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Potentially addictive substances, including nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, Prozac, and Valium, to name only a few, function by short-circuiting brain chemistry. Their chemical structures are such that they literally substitute for the neurotransmitters the brain may be unable to produce in adequate amounts. That is, they make us temporarily feel better and change our behavior by "fooling" the brain into thinking it is producing enough of certain neurotransmitters.

Let me give you an example of how this process works. The neurotransmitter dopamine has a powerful effect on the way we feel and behave. When brain cells are producing this neurotransmitter in adequate amounts, we feel focused and alert. Dopamine also enables us to get the fullest enjoyment from pleasurable experiences. Under normal circumstances, our brain cells use nutrients to produce billions of molecules of dopamine every second. This assembly takes place according to a formula that does not vary. If there is a shortage of even one of the necessary nutrients, dopamine cannot be produced in adequate amounts, causing us to have difficulty concentrating, putting us in a bad mood, and inhibiting our ability to enjoy pleasurable activities. A number of drugs, cocaine and Ritalin in particular, act as substitutes for dopamine, temporarily making us feel the way we would feel if our brains were producing dopamine in adequate amounts.

In short, based on my medical practice and the scientific research of the past twenty-five years, I have come to understand that substance problems are the result of biochemical imbalances that disrupt the normal workings of brain cells.

Most addictions treatment professionals believe incorrectly that substance use problems are caused by emotional and psychological factors, even by the substances themselves. In fact, scientific research has shown that substance cravings, mood swings, sleep problems, and dysfunctional behavior are driven by biochemical imbalances that disrupt the production of neurotransmitters. The imbalances result when our brains are unable to get the nutrients they need to produce adequate amounts of neurotransmitters. Through the Power Recovery Program, these imbalances can be corrected and normal neurotransmitter production restored by making sure our brains are supplied with the natural nutrients they need. The key component of the program is taking specific nutritional supplements that provide the brain with the raw materials it needs to rebalance its biochemistry. In other words, the most critical component in recovering from compulsive substance use is rebalancing brain chemistry. Many studies, which are documented in the Bibliography of this book, provide conclusive evidence that this is true, and my experience in successfully treating thousands of patients for the past two decades confirms it.

As you can imagine, in the light of this new knowledge about the biochemistry of addictions, we've had to significantly change what we mean by the word "recovery." Recovery is no longer simply the removal of drug or alcohol residues from the body of a substance user. And it does not consist simply of a psychological or spiritual transformation, as most traditional treatment programs would define it. Recovery is the re-establishment of normal brain chemistry. That chemistry may have become disrupted through the prolonged use of one or more toxic substances, including alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes; by toxins in the environment; by physical or emotional stress; by nutritional deficiencies; or because of a genetic predisposition. The key to recovery is getting your brain chemistry back to normal. The Power Recovery Program shows you how to eliminate the need for drugs and alcohol in your life by using only natural nutrients to rebalance your biochemistry.

Tags: Alcoholism, Brain

About the Author

CHARLES GANT, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the American Academy of Psychiatrists in Addiction and Alcoholism, served as medical director for the Tully Hill Hospital, a drug rehabilitation facility in Syracuse, NY. He is now in private practice and lectures widely on biomolecular medicine and his substance abuse therapies.