Addiction-Free Naturally

On Your Own Terms

Overcoming Addictions with Natural Therapies

This is it. You’ve made up your mind. You’re going to kick this damned addiction once and for all. You may have tried to quit before but failed. If so, you’re in good company. According to the American Addiction Centers, 70 to 80 percent of addicts who enroll in rehab programs drop out after three to six months. Among smokers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports, although more than 55 percent say that they want to quit smoking, only 7 percent are successful. So quitting is hard! But never mind that; now I’m going to help you quit for good. How will I do it, you ask? Naturally, I respond—mindfully, conscientiously, safely, positively, spiritually, emotionally, determinedly, bravely, and with all the forces of nature helping you.

There’s no doubt about it, kicking an addiction is hard work. It takes willpower, determination, and a whole lotta little pep talks for yourself. But to be successful, most people must do more than simply quit cold turkey. To safely shepherd themselves through the withdrawal period, they must nourish their bodies, ease their anxieties, calm their minds, strengthen their resolve, uplift their spirits, soothe their frazzled nerves, and, above all, remind themselves over and over again of the absolutely compelling and passionate love they have for a healthy, addiction-free life. The natural therapies suggested in this chapter can help. They focus not only on helping you recover from a physical addiction but on rebuilding a healthy and balanced body, mind, and soul.

Natural Therapies for Overcoming Addictions

Therapy and counseling	Herbs
Support groups	Homeopathy
Prayer	Massage and bodywork
Positive affirmations	Acupuncture and acupressure
Visualization	Emotional freedom technique (EFT)
Journaling	Aromatherapy
Art therapy	Flower essences
Breathwork	Light therapy
Exercise	Color therapy
Nutrition	Gem and crystal therapy
Vitamins and other supplements	Psychedelic therapy

Before quitting, really get to know the mechanics of your addiction. Watch yourself in the mirror as you engage in your addiction: smoking, drinking, eating, or so on. Look yourself in the eyes. Be present with the experience. Pay attention to the details of your indulgence. Connect with who you are and what you’re doing.

I recently spoke with a woman who told me she ate five doughnuts a day. She usually did this while running up and down the stairs at work, going to get the mail, and moving around her office. I suggested that the next day she eat one doughnut, very slowly. Sit down. Do nothing else. Close her eyes. Feel the fat on her tongue. Savor the cheap flavorings in her mouth. Don’t read or work; just be with the doughnut. Chew every bite fifty times. Experience mindfulness and presentness as she engaged in addictive behavior. To her surprise, she found the experience distasteful. She didn’t want to eat more doughnuts!

THERAPY AND COUNSELING

Simply avoiding the substance you’re addicted to is not the entire extent of kicking an addiction. For many people, success lies in understanding why they’ve come to have an addiction. Good counseling or therapy can help you get to the deeper roots of the problem and can be of great help during the transition period.

Sometimes a habit gets worse before it improves—perhaps because becoming more aware of it reminds you of doing it. Perhaps the stress of trying to give it up actually makes you need it more. Just persevere. It’s only temporary. Keep trying.

Counselors can help you answer questions such as, “Why do I feel unable to resist this addiction? Is there anything I can do to overcome this feeling of powerlessness?” They can help you reach a state in which you can affirm to yourself, “I’m not going to let any issues from the past ruin my future.” They can allow you to gain and maintain a sense of personal power over the circumstances of your addiction, helping you acknowledge the issues surrounding your addiction and find ways of dealing with them. A good counselor can be your best friend both in making the decision to kick your addiction and in staying addiction-free.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson, a stockbroker, and Bob Smith, a physician, both alcoholics who helped each other get sober and who brought their message to others. AA has become a tremendously powerful and successful support group that has helped millions of alcoholics all around the world give up drinking and recover healthy, positive lives. AA created the mold for many of the addiction-related support groups that exist today.

Support groups offer the soul-warming support and guidance of others who have been there. Many people feel more comfortable talking to others who are in the same situation as them, who face the same challenges and suffer from the same pain, and support groups offer this open, empathetic atmosphere. They can help you talk through emotional tangles related to your addiction, and they can even give you someone to call during difficult times who can help you stay focused on being addiction-free.

I highly recommend that people struggling to give up an addiction join a support group. You should be able to find a group that meets in your location, or online, with just a quick internet search.

THE POWER OF PRAYER

Prayer is a powerful tool. It’s good for the body, mind, and spirit, and it’s free. So let go and let God/dess help you. You have a direct line to that higher, greater-than-ourselves power. Use it. Ask for divine help. It is available.

If you don’t have any particular religious beliefs and are uncomfortable praying to a higher power, you can use a meditative type of prayer. Simply sit quietly and clear your mind of thoughts. Feel warmth and nourishment being received from the center of the Youniverse. Join with this holy energy, asking for help in being free of addiction.

Researchers at Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of the brain, promoting plasticity in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and well-being (Cromie, “Meditation Found to Increase Brain Size”).

Prayer gets easier with practice. It can even become a ritual that you practice during many everyday activities, such as walking, bathing, and simply being.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS

Addiction eats away at our sense of self-worth, and restoring that sense of self-worth is vital to recovery. So long as we see ourselves as stuck and addicted, we will be. If we see ourselves as wonderful, healthy, love-worthy beings, we have no need for addictions.

Affirmations are prepared positive thoughts that you repeat to yourself, out loud, over and over again. If you say something often enough, eventually your mind begins to believe it. By repeating a positive affirmation, you reprogram your thought patterns in a positive direction. When you convince your mind that you are a person for whom addiction holds no attraction, it begins to become true. Many studies—and millions of people—have proven the efficacy of positive affirmations.

Say your affirmations upon rising in the morning, during quiet periods of the day, and before drifting off to sleep. Affirmations work even better if you say them standing in front of a mirror, making eye contact with yourself, repeating the words forcefully, as if you are trying to convince this person before you.

The late great Louise Hay, author of Heal Your Body, said that addictions are “running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love the self.” Affirmations you might choose to reverse these feelings include:

I now discover how wonderful I am. I choose to love and enjoy myself.
I live in the now. Each moment is new. I choose to see my self-worth. I love and approve of myself.

Whenever faced with temptation, you can repeat affirmations such as:

I am strong. I am getting better. I am able to resist.
I release the need to indulge in _______________ (coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, et cetera).

VISUALIZATION

Visualization is another method of reprogramming your mind. In a quiet, almost meditative state, visualize yourself as the addiction-free person you want to be, or visualize different symbolic methods of letting go of your addiction.

For example, imagine that you are holding on to a balloon string; at the base of the balloon is a basket. Into that basket, put all the negative things in your life—your addiction, feelings of being unloved or unworthy, guilt, and so on. Lift your hand and visualize letting go of the balloon.

Or visualize yourself getting through those moments or emotions in which you’re most likely to indulge in your addiction with grace, humor, and goodwill—and without the crutch of your addiction.

In moments of stress, you can practice visualization to help you relax. For example, visualize a clear bubble surrounding you that expands as you inhale and contracts as you exhale. Imagine the most beautiful place possible—a beach, forest, cottage, or whatever best comforts and calms you. Create as much detail as possible. Then bring this safe place inside your bubble. The more you practice this visualization, the easier it will become, and in time you’ll be able to call it up in an instant, whenever you start to feel stressed or anxious.

Preparing for Visualization

Find a comfortable, quiet location. Lie down or sit in a comfortable position. If it’s cold, cover up with a blanket. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Focus on the in and out of your breath. Feel your lungs expand and contract, the breath moving in your nostrils, and the coolness of air passing through your throat. Try to let go of any other thoughts. Tell yourself that you’re taking a time-out. In ten minutes—or five, or twenty, or for however long you practice visualization—you will return to these thoughts, but for just these few precious minutes you’re putting them aside. When you feel relaxed, begin the visualization.

There are many possible forms of visualization. If you can’t find one that works for you, sample some of the guided visualizations that are available online. You can also record your own visualization session and play it back to yourself. Or find a therapist who works with guided visualization, and work together with him or her on building one that’s right for you.

Ayurvedic medicine combines chakra consciousness with color for a powerful healing visualization (see facing illustration). Chakras are the seven energy centers in the body that correspond to states of consciousness and physical health. When a chakra becomes blocked, proper functioning in that area is affected. For example, a person with a chakra blockage in the solar plexus may have difficulty assimilating food, bloating or gas, or stomach pain. Sending healing energy and acknowledgment to each chakra can help clear such blockages.

The chakras each correspond to a particular color. If you visualize sending the appropriate healing color to a chakra, you activate it, clearing blockages and revitalizing its energy. Close your eyes and mentally feel out each chakra. Then begin visualizing each chakra surrounded by and suffused with its corresponding color. Keep up each chakra visualization for about a minute, then move on to the next.

JOURNALING TO OVERCOME ADDICTION

Overcoming addiction can be an experience of really getting to know your inner self. Creativity is an excellent means of acknowledging and expressing inner emotions, and journal writing is a great place to begin. Buy yourself a journal and allow this to become a place where you can bare your soul in private. Write private poetry about your struggle with addiction. Explore your feelings without judgment or criticism.

Try writing to your habit with your right hand, describing how it affects you. Then, with your left hand, have your addiction “write back to you.” What does it want from you? Why is it with you?

Good questions to ponder in your writings include:

How does this addiction serve me?
Does this addiction keep me from having to deal with certain issues?
What does addiction keep me from doing? Getting a job? Having a relationship? Being social, sexual, or physical?
What was going on in my life in the year or two prior to the addiction?
What do I want my life to look like a year from now? Five years from now? Ten years from now? What do I need to do to get there?
What can I learn from this experience?
If I persist in this habit, what are the three worst possible consequences?
If I give up this habit, what can I gain?
Why can’t I just let go of this addiction?
How would I live life if no more _________ (cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, et cetera) existed?

A journal can become a tracking system for your addiction, allowing you to pinpoint the emotions and situations that trigger it. In your journal, note how you feel both before and after you indulge in your addiction. Write down the time of day for each incident, what was going on around you, what you were thinking about, and how you felt. Notice when you are most at risk and what triggers the habit—the clues, buzzwords, and emotions. If you can identify these triggers, you can learn to avoid or overcome them.

ART THERAPY

“Art is toxic discharge,” said a wise teacher of mine, Michael Tierra. Working with your hands helps improve your self-esteem and gives you a new focus for an addiction-free life. Learn to sketch, paint, draw, knit, crochet, carve, build, weld, make jewelry, macramé, sculpt, or garden. Play an instrument. Write a song. It’s never too late to take lessons or take up a craft or hobby you enjoyed as a kid.

Draw pictures of your addiction. A monkey on your back? A dog biting your butt? A parrot pecking on your head? Putting it on paper helps get it out of your system, or at least gets you to laugh at yourself.

Make a vision board collage of what you want to manifest in your life.

BREATHWORK FOR OVERCOMING ADDICTION

Breathing is the one automatic biological activity that we can completely control. And how we breathe affects our health and consciousness. Generally speaking, deep breathing—pulling the air all the way down into the belly—can both calm and energize us. In times of stress—say, for example, when an addiction craving strikes—breathing exercises can help relax the mind and ease tension. Here are a few deep-breathing techniques that you can experiment with:

Deep relaxation breath. Lie on the floor with a pillow beneath your knees. Place your hands on your stomach, palms down, with your fingers gently laced just above your navel. Breathe in through your nostrils to a count of three, feeling your abdomen push your fingers up toward the ceiling. Exhale to a count of five as your fingers and abdomen move toward the floor. Repeat ten times.
The complete breath. Lie in a quiet place with your arms at your sides, palms down. Close your eyes and slowly inhale through your nostrils, feeling your abdomen expand, then your rib cage, and finally your upper chest. Hold for a few seconds. Breathe out slowly while drawing in your abdomen and relaxing your chest and rib cage. Then inhale again, slowly raising your arms, in synchronization with your breath, above and behind your head until the back of each hand touches the floor. Keep each arm as straight as possible as you stretch. Hold for ten seconds. As you slowly exhale, bring your arms back to your sides. Repeat the entire procedure several times.
Alternate-nostril breathing. This breathwork technique helps bring more air into your lungs and move accumulated pollutants. It’s quite simple and can be practiced anywhere. First breathe in through both nasal passages. Then close one nostril with a finger and exhale through the remaining open passage. Breathe in and out through that open side, keeping the other nostril closed. Repeat on the other side.

Deep, steady breathing can be a surprisingly effective deterrent to addiction. During the day, check in with yourself. Pay attention to your breathing. Make a conscious effort to breathe deep the breath of life.

EXERCISE: THE LEAN, GREEN, OVERCOMING ADDICTION MACHINE

Exercise improves the health of the body, mind, and spirit. Exercise boosts circulation, moves blockages in the body, improves digestion, lifts depression, and relieves anxiety. It also enhances the production of endorphins and enkephalin, which can relieve pain and elevate mood.

There are many different kinds of exercise that are good for both body and soul. Dance helps you “go with the flow.” Put on some of your favorite music—maybe some tunes that remind you of a time when you felt safe and happy—and dance to your heart’s delight. Walking lets you introduce yourself to the neighbors and marvel at flowers and seasonal sensations. Hiking brings you in contact with the healing power of nature. Biking allows you to race like the wind. Kickboxing and martial arts classes help you feel strong and independent. Do whatever it is that you enjoy. The important thing is to get out there and move your body!

Early in your process of recovering from any addiction, choose low-impact exercises such as yoga, tai chi, or simple stretching.

Yoga is an extremely effective form of healing exercise. In a study conducted by the Yoga Biomedical Trust of London, of 219 tobacco smokers who started practicing yoga, 74 percent felt that it helped them in overcoming addiction.

Specific yoga poses for overcoming addiction are those that aid in clearing substances from the liver. Examples include the Locust, the Shoulder Stand, the Plow, and the Fish Pose. I highly recommend that you join a yoga class in your area; ask the instructor to include these poses, or other liver-cleansing poses, in the routines that he or she teaches.

NUTRITION

Keeping your blood sugar at a normal level, correcting nutritional deficiencies, and cleansing the body are the nutritional keys to overcoming addictions. In general, eat a high-fiber diet, which promotes good elimination, and drink plenty of fluids, especially pure water. Choose foods that are as unprocessed, chemical-free, and close to their natural state as possible. Go for nourishing food that tastes good.

Many addictions arise from or are accompanied by a sugar and refined carbohydrate dependency. To keep your blood sugar level steady, eat small, frequent meals. Cut out sugary snacks, which can cause your blood sugar to swing wildly between high and low levels. If you need a sweetener, use a natural one like brown rice syrup, coconut sugar, maple syrup, molasses, dates, honey, or stevia in moderation. Natural sweeteners, which of course should not be overused, contain nourishing trace minerals. Even better, look to winter squashes and sweet potatoes, which are both deliciously sweet and a great source of fiber and vitamins, especially beta-carotene.

Refined carbohydrates are another form of simple sugar that should be eliminated from your diet. They include just about anything made with white flour—bread, pancakes, pasta, crackers, and so on. Instead, eat more whole grains, such as brown rice, buckwheat, millet, barley, and quinoa (technically a seed) to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. Oatmeal is another great whole-grain choice; it’s known to calm the nerves and is used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat opium addiction.

Miso is also good for stabilizing blood sugar levels. When you’re feeling a late-afternoon crash and start craving some sugar, mix a teaspoon of miso with warm water and drink. This pick-me-up broth will quell your craving and bring your blood sugar level back to a normal condition.

To minimize intense addiction cravings, consume small amounts of protein every couple of hours. Good protein sources might include organic, free-range poultry and eggs but also fish, good-quality cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products (if you are not vegan), quinoa, nuts, seeds (like chia, hemp, pumpkin, and sunflower), legumes, tofu, tempeh, spirulina, and even kale. Nuts and seeds, in particular, also contain essential fatty acids, which can reduce withdrawal symptoms, minimize cravings, and help you feel more calm and alert. Black beans, azuki beans, kidney beans, and fermented soy foods are especially tonifying for depleted adrenal glands and kidneys. Fava and lima beans help the body produce dopamine, which can lift depression and enhance feelings of well-being.

Soak chia seeds in water overnight, and in the morning, dress them up with nuts and superfoods like goji berries, blueberries, and walnuts for an energizing breakfast that’s full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin E.

Eat plenty of foods that help the liver cleanse itself, including apples, artichokes, beets, burdock root, carrots, celery, daikon radish, green leafy vegetables (dandelion greens, kale, collards, and watercress), and sweet potatoes.

Make sea vegetables such as dulse, kelp, kombu, nori, and wakame a regular part of your diet. They help nourish the thyroid gland and endocrine system, and they improve metabolism, help maintain normal weight, and provide a multitude of trace minerals.

Foods that are black in color are traditionally used in TCM to strengthen the kidneys, the adrenal glands, and our willpower—a great combination for anyone who’s recovering from substance abuse. So get to know wild rice, black beans, black lentils, black quinoa, black chia, black olives, and black sesame seeds.

Barley grass juice, wheat grass juice, blue-green algae, spirulina, and chlorella are all superfoods and can be important elements of a rebuilding diet. They are highly nutritive, rich in chlorophyll and amino acids, and easy to digest.

Do your best to drink plenty of pure water. Juice made from carrots, beets, celery, string beans, or any dark green leafy vegetable such as spinach, watercress, or wheat grass can also be used to help cleanse the system. Note, however, that fruit and vegetable juices are very high in sugar and lacking in fiber. Dilute them by half with water to avoid overstimulating the pancreas. If you can harvest wild, pesticide-free greens such as dandelion, violet, chickweed, and purslane to include in salads and green juices, you are truly blessed.

An adequate amount of dietary fat helps nourish and lubricate a frazzled nervous system. It also aids in serotonin production, which calms the mind and enhances the feeling of well-being. Olive, flaxseed, and hempseed oils are good sources. Organic, unsweetened yogurt is also very nourishing for the nerves and helps repair the digestive system.

Foods for Overcoming Alcoholism

Kohlrabi and mung bean sprouts aid in detoxification from alcohol. Also try winter melon, a traditional Asian remedy for alcoholism. You may be able to find it in an Asian foods market.

Warming spices such as basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, pepper, and rosemary help improve circulation and digestion. Use them liberally to season and spice your diet.

Create a feeling of security by eating warming soups and stews and lightly cooked vegetables. These warm, pleasant-tasting foods stimulate endorphin production, which helps the body relax and produces a sense of well-being.

Though warm foods should be the dietary emphasis for someone struggling to give up an addiction, small amounts of raw fruits can also be helpful. Fruits are cleansing and supply the body with natural sugars and nutrients. Many fruits can assist you in giving up an addiction:

Apples lubricate the lungs and help relieve intoxication. They’re high in pectin, which binds with toxins such as tobacco smoke and carries them out of the body.
Pears, a close relative of apples, are used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat alcoholism.
Berries are rich in antioxidants and help cleanse the blood and liver.
Figs are also rich in antioxidants and have a cleansing effect.
Bananas aid in detoxification, and their natural sugars help relieve cravings during withdrawal. In traditional Chinese medicine a tea of organic banana peel is recommended to relieve hangovers and alcoholism. Practitioners of folk medicine in Hawaii suggest banana, along with papaya and pineapple, to overcome the desire to consume alcohol and tobacco.

VITAMINS AND OTHER SUPPLEMENTS

It’s imperative to nourish the body and provide it with necessary nutrients to help calm anxiety, lessen cravings, and give support during times of stress.

The B Vitamins

Vitamin B₁ (thiamine) is needed for normal nerve conduction; a deficiency can contribute to feelings of fear and anxiety and loss of appetite. This vitamin is depleted by the use of coffee, alcohol, sugar, and tobacco.
Vitamin B₂ plays an important role in maintaining energy levels. It is often deficient as a result of alcohol consumption.
Vitamin B₃ (niacin) helps regulate blood sugar levels, is needed for adrenal hormone production, and minimizes detoxification reactions. It is commonly deficient as a result of alcohol consumption.
Vitamin B₆ improves energy and assists metabolism.
Vitamin B₁₂ helps prevent nerve damage by helping to maintain the fatty insulation known as the myelin nerve sheath. It is often deficient in smokers and alcoholics as well as strict vegans.
Choline is a member of the B-complex family that helps in breaking down fats in the liver and in maintaining healthy kidneys.
Folic acid helps RNA and DNA production and aids in nervous system health. Deficiency is common in smokers, alcoholics, and those who use barbiturates.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin and mineral supplements are readily available at any grocery store, and they can do wonders for someone struggling to give up an addiction.

Vitamin A is an antioxidant that strengthens resistance to infections and makes mucous membranes less permeable to infection. Take 5,000 to 25,000 international units (IU) once daily. Or take 20,000 to 40,000 milligrams of beta-carotene daily. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body. Dietary sources of this vitamin include dark orange vegetables like winter squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots.
B-complex vitamins are calming and nourishing to the nerves. They can help balance moods, diminish withdrawal symptoms, stabilize fluctuations in energy, and aid in liver regeneration. B-complex vitamins can also reduce neuritis and pellagra, both common in alcohol abuse. Take 25 to 100 milligrams of a B-complex supplement every day. Dietary sources of these vitamins include nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
Vitamin C is one of the most essential nutrients for detoxifying from addictions. It can reduce cravings and helps protect the body against acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that is found in cigarette smoke and is also produced in the body during the metabolism of alcohol. Vitamin C also helps detoxify the liver and blood and nourishes the adrenal glands. The normal dosage is 1,000 milligrams twice daily. During withdrawal, take 1,000 milligrams every two to four hours until any cravings have passed. Buffered vitamin C is easiest on the stomach. Dietary sources of vitamin C include fresh fruit and many raw vegetables.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and thus protects against free-radical damage to the body’s cells. It also can help repair liver damage. Take 200 to 800 international units per day. Dietary sources of vitamin E include nuts and seeds.
Calcium aids in neurotransmitter release and heartbeat regulation. It calms the nervous system and promotes good sleep and rest. Take 800 to 1,500 milligrams daily. Dietary sources of calcium include yogurt, kale, and tahini.
Magnesium helps stabilize blood sugar levels, relieves muscle spasms, relaxes muscles, and improves sleep. It decreases extreme nerve sensitivity and helps calm anxiety and stress. Take 400 to 750 milligrams daily. Dietary sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables.
Potassium is essential for healthy nervous system function. Alcohol, sugar, and coffee all deplete the body of potassium. Take 100 to 300 milligrams daily. Bananas are a good dietary source of potassium.
Zinc ensures proper immune function and promotes healing. It also helps in maintenance of our senses of taste and smell and normalizes appetite. Alcoholics in particular are usually deficient in zinc. Take 30 to 60 milligrams of chelated zinc every day. Dietary sources of zinc include sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
Selenium is an antioxidant that helps prevent free-radical damage, including premature aging. It helps protect the liver from alcoholinduced liver disease as well as against damage from tobacco smoke. Take 200 to 300 micrograms daily. Brazil nuts are a good dietary source of selenium.
Iron helps transport oxygen from the lungs to the body’s tissues. A deficiency in iron can contribute to low energy and anemia. Take 10 to 30 milligrams daily. Dietary sources of iron include green leafy vegetables and beets.
Chromium is an essential nutrient for stabilizing blood sugar levels. It also helps reduce cravings. Take 200 to 1,000 micrograms GTF (glucose tolerance factor) chromium daily. Nutritional yeast is a good dietary source of chromium.

Both calcium and magnesium are helpful in nourishing the nervous system and providing the support it will need when you are giving up an addiction.

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) keep brain and nerve function stable, allowing you to feel generally calmer and more alert and helping you deal with stress. An EFA deficiency can aggravate addictions and their behavioral cohorts: attention deficit disorder, anxiety, and depression. It may be that the opposite is also true; in the 1950s researcher Johanna Budwig suggested that essential fatty acids could treat a wide range of addictive behavior. And it’s been proven that supplementing with EFAs can reduce withdrawal symptoms and minimize cravings. Essential fatty acids are necessary for brain health and structure and the production of neurotransmitters, but they cannot be synthesized by the body; they must be obtained from dietary sources (see Chang 2009).

Hempseed and flaxseed oils are excellent sources of EFAs, and they also help restore normal hormonal function. Take 1 to 3 tablespoons or 2 to 6 capsules (size 00) daily—or learn to use hemp and flax in food.

Evening primrose oil is another good source of EFAs. It also encourages healing of liver damage and can ease the withdrawal from alcohol. Take 1 or 2 capsules (size 00) three times daily.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are another important group of supplements that can help you beat an addiction. They are sometimes available in combinations specially designed to support brain function. Caution: If you have lupus or are taking methadone, consult with your physician before taking amino acid supplements.

DL-phenylalanine is an amino acid that is essential for the formation of several neurotransmitters, including dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. DL-phenylalanine helps reduce physical pain and depression by both stimulating the production of endorphins and inhibiting their breakdown. Consider supplementing with phenylalanine if you find that you are overly emotional, crying easily, sensitive to physical and emotional pain, and craving rewards, drugs, food, or alcohol. Take 500 to 1,500 milligrams daily. Caution: Do not use DL-phenylalanine if you have bipolar disorder, thyroid disease, migraines, hypertension, melanoma, or phenylketonuria (PKU).
Glutathione is a combination of three amino acids: cysteine, glutamate, and glycine. It’s a powerful antioxidant and aids in liver detoxification. Glutathione also enables the liver to break down dangerous compounds and excrete them through the bile. Take 250 to 500 milligrams daily.
5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) elevates natural serotonin levels and can relieve depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and mood swings; improve sleep; and reduce cravings for sweets, drugs, and alcohol. Take 100 milligrams two or three times daily. L-tryptophan is also converted into 5-HTP in the body, which then transforms into serotonin.
L-cysteine aids in detoxification, nourishes the blood, and promotes tissue generation. It protects the brain and liver from damage by alcohol and cigarette consumption and mitigates emphysema in smokers. Take 250 to 500 milligrams daily.
L-glutamine is an amino acid that helps reduce cravings and stabilize blood sugar levels by providing ready glucose fuel to the brain. It contributes to repair of the intestinal lining, thereby improving the health of the gastrointestinal system, and helps detoxify the kidneys and liver. L-glutamine also improves mental alertness and helps in the production of GABA (see here). Take 250 to 1,000 milligrams daily. To stop intense cravings for alcohol, sugar, or other carbohydrates, or when you’re feeling shaky, lightheaded, and/or agitated, open a capsule and let the contents dissolve on your tongue. Caution: L-glutamine should not be used by people with bipolar disorder, as it may increase manic episodes.
Taurine clears toxins from the liver, protects the brain from chemical damage, and stabilizes neural function. It can also help stop tremors associated with withdrawal. Take 250 to 500 milligrams once or twice daily.
Tryptophan is an amino acid that can help ease anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, obsessive or compulsive thoughts and behaviors, seasonal blues, low self-esteem, anger, insomnia, and cravings for carbohydrates, drugs, or alcohol. An average dose is 500 milligrams.
Tyrosine helps the body make dopamine, which is then used to make epinephrine and norepinephrine, which work together to elevate mood, ease anxiety, reduce cravings, improve cognition, improve sleep, and control impulses—and even to boost feelings of happiness. It also regulates chi, cleanses the liver, improves memory, and relieves stress, anxiety, and depression. Tyrosine is especially helpful in beating addictions to chocolate, carbohydrates, caffeine, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and alcohol. Take 100 milligrams daily. Caution: Tyrosine should not be used by people who have bipolar disorder, thyroid disease, migraines, hypertension, melanoma, or phenylketonuria (PKU).

Other Supplements

A variety of other supplements can also be helpful for those struggling to give up an addiction. Most can be found in natural foods stores or supplement shops.