Your body loses magnesium through several pathways during chronic alcohol use. These include inadequate nutritional intake, malabsorption in the digestive system, frequent episodes of diarrhea and vomiting, and increased renal excretion. A recent study found that patients with severe withdrawal symptoms showed significantly higher CIWA-Ar scores above 20, indicating a greater need for magnesium supplementation. This relationship helps explain why magnesium supplementation often becomes necessary during alcohol withdrawal to restore proper physiological function. Magnesium supplementation is particularly important since alcohol acts as a magnesium diuretic, continuously depleting the mineral from body tissues and kidneys. Excessive alcohol consumption can damage the liver, an organ essential for nutrient processing.
Vitamins That Help With Alcohol Withdrawals
- Finally, people enter the Growth stage -new life skills acquisition and significant emotional development- three to five years following recovery.
- Hydration is crucial in alcohol recovery as alcohol can lead to dehydration.
- Although research is ongoing, there’s some evidence that milk thistle can help reduce the symptoms of cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis.
- Alcohol abuse can lead to folic acid deficiency due to poor dietary intake, intestinal malabsorption, decreased hepatic uptake, and increased body excretion.
Since alcohol affects thyroid function and marijuana addiction can lead to unexplained weight gain and digestive issues, this support is essential. If you’re trying to repair your liver after alcohol damage, taking deliberate steps to support this crucial organ can make a real difference in how you feel and function day to day. Your liver isn’t just a filter for toxins; it’s key to energy production, hormone balance, and overall wellness.
Alcoholism and Memory Loss
- When you drink alcohol, the brain makes less of this hormone, causing you to urinate more frequently and become dehydrated.
- For this reason, people who drink heavily may benefit from magnesium supplements.
- ADH’s main effect is preventing you from losing too much water and urinating too much.
They are found primarily in fish and are necessary for the normal functioning of your brain and nervous system (18). Theanine is available in this anti-anxiety supplement, along with a number of other natural compounds that have helped me manage my anxiety over the years. According to the research, it’s particularly helpful when it comes to withdrawal from nicotine and opioids (16, 17). It’s important to point out that many prescription drugs are anticholinergic, meaning they reduce acetylcholine in the brain.
- Alcoholics neglect healthy diets and often get their calories from fatty or sugary foods.
- Remember that nutritional therapy should be just one piece of your whole treatment program.
- Therefore, it is essential for individuals in recovery to consume adequate amounts of protein through foods such as lean meats, poultry, fish, legumes, and dairy products.
- You’ll likely need magnesium supplementation for at least 8 weeks after completing detox, as research shows this duration provides long-term benefits for recovering patients.
- My own bio-repair process involved a three-month intensive period of supplementation, nutrients from A to Z in therapeutic doses recommended by the doctors whose work I’ve studied.
Cut Out Processed Foods
Unfortunately, most people don’t consume enough omega-3 fatty acids through their diet. That’s why I recommend people supplement with krill oil, a special kind of fish oil that contains the essential omega-3 fatty acids. I find that I have a brighter outlook on life when I take krill oil consistently. Lastly, in abstinent alcoholics, elevated omega-3 intake reduces stress and cortisol, and vitamins for recovering alcoholics omega-3 fatty acids significantly lower the desire for alcohol in mice (30, 31). They can support your mitochondria and increase your brain’s growth hormone, and have been shown to improve mood, sleep, learning and memory.