Alternative Medicine or Treatment of Alcoholism

Those who are facing an addiction to alcohol have a very difficult struggle eliminating alcohol from their lives. A variety of treatment options is available for alcoholics to help them with their issues. Alcoholics who have tried many different treatment options and failed can still find help with an alcohol treatment plan that uses alternative medicine approaches.

Acupuncture

The Eastern practice of acupuncture is used in the treatment of alcoholism and drug addiction to restore inner balance and calm. Eastern medicine teaches that alcoholism and drug addiction is a response to an inner fire or turmoil that the alcoholic or drug addict attempts to quell with the use of alcohol or drugs. Acupuncture is used to restore calm so that alcohol is no longer needed.
Acupuncture treatment for alcoholism also extends to relieving the symptoms of withdrawal. In a 1987 study of 80 alcoholic men in Minnesota, the men were treated with acupuncture while a control group was treated with acupuncture in different therapeutic points. Ninety-three percent of the group being treated with alcohol dependence acupuncture was able to complete the program while only 2.5 percent of the control group was able to complete the program. The control group also had more frequent relapses than the treated group in a six-month follow-up to the study.

Dietary Supplements

Dietary supplements are an important part of alcohol withdrawal treatment. There are medical disorders that coincide with alcoholism that are related to malnutrition and impaired absorption of nutrients because of poor diet or changes in the digestive system from excessive alcohol use.
Minerals are often deficient in alcoholics and supplementation with magnesium can improve the experience of withdrawal symptoms. Nutrients such as thiamine and folic acid are also deficient in many alcoholics and should be supplemented during alcohol withdrawal, as well.
A multivitamin that also contains folic acid should be given during alcohol withdrawal to help lessen the symptoms of withdrawal and prevent medical conditions resulting from malnutrition.

Herbs

Calamus is an herb that is used to help alcoholics resist the craving for alcohol. It is used as a tea to treat alcoholism and can also help to increase appetite in alcoholics.
Kudzu also works to reduce cravings for alcohol when used as a tea. Kudzu extract also comes in a capsule form and one or two capsules should be taken twice a day in the treatment of alcoholism.
Passion Flower added to an herbal regimen for alcoholism will reduce anxiety, insomnia and paranoia, which are symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and addiction. Passion flower comes in capsule or tincture.
Quassia helps the alcoholic overcome a loss of appetite. It should be taken cold and it is found as a tincture or the herb can be soaked in cold water, strained and consumed in one-ounce doses three times a day.
These herbs are part of an overall regimen to ease the withdrawal symptoms that occur when stopping alcohol consumption. Medical personnel should monitor alcohol detoxification in all cases. Some alcoholics will require hospitalization while others can be treated on an outpatient basis. Discuss all of the herbal remedies you are using with the doctor while being treated for alcohol addiction.