| Quiet, insular, and lacking confidence are | | | | addiction treatment professionals concur that |
| not traits people usually associate with | | | | many people have been born with a genetic |
| alcoholics. After all aren't the alcoholics | | | | predisposition to alcoholism. This genetic |
| those people that are social, loud, exhuming | | | | predisposition leaves the person with all the |
| confidence and all the while consuming more | | | | factors that lead to alcohol addiction. These |
| and more alcohol? Although conceptually | | | | factors include an intense craving for |
| being counterintuitive, these sets of | | | | alcohol, heightened tolerance, and extreme |
| character traits and alcoholism fit together | | | | dependence. This is not to say that every |
| perfectly and an addict's switch from having | | | | alcoholic was born with these, but those that |
| no confidence to showing great displays of | | | | aren't end up creating the same situation by |
| "self orientation"through outward expression | | | | long term heavy drinking. |
| is usual alcoholic behavior. | | | | |
| | | | Given the fact that research shows a complex |
| Many alcoholics will tell people that they | | | | set of causes for alcoholism, treatment |
| need alcohol to exist. Their social skills | | | | responses will inevitably become more complex |
| are better and they gain the confidence they | | | | as well. Since the uncovering of the |
| had always lacked. This is of course only | | | | "alcoholism gene" more and more addiction |
| one of the reasons alcoholics drink and | | | | professionals have been supporting the active |
| continue to drink even after they discover | | | | change in the the addict's nutrition. A |
| their alcoholism. It is true that most | | | | change in food intake can go a long way in |
| scientists and medical professionals now | | | | transforming one's genetic predisposition to |
| admit that alcoholism stems from a complex | | | | alcoholism. One such method called |
| mixture of genetics, sociological, and | | | | orthomolecular medicine focuses on brain |
| psychological circumstances, yet for most | | | | deficiencies connected to nutritional |
| alcoholics it is the confidence and | | | | problems in biochemistry and genetic |
| personality and friends they never had when | | | | predispositions. This method has shown much |
| they were sober that spurs continued | | | | success in using food and nutrition in |
| drinking. When an alcoholic says, "I need | | | | augmenting an addict's biochemical |
| alcohol to exist," they aren't lying. Their | | | | deficiencies. |
| continued personality, confidence, and | | | | |
| friends depend on their continued drinking. | | | | Combining Methods |
| This is the alcoholic beast. It is this | | | | |
| beast which convinces the alcoholic of his or | | | | Despite the success of orthomolecualar |
| her need to drink. | | | | medicine and other nutrition and medical |
| | | | treatments in fighting alcoholism, most |
| Killing the Beast | | | | addicts have still not abandoned traditional |
| | | | support groups, such as 12 Step/AA,which |
| The debate on treating alcoholism, runs | | | | advocate an almost spiritual awakening. |
| deeper than rudimentary differences in | | | | Although most advocates of any addiction |
| various treatment approaches. Multiple | | | | treatment of course signal out their |
| treatment approaches are natural outcomes of | | | | methodology as "the proper"treatment, what is |
| different beliefs in the "root-cause" of | | | | clear is that the best route to successfully |
| alcohol addiction. For example someone who | | | | "kill the beast"of alcoholism is a |
| believes that alcoholism is an expression of | | | | combination of nutritional changes, coupled |
| deeper psychological damage usually abuse or | | | | with proper therapy and support based |
| abandonment, will seek psychotherapy and | | | | healing. Only this combination can |
| support groups to break the addiction or at | | | | successfully give the addict the true inner |
| least help "control the disease." | | | | confidence and proper physical balance he or |
| | | | she has sought. |
| Presently, with new research available many | | | | |