Discover holistic strategies for overcoming addiction, including diet, supplements, herbal remedies, and lifestyle changes.
A 45-year-old man came to see me as he felt his life had been getting out of control. He had a long history of various addictions — in his teens and 20s to smoking (which he stopped after great effort), then found he was drinking excess alcohol too frequently, which he was trying to manage. In the last few months, he had started using cocaine and was now craving this drug to a point where he felt it was controlling his life.
Addiction is defined as a chronic illness that affects the brain’s reward, motivation and memory functions, whereby the person craves a substance (or a behavioural habit) so intensely that they will ignore other areas of their life. They experience decreased socialisation, ignoring commitments, relationships and risk factors despite potential consequences. They experience physical effects such as withdrawal symptoms, needing increasing doses for the same effect. General signs are lack of control or the inability to stay away from a substance While a healthy person can usually identify the problem and stop doing it, someone with an addiction loses this insight, and instead fi nds ways to justify and, therefore, continue the behaviour.
This man recognised he had a problem — the first major step – and was desperate to manage it. But was finding this too difficult without help. Recognising the problem indicates that, with time and effort, there is a good chance of overcoming it (research says up to 90 per cent). There are two major areas to consider – the internal recognition of a problem and seeking counselling support for behavioural change.
The dietary recommendations centered around an organic wholefood diet (to reduce further chemical intake), with regular amounts of adequate proteins such as fish, lamb, grass-fed beef, organic chicken and biodynamic eggs. As neurotransmitters are largely made from the amino acids (protein – plus various specific nutrients as cofactors), these are important components of the diet. He wasn’t interested in vegan diets (and he was type O blood), so this wasn’t a problem for him. Along with these foods, focus was on the components that support the specific neurotransmitters involved in addiction (dopamine, glutamine, GABA and serotonin). These are foods containing tyrosine (support dopamine) including bananas, almonds, sunfl ower seeds and soybeans (along with the animal proteins).
Foods rich in L-glutamine (help reduce sugar cravings) such as dark green leafy vegetables — kale, spinach, parsley, red cabbage, brassicas (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage), beets and papaya were recommended in substantial servings (with the proteins), as well as prebiotic foods such as onions, garlic and asparagus to improve gut microbiome balance.
Foods that boost levels of GABA (calmness and relaxation) include kefi r, fi sh, prawns, cocoa, citrus fruit, berries, broccoli, spinach and tomatoes. Foods that contain tryptophan (raising levels of the happy hormone serotonin) include cheese, peanuts, pumpkin and sesame seeds, animal and fi sh proteins, beans and lentils.
A main issue was obtaining healthier (organic) sources of food, so it was recommended he shop at farmer’s markets when he could.
Sugar was to be avoided (often a problem when recovering from addiction particularly), although three servings of low GI fruit (berries) was allowed per day.
To encourage the detoxification process, blueberries, strawberries, leeks, onions and artichokes all have excellent antioxidants and help with the detox process.
Supplements were a crucial component of detoxification. A critical nutrient to manage addiction, improve brain function and detox the liver is N-acetyl cysteine — 1200 mg per day. This needed to be taken with vitamin C to maximise effectiveness.
Cofactors for the neurotransmitters were essential, these being – L-theanine, magnesium and B6 (dopamine and GABA); vitamins D, B3, B6, omega-3 fatty acids, folate, magnesium (dopamine and serotonin); dopamine also requires B5; for GABA also glutamine and taurine; and for serotonin — tryptophan, zinc and B12.
Drinking organic green tea was recommended and ensuring water was filtered before consuming – necessary to maintain zinc levels. Green tea has multiple beneficial effects on brain neurotransmitters (the theanine component gently boosting GABA, serotonin and dopamine) and its high antioxidants supports liver and body health.
Herbally, St John’s wort was recommended (he was not taking pharmaceuticals so there was no risk of interactions), as this raises both serotonin and dopamine in the brain and improves mood. A herb mix of St Mary’s thistle (to improve liver function), lemon balm, magnolia bark and ashwagandha for calming and to help with sleep, as well as ginkgo was also recommended.
A daily exercise program was instigated. Regular exercise has multiple health impacts, improves blood sugar and brain function and reduces cravings.
Over the next few months, he steadily improved (despite one small setback when he was very stressed). However, he resumed the program, recovered from the setback, was fi nding the changes to be increasingly manageable and was greatly enjoying his newfound sense of wellness and control over his life.
