Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 7/24/2006

Question
My son 26 has been addicted to heroin for 5 years.  Two years ago he cried at Christmas and said, he would never do them again.  Did he ever stop?  Third time losing a job but this time from stealing a little and now he has no money to pay his bills (will lose his home)  recently got hired for Aug 1st.  He said, he is at rock bottom and it took him 7 days to get off of it.  Is he I don't know.  His girlfriend has been giving him money for drugs and she just came out with everything.  He said he wants to stop.  I want to help him with the bills on the basis that when he job comes threw he will have to pay me and I will have to see everything coming in and out of account.  Can you tell me what it means to enable someone who is a addict?  When on opiates do you eat or not eat?  Do you sleep or not sleep?  When off of them do you sleep or not sleep?  (need 2 answers) What is the worse part of day for them?  He doesn't have any insurance to go into rehab or for any support so what should he do?  He thinks he can do it on his own.  But after 5 years of usage I don't believe him.  I don't want to be used as a sucker as in the past.  He just never told me everything.  How can I monitor him to know he is clean and telling me the truth?  Are their other signs besides nodding, itching, small pupils, irritability, getting upset?  Do they eat alot of candy on heroin or off?  I noticed he eats alot of sweets.  What about hypoglycemia?  How do I know when off is he not hypo or if he is on them can he be hypo? I cannot tell if he really means business now.  He also use to sell drugs so he could use.  How do you keep track of a guy?  He said, kids he knows who went to rehab and support groups always went back (relapsed)He has one friend who started doing the needle. I know its not my problem but he needs to do serious business with this problem.What about the girlfriend (should he stay with her)  now I can't trust her because it took a year before she came out with anything.  I have asked her before if she knows anything.  Who knows maybe she is on them.

Answer
Hi Laib,

I fully understand how difficult it is for to help your son. Most drug rehabilitation programs fail because they overlook or ignore the biochemistry and nutritional aspects of addiction. They falsely assume it is "all in the mind".

I see this a primarily a biological disorder, that needs to be treated biologically first.

Most addicts are found to be hypoglycemic. This is a condition that may have existed BEFORE he started taking drugs.

Basically all drugs addicts, whatever chemical they are using, are after serotonin, a chemical that the body produces from food sources and that makes them feel happy and content.

Addicts have a problem producing serotonin, and when they withdraw from drugs they get depressed, anxious, irritable and will return to drugs.

He needs to be tested for hypoglycemia by a doctor who knows how to do this. Most conventional doctors don't know.  There are not many drug addicts that can get off drugs by themselves. But they need to go on a hypoglycemic diet to start off with.

The best is to study our web site, that is mainly about the nutritional approach to drug addiction. It has to do with a biochemical flaw in the metabolism of the sugars in our food. This is why your son has sugar cravings. The biochemistry of addiction shows you that you need proper amounts of biological energy - derived from sugars - to manufacture the feel good neurotransmitters such as serotonin. most drug addicts are not converting the sugar into energy.

We also have a self-help psychotherapy section that he should study.

Please read:

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

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

“Treatment of Drug Addiction”
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/treatment_drug_addiction.html

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

“Alcoholism is a Treatable Disease” at:
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au/articles/alcoholism_treatable.html

The latter applies to all sorts of addictions.

There is a lot of reading to do to understand the biochemistry of addiction,

Please discuss with a therapist, a Nutritional Doctor or a Clinical Nutritionist.

Jurriaan Plesman BA (Psych), Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr.
Author of "Getting off the Hook" (Google Book Search)
For more free articles
www.hypoglycemia.asn.au