Alcoholism is described as a physical addiction to alcohol, even if the condition causes problems with physical and mental health, and social, family, or job responsibilities. Specifically, those at risk for developing alcoholism are men who have more than 15 drinks per week or women who have more than 12 drinks per week. Excessive alcohol not only damages your social life, it also affects your health because the vitamin balance in your body is disrupted. A deficiency in folic acid, vitamin B12, and thiamine could lead to brain and nervous system dysfunction. Therefore, you must replace these vitamins to help correct your alcoholism.
Step 1
Contact your doctor to discuss options to help you quit drinking. During your appointment, you can discuss possible rehabilitation programs and triggers for alcoholism after having a full physical examination that may show signs of vitamin deficiency. Ask your doctor to take blood tests to check for vitamin deficiency. Because a lack of certain vitamins causes physical symptoms of alcoholism, they must be effectively replaced to correct alcoholism.
Step 2
Replace your thiamine deficiency with a thiamine shot that your doctor will provide. Medline Plus states that up to 300mg of thiamine may be given in one dose to replace thiamine deficiency. Replacing thiamine will reduce your risk of developing Wernicke's-Korsakoff Syndrome, which is a serious disorder in memory that can occur with alcoholism. You may need to take an over-the-counter thiamine supplement to keep blood thiamine at healthy levels.
Step 3
Take an over-the-counter folic acid supplement to replace your deficiency. Folic acid is important for creating protein and preventing anemia. Therefore, replacing folic acid lost secondary to excessive alcohol consumption is important for your health. Ask your doctor how much folic acid you should take to correct your deficiency.
Step 4
Buy an over-the-counter multivitamin to take daily. Drinking too much alcohol may cause you to be deficient in other vitamins. Therefore, taking a multivitamin daily will help replace and prevent further vitamin deficiencies.
Step 5
Follow up with your doctor to determine if any vitamin deficiencies have been corrected.
Tips and Warnings
- Mayo Clinic recommends Alcoholics Anonymous to help correct alcoholism.
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