Taking vitamins for alcoholics is important after getting sober; it is time to replace the nutrients lost from the alcohol addiction. Taking vitamins for alcoholics daily when one drinks helps prevent several alcohol-specific illnesses and can help aid in recovery when that time comes.
Loving an addict is hard. From the outside, we see them harming themselves. Sometimes, however, they do not always realize that they are harming themselves.
Those who do realize they are hurting themselves often do it for that very reason. By doing one small thing – taking vitamins for alcoholics every day – you can help yourself or a loved one stay healthier.
Part of the reason that alcohol is so dangerous is that it tends to replace meals and, thus, the nutrients in that food. Hence, malnutrition is common among chronic alcoholics.
The alcoholic has more nutritional needs because of greater metabolic demands and more need for tissue repair. Making sure an alcoholic has access to vitamins daily, can help them maintain a certain level of health.
Many alcoholics come out of their addiction sick and unable to care for themselves, and at least some of what they experience is preventable.
While multivitamins are a good option, there are a few leading families of vitamins that alcoholics are prone to missing out on. Lack of some vitamins, B vitamins specifically, over an extended period can lead to several different brain diseases.
Long term alcoholics tend to develop Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome almost exclusively and this, as well as other brain diseases, are caused by a lack of whole grains and meat among other major food contributors
. Vitamin B can be found in milk, salads, and many other places but, if a person is not eating a decent meal at least once a day, they miss out on the benefits from food that most of us take for granted.
Moreover, chronic drinkers are usually deficient in B vitamins including folate, thiamin, B-6, and B-12 due to the toxic effects of alcohol on the mucosa that interfere with normal absorption.
Vitamin A is another family of vitamins from which alcoholics can benefit. The problem with vitamin A is that it is taken into the body through absorption by the stomach and intestines.
The third most troublesome deficiency comes in the form of vitamin D. Low serum vitamin D amounts are common in alcoholics.
Because of these complications, it can be hard to know what supplements to take. Multivitamins for alcoholics should at least include potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, vitamin B, vitamin A, vitamin D and vitamin C. Because alcohol can cover up the symptoms of vitamin deficiency, it often goes unnoticed and unrecognized, so daily vitamins are essential to maintain as much health as possible.
An excellent daily multivitamin is from Vimerson Health. They make a women’s multivitamin and a men’s version. You should check with your doctor, though, to find the best choice based on your health.
So, if our bodies are being overloaded by trying to absorb the alcohol and they will not absorb these, why take them?
Besides the fact that the body is not getting the chance to try to absorb them from food, supplementing will help boost any levels of vitamins that are making it in and, the higher the levels of vitamin intake, the more likely the body is to absorb at least some of the vitamins for alcoholics.
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The National Institute of Health says:
They did touch on a few things that we already covered; however, they bring up another essential vitamin, vitamin E. According to the USDA’s National Agricultural Library, vitamin E is what helps prevent blood from becoming too concentrated or from forming clots. Vitamin E deficiencies are extremely rare in the general population (less than 1 in 1 million). Among alcoholics, however, the rate of absorption for vitamin E was 62% less than in otherwise healthy adults tested.
Moreover, what does all that mean, exactly?
Thus, the possibility of such a catastrophic event should caution any person whom drinks excessively to seek help and work to stop.
A loved one may have already experienced a DVT that was mild and passed without incident. However, if anyone notices these symptoms, the Mayo Clinic suggests that they contact a doctor:
They suggest one seeks immediate medical attention if they have any of the following as they can be signs of a progressed DVT into a pulmonary embolism:
Alcoholism is a hard and unforgiving disease. One of the hardest parts of the disease is that is creates a state of malnutrition as the alcoholic replaces meals with beer and liquor. Vitamins for alcoholics are essential to aid in healing the body.
They also help with absorption, digestion, providing nutrients that are important in order to survive, and essentially act as a way to provide the substance food would otherwise provide someone who drinks excessively in place of meals.
Moreover, those who drink in excess are more likely to face life changing or threatening diseases as a symptom of their malnutrition. Thus, it is important for an alcoholic, no matter what stage of the recovery process they are in to use vitamins.
And more importantly, it is imperative for any alcoholic to seek help for their problem now.
If you or someone close to you wants help and advice on quitting drinking then take a look at the following pages:
Lead Writer/Reviewer : Kayla Loibl
Licensed Medical Health Professional
Hello!
I am a Mental Health Counselor who is licensed in both New York (LMHC) and North Carolina (LCMHC). I have been working in the Mental Health field since 2015. I have worked in a residential setting, an outpatient program and an inpatient addictions program. I began working in Long Island, NY and then in Guelph, Ontario after moving to Canada. Read More
Vitamins for Alcoholics
Sources:
Psychiatry Investigation. Psychiatric Implications of Nutritional Deficiencies in Alcoholism. 2005. https://www.psychiatryinvestigation.org/m/journal/view.php?number=744
Oxford Academic. Alcoholic Myopathy: Vitamin D Deficiency is Related to Muscle Fibre Atrophy in a Murine Model. February 26, 2010. https://academic.oup.com/alcalc/article/45/3/223/208651
PubMed. Nutrition and vitamins in alcoholism. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6400499/
Psychology Today. Some Vitamins and Minerals May Reduce Alcohol Toxicity. Jan 29, 2019. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/integrative-mental-health-care/201901/some-vitamins-and-minerals-may-reduce-alcohol-toxicity
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