Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 5/3/2005

Question
My question is in relation to the long term physical effects that one might encounter as the result of addiction, even after prolonged clean time.

I had a period of 11 years of sobriety, followed by 9 months of active, acute alcoholism and crack addiction.  I am clean again 5 years now, and Im noticing some psychological degradation in places.  My short term memory has gotten increasingly worse, as is my ability to quickly manipulate numeric and logical concepts (I have been joking that I am "numerically challenged lol)  My ability to "multi-task" and focus on more than one thing at a time has become increasingly problematic.  I am 36 and an intelligent person... the longer this persists, the more I feel like I have become in some way mentally deficient.  Its quite disturbing.

Could this be fallout from my addictions? Is there anything I can do to counteract this?

Answer
dear Chris,

Most people believe that once you stop taking drugs (alcohol or cocaine whatever) you have solved the problem of the underlying biochemistry that caused a person to become addicted.

Abstinence however does not cure the underlying faulty biochemistry that caused you to seek relief from drugs in the first place.

Most drug addicts, recovered or not, are hypoglycemic. This is a pre-existing condition to drug taking. This is disorder of energy production to the brain.

The brain requires a disproportionate amount of energy to synthesize the feel-good neurotransmitters to make you feel happy, content and relaxed. With an inadequate amounts of energy you cannot produce the feel-good neurotransmitters. People become depressed and it will affect memory.

Energy starvation to the brain affects memory. I suggest that although drug taking can damage neurons in the brain they can be rebuild with good nutrition and proper supply of biological energy.

Being hypoglycemic, drug addicts and ex-drug addicts should be on a hypoglycemic diet,. This diet is high in proteins and low in refined carbohydrates, supplemented with various vitamins and minerals,

This diet will supply all the necessary ingredients for the body to rebuild damaged neurons or receptors for neurotransmitters and should improve memory.

Once you treat the underlying hypoglycemic condition, that caused you to become addicted to chemicals in the first place, you will find that your moods improve and you will, recover your memory.

Please read:

“What is Hypoglycemia?”

“The serotonin Connection”

“Depression a disease of energy production”

“The Hypoglycemic diet”

cheers Jur,

Jurriaan Plesman, BA(Psych), Post Grad. Dip. Clin. Nutr.
For more articles see free web site at
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au