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What About Emotions?
With few exceptions, we have concentrated this segment of our website on physical symptoms. But some of the most painful problems recovering alcoholics face are the out-of-control emotions that can undermine their recovery. Coming up we will discuss difficulties of aggression, lack of concentration, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a very serious psychiatric disorder that affects longtime alcoholics. You will also learn more about the nutrients you need to recover and maintain your health.
By now, those who have been on the repair program for alcoholism should be feeling the positive effects of your efforts. You are feeling better and have weaned your body away from alcohol; the addictive bond has been broken. Or has it? You may be physically free of your addiction to alcohol but still emotionally vulnerable to its grasp.
We discussed the physical basis for some of the emotional problems common among alcoholics. You won't be surprised to learn that a number of other emotional problems are caused by alcohol's depletion of natural brain chemicals needed for stable emotions and good mental health. The following information will discuss aggression and irritability, short attention span / poor concentration, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a serious psychiatric disorder seen in advanced alcoholism.
Now let's take a look at the emotional problems that can sabotage your recovery and discuss what you can do to overcome them.
Aggression, Sudden Anger, and Violence
Years ago when I was new to this field, I represented our public-sector agency at a meeting with representatives of the local court system to discuss the many cases of verbal and physical abuse among alcoholics, drinking or sober. Several of the social workers present remarked that violence often continued whether or not the alcoholics had been treated or had stopped drinking on their own. The social workers felt that the outbursts were the result of personality traits common to many alcoholics. At the time, I wasn't familiar with the research linking brain chemistry and aggression, particularly the violence brought on by the hypoglycemic episodes experienced by so many alcoholics, regardless of whether or not they are drinking.
I later learned of some anthropological studies done in the 1970's among the Quolla Indians of Central America. Since the sixteenth century, the Quollas have been known for their violence, unpremeditated murder is rather common among them. The anthropologists discovered that Quolla diets were very poor: high in refined sugars and alcohol and short on basic nutrition. Every single one of the tribesmen tested turned out to be hypoglycemic. What's more, the most violent of the Indians had supernormal surges of adrenaline when their glucose levels fell too low.
By now you know enough about hypoglycemia to understand what can happen under these circumstances. By the time the adrenaline is released, the reasoning brain has turned off, leaving the animal brain in charge. At best, this abnormal situation can erupt in verbal anger. At worst, it can bring on physical aggression that can have tragic results. Consider this depressingly familiar scenario: an abusive spouse leaves a favorite bar in a hypoglycemic state brought on by an evening of heavy drinking and arrives home about the time the adrenaline hits the bloodstream. At this point, anyone unfortunate enough to cross his or her path may be subjected to uncontrollable anger expressed as physical abuse. Counseling has little to offer these people. Our prisons are full of such violent hypoglycemics.
If hypoglycemic alcoholics stop drinking but continue to consume large amounts of caffeine and refined sugars, the outbursts of irritability and sudden anger will continue. These symptoms will disappear only when brain glucose levels stabilize. For me, one of the most gratifying results of the HRC repair program is the immense relief clients report when their anger disappears.
Some other enlightening findings on the chemistry of violence and anger come from a 1982 study of two groups of murderers. The first group had committed unprovoked murders; their aggression was deemed spontaneous. The second group was labeled paranoid and had killed only after much premeditation. An analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid of both groups revealed that levels of a serotonin metabolite hydroxyindoleactic acid or 5HIAA) were significantly lower among the unprovoked, spontaneous murderers than either the paranoid group or a group of normal noncriminal controls.
Since serotonin is derived from tryptophan, we can conclude that calm, nonviolent brain chemistry requires an adequate intake of tryptophan plus vitamins B3 and B6, the nutrients needed to promote conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.
Another brain chemical with calming properties is gamma-Aminobutyric acid, better known as GABA. You may be interested to know that tranquilizers like Valium and Ativan owe their soothing effects to the fact that they stimulate GABA receptors in the brain. You can get the same effect with our formula called Alpha Waves, designed and manufactured for our clients (Table 20, Seven Weeks to Sobriety). Six capsules per day provides 1,000 milligrams of GABA. This calming formula also contains:
Glycine, an amino acid that can reduce aggression when combined with the vitamin inositol. Glycine strengthens the calming of alpha brain waves and reduces excitatory beta waves
Taurine, another amino acid, which helps regulate the excitable tissues of the central nervous system
Herbal passion flower extract, a formulation that also has a calming influence on the brain
Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Calcium
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Magnesium
Inositol, which regulates the calming action of serotonin within nerve cells
An insider's tip: At HRC, counselors have been known to take three or four capsules at one time to stop, quickly and effectively, the tension they are feeling. This dose is harmless, but it should not be considered "customary" usage.
Short Attention Span / Poor Concentration
Many alcoholics trace their difficulties with concentration back to childhood. These people also tend to be fidgety, easily distracted, impulsive, and clumsy. Some say they became addicted to marijuana because it calms them. If this is your problem, you may have an undiscovered food allergy. There is also the possibility that the toxic effects on the brain of the many additives, chemicals, and dyes in our foods may be to blame.
A number of studies have linked hyperactivity and other childhood problems to food additives. There is also some persuasive circumstantial evidence to support this connection. In Europe, where less than twenty food additives are approved for use, hyperactivity among children is comparatively rare, affecting only one child in two thousand, as compared to one in four in the United States, where more than four thousand food additives are in use.
Studies in Germany have shown that many children are highly sensitive to the phosphate (the bubbles) in soda pop. Researchers have found that phosphates can induce aggression and violence and may underlie handwriting changes and even dyslexia.
Doctors once believed that children outgrow hyperactivity in adolescence, but we now know that there is no magic age at which symptoms disappear. Many adults exhibit telltale signs of hyperactivity, including nervous habits such as nail biting and foot jiggling, workaholic habits, unstable emotions, insomnia, restless sleep, irritability, speaking with a louder or more highly pitched voice when stressed, and adult temper tantrums.
Without help, troubled children grow into equally troubled adults. They are sometimes disliked because of their aggressive, defiant personalities.
The root of these problems is often the effect of certain foods and chemicals on the formation of GABA, a calming neurotransmitter in the brain. An enzyme known as GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) is essential to normal GABA formation. We now know that GAD can be blocked or inhibited by a number of substances or conditions, including:
Food additives (artificial dyes)
Salicylates, natural chemicals abundant in almonds, apples, apricots, berries, cherries, grapes, nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums, prunes, and raisins
A low-protein diet
Estrogens
Oxidation
Vitamin B6 deficiency
Many of our clients have overcome hyperactivity irritability, and poor concentration by taking GABA supplements. (We recommend that they also avoid chlorinated water, refined sugars, dyes, food additives, salicylates, and all foods and drugs containing caffeine or nicotine.)
The amino acids glycine and taurine aid in this repair process by reducing the intensity of the brain's beta waves (which promote alertness, cognitive thinking, and excitability) and by enhancing calming alpha waves.
Tryptophan helps boost the availability of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin.
The antioxidant complex helps protect you from the effects of environmental pollution (automobile exhaust, formaldehydes, cigarette smoke) as well as food dyes, additives, and chemicals that can trigger reactions in susceptible individuals.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has also proven useful. Some compelling scientific evidence links a lack of essential fatty acids to hyperactivity. An English study of ten thousand hyperactive youngsters detected consistent abnormalities in essential fatty acid availability. The findings were challenged by two groups of New Zealand psychiatrists; they tested hyperactive children themselves and came up with the same results: Inadequate availability of omega-6 essential fatty acids.
Further evidence comes from Paul Wender, M.D., a Salt Lake City epidemiologist who correlated childhood hyperactivity with a higher than normal risk of alcoholism later in life. The underlying chemistry here is a bit tricky to follow: A lack of essential fatty acids is one of several factors that cause defects in a component of the immune system, the T suppressor lymphocytes. When these T suppressors fail to function properly, allergic reactions develop. Among these reactions is the classic allergic/addicted response to the grains in alcohol. Replacing omega-6 essential fatty acid will help improve T suppressor cell functioning, which in turn enhances control over allergic reactions.
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome stems from causes similar to those of beriberi, depletion of the body's stores of thiamine (vitamin B1) from many years of malnutrition due to alcoholism. Symptoms include anemia, anxiety, depression, and confusion. About 40 percent of those affected also have anemia as a result of folic acid deficiency. At HRC, we treat Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome with weekly injections of thiamine. Clients also take daily doses of thiamine in capsule form (Table 22, Seven Weeks to Sobriety).
Korsakoff's psychosis, a disorder stemming from destruction of nerve fibers connecting brain cells, is a serious neurological/psychiatric disorder seen in advanced alcoholism. It stems from the effects of the acetaldehyde that builds up in the liver and spills over into the bloodstream, where it creates free radicals that cause damage throughout the body. In the brain it can impair cellular communication by injuring the nerve fibers connecting cells. The prescription drug Hydergine stimulates regrowth of these damaged nerve fibers. The most effective form of Hydergine comes in tablets, which can be placed under the tongue for immediate absorption. Ask your doctor about Hydergine if you feel you need help in this area.
Additional information on formula schedules and optimal doses to achieve biochemical restoration/repair can be found in the book Seven Weeks to Sobriety. If you wish to link your site to this information, you may call 1-612-827-7800.
What About Emotions?
With few exceptions, we have concentrated this segment of our website on physical symptoms. But some of the most painful problems recovering alcoholics face are the out-of-control emotions that can undermine their recovery. Coming up we will discuss difficulties of aggression, lack of concentration, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a very serious psychiatric disorder that affects longtime alcoholics. You will also learn more about the nutrients you need to recover and maintain your health.
By now, those who have been on the repair program for alcoholism should be feeling the positive effects of your efforts. You are feeling better and have weaned your body away from alcohol; the addictive bond has been broken. Or has it? You may be physically free of your addiction to alcohol but still emotionally vulnerable to its grasp.
We discussed the physical basis for some of the emotional problems common among alcoholics. You won't be surprised to learn that a number of other emotional problems are caused by alcohol's depletion of natural brain chemicals needed for stable emotions and good mental health. The following information will discuss aggression and irritability, short attention span / poor concentration, and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, a serious psychiatric disorder seen in advanced alcoholism.
Now let's take a look at the emotional problems that can sabotage your recovery and discuss what you can do to overcome them.
Aggression, Sudden Anger, and Violence
Years ago when I was new to this field, I represented our public-sector agency at a meeting with representatives of the local court system to discuss the many cases of verbal and physical abuse among alcoholics, drinking or sober. Several of the social workers present remarked that violence often continued whether or not the alcoholics had been treated or had stopped drinking on their own. The social workers felt that the outbursts were the result of personality traits common to many alcoholics. At the time, I wasn't familiar with the research linking brain chemistry and aggression, particularly the violence brought on by the hypoglycemic episodes experienced by so many alcoholics, regardless of whether or not they are drinking.
I later learned of some anthropological studies done in the 1970's among the Quolla Indians of Central America. Since the sixteenth century, the Quollas have been known for their violence, unpremeditated murder is rather common among them. The anthropologists discovered that Quolla diets were very poor: high in refined sugars and alcohol and short on basic nutrition. Every single one of the tribesmen tested turned out to be hypoglycemic. What's more, the most violent of the Indians had supernormal surges of adrenaline when their glucose levels fell too low.
By now you know enough about hypoglycemia to understand what can happen under these circumstances. By the time the adrenaline is released, the reasoning brain has turned off, leaving the animal brain in charge. At best, this abnormal situation can erupt in verbal anger. At worst, it can bring on physical aggression that can have tragic results. Consider this depressingly familiar scenario: an abusive spouse leaves a favorite bar in a hypoglycemic state brought on by an evening of heavy drinking and arrives home about the time the adrenaline hits the bloodstream. At this point, anyone unfortunate enough to cross his or her path may be subjected to uncontrollable anger expressed as physical abuse. Counseling has little to offer these people. Our prisons are full of such violent hypoglycemics.
If hypoglycemic alcoholics stop drinking but continue to consume large amounts of caffeine and refined sugars, the outbursts of irritability and sudden anger will continue. These symptoms will disappear only when brain glucose levels stabilize. For me, one of the most gratifying results of the HRC repair program is the immense relief clients report when their anger disappears.
Some other enlightening findings on the chemistry of violence and anger come from a 1982 study of two groups of murderers. The first group had committed unprovoked murders; their aggression was deemed spontaneous. The second group was labeled paranoid and had killed only after much premeditation. An analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid of both groups revealed that levels of a serotonin metabolite hydroxyindoleactic acid or 5HIAA) were significantly lower among the unprovoked, spontaneous murderers than either the paranoid group or a group of normal noncriminal controls.
Since serotonin is derived from tryptophan, we can conclude that calm, nonviolent brain chemistry requires an adequate intake of tryptophan plus vitamins B3 and B6, the nutrients needed to promote conversion of tryptophan to serotonin.
Another brain chemical with calming properties is gamma-Aminobutyric acid, better known as GABA. You may be interested to know that tranquilizers like Valium and Ativan owe their soothing effects to the fact that they stimulate GABA receptors in the brain. You can get the same effect with our formula called Alpha Waves, designed and manufactured for our clients (Table 20, Seven Weeks to Sobriety). Six capsules per day provides 1,000 milligrams of GABA. This calming formula also contains:
Glycine, an amino acid that can reduce aggression when combined with the vitamin inositol. Glycine strengthens the calming of alpha brain waves and reduces excitatory beta waves
Taurine, another amino acid, which helps regulate the excitable tissues of the central nervous system
Herbal passion flower extract, a formulation that also has a calming influence on the brain
Vitamin C
Niacinamide
Calcium
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Magnesium
Inositol, which regulates the calming action of serotonin within nerve cells
An insider's tip: At HRC, counselors have been known to take three or four capsules at one time to stop, quickly and effectively, the tension they are feeling. This dose is harmless, but it should not be considered "customary" usage.
Short Attention Span / Poor Concentration
Many alcoholics trace their difficulties with concentration back to childhood. These people also tend to be fidgety, easily distracted, impulsive, and clumsy. Some say they became addicted to marijuana because it calms them. If this is your problem, you may have an undiscovered food allergy. There is also the possibility that the toxic effects on the brain of the many additives, chemicals, and dyes in our foods may be to blame.
A number of studies have linked hyperactivity and other childhood problems to food additives. There is also some persuasive circumstantial evidence to support this connection. In Europe, where less than twenty food additives are approved for use, hyperactivity among children is comparatively rare, affecting only one child in two thousand, as compared to one in four in the United States, where more than four thousand food additives are in use.
Studies in Germany have shown that many children are highly sensitive to the phosphate (the bubbles) in soda pop. Researchers have found that phosphates can induce aggression and violence and may underlie handwriting changes and even dyslexia.
Doctors once believed that children outgrow hyperactivity in adolescence, but we now know that there is no magic age at which symptoms disappear. Many adults exhibit telltale signs of hyperactivity, including nervous habits such as nail biting and foot jiggling, workaholic habits, unstable emotions, insomnia, restless sleep, irritability, speaking with a louder or more highly pitched voice when stressed, and adult temper tantrums.
Without help, troubled children grow into equally troubled adults. They are sometimes disliked because of their aggressive, defiant personalities.
The root of these problems is often the effect of certain foods and chemicals on the formation of GABA, a calming neurotransmitter in the brain. An enzyme known as GAD (glutamic acid decarboxylase) is essential to normal GABA formation. We now know that GAD can be blocked or inhibited by a number of substances or conditions, including:
Food additives (artificial dyes)
Salicylates, natural chemicals abundant in almonds, apples, apricots, berries, cherries, grapes, nectarines, oranges, peaches, plums, prunes, and raisins
A low-protein diet
Estrogens
Oxidation
Vitamin B6 deficiency
Many of our clients have overcome hyperactivity irritability, and poor concentration by taking GABA supplements. (We recommend that they also avoid chlorinated water, refined sugars, dyes, food additives, salicylates, and all foods and drugs containing caffeine or nicotine.)
The amino acids glycine and taurine aid in this repair process by reducing the intensity of the brain's beta waves (which promote alertness, cognitive thinking, and excitability) and by enhancing calming alpha waves.
Tryptophan helps boost the availability of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin.
The antioxidant complex helps protect you from the effects of environmental pollution (automobile exhaust, formaldehydes, cigarette smoke) as well as food dyes, additives, and chemicals that can trigger reactions in susceptible individuals.
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) has also proven useful. Some compelling scientific evidence links a lack of essential fatty acids to hyperactivity. An English study of ten thousand hyperactive youngsters detected consistent abnormalities in essential fatty acid availability. The findings were challenged by two groups of New Zealand psychiatrists; they tested hyperactive children themselves and came up with the same results: Inadequate availability of omega-6 essential fatty acids.
Further evidence comes from Paul Wender, M.D., a Salt Lake City epidemiologist who correlated childhood hyperactivity with a higher than normal risk of alcoholism later in life. The underlying chemistry here is a bit tricky to follow: A lack of essential fatty acids is one of several factors that cause defects in a component of the immune system, the T suppressor lymphocytes. When these T suppressors fail to function properly, allergic reactions develop. Among these reactions is the classic allergic/addicted response to the grains in alcohol. Replacing omega-6 essential fatty acid will help improve T suppressor cell functioning, which in turn enhances control over allergic reactions.
Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome stems from causes similar to those of beriberi, depletion of the body's stores of thiamine (vitamin B1) from many years of malnutrition due to alcoholism. Symptoms include anemia, anxiety, depression, and confusion. About 40 percent of those affected also have anemia as a result of folic acid deficiency. At HRC, we treat Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome with weekly injections of thiamine. Clients also take daily doses of thiamine in capsule form (Table 22, Seven Weeks to Sobriety).
Korsakoff's psychosis, a disorder stemming from destruction of nerve fibers connecting brain cells, is a serious neurological/psychiatric disorder seen in advanced alcoholism. It stems from the effects of the acetaldehyde that builds up in the liver and spills over into the bloodstream, where it creates free radicals that cause damage throughout the body. In the brain it can impair cellular communication by injuring the nerve fibers connecting cells. The prescription drug Hydergine stimulates regrowth of these damaged nerve fibers. The most effective form of Hydergine comes in tablets, which can be placed under the tongue for immediate absorption. Ask your doctor about Hydergine if you feel you need help in this area.
Additional information on formula schedules and optimal doses to achieve biochemical restoration/repair can be found in the book Seven Weeks to Sobriety. If you wish to link your site to this information, you may call 1-612-827-7800.