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After years of drinking and abuse, we take time to take stock of ourselves, our triggers, our strengths. In the best of all worlds, we return slowly to ourselves, and we return stronger. Clearly, there’s lots that can be done to protect your brain from alcohol. Selenium levels tend to be lower in people who drink alcohol on a regular basis . Garlic contains the antioxidant s-allyl-cysteine, which neutralizes acetaldehyde. It’s also been shown to reduce oxidative stress and protect the nervous system .
Suggestions for management of vitamin deficiencies in chronic alcoholics are also discussed. Our review updates the existing relationship between vitamins and their mechanism of action during the pathogenesis of ALD.
Detoxification process
We link primary sources — including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. If individuals believe they have a problem with alcohol or if they drink more than the recommended amounts, they should speak with their doctor for support and advice. A good first step is to speak with a primary care physician who can provide treatment referrals and medications. They can also evaluate the person’s drinking patterns and overall health and work together to craft a treatment plan.
- Decreased levels of vitamin B12 levels were shown to be adversely connected with tHcy and significantly linked with indicators of alcohol-related liver impairment in recent research .
- However, alcohol consumption affects the metabolism of homocysteine because the enzyme cofactor for the conversion of tHcy to methionine is vitamin B12.
- 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.
- When the body breaks down protein you eat, it can use the amino acids to rebuild damaged cells and create neurotransmitters in the brain that help regulate drug cravings.
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As you tax your system by ingesting alcohol, more and more nutrients are needed to help metabolize the nasty by-products of alcohol. As such, your body is leeched of it’s normal reserves of crucial vitamins – especially your B-complex vitamins.
How to Get the Vitamins You Need
And in my experience and research, high-quality bioavailable nutrients are an important aspect of combating and correcting this. To put it simply, NAC enables your liver to create Glutathione, and Glutathione is your body’s primary detoxification mechanism. NAC has a plethora of benefits for the alcoholic, both immediately and long-term. Fernandez-Checa J.C., Ookhtens M., Kaplowitz N. Effects of chronic ethanol feeding on rat hepatocytic glutathione.
- And researchers recommend zinc supplementation to treat addiction and reduce withdrawal symptoms .
- Ji C., Kaplowitz N. Hyperhomocysteinemia, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and alcoholic liver injury.
- Even when an addicted individual does eat a healthy meal, chances are their bodies are not able to process the nutrients effectively.
- I didn’t start by buying every vitamin on the shelf and taking everything; instead I began to research alcohol withdrawal supplements.
- In addition to meditation, exercise, being social, counselling and healthy eating, you should consider taking supplements to help reduce withdrawal symptoms.
If you don’t drink, implementing some of these strategies into your everyday life will help you overcome anxiety and depression. These 9 nutrients, vitamins and supplements have helped me minimize withdrawal symptoms, overcome my addictions, and get on with my life. As an alcoholic, your body quickly becomes deficient in a variety of vitamins and minerals. This article describes some of the most frequently overlooked vitamins and supplements that every alcoholic should look to add to their diet. Several research articles have linked alcohol-mediated oxidative stress and ethanol-inducible CYP2E1 with oxidative stress and their toxicity, both in in vitro and in vivo models. In effect, new pathophysiological focuses that could be used against ALD have been described using in vitro studies .
Benzodiazepines For Alcohol Withdrawal
Also, in Texas, there are residential treatment centers that can provide patients with the best care possible in a safe and comfortable environment. Centers with medical detox programs have personnel who can evaluate you to determine if you can manage symptoms with supplements for alcohol withdrawal, or if medication is required. NAC helps the body produce more glutathione which is often depleted after vitamins for recovering alcoholics years of drinking alcohol heavily. Taking NAC can significantly reduce anxiety, a common symptom of alcohol withdrawal. Heavy drinkers that have liver damage may also benefit from NAC as it assists liver function. Read on to learn more about alcohol withdrawal syndrome, including the signs, symptoms, and detoxification process. In this article, I’m going to discuss the best alcohol detox supplements.
For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week.
Vitamin Deficiency From Alcohol Addiction
They are often found in dark alcoholic drinks, such as whiskey and tequila, and can also contribute to hangovers, making you feel suboptimal the next day. Various studies show that vitamin C reduces stress and anxiety and decreases the severity of depression (62-67). It might seem unbelievable but there is research demonstrating vitamin C’s usefulness in overcoming addiction and reducing withdrawal symptoms. In animals, zinc reduces the intensity of morphine dependence, and zinc chelators worsen withdrawal symptoms . Oxidative stress can change neuronal pathways and cause addictive behaviour.
In addition, Kaur et al. studied examined vitamin E supplementation in ethanol-treated mice and found that it restored redox state, decreased apoptosis, and lowered oxidative stress markers. B-vitamins are a good place to start for recovering alcoholics, who may have deficiencies in these cofactors needed to produce neurotransmitters and feel-good hormones. Of course, these are only nine helpful options—there are many vitamins and supplements for alcoholics you can take to aid your system in recovery. We recommend speaking with your doctor about how heavy drinking has impacted your body, and which supplements will be the most safe and useful for you as an individual. Other new habits, such as regular exercise, mindfulness practice, and a healthier diet, can all contribute to boosting your health in recovery.