Addiction Solution Source

Alcohol addiction is basically a sugar addiction. Hypoglycemia ( low blood sugar) is a factor for about 95 percent of alcoholics, and it may well be a major cause of alcoholism.

Alcohol is the ultimate refined carbohydrate, capable of elevating blood sugar levels even faster than white sugar. Consuming alcohol gives a temporary rise in blood sugar so the drinker feels relaxed and energized. When blood sugar drops, the person wants more. It is highly recommended that you take a lab test for hypoglycemia to help analyze your condition.

Brigitte Mars, author of Addiction-Free Naturally, states that when you quit drinking, it’s essential that you feed your body a cleansing, healthy diet that supplies the nutrients it needs to recover from alcohol abuse. It is important to keep the body’s blood sugar level stable by eating small, frequent meals. Avoid sugar, sweets, sweetened fruit juices, caffeine, and refined carbohydrates such as breads and pasta. Eat plenty of vegetables and whole grains and drink plenty of water.

When you have a craving for alcohol, try any of the following foods:

There are two patterns of drinking: early and late onset.

Some people have been heavy drinkers for many years. But, as with great Uncle George for instance, over time the same amount of liquor packs a more powerful punch. Other people, like Grandma Betty, develop a drinking problem later in life. Sometimes this is due to major life changes like shifts in employment, failing health, or the death of friends or loved ones. Often these life changes can bring loneliness, boredom, anxiety, and depression. In fact, depression in older adults often goes along with alcohol misuse.

At first, a drink seems to bring relief from stressful situations. Later on, drinking can start to cause trouble.

Not everyone who drinks regularly has a drinking problem, and not all problem drinkers drink every day. You might want to get help if you or a loved one:

Researchers studying the effects of alcohol use on the brain are aided by advanced technology such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), positron emission tomography (PET), and electrophysiological brain mapping. These tools are providing valuable insight into how alcohol affects the brains structure and function.

Long term heavy drinking may lead to shrinking of the brain and deficiencies in the fibers (white matter) that carry information between brain cells (gray matter). MRI and DTI are being used together to assess the brains of patients when they first stop chronic heavy drinking and again after long periods of sobriety, to monitor for possible relapse to drinking.

Memory formation and retrieval are highly influenced by factors such as attention and motivation. Studies using MRI are helping scientists to determine how memory and attention improve with long-time abstinence from alcohol, as well as what changes take place when a patient begins drinking again. The goal of these studies is to determine which alcohol induced effects on the brain are permanent and which ones can be reversed with abstinence.

Delirium Tremens (also called the "DTs" or "the shakes") is a dramatic and dangerous complication of alcoholism which can occur during a period of alcohol withdrawal especially when the person does not eat enough food.

According to Joan Mathews Larson, Ph.D., author of Seven Weeks To Sobriety, alcoholism is not just a psychological disorder or a sign of emotional weakness or flawed character that can be resolved with talk therapy but a physical disease.

Alcohol addiction is essentially a sugar dependency. Low blood sugar is a major factor for most alcoholics.