General advice on disease prevention and a healthy lifestyle can be found in the library article "General Advice - for healthy as well as for ill ones" in the VitaHealth section under Focus Articles. You can also test your health by taking our "Health Check".
Blood sugar must be stable
This is done by eating many small meals instead of a few large ones. The meals need to be tempting and well-prepared, as most alcoholics have a limited appetite. Between meals, it can be a good idea to have either a glass of vegetable juice or fruit juice, but one should avoid mixing the two.
Avoid heavily spiced meals and foods that do not digest easily. Avoid sugar and most importantly alcohol. Stay away from empty calories, white flour, white bread, pasta, tinned food, and as far as possible one should stay away from industrially prepared foods with additives, colouring agents, sweeteners, and preservatives. Eat many fresh vegetables, especially cabbage and carrots, herbal soups, together with lamb, liver, and dairy products if they can be tolerated.
Broad supplementation of vitamins and minerals is essential and sometimes has to be combined with single remedies in large doses.
Alcoholics can have difficulties absorbing nutrients and vitamins because of an inflamed intestinal wall. The small amounts they do absorb help, and actually help in the absorption of more nutrients.
Useful supplements
- Vitamin B complex: Alcoholics often suffer from vitamin B deficiencies, most often of a lack of B1 but often from a lack of many B vitamins. Because B vitamins work together in the body, a B vitamin complex is recommended.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Under guidance of an experienced therapist, nicotinic acid therapy can reduce the need for alcohol and symptoms of abstinence.
- Hyperikum (Hyperikum perforatum): Used for detoxification and counteracts depressive tendencies.
- Tumeric (Curcuma longa): Good for an inflamed intestine
- Aloe vera: Good for weakened mucous membranes and an inflamed intestine
- L-Glutamine: Good for an intestine which is too permeable. Also helps lessen the desire for alcohol.
- DMG (dimethylglycerin): Vitamin B – like substance which reduces the desire for alcohol.
- Digestive enzymes: Can be beneficial when there are problems with digesting normal food
Daily exercise is also important, but one should always be careful not to put too much strain on the body of an alcoholic; and exercise should be followed by short periods of rest. At the onset of withdrawal symptoms, one should be very attentive to acute aggravation of symptoms, such as sweats, fever, anxiety, insomnia, cramps, and hallucinations. Seek the advice and counceling of trained therapists. General advice on disease prevention and a healthy lifestyle can be found in the library article "General Advice - for healthy as well as for ill ones" in the VitaHealth section under Focus Articles. You can also test your health by taking our "Health Check".
Blood sugar must be stable
This is done by eating many small meals instead of a few large ones. The meals need to be tempting and well-prepared, as most alcoholics have a limited appetite. Between meals, it can be a good idea to have either a glass of vegetable juice or fruit juice, but one should avoid mixing the two.
Avoid heavily spiced meals and foods that do not digest easily. Avoid sugar and most importantly alcohol. Stay away from empty calories, white flour, white bread, pasta, tinned food, and as far as possible one should stay away from industrially prepared foods with additives, colouring agents, sweeteners, and preservatives. Eat many fresh vegetables, especially cabbage and carrots, herbal soups, together with lamb, liver, and dairy products if they can be tolerated.
Broad supplementation of vitamins and minerals is essential and sometimes has to be combined with single remedies in large doses.
Alcoholics can have difficulties absorbing nutrients and vitamins because of an inflamed intestinal wall. The small amounts they do absorb help, and actually help in the absorption of more nutrients.
Useful supplements
- Vitamin B complex: Alcoholics often suffer from vitamin B deficiencies, most often of a lack of B1 but often from a lack of many B vitamins. Because B vitamins work together in the body, a B vitamin complex is recommended.
- Vitamin B3 (niacin): Under guidance of an experienced therapist, nicotinic acid therapy can reduce the need for alcohol and symptoms of abstinence.
- Hyperikum (Hyperikum perforatum): Used for detoxification and counteracts depressive tendencies.
- Tumeric (Curcuma longa): Good for an inflamed intestine
- Aloe vera: Good for weakened mucous membranes and an inflamed intestine
- L-Glutamine: Good for an intestine which is too permeable. Also helps lessen the desire for alcohol.
- DMG (dimethylglycerin): Vitamin B – like substance which reduces the desire for alcohol.
- Digestive enzymes: Can be beneficial when there are problems with digesting normal food
Daily exercise is also important, but one should always be careful not to put too much strain on the body of an alcoholic; and exercise should be followed by short periods of rest. At the onset of withdrawal symptoms, one should be very attentive to acute aggravation of symptoms, such as sweats, fever, anxiety, insomnia, cramps, and hallucinations. Seek the advice and counceling of trained therapists.
