About Alcoholism

Related Herbs...

Kudzu Milk Thistle Reishi Scutellaria

General

Alcoholism, which is also commonly defined as alcohol dependence or addiction, is a chronic disease with very serious and even fatal consequences. Nowadays, alcoholism does not have borders or limits, equally affecting people in many countries around the world. In the USA, it is said to be the third major killer of people (following heart diseases and cancer).

Alcohol dependence is more serious condition than alcohol abuse. A person becomes fully dependant on the daily consumption of alcohol beverages. The habit turns into the strong necessity to drink in order to avoid the physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal. With time tolerance develops and a person has to consume increasing quantities of alcohol to satisfy the cravings. Finally, an alcoholic person loses all the control over drinking. 

Symptoms

The key symptoms of alcoholism are the inability of a person to control or limit his alcohol consumption and his denial of the fact that many of his problems (with heath, family or at work) are caused by his abuse of alcohol. Even when the consequences of drinking are obvious, an alcoholic will blame some other factors or people in his problems but he will never assume that alcohol is the cause.

Increased tolerance to alcohol is another symptom of alcoholism. A person has to consume larger amounts of alcohol in order to feel its effect. Very often it represents itself in ordering double drinks and gulping them. 

Alcohol-dependant people typically drink in order to relieve some pain or anxiety, but they do not usually remember what happened while they were drinking. This is sometimes referred to as blacking out.

People who are addicted to alcohol experience severe withdrawal symptoms once they stop drinking on a regular basis. Sweating, insomnia, anxiety, impaired concentration, increased heart rate, nausea, vomiting and tremors are commonly associated with alcohol withdrawal.

 
Causes

Alcoholism is considered to be an inherited health disorder. Scientists found that children, whose parents suffered from alcoholism, are in significantly greater risks to develop the same disorder in comparison to children with non alcohol-dependant parents.

Emotional state and psychological factors may also lead a person to alcoholism. For example, people with depression, increased anxiety or after experiencing some stressful events, or those with the low self-esteem may start drinking to solve their problems. Besides, certain social and cultural factors may contribute to the promotion of alcoholism. For example, regularly drinking close friends, or films, books and advertising, which depict drinking alcohol as the part of true men image, may also push a person toward drinking.

In fact, there are no specific and defined causes of alcoholism, like virus or infection. The progression of the disorder is based on the way the alcohol influences the human organism. Alcohol changes the balance of certain chemicals in the brains, such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate and dopamine. That is why, drinking may result in certain relief of physical or emotional pain, reduce anxiety or cause pleasurable feelings. Regular drinking makes a human body addicted to alcohol consumption just like to nicotine or narcotics use. With time a person starts to crave for alcohol in order to restore good state of mood, relieve pain or avoid negative feelings.

Medical Approaches

Since alcoholism is rather a mental disorder, it is mainly treated through psychological support and counseling. Alcoholics Anonymous is the organization, which offers an effective model of treating and supporting people, recovering from alcoholism.

Of course, some medications are also used to treat a person, who is dependant on the alcohol, especially on the stage of detoxification. Sedatives and antidepressants are commonly used to relieve withdrawal symptoms.

There are also certain specific medications, designed to treat alcoholism. For example, Disulfiram (Antabuse) may be prescribed to cause highly unpleasant symptoms, such as vomiting and rapid pulse, once the alcohol is consumed by a patient. Naltrexone is also used to reduce the desire for alcohol during the first 3 months of recovery.

Alternative Approaches

Along with the traditional therapy of alcoholism, there is also an alternative way to fight this disorder. For over 2000 years Chinese medicine has been offering its own recipes of different herbal preparations to treat alcoholism.

Herbal treatment of alcohol dependence aims at fulfilling several tasks, such as to help a person avoid alcohol and reduce his desire to drink, detoxify the body and eliminate all the toxins, accumulated in the result of regular alcohol consumption; and, finally, to recover the body organs, mainly liver, damaged by alcohol.

Kudzu, a starchy white root native to Japan and China, have long been the first option in Chinese medicine to treat alcoholism. Kudzu tea was even called a “tea that can sober up”. Since the Kudzu herb had been first introduced in the United States (1876) and Europe, its healing properties were investigated by scientists.

Dr. Wing-Ming Keung, a researcher from Harvard Medical School, initiated a study and proved that kudzu tonic could be effective in reducing and controlling alcohol cravings. Thus, during his study about 80% of patients, treated with kudzu, reported the reduction in cravings for alcohol within a week.

Another study showed that Kudzu works in the human organism very similarly to the medication, called disulfiram, which is commonly used by official medicine. Consuming alcohol after taking kudzu tea or tonic is followed by nausea, facial redness and general discomfort. By other words, kudzu significantly worsens the signs of alcohol intoxication, so that a person will likely to think first before taking another drink.

Milk thistle is another mighty herb, promoted by the Chinese medicine as a remedy against alcoholism. In fact, milk thistle works as a protection of liver against harmful toxins, produced by alcohol. It prevents damage of the liver cells and can even promote liver regeneration.

The curative features of milk thistle were studied and documented by German researchers. During clinical studies, milk thistle was shown to reduce abdominal pain, fatigue, nausea and loss of appetite – symptoms common for liver disorders, caused by alcohol abuse.

Reishi may also bring certain health benefits for people, recovering from alcoholism. Though it is effective only for those people, who have not yet experienced a severe damage of liver function.

Finally, one should always keep in mind some of the rules, concerning the herbal treatment of alcoholism. First of all, one should avoid all types of alcohol. Even the above mentioned herbs should not be taken in the form of tinctures, based on alcohol. Teas or capsules are the preferred form of herbs to be taken for alcoholism treatment.

Furthermore, a person, recovering from alcoholism, should pay special attention to his nutrition. Well-balanced diet with the sufficient supply of green, yellow and orange vegetables is necessary to ease the complications of alcoholism and reduce cravings.

Omega-3 fatty acids in the form of black currant oil, evening primrose oil or flaxseed oil are recommended to reduce depression. Taking zinc daily (30 mg per day) improves the ability of stomach to process alcohol and eliminate all the toxins out of the human organism.