Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 12/7/2004

Question
Hello,

I need your help.  I am suddenly faced with making a decision about Julie.  I am a 47 year single engineer, and a weekend musician.  I recently met Julie, 40, and we started a relationship.  

In the very beginning, she admitted to having a drug problem in the past.  She was arrested 6 years ago for cocaine sales and did jail time.  She said it may have been the best thing that ever happened to her because it was the wake up call she needed.  I accepted that.

Recently I confronted her about the instability in her life.  She is not working full time.  She misses a lot of time because of health problems.  She is staying with “friends” she calls roommates.  Yesterday she moved again to a new friend's house.  Her cell phone rings constantly and at all hours of the night.  I confronted about her lifestyle.  

First she apologized for not being totally honest.  She admitted to being a junkie, shooting heroin as recently as 3 months ago, during the summer months.  Her probation officer could have sent her back to jail.  But with the help of family, she went through a de-tox program and says she is determined to stay in recovery.  She says all her friends are recovering addicts and they “help” each other.  

She desperately wants a healthy relationship with me.  I'm not sure that's possible at this point in her life.  I feel that a heroin problem as recently as 3 months ago isn't a good sign of being on the road to recovery.  Her lifestyle remains unstable.  I could help her stabilize, but I have found there is a fine line between helping and enabling a person who is trying to change their life.  A 20 year drug problem doesn't end overnight.  How many more surprises should I expect from this person?

Thanks
Todd


Answer
Dear Todd,

Your reasoning is quite logical, and it is true that a heroin addiction can not be 'cured' in a couple of months. This is a long process.

I must also say that present day 'rehabilitation' programs are next to useless, as I see drug addiction to be primarily a physical and biochemical disease.

Most drug addicts have been found to be hypoglycemic, which is a sugar handling problems. It can be treated by adopting the hypoglycemic diet, but will take time for the body to adjust.

The first step in rehabilitation is to restores the body's ability to handle energy sources from glucose.

This is a rather complex matter, but it has been explained at our web site.

Please read:

"What is Hypoglycemia?"

"The Serotonin Connection"

"The Hypoglycemic Diet"

at our web site.

She probably will get better help from a nutritionist (naturopath) at this stage rather from  psychologists. Still she should continue whatever therapy, but somebody should have a look at the biochemical aspect of addiction.

A psychologist can be helpful, once she is treating her biochemical abnormality though nutritional therapy.

Most of the information is at our web site.

I hope I have been of some help.

Jurriaan Plesman
Free web site
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au