Alcoholism is a health affliction of the mind, body and soul. Virtually anyone can become an alcoholic if they are around the conditions that breed addictive behavior such as alcoholism – that would be environmentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Alcoholism is an addiction that attaches itself to the body, mind, and spirit of its victims. Let’s take a look.
Physical Addiction To Alcohol
The physical addiction to alcohol is an operation that deals with how the pancreas processes sugar in the bloodstream. In the alcoholic/hypoglycemic individual the pancreas does not do a very efficient job in processing the sugars from the alcohol.
Here is how it works: The alcoholic literally craves his first few drinks of alcohol just for the sugar aspect of it. (If there is no alcohol around, he will most likely gorge out on sugar foods to curb his addiction). Once the alcoholic has had his first few drinks it depresses blood sugar levels even more (the pancreas is too overloaded to do its job efficiently)! So the alcoholic craves even more sugar to correct this low blood sugar state and the vicious cycle continues. Brain cells demand more alcohol to replace the lack of sugar. Hence, the alcoholic craves alcohol.
I am a recovered alcoholic of fifteen years and I have done extensive research into the effects of alcoholism on the body and can safely tell you that once diet is improved and hypoglycemia treated through proper diet, the physical addiction for alcohol will subside. When I was an alcoholic/hypoglycemic I would eat sweets and drink Pepsi all day if I didn’t have access to alcohol. I was an emotional basket case.
Poor diet is the culprit for physical addiction to alcohol. How do I know this? Because I have listened to my body and I corrected hypoglycemia and physical cravings for alcohol through diet. The best diet for the alcoholic, diabetic, hypoglycemic is a whole grain diet. Throw out all refined food products from your kitchen cupboards and go natural! Foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, beans, legumes, and oatmeal all work to stabilize and metabolize blood sugar levels, which gives the overloaded pancreas a break so it can start to do its job properly.
Whole grains are best because they are digested slowly into the body system resulting in an optimal environment for blood sugar levels – there is no spiking, no cravings, and no emotional and physical imbalances. Diet plays a huge role in how our brain works. With a whole grain, whole foods diet, the brain stops sending out signals for more alcohol or sugar.
To sum this up I am going to say that alcoholism could very well be a symptom of hypoglycemia. Not all people who have low blood sugar become alcoholics mainly because the rest of the triggers for alcoholism aren’t present in that individual.
Psychological Addiction To Alcohol
Now we come to the emotional and mental aspects of alcoholism. Alcoholics usually have emotional ups and downs, are easily agitated, suffer from anxiety and panic, have a low self esteem, and often feel depressed. These symptoms are because they have hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is as much an emotional affliction as it is physical. All of the above are symptoms of hypoglycemia or sugar overload syndrome.
Ninety-five percent of alcoholics have low blood sugar. But what happens when there is a change in diet? Is hypoglycemia cured? Yes! But understand, if I deliberately bang my head against the wall several times I’m going to have some bumps and bruises. In the same way if I deliberately eat a poor diet of refined food products my body and mind is going to let me know about it through a vitamin/mineral deficiency. We are in control of what we eat. Your doctor doesn’t care what you eat. If you don’t do anything about a poor diet your body will.
Most alcoholics have a difficult time managing their emotions or understanding reality. I truly thought I could not cope with life unless I was drinking. I was scared to death to stop drinking! And in a way this is very true for the alcoholic/hypoglycemic because they are so vitamin deficient that their brain works in puzzling ways. It can be a confusing, fearful, and anxious time for the alcoholic when they first get sober…until they begin to take care of their diet! Unless the alcoholic changes their eating habits they will never stay sober because the physical addiction to alcohol is the craving aspect of addiction. If you have ever been addicted to cigarettes than you know what I’m talking about.
Alcohol is the alcoholics best friend and losing their best friend may mean they will never be able to cope with life on life’s terms. Of course, the truth is all alcoholics who become truly sober (not dry drunk) emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually will look back on their alcoholic days and laugh because they truly can live without alcohol and NEVER CRAVE ALCOHOL OR SUGAR EVER AGAIN! Once diet is corrected and the alcoholic is sober for at least six months he’ll begin to realize that he can function just fine without alcohol.
Spiritual Addiction To Alcohol
Why does alcohol affect our spirituality? Alcohol for the alcoholic controls the mind. For the alcoholic “getting a fix” consumes and controls every aspect of their life. Even functioning alcoholics while at work are consumed with coming home or going to the bar and having a drink twenty or more times a day. There is no time in the thoughts for spirituality.
Although I can say that once the alcoholic realizes they do have a drinking problem they are more inclined to reach out to God for the help they need. But that certainly doesn’t mean they will all of a sudden be fixed of addiction. No. As you have learned this far, alcoholism is a physical and emotional affliction also, and all areas of alcoholism NEED TO BE HEALED before the alcoholic is safely healed from the cravings of alcohol.
Addiction keeps us from becoming the whole and complete person that God wants us to be. Potential becomes stunted because alcohol is in control of our ambition, goals, ideas, and dreams. Alcoholics simply do not realize how much of life they are missing out on.
I remember very clearly in my latter two years of alcoholism. I would try and feel God’s presence within me, and there were times when I believe I was ready to let “it” go and give “it” to God. But stubbornness, rebelliousness and poor health kept me on the road of addiction. In my bouts of sobriety I felt guilty and my low self-esteem was hard to deal with sober, plus I really craved alcohol so I continued to drink. Two years later I finally woke up one day and thought to my self, “this is not the right road for me.
Incidentally, all roads may be the right roads at the time for trials and tribulations that we go through and experience in life, but in the end only one road leads to God. This is where faith comes in to trust God with your life. If God created you then why won’t He save you? God loves you, even if you have been walking on your own road. God will save you if you ask Him to and believe that with all of your heart, mind and soul.
Emotionally the alcoholic needs to find out what his or her wounds are (past baggage) and give them to God. Spiritually this is how you fix the wounds. Everyone hurts and everyone suffers from time to time. Alcohol is not the way to not have to feel. We have to feel our feelings so we can move past the hurt and become better people. Jesus wants your burdens. He wants to make your life easier. Let God intervene in your life. Inner healing needs to take place within your emotional and spiritual life. This is where you hand over your life to God and just give up control of it. Give your life to God.