Off Topic : Help for my son

Hi. I have been a member and very occasoinal poster on here for a long time and am looking for some advice.
My son, who is 18 has an addiction to alcohol and cocaine. Its is especially acute at weekends when he cannot resist the temptation to party. The consequences of his behaviour have been profound. He stole an expensive watch of mine to buy drugs with. He drove and wrote off my car recently while drunk. My house was broken into and computers stolen by drug dealers he owed money to. So his life, and mine have changed out of all recognition. It is a living hell.
I am a 100% subscriber to the natural supplementation method of correction, so I searched this site for the word 'addiction' and 'cocaine' and CS advises in one post to take:
Lithium
B vitamins
Niacinamide

I have also included Kudzu to help with the alcohol problem.

When I googled addiction/supplements I found an article that says this:

Drug addiction is a complex condition with strong psychological as well as physical problems that affect anyone who tries to stop using. Detoxification symptoms from heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine can be severe, depending on the dosage and the length of time a person used. Weaning down is smart but rarely possible because of the nature of addiction. Most addicts at some point have to go cold turkey. Nutritional supplements can help.
Related Searches:

Amino Acids

L-glutamine is the addict's friend: 1,000 mg three times a day reduces cravings and calms the brain. After two weeks the dose can be cut in half.
SAMe: 400 mg twice daily relieves stress, depression and pain.
5-HTP: 400 mg at night aids sleep.
L-tyrosine: 500 mg twice a day reduces withdrawal symptoms, especially for cocaine.
Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs

Vitamin C with bioflavanoids: buffered, 1,000 mg every four hours to lessen cravings, stops muscle cramps and aid stamina.
Niacinamide (not Niacin), also known as Vitamin B3: 500 mg. three times a day alleviates depression.
Vitamin B6: 50 mg a day will improve brain function and allow dream recall.
Vitamin B12 in a methylcobalamine sublingual form: 1,000 mcg once a day boosts energy. Most addicts are deficient in B12. In addition to the above, take a high potency multivitamin.
Chelated Calcium: 1,500 mg and Magnesium, 1,000 mg taken together at bedtime treat anxiety.
Zinc: 30 mg once a day guards the liver and immune systems.
Milk Thistle: one capsule twice a day, assists the liver during detox.
Valerian root: two capsules twice a day, is calming and specifically helps cocaine withdrawal.
Food and Fluid

Electrolyte solutions, such as sports drinks, will replace fluids lost from vomiting and diarrhea. Nutrition replacement drinks with 250 to 300 calories containing protein, fats and carbohydrates are easy to digest and will help the body recover. Emotional nourishment is important too, recovering addicts who attend support groups have a better chance of staying clean.



So my request is to ask if anybody knows of any other supplements that can help?
Is the above list correct and exhaustive?
Is there anything else ( perhaps not natural) that I can try that is safe?

I will do anything to solve this problem. I have him in counselling this week.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Fibonacci

My guess is your son has not done enough cocaine to experience withdrawals. In which case, it's just a matter of him learning that the powerful high is not worth the grief and aggravation he is causing himself and others. Some people never learn this. Most people do not learn this quickly. Perhaps supplements will help him focus on something productive, become active, and just be happier overall. All of these things would be a positive force in his life.

http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1753124&s=1#i1
http://curezone.com/forums/am.asp?i=1753318&s=2#i21

Important:
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1749876#i
http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1749931#i

Fibonacci, I'm so sorry to hear what's happening with your son. It sounds like you are both miserable. I admire your efforts to seek natural solutions for him.

Just wanted to chime in b/c I've been where your son is, and I agree with Car Fox.

Also wanted to add that until someone is ready to confront the deep, often painful reasons they prefer the addictive-type behavior to normality, compliance with supplements (or meds, whatever) is likely to be marginal. From my experience there's a deep psychological component to addiction that altering neurotransmitters (with anything, meds or supps) just won't fix. The person will go along okay for a while, get cleaned up, and then bam! S/he runs into an old acquaintance, or goes to a party, or just gets bored one night, whatever. Unless the psychological aspect of the addictive behavior is addressed, the old acquaintance or acute boredom, etc., will induce recidivism every time.

A key component to stopping my behavior was aversion therapy. For instance, I quit smoking by calling up every nasty detail of an inhale, how my clothes and hair smelled, how my teeth felt gunky after smoking a pack, how my lungs hurt the next day after smoking too much, etc. Every time I wanted a cigarette, I trained myself to call those things up in vivid detail. Pretty soon, I didn't want cigarettes any more. Now they make me sick. I can't believe I ever smoked.

I quit cocaine and drinking in much the same way (mentally dredging up every excruciating detail of your worst hangover is very effective aversion therapy), but there was a deeper component: I had to honestly and painfully look at why doing the addictive behavior was more fun than just being myself. 12-step programs are built on this concept of unflinching self-honesty, although I never did like 12-step programs much (too much like a circle jerk for my taste) and only attended a few meetings. But they work for a lot of people, and even for those of us who don't embrace the group aspect, the principles can be a springboard for our own approach to recovery. 12-step books can be helpful for those who want help but don't like the group thing. Unflinching self-honesty and a willingness to confront the demons and look at "why" being the key.

This may be comforting to you: after trying everything out there, and then finally going it on my own, I can now enjoy a couple of drinks and walk off. I drink or not in social situations, depending on my mood, but I don't binge drink any more. I don't want cocaine any more. I can be around people smoking dope and don't feel compelled to take a toke any more. I can take or leave these things that the experts (couple counselors, people in AA, etc.) told me long ago would run my life forever and I would always have to avoid. I still get an occasional jones, but I have control of it. It doesn't control me.

Long windy post there. But good luck. There's hope. I think you're on the right track.

Fib - I don't know about supplements helping drug abusers but I had a similar experience with my female cousin. She was robbing everyone in the family to support her heroin and cocaine habit. Once while i was on a business trip in Los Angeles my Aunt called me frantically to go to an address where she said my cousin was staying and get her out of there and back to my hotel where my Aunt & Uncle would then put her into rehab. They didn't tell me they were sending me to an abandoned store front in LA full of drug users. When I walked in there it was horrifying. It only got more horrifying when my cousin's boyfriend attempted to sell me my cousin for sex not knowing who I was. I fought her "boyfriend" and grabbed her and brought to her my hotel and kept her there until my Aunt & Uncle arrived and admitted her to a rehab facility. A facility that she broke out of a few days later. I had to let her do drugs to keep her in the room with me. This was a girl who had everything born into an upper middle class family and had a college degree. She was a mess.

This went on for years. At one point they told my Mother she was clean and my Mom let her live with her and she began to steal from my Mother so she was thrown out. That caused a rift in the family that has never been repaired.

The good news is that she is apparently a year away from getting her PHD in psychology. I have no idea if she's clean and sober. I'm guessing she's not. The last time I ran into her I had a suspicion there was some meth abuse going on but I think she's balancing her addictions somehow and she's very into yoga all of a sudden which may be a good sign. This was a good 10-12 years of horrifying event after horrifying event.

I think the key is that your son has to embrace giving up drugs. He has to want to do it. Buying supplements for someone who doesn't want to quit will most likely be in vain. It's going to be ugly and hard. I would rely on professional counselors to try to reach him. If they insist on giving him pharmaceuticals to get him off stuff it might be worth it if he accepts that treatment.

I know in my cousin's case directly and other cases of this I've learned about over the years it's going to be a lot of 2 steps forward 10 steps back. That said, the fact that you are looking for alternative treatments should be commended. You need to focus on your health and sanity through this experience since this can debilitate you rapidly.

At one point my Aunt & Uncle washed their hands of their daughter's situation and basically cut her off. At that point she found her own apartment, got a day job and then decided to do what she had to do to get into grad school. Like I said, I don't know if she's clean and sober. From her Facebook page it looks like she's still out there partying. But their cutting her off financially and a bit emotionally caused her to grow up and get her on the less destructive path than stealing from friends and family and getting away with it all the time.

I wish you luck and my heart goes out to you and your family. If your son wants to stop this and you can get him addicted to a natural regimen and maybe even get him into something like Yoga or martial arts, it might be a good thing.

Thanks to all for replies so far.....it is so depressing to think that this may go on for years...a few months ago life was great, now it is hell. I am hopeful that something internal can help....if only slightly.
Fib

There is a practitioner, I forget his name who specializes in helping those addicted get off of them using amino acid therapy.

His rate of success if 92%.

Those who are drug addicted have neurotransmitter imbalances, so if they are corrected using several grams of amino acids, this can be altered.

Here's some information about it.

http://addictionrecoverybasics.com/the-importance-of-the-amino-acids-in-substance-abuse-recovery-and-relapse-prevention/

Very sweet thing you are doing for your son, best of luck to you, sir.

I...have a feeling you might not be into this type of treatment, but perhaps you can find some testimonials. Radio show This American Life had an episode on it, and it apparently works rather well to combat addiction.

"Ibogaine comes from Tabernanthe iboga, a flowering African shrub that's related to the coffee plant. In some parts of West Africa, it's a hallucinogen used in male rites of passage. Iboga is said to induce wild visualizations, be nonaddictive, and have anti-addictive qualities.

Advocates allege that one or two doses is enough to cure addiction, whether it's to crack cocaine, heroin, alcohol, or nicotine. Unlike methadone, which is itself addictive, ibogaine does not produce painful withdrawal symptoms.

Emery, who started treating addicts from the Downtown Eastside two months ago, covers the costs, which amount to about $1,500 per person. He takes in up to four addicts per week and has administered oral doses of ibogaine himself to nearly a dozen people. It's the first such program in North America.

"This could be a very effective way of treating people at a very low cost," he told the Straight on the line from the Sunshine Coast. "People who have been through opiate withdrawal are amazed. They don't have a dripping nose, there's no nausea. This has been a revelatory experience. I'm hoping the government will pick it up." "

http://www.straight.com/article-116274/ibogaine-a-one-way-trip-to-sobriety-pot-head-says

I second panacake's post.

Thanks again for the kind replies.
Ibogaine is well out of reach for me. I am based in the UK.
I googled amino acid addiction 92% and foiund an interestinf article regarding NAC

http://dremilykane.com/2008/01/15/an-amino-acid-to-combat-addiction/

It also seems that L Tyrosine shows some promise , so I think they are a good place to start.

Perhaps an all round amino acid supplement as well CS?

Thanks again.
Fib

Some good posts here.

You need to approach this from all angles, not just supplementation.

People often turn to drugs and alcohol to fill some kind of void in their lives.

Does your son work? Does he have plans to go to college, start a business, start a career? Does he even think or care about the future?

Does he have any specific interests?

Does he exercise regularly? How is his diet?

Probably one of the best things you could do is keep him busy / focused on other things. Remember the old saying - "an idle mind is the devil's workshop".

Also, do your best to limit his contact with "bad influences". Change his environment and you will likely change his behavior.