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

Question
I am 48 years old.  My family has a history of substance abuse.  For years I've been a weekend social drinker, but three years ago I went through 18 months of aggressive treatment for breast cancer.  I am very physically fit and have worked out and have had very high energy for years so everything I went through (mastectomy, chemo, radiation, reconstruction and Herceptin treatments) were really not that hard for me and I continued to work and socialize the entire time.  The problem is after my recovery, my drinking has slowly increased to the point that I consider myself a functioning alcoholic.  I still hold a professional job (even though I've screwed up several times in the last six months) I continue to work out and maintain my household and have wonderful friends.  It's gotten to the point where I have resorted to sneaking alcohol in the bathroom closet so my husband doesn't know I'm drinking.  I can only go for two days straight without having a drink.  On top of that, when I was diagnosed with cancer, my mother was also dying of cancer and I was prescribed different sleeping pills and nerve pills throughout the last three years.  I've been on Xanex now for a year and a half.  I'm experiencing anxiety and panic attacks and am now taking Xanex during the day instead of just to help me sleep at night.  No one, including my husband, knows the depths of my addiction.  I will not go to AA because of the religious aspects of it, and my family doctor is a friend of my husband's and our children went to school together so I'm too embarrased to tell him.  I can't go to an in-patient treatment because I need to work and money is tight (besides the fact that I can't let my friends and family know).  I want my life back but I'm also afraid of not being able to socialize with our couple friends because drinking is always involved and it's gotten to the point where I can't stop at just a couple drinks.  What can I do?  Our insurance is on a referal based system and I don't think it even covers addiction treatment.  I think of my life in two parts,BC and AC (before cancer and after cancer).  I used to be happy and energetic and now I spend all my energy trying to maintaim something I'm not anymore. On days when I'm determined to not drink, something as simple as a bad hair day will give me the excuse to stop and buy more booze.  I also had an aunt that I was very close to last year pass away at the age of 59.  she drank and smoked herself to death.  I feel like I have a split personality.  I eat healthy and I'm a gourmet cook, I work out four days a week and take vitamins and power smoothies, but yet I smoke and drink.  I am becoming increasingly withdrawn, angry and lacking self-esteme(sp?)  Help!

Answer
HI debbie,

This is an awkward situation you are in. Don't be too hard on yourself, because the addiction you are suffering from is treatable without recourse to any outside helping agency. It is a physiological disease that can be treated without recourse to drugs. Please familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of nutritional medicine and you should be able to help yourself. It requires some studying. Please study:

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

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

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 Psychotherapy at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/self-help_personal_growth.html

The first step is going on a hypoglycemic diet.

_______________________________________________
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