Herbal supplements like Ashwagandha, kudzu, milk thistle, and St. John's wort may reduce alcohol withdrawal symptoms and prevent cravings. Lifestyle changes, better nutrition, exercise, meditation, mindfulness, and relaxing hobbies can also help you feel better while living alcohol-free.
As with many other conditions, there are OTC herbal supplements that claim to be an effective treatment option. Three herbal supplements commonly seen as self-treatment options for alcohol dependency include St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), and Kudzu (Pueraria lobata).
It's important for the body and mind to heal in order to fully recover from addiction. If you find yourself suffering from tension and stress as your body heals, you can try adding chamomile, holy basil, lemon balm, and valerian to your daily herbal protocol.
Include 250mg Vitamin C, 150mg magnesium, 1500mg calcium and 500 mg niacin from dietary sources each day. A good multivitamin/mineral supplement (like Centrum) is also recommended. Omega 3 fatty acids can help to minimize symptoms. Try including 3-4 ounces of fish 2-4 times per week or adding flaxseed to your foods.
Chronic alcoholic patients are frequently deficient in one or more vitamins. The deficiencies commonly involve folate, vitamin B6, thiamine, and vitamin A. Although inadequate dietary intake is a major cause of the vitamin deficiency, other possible mechanisms may also be involved.
Thiamine deficiency, although rare in most developed countries, is common in people who drink excessive amounts of alcohol. Up to 80% of people with an addiction to alcohol develop thiamine deficiency.
After drinking stops, damaged organs may regain partial function or even heal completely, depending on the extent of organ damage and whether there is relapse (i.e., resumption of drinking).
Three medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat alcohol use disorder: acamprosate, disulfiram, and naltrexone. Acamprosate and naltrexone reduce alcohol consumption and increase abstinence rates, although the effects appear to be modest.
Drinking water should be your first port of call before even thinking about food. Drinking alcohol severely dehydrates you, which means your clever body will begin drawing hydration stores from places including your brain (hello headache). This is why it's so important to replenish the level of water in your system.
Ginseng (Renshen) may be clinically useful for the prevention of opioid abuse and dependence. Rhizoma Corydalis (Yanhusuo) may be used to prevent relapse to chronic drug dependence.
Chamomile Tea
It has even been used in agriculture to treat sick plants. The benefits of this herb that may be of use to those recovering from an addiction include: * A cup of Chamomile tea before bed can help people sleep better at night.
Forms of matcha tea are great alternative drinks that give you a buzz without alcohol because they contain L-theanine, an amino acid that has a calming effect on the mind. A cup of matcha tea is the perfect way to start your morning.
Since the death toll caused by alcohol abuse is so high, it is important to understand the ways in which alcohol can kill someone. The major causes of alcohol-related death are alcohol poisoning, cancer, car accidents, heart failure, liver damage, and violence.
Aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, other brands), and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help with the headache and the overall achy feelings.
By implementing physical exercise and a balanced diet, one can improve their quality of sleep. This can be done by setting up and following a structured sleep, exercise, and eating schedule. By doing this, one can retrain the body to sleep better and will also help reduce the risk of relapse.
After two weeks off alcohol, you will continue to reap the benefits of better sleep and hydration. As alcohol is an irritant to the stomach lining, after a fortnight you will also see a reduction in symptoms such as reflux where the stomach acid burns your throat.
Although positive changes may appear earlier, 3 months of not drinking can not only improve your mood, energy, sleep, weight, skin health, immune health, and heart health. It can even reduce your risk of cancer.
The effects of abstinence from alcohol typically peak and are maintained after 5-7 years of complete abstinence, although the most salient effects occur within the first year. However, any further damage due to alcohol abuse is also negated if one stops drinking.
Thiamine deficiency is particularly important because it can exacerbate many of the other processes by which alcohol induces brain injury, as described in other articles in this issue of Alcohol Research & Health.
Malnutrition is common in chronic alcoholics. Hypocalcemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia and, hypophosphatemia have all been associated with chronic alcoholism. Alcohol intake is also associated with low serum magnesium, selenium and zinc levels.
Low levels of B -12 and B-6 have been linked to depression. Drinking alcohol regularly for more than two weeks decreases vitamin B12 absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Vitamin B deficiency has been noticed in people who report suffering from depression.