I'd be very interested in hearing how people supplement for their well being in general, and especially to combat some of the negative effects of alcohol.

I've long taken a daily multivitamin, and extra Vitamin B Complex (strong) and Thiamine during periods of more excessive drinking, as I believe alcohol destroys these especially, as does smoking (another one of my lovely habits!) I've also taken Omega 3 fish oil caps (1000mg) daily for heart and brain protection.

Recently during my very low patch when writing on here, soulbythesea very kindly recommended a book by Patrick Holford, a specialist in nutrition-based methods of dealing with a variety of addictions. I've ordered his book How to Quit Without Feeling S**t: The fast, highly effective way to end addiction to caffeine, sugar, cigarettes, alcohol, illicit or prescription drugs and am eagerly waiting delivery - another member on here started reading it recently and seemed to be very impressed.

I'm following TSM for my alcohol addiction, but have also recently become dependent on benzos, which I hope to start tapering as soon as possible. Though I haven't got the book yet I've already begun supplementing with some of those recommended on the accompanying website http://www.how2quit.co.uk/content.asp?id_Content=2380.

As well as taking a second Omega 3 supplement daily I'm now taking :

Taurine (recommended for helping the brain to make GABA, and to relieve anxiety and tension) 2 x 500mg a day. I may increase this, up to the dose recommended on the website/in the book.

Glutamine (a GABA precursor) 1 x 500mg a day

5-HTP (a naturally occurring amino acid; a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin) 50mg x 2 daily. Meant to be a natural antidepressant and to aid sleep as well as reduce anxiety.

There are also other parts of the protocol I have yet to add in. Milk Thistle's recommended for liver support, and there are others such as Magnesium which I haven't yet begun, and Glycine (another calming amino acid and neurotransmitter) for panic attacks.

I have been on this regimen for about a week, and although it's coincided with an unrelated large spike in my drinking, I definitely feel calmer and happier at times. I can't wait to receive the book and be able to research all this in more detail.

Anyway, I just wanted to draw attention to this approach, though I know quite a few members here already know about aspects of this kind of method. I'd also be glad if this thread be used as a general discussion area for supplementation and nutritional support.

8

Hi 8 - I have been taking an amino acid mix - those you take, plus the B's, some minerals, a multi, C's and the omega 3-6-9 mixture. Funny your post should pop up because I've just decided to quit taking them. I noticed an absence of cravings for 2 days when I first started taking this stuff - but that was pure placebo. Third day I was back with cravings again. But in my case I have lots of nausea when I take the full dose recommended. And I don't think taking a low dose will help enough - and they are very expensive.

I got a book from the library by Dr. Charles Gant (can't remember the title, but google him and it comes up) It was all about filling the receptor sites in the brain with seratonin etc. so the alcohol won't have anywhere to go....or something like that. Not the same as TSM. There are videos too which will come up on google as there are clinics that give this therapy by IV. I think there are some here that have had some experience with this treatment.

I just can't take any more pills!! I jump on these things but they don't make me feel very good and are not strong enough. So I'm going to put all mine away maybe to try in 6 months when I'm a "SUCCESS" Story!! I also have to take antihistamine for allergies, and estrogen and progestrone - that's enough!!! Oh, and I have also been taking St. John's Wort for depression. I noticed I felt better right away but again not really strong enough. The side effects of the anti-depressants I took last year were not worth it so I quit. (Cipralex and Trazadone (sp?) Good luck tho

Back when I supped with Omega 3's I actually made them a part of my diet and nutrition not just a supplement. I put 14g in a shake that I drank 3 times a day, which equates to 378 calories a day coming strictly from omega 3 fatty acids. On top of that I also ate a lot of cold water fish with more omega 3's.

I can't attribute it to the Omega 3's alone, but I felt amazing. That sounds like a lot of calories but after 70 days on that protocol I went from 21% body fat to sub 8% body fat, which in and of itself is a shocking rate of fat loss. But the icing on the cake is that in those 70 days I also gained a few pounds of muscle. Losing fat and building muscle simultaneously is something that most nutrition experts and fitness instructors don't even believe is possible.

So I'll tout the omega 3's for sure, but I wouldn't take pills because they are expensive. See if you can get a bottle of flax oil where you're at. A health foods store would be your best bet.

I'd also recommend exercise as probably the single best supplement you could add to your arsenal. (IMO)

Thanks very much for your post BGH! I think I'd read your posts before about using amino acids. You used them for alcohol withdrawal, didn't you? I'm 100% committed to TSM for that as I believe it will cure me for life, but I am desperate to get off the benzos and there is no alternative to a slow taper for that, and a lot of these supplements give me hope that they will make that easier.

Did you try the 5-HTP for depression? I got good results from St Johns Wort in the past for depression, but had thought that it should never be taken with alcohol?

Amazing results from the Omega oils Lo0p! Out of interest, why did you stop that regimen?

And absolutely agreed that exercise is one of the most important things to focus on, and something I know I have to increase. But, I can't really see that it'll do quite enough alone while trying to taper from benzos, so I'll be sticking with the amino acids for sure.

They don't have to be that expensive, really. I shopped around, and even doing so locally what I'm taking costs far less every day than what I spend on just a couple of drinks.

I take two handful of vitamins a day and now with the swine flu looming over us I take 1000IU of vitamin D a day as well. We also drink 100% unsweetened cranberry juice mixed with water and stevia (sweetener from plants), it's a liver cleanser that really works and has been around for a long time. You don't drink it everyday only one day during the week. We also try to eat organic as much as possible and lots of fish!

BGH are you taking organic vitamins or vitamins bought at a local drug store? Organic vitamins can be taken on an empty stomach with no side effects and drug store bought are full of fillers that give you nausea.

Hey Corkit - please give me the recipe for the liver cranberry drink. I've got some in the fridge now and want to use it up. What's the ratio with water? thanks.

you put in a quarter of the cranberry juice to the to the amount of water and use a sweetener for taste. Is it 100% unsweetened cranberry juice ? that's very important.

In short, because I was done. There wasn't an ounce of visible fat left on my body and I looked like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Then AL came slowly creeping back in....

I'm going to start it again as soon as the AF days come.

while I was searching around for a substitute for wine I tried unsweetened cranberry juice - I thought it would kinda look like wine, and with a bit of sweetener in it would be ok - man when they say unsweetened they really mean it! Needless to say this particular substitution lasted one glass

I've also tried non-alcohol wine - yuuukkkkkk!!!!!!!

(sorry sort of off topic..)