Alcohol, Chemical Dependency, Malnutrition, Nutrition and Recovery
Addictions to alcohol, chemical substances and certain foods, virtually drain the body of essential nutrients and eventually of life itself! Cardiovascular disease, most forms of cancer, respiratory illnesses and AIDS are just a few of the conditions that the "misguided seeker" derives from the addiction.
This information goes about critiquing the "emperor’s clothes," while indicting his "tailors" since we will neither win nor lose this "War Against Drugs!" Intelligence is generally wasted in ignorance, which is big business these days.
Alcoholism and substance abuse are diseases, characterized by the repetitive and compulsive ingestion of the sedative drug ethanol and other chemical substances.
This results in interference with some aspect of the individual’s life, be it health, marital status, interpersonal relationships, career or other required society adaptation. As is the case, with any other illness or disease, this represents a dysfunction, or maladaption to the simple requirements of everyday life.
Tolerance is the first sign of physiological addiction, together with denial as the psychological symptom. The major tolerance to sedative drugs results from central nervous system impairment.
There are Five Stages of Alcoholism:
- In the first, or early stage, alcohol is used as a coping device.
- In the second stage, the alcoholic cannot get through the day without a drink, and "blackouts" generally begin during this stage.
- In stage three, the individual actually lives to drink and does not have the ability to stop drinking.
- During stage four, the addiction has graduated to the "cellular level" where deep feelings of shame set in.
- Upon arrival at stage five, drinking has become a necessity, while suffering from mental and physical complications that progressively worsen.
Because alcohol contains only "naked calories," the appetite for food decreases significantly. The liver, which performs over 900 different functions for each of us every day, suffers serious damage including, but not limited to, fatty degeneration, hepatitis, cirrhosis and finally cancer. Next, the heart muscle weakens, while the digestive system breaks down from depletion and chronic lack of nutrients, and responds with gastritis, pancreatitis and ulcers. Because it's a diuretic, alcohol will eventually lead to kidney failure. Next comes hypertension, heart disease, seizures and stroke.
Most treatment programs, both residential and outpatient, are not successful simply because the biochemistry of the addiction is ignored! Starvation is not a third world problem – it is an American tragedy! The poor people in Africa simply do not have enough volume of food. We Americans have plenty of food; however, it is empty food with little or no minerals or other nutrients left in our farm and rain soils. Calories and energy are virtually all that is left in our food.
The nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition is shown as follows:
- CARBOHYDRATES – Mental lethargy, blackouts.
- PROTEINS – Gastritis, ulcers, pyloritis, pancreatitis, liver damage, hypoglycemia, esophageal varices, diabetes.
- FATS – Circulatory disturbances, blood vessel blockages, cholesterol problems, brain damage.
- MINERALS – Electrolytic disturbances, fluid imbalance, edema, blackouts.
- VITAMINS – Central nervous system degeneration, poor circulation, anemia, tremors, seizures, strokes, peripheral neuritis, beriberi, Wernike’s disease, organic brain damage.
As the person slips down the addiction spiral, their loved ones watch the calamity of their downfall, while trying to deny the problem even exists. Seldom do addicts and alcoholics ever come to their recognition scenes, out of intuition. Generally, a crisis erupts that will come crashing down through their impenetrable, negative subconscious defense mechanisms. Then they are forced to seek treatment or perish!
Dr. William P. McPhilamy is a Florida Board of Medicine Licensed Nutritionist and Board Certified Addictions Specialist.
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