Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 7/17/2009

Question
My sister who is 23 is an alcoholic.  I just recently noticed that this is a serious issue for her.  I thought she was just being young and stupid.  She has 2 kids and is dating a guy who is totally making all these issues worse.  He has endangered her life as well as the children.  The kids were recently taken away from her by the father and he has been caring for them. She has lost everything including a place to live because of this guy and alcohol. my mom received a 13 page letter from her blaming my mother for all the childhood problems that had gone on when in fact alot of what she was saying wasn't true or overly exaggerated.  I am older so I remember what happened alot more then she does.  In this letter she called me very hurtful things because i have decided to turn my life around and have a good job and i just recently got married. I don't know if our relationship can be rebuilt and i don't think she even cares.  I try to be understanding to the situation that it is the alcohol and anger talking but i cannot help but be heartbroken.  I don't know what else to do to help her?  Is there a way to help her now or is it something she is going to have to do on her own?  I am at a loss and very heartbroken.

Answer
HI Star,

This must be very difficult for you and it depends on your sister's motivation whether she can be helped. The point is that alcoholism has very little to do with one's past imagined or real childhood experiences, because it is physiological (not "psychological") disease. It can be treated in the here and now. But you need to understand the underlying biochemistry of addiction.  Your sister appears to be unable to understand why she has an alcoholic problem and hence she blames her past childhood upbringing, including her parents to justify her own miserable feelings. The idea that alcoholism is a "psychological" disorder is just a popular myth and stems from general ignorance as to its causes. Please study the following articles and it will show you how his can be treated by the victim of the illness, if she understands the nutritional aspect of addiction.

Why Alcoholics Drink? at
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/WAD.html

Drug Addiction is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/drug_addictions_nutritional_disorder.htm...

Alcoholism (Addiction) is a Treatable Disease at:
http://curezone.com/upload/PDF/Articles/jurplesman/alcoholism_treatable.pdf

Self-help Personal Growth Psychotherapy at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/self-help_personal_growth.html

_______________________________________________
Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist
Hon. Editor of
The Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia.
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au
Author of "Getting off the Hook"
Freely available at Google Book Search
Skype: jurplesman