Is This For Real?

End Your Addiction Now
by Charles Gant, M.D. and Greg Lewis, Ph.D.

(Page 6 of 6)

If you're like most people, when you hear that there's an addiction recovery program that will reduce substance cravings, detoxify your body, and help heal the physiological damage done by drug and alcohol abuse-and do it all using only natural nutritional supplements-you're probably somewhat skeptical. And you've probably got a lot of questions. I've compiled the questions, along with their answers, that I'm asked most frequently by my patients.

How do I know your program is going to work? Are there any studies that document the success of this approach?

More than five thousand of my patients and others have used my program to support successful recoveries from their alcohol and drug problems. The Bibliography of this book includes a list of books and articles published in peer-reviewed journals that show that nutritional supplementation not only helps in recovery but may be the most important part of any recovery plan. In fact, these studies suggest that the biochemical imbalances that nutritional supplements can correct are, in and of themselves, the direct causes of addiction.

Why hasn't anyone told me about using nutrients to help me overcome my substance problem? Should I tell my doctor or my counselor or my AA sponsor I'm taking these nutrients? Should I continue other treatment programs along with the Power Recovery Program?

While in medical school, your doctor, if his or her experience was like mine, had less than one hour of training on the subject of nutrition. Physicians are taught to give the highest priority to diagnosing and treating acute and life-threatening medical problems. Chronic medical problems, especially those resulting from nutritional and biochemical imbalances, are, by necessity, given lower priority. Unless your doctor has done a great deal of independent study on the subject of nutrition since then, he or she is really not qualified to comment on the nutritional basis of addictions. Couple that with the medical profession's overwhelming bias toward using prescription drugs-which is the preferred and appropriate treatment strategy for acute medical problems-and you'll understand why you've not heard about treating addictions using nutritional supplements. Like your physician, most people in such substance support groups as Alcoholics Anonymous have had no training in nutrition. It's not their fault that they're unable to inform you about this approach to treating addictions. My own case is a good example. Since I received almost no education about nutrition in medical school, I had to do a tremendous amount of independent research to learn about human biochemistry and the ways nutrition affects it. That research has led me to develop the Power Recovery Program. I would encourage you to discuss my Power Recovery Program with your doctor or counselor. I'd especially recommend that you make them aware of the books and articles in the Bibliography, so that they can appreciate the scientific basis of my approach. I also encourage you to continue with any spiritual or psychological programs you're currently pursuing, if you feel they're aiding your recovery. These programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, will give you emotional support while my Power Recovery Program will improve the physiological foundation on which your recovery is based.

My doctor told me I have a genetic predisposition for alcoholism. Can the Power Recovery Program still help me?

The Power Recovery Program is the only kind of recovery program that directly addresses genetic predispositions for chemical dependencies. If you've been told that you have a genetic predisposition for alcoholism or any other chemical dependence, this simply means that you are more genetically vulnerable to specific nutritional deficiencies and that your reactions when you're exposed to certain toxins are more severe than those of most other people. Those who are genetically vulnerable to these conditions must pay closer attention to their nutritional requirements and minimize exposure to toxins such as alcohol and drugs. Where genetic vulnerability is extreme, people must avoid exposure to drugs and alcohol completely.

I've been a smoker and a heavy drinker for twenty-five years. Is it too late to start taking these nutrients?

It's not too late at all. In fact, it's more important than ever. As we age, our ability to ward off injury from toxins in the environment is lessened, and our nutritional requirements increase. These conditions are made worse by nicotine, alcohol, and drug use. Even in long-term substance users, though, biochemical imbalances are correctable by using the nutrients in the Power Recovery Program.

I heard that the Food and Drug Administration had banned some amino acids. Are these nutrients safe?

Only one amino acid, tryptophan, has been banned, and it was banned, not because of any problem with the amino acid itself, but because of contaminants in one batch of tryptophan from a particular manufacturer. Tryptophan is now available by prescription. We eat all the amino acids, including tryptophan, every day as part of our regular diet. Amino acids are in virtually all the foods we consume, and are absolutely necessary nutrients to support life. Amino acids, along with the other nutrients in my Power Recovery Program, are naturally occurring substances that are not only harmless but necessary for good health.

Can I do your program at home, or will I need to check into a hospital?

The Power Recovery Program can be done at home or in the hospital. If you are at risk for severe withdrawal symptoms, you should seek professional help, which might include hospitalization. If you're not at risk for severe withdrawal, you can safely do the Power Recovery Program at home. Whatever your choice, the Power Recovery Program will improve your outcome.

I smoke cigarettes because they help me concentrate. I'm afraid if I stop smoking I won't be able to get my work done.

Nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes, artificially stimulates receptors for several different neurotransmitters. If you smoke cigarettes, your brain overcompensates for the presence of nicotine by producing less of these neurotransmitters, relying on nicotine to do the job the neurotransmitters are designed to do. The Power Recovery Program resupplies your brain with the nutrients needed to jump-start the production of these neurotransmitters. This means that, instead of relying on cigarettes to help you concentrate, your brain will be able to produce the neurotransmitters that enable you to focus naturally, without nicotine. Not only do most people experience no reduction in their ability to concentrate when they stop using cigarettes with the Power Recovery Program, they find that their ability to concentrate is improved, even without cigarettes.

How will the nutrients make me feel? Will they make me tired? Give me more energy?

It's important to understand that nutrients themselves don't make you feel a certain way. What they do is enable your brain and body chemistry to begin working properly so that you actually experience your own feelings and not feelings that are temporarily and artificially induced by the presence of toxins, such as nicotine, alcohol, and drugs, in your brain, or by the absence of neurotransmitters due to nutritional deficiencies. Our biochemistry did not evolve successfully over billions of years by making us sluggish and depressed. We're designed to be alert, focused, and full of energy. When we get enough of the proper nutrients, our brains and bodies will take care of the rest, making us feel the way nature intended.

How will I know the nutrients are working? Are there tests I should have to determine whether they're working?

First, if the Power Recovery Program is followed correctly, there is almost no way that its nutrients won't work, unless your body is so highly toxified that you're unable to absorb and use them. Most of the nutrients you'll be taking are almost certainly missing or in short supply in your diet. They're especially important in supporting recovery. Everyone responds somewhat differently to the nutrients. You may find that they improve your mood and frame of mind dramatically, or the effects on you may be more subtle. I've known many cases in which the first people to notice the positive differences in the mood and behavior of people using the Power Recovery Program were family and friends. Whether the differences in how you feel are subtle or startling, stay with the Power Recovery Program. You can only benefit by it. There are a number of tests that can help you pinpoint your nutritional deficiencies with great accuracy. These tests are discussed in Part III, which deals with long-term biochemical rebalancing.

Can I overdose on any of the Power Recovery Program nutrients or develop a dependence on them? What happens when I quit taking them?

It's virtually impossible to overdose on the Power Recover Program nutrients in the quantities recommended. Since they are nutrients, your body has developed natural ways of getting rid of them if they are present in excessive amounts. As you increase the amount of nutrients you take in, the levels of nutrients in your body increase as you build up reserves of them. These increased levels of nutrients mean that your body can use them when necessary-in times of physical or emotional stress, for instance. Over time, you will be able to reduce the amounts of nutritional supplements you take and still realize the benefits of healthy brain chemistry. Alcohol and drugs are mind-altering toxins that actually deplete the levels of nutrients in your body, which causes you to crave more of them to compensate for decreased nutrient levels. That's why you can become dependent on drugs, and why you can't develop the same kind of dependence on nutrients. If you stop taking the nutritional supplements, your body will go on extracting nutrients from the foods you eat and benefiting from the nutrients that have built up as a result of taking supplements. Depending on your diet, toxin exposure, stress levels, and genetics, you may eventually deplete your nutrient stores again, if you've stopped taking nutritional supplements. Just resume your Power Recovery Program supplements to correct the condition.

What if I'm allergic to some of the nutrients? Are there any foods I should avoid when I'm taking the nutrients?

The nutrients I recommend for the Power Recovery Program are completely natural and nonallergenic. It is extremely unusual for anyone to be allergic to these nutrients, because they are freer of allergy-causing substances than almost any other food in your regular diet. There are foods that you should avoid, not just while you're doing the Power Recovery Program, but at all times. Primary among these are "junk foods," meaning highly processed foods that are high in sugar and empty carbohydrates and chemical additives and preservatives. (If you do continue eating junk foods and abusing alcohol and drugs, you'll need nutritional supplements more than ever.)

Copyright © 2002 by Charles Gant and Greg Lewis

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.