noradrenaline, which are required for concentration, alertness, memory and a happy, stable mood. Tyrosine is also required for the manufacture of adrenalin in the adrenal glands. Alcohol has a negative impact on the adrenal glands and supplementing Tyrosine will assist in recovery. Alcohol and all other drugs have an effect on the brain, particularly on its neurotransmitters, the chemicals that transmit information from one brain cell to another. The effects usually continue for some time after withdrawal of alcohol.  Virtually everyone in recovery finds that their emotions are unpredictable and their moods tend to pendulum from one extreme to the other. Depression, anxiety and panic, are all common. Many people think their minds are clear – until the following week when they seem clearer. The mind progressively improves over time depending on how much alcohol and for how long, was consumed and how much damage was done. A rule of thumb: one month of fogginess for every year of drinking. It is advisable not to make any major decisions in the first year of sobriety for the reasons just mentioned. It takes time to become fully functional after years of alcohol abuse. I recommend the following work book to my patients, “Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life, by Scott Spradlin” to help them understand their feelings and untangle their complicated emotions in their first year of sobriety. You can purchase it from www.amazon.com Another amino acid, L-Glutamine, can reduce both cravings and the anxiety that accompanies alcohol withdrawal. A good liver tonic like LivaTone Plus is recommended and can be beneficial in those who have an inflamed liver or a sluggish liver. LivaTone Plus also contains all the B vitamins and the amino acid Taurine. It also contains the antioxidant vitamins C and E. Magnesium Ultra Potent can be taken before bed to assist with a deep and restful sleep. It also helps to reduce stress, very beneficial to a recovering alcoholic.  Magnesium Ultra Potent is also known as the “great relaxer”. My book, Help for Depression and Anxiety is an excellent read for recovering alcoholics.   The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.