Herbal Approaches to Alcohol Dependence: Evidence and Risks

Effective treatment facilities offer wellness-focused interventions that support you as a person instead of focusing only on the condition being treated. Clinicians in substance abuse treatment centers are trained to consider proper nutrition during the recovery process. During home detox, a person may not have the energy or capacity to focus on every level of their care.

• When dealing with alcohol addiction, cutting out alcohol can be intimidating.
• This causes you to feel hangover symptoms shortly after drinking.
• The new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) includes cravings as part of the diagnostic criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD).
• When you experience an alcohol craving, it can be helpful to distract yourself until it passes.
• Please seek professional care if you believe you may have a condition.
• Dairy products in general are good sources of calcium, vitamin D, and other vitamins and minerals that you’ll need to replenish to stay healthy and fight cravings.

Consider tracking and analyzing your urges to drink for a couple of weeks. This will help you become more aware of when and how you experience urges, what triggers them, and ways to avoid or control them. With alcohol in particular, people often develop addictive habits over long periods of time. It starts with a few drinks here and there, and eventually scales to more serious proportions when control is lost. As a result, people often face liver failure and a number of other conditions that are hard to fix.

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Forming or breaking a habit can take just over two months, but harmful habits can be replaced with healthier habits. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habits, suggests that forming a new habit involves making it obvious, attractive, easy and satisfying. Habits that replace alcohol can be easy to substitute, such as replacing a bedtime glass of wine with a cup of calming tea. Ideal replacement habits vary for everyone, but they should be rewarding and distract from the bad habit you’re trying to replace. Specifically, ibogaine acts on the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for associating cravings with pleasure and elevated mood states.

For those trying to stop their consumption of alcohol, one of the hardest parts is staying non alcoholic once you have made the decision to quit liquor. Herbal remedies are safe, non toxic ways of reducing your alcohol cravings. Signs of liver damage herbs to curb alcohol cravings from alcohol include fatigue, swelling or pain in the upper right abdomen, nausea or vomiting, loss of appetite, and yellowing of the eyes and fingernails. Supplements like milk thistle have been shown to protect the liver from alcohol damage.

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It also showed that those who took kudzu didn’t drink as quickly as others. This leguminous plant may be used as a natural remedy to help decrease your alcohol consumption. If you feel comfortable doing so, discuss your challenges with your primary healthcare professional. Finding a therapist can also be a great starting point if you’re uncomfortable opening up to your healthcare professional. It’s common to have a difficult time when making big changes, but good self-care practices can help you manage overwhelming feelings and take care of your mind and body. Research shows that most people believe that drinking can make them feel better.

One of the advantages of medical detox is a healthy and regular diet. Distracting withdrawal symptoms may make it challenging to focus on proper nutrition during a home detox. People with alcohol use disorder are more likely to have nutrition deficits, especially B vitamins like thiamin. Eating right will drastically improve the chances of successful alcohol detox. If you or someone you know is thinking about quitting alcohol, please seek professional help.

Why You Get Cravings When You Quit Drinking

However, when alcohol makes up part of your typical routine, drinking can become something of an automatic response, especially when you feel stressed or overwhelmed. To stop drinking alcohol, you first need to understand your relationship with drinking. From there, you may need social support, consistent self-care, and new routines that can help redirect your mind. Ashwagondha (Withania somnifera) is an important herb in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Anecdotal reports and findings of animal studies suggest that Ashwagondha lessens the severity of withdrawal from morphine. Therapy with a trained mental health professional — particularly one who specializes in substance use and recovery — can be another great way to explore long-term changes in alcohol use.

Pomelos are rich in vitamin C & potassium among other nutrients & antioxidants. They improve digestion & heart health, boost immunity, slow aging, and aid in weight loss. Peppermint tea is a delicious beverage that relieves headaches, inflamed sinus, and stomach problems. Ginger also helps boost bone health, strengthen the immune system, and increase appetite. This spicy root is also good for mitigating obesity and relief from menstrual pain. Yes, alcohol is a depressant; but not in the sense that it can ‘depress you’ or make you feel sad (although a hangover is very likely to produce such an effect).

Home remedies often attempt to address the detox stage of alcoholism treatment, but fail to address treatment for addiction in a long-term fashion. Dandelion is a herb which is very good for detoxifying the body and lessening the severity of alcohol withdrawal. The roots of this herb have been found to reduce the desire to consume alcohol. An added advantage is that the chemical constituents present in the root stimulate bile production. Alcohol cravings must be overcome if you want to give up alcohol.