Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 6/21/2009

Question
MY NAME IS CANDICE. IM 28YRS OLD. MY BOYFRIEND WAS ADDICTED TO COCAINE FOR 10 PLUS YRS. 1 NIGHT THE DEALER DIDN'T HAVE ANYMORE COCAINE TO GIVE HIM SO HE OFFERED HIM CRACK. HE TOOK IT AND DID IT. HE SAID HE DIDN'T LIKE IT AT 1st AT ALL. THEN HE DID. LOVED IT. HE GOT INTO SOME TROUBLE TRYING TO SUPPORT HIS HABIT AND WENT TO JAIL. HES BEEN IN JAIL SINCE 02/26/09. THEY SENTENCED HIM 3yrs BUT HE ONLY HAS TO DO A PROGRAM THAT CONSISTS OF DRUG PROBLEMS. HE HAS TO COMPLETE THE PROGRAM TO GRADUATE. ITS A 6 1/2 MONTH PROGRAM. IT DEALS WITH DRUG/ALCOHOL ONLY. ITS A VERY INTENSE PROGRAM, DESIGNED TO BASICALLY KNOCK YOU ALL THE WAY DOWN THEN BUILD YOU BACK UP AGAIN. WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS...  HE WILL BE IN JAIL FOR ABOUT 10MONTHS ALL TOGETHER. IS THIS ENOUGH TIME FOR HIS BRAIN TO RECOVER? WHATS THE CHANCES OF HIM RELAPSING? KEEP IN MIND I DON'T DO ANY DRUGS. SO HE WONT BE AROUND THE SAME ATMOSPHERE ALL THE TIME. I SAY THAT BCUZ HE LIVED WITH HIS MAMA BEFORE HE WENT TO JAIL. THAT WAS HIS ENABLER. 1 MORE QUESTION... HE KEEPS SAYING THAT IM THE ONE WHO BRINGS THE BEST OUT IN HIM AND THAT HE DON'T WANT SMOKE CRACK AGAIN BECAUSE HE DON'T WANT TO LOOSE ME. I'VE TOLD HIM HES GOT TO WANT TO DO THIS FOR HIS SELF, NOT ME. NOW HES SAYING HE WANTS TO BE A BETTER PERSON AND CLEAN FOR HIMSELF BUT IM HIS MOTIVATION. NOW IS THAT NOT BASICALLY SAYING THE SAME THING??? I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF YOU THINK THIS PROGRAM HES IN FOR 10 MONTHS WILL HELP HIM TO STAY SOBER FROM CRACK???

Answer
Hi CANDICE,

You seem to have the right attitude to help him. But it is entirely up to him. What worries me that most drug rehabilitation programs (even in jail) ignore the physical underpinnings of drug addiction. Drug addiction is due to am underlying biochemical abnormality usually involving hypoglycemia or insulin resistance.  Furthermore it may take up to a year for  receptors for neurotransmitters to be repaired by a high protein diet. The best advice I can give is to be familiar with the psychonutritional treatment of drugs addition by reading the following articles. You should share these articles with your boyfriend by printing them out, so that he can help himself.  Please read:

What is Hypoglycemia at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/what_is_hypo.html

and also

The Serotonin Connection at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/serotonin_connection.html

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

Depression is a Nutritional Disorder at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/depression_disorder.html

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

and ask to be referred to a Nutritional Doctor, Clinical Nutritionist or Nutritional Psychologist if you want to.

_______________________________________________
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