Many people are looking for an alternative alcoholism treatment these days because traditional treatment is just not working very effectively and alcoholism continues to grow into a bigger problem in our society.
There are several treatment approaches available today that call themselves alternative, such as, women for sobriety, narconon, centers who promote controlled drinking, cognitive/behavioral approaches and those who focus on the choice aspect.
As with any illness, different people respond to different treatments in different ways. Alcoholism is no different. What works for one, may not work for another.
However, many people are surprised to find that an alternative alcoholism treatment even exists, because it doesn't receive any coverage or promotion. Most people are unaware that they actually have options for alcoholism.
Alternative simply means counter to what you find in the main stream or traditional treatment centers, which is usually a 12 step program and alcoholics anonymous.
The alternative alcoholism treatment I will be focusing on and discussing on this site is one that incorporates a holistic and biochemical approach.
The word alternative does not imply less effective, as a matter of a fact, alternative alcoholism treatment that incorporates a biochemical approach similar to what I discuss on this site, is between 74 to 84 percent successful, compared to only .01 or .02 percent in traditional treatment.
You are more likely to achieve long-term sobriety.
A holistic and biochemical approach empowers the individual and you aren't forced to be dependent on meetings the rest of your life.
You are not powerless over alcohol.
Alcoholism is a multi-dimensional disease. Meaning it affects every aspect of an individual on a very deep and profound level. A holistic approach addresses each of these levels.
A complete alcoholism treatment approach needs to address the physical, psychological and spiritual. AA and the 12 steps do not address the physical and their approach to the psychological and spiritual is shame based instead of empowering.
It addresses the true roots of alcoholism.
How does this alternative alcoholism treatment differ from traditional treatment? The main difference in a biochemical approach to treatment is that alcoholism is treated as the medical condition that it is, not with a spiritual program.
Although most mainstream treatment calls alcoholism a physical illness or disease, they continue to treat it as a psychological or spiritual illness. That is why success rates for sobriety are so low.
Alcoholism is a complex multifaceted health condition. It has its roots in biochemistry and is the result of neurotransmitters in the brain that are disrupted, depleted or imbalanced duet to poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, allergy, candida overgrowth, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, child abuse and/or environmental toxins, genetics and the use of alcohol or other mind altering substances themselves.
These neurotransmitters can be restored to balance with diet, nutritional supplements and changes in lifestyle. Addressing these biochemical issues gets to the root of the problem, eliminates cravings and provides lasting sobriety.
In the biochemical approach, emotional or psychological issues such as depression, anxiety, mood swings, irritability etc. are seen as having the same root cause as alcoholism -- disrupted neurotransmitters.
Making biochemical repairs is the most important missing piece of the puzzle in traditional treatment.
There is certainly nothing wrong with psychological counseling, it is essential in its own right for certain aspects involved in alcoholism, and developing a rich spiritual life can certainly enhance recovery from any illness, but these need to be combined with biochemical repairs for optimal success.
You can't counsel someone out of having cancer or diabetes, and the same applies to alcoholism. Visit the biochemical repairs page to learn more about this exciting and successful approach that you can quickly and easily apply to your life.
If you're ready to jump right in, you can learn more about how I used these principles to achieve more than 25 years of sobriety that is free of cravings, in my book, or you can put these principles to use yourself and begin the road to recovery today with my 12 step alternative self-help program.
Alternatively, if you'd like a more personal approach, I offer consultations by phone. You can learn more about the services I offer on the sobriety coaching page.
Many people may think that I'm talking about a new treatment for
alcoholism, but that really isn't the case at all. The biochemical
approach to alcoholism has been around for a couple decades and it is
supported with strong scientific evidence, but it just isn't mainstream
knowledge.