Category: Sober living

Naltrexone can help retrain your brain to be less interested in alcohol over time, while acamprosate, baclofen, gabapentin, and topiramate can all help reduce cravings for alcohol. Learn more about medications for alcohol cravings, and other ways to round out your support system in recovery. Alcohol can cause malnutrition, malabsorption, and increased urinary excretion of the vitamin, leading to vitamin C deficiency.9 This deficiency can cause you to feel tired, irritable, and weak. Severe deficiency, called scurvy, may result in anemia, bruising, and dental issues. Taking a vitamin C supplement can help you feel better, which is essential to maintaining your sobriety. People who drink alcohol are at higher risk of calcium deficiency, since alcohol interferes with your body’s ability to properly absorb this vital nutrient.

• Therefore, new studies are required to elucidate cellular and molecular pathways involved, the mechanisms of action, and the histopathological changes produced after vitamin supplementation.
• After stopping stimulants, it’s common to experience a strong spike in appetite — which may lead to overeating — that can overwhelm the weakened digestive system.
• Replenishing vitamins and nutrients in a body depleted by alcoholism can help boost energy levels and diminish unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, helping greatly with the recovery process.

Vitamin D deficiency, less than 50 nmol/L of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) is increasingly being recognized as a global public health issue [78]. According to published studies, the activities and functions of important vitamins and minerals including vitamin B9 and vitamins D, C and E are impaired by chronic ethanol consumption [51,79]. In effect, chronic alcohol consumption has been demonstrated to lower vitamin D levels (inactive vitamin D (25(OH)D3) and active vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) as well as cathelicidin/LL-37 expression [80]. It’s important for every person to develop healthy eating habits, but it’s crucial for people who are recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction.

Include Plenty of Protein

You should take 500 mg for 5 days, this will help to rebuild your body’s levels of vitamin C and restore your cells as well. Vitamin C is also something people take after recovering from alcoholism because it’s good for the body. Research into vitamin C from BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health shows that vitamin C is one of the most important parts of alcoholism recovery. The study shows that taking vitamin C as a vitamin supplement for alcohol treatment will reduce the deficiencies from alcohol abuse. The recommended dosage of Vitamin B for those going through alcohol treatment is 250 mg to 300 mg as this will help the cravings and the withdrawal effects. Unfortunately, many studies published in the The Journal of Neuroscience suggest that Vitamin B deficiencies result in damage to the brain and liver.

It can trigger irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and other gastrointestinal illnesses, too. When you drink too much, you’re more likely to eat foods that are high in added sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Good nutrition also helps your brain rework old connections and make new ones. This can make it hard to stay away from alcohol while you’re trying to get better.

Drugs & Supplements

Heavy alcohol use can disrupt the absorption of certain nutrients in the body and negatively affect the body’s ability to maintain adequate levels of essential nutrients. While these are not necessarily treatments for alcohol withdrawal, they may help to support general well-being during the detox process and in early recovery. Remember that nutritional therapy should be just one piece of your whole treatment program.

• Years ago, I had alcohol cravings that were so bad that I wondered if they would be a permanent part of my life.
• For example, their body may become dependent on the alcohol, and their brain chemistry may change.
• Whole grains, milk, eggs, and liver are perhaps the best food sources for B5, or Pantothenic Acid.
• In addition, notwithstanding emerging evidence of the remarkable individual differences in the absorption and excretion of vitamins, these values have changed little over the years.

The most important part of nutrition for recovering alcoholics and addicts is to find the foods that work for you and the ways you like to eat them. For instance, you may not like raw kale but find that braising it makes best vitamins for recovering alcoholics it much more palatable. Experimenting within the bounds of healthy foods is one of the best ways to fuel your recovery. Eating disorders and substance use disorders share multiple similarities in displayed behavior.

Discuss Supplements With a Physician First

Benzodiazepines activate a neurotransmitter called GABA (gamma amino butyric acid), preventing seizures that can arise as fatal complications of alcohol withdrawals. Here’s everything you need to know about using herbal supplements for alcohol withdrawal. The neurotransmitters in your brain produce dopamine to help you “feel good”, however alcohol consumption interrupts these neurotransmitters. Unfortunately, regular consumption means addicts require drinking in order to feel good, although the feeling isn’t sustainable. We’ll dive into each type in related articles to help you determine whether or not you think these alcohol detox supplements are right for you.