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Alcohol is _meta_bolized in the body in two stages:         alcohol

This isn't the first time I've heard that an alcoholic's chemical make-up causes a reaction with alcohol to produce opiates.  This theory seems to make sense to me.  But as you suggest, the real problem is that knowledge alone doesn't really help other than to clarify things like why most alcoholics apparently find it impossible to ever drink normally again for any length of time.  By the time a person realises they are alcoholic, it seems the damage is already done. For such people I'm sure neutralising the opiate effect would be similar to simply stopping drinking, so I wouldn't expect the suicide rate to decrease.  We drink because life without drink eventually gets too painful, so it's more about maintaining a healthier life_style_ and peace of mind than just not drinking.  So I'd expect to see heavier reliance on other drugs simply because alcohol no longer works and we feel the need for something to fill a void.  Changing life_style_ can be hard to do, and finding serenity without drugs can seem impossible for the individual alone.  Also continued heavy drinking would still cause the dehydration problems such as hangovers, liver problems, brain damage, so even if you remove the opiate effect there'd still need to be a significant decrease in consumption.  What's the betting that consumption would eventually go up as the drinker starts feeling life and seeks the old effect? I heard of one study where some form of enzymes were taken to neutralise the effect of alcohol, but one day the enzymes failed to kick in on time, so the testing alcoholic felt the full compulsion to drink once more and ended up drunk and in detox.  So whilst these things sound good in theory, sadly in practice it can be Russian roulette. If the opiate theory is true, it would be nice to see the chemical permanently neutralised rather than dependant upon some arbitrary dosage of another drug.  An alcoholic would still need to recover and change life_style_, but perhaps could eventually return to moderate drinking.  But until that happens, it seems that many of us are cursed with a life of abstinence.

This sort of thing can literally destroy peoples lives.  Do you have the right to do that? Let the flame wars begin, huh? I've been drinking more than I should for years. I went to AA, but the other members said I wasn't an alcoholic so I quit going. As the years went by I gradually drank more and more, but only in the evening, at home. A couple of weeks ago I started taking niacin as a booster to the cholesterol drug Lipitor . After a few days I started drinking in the daytime. I couldn't get enough. That scared me. I suspected the niacin was causing it and did some searching on the net. Then I found this paper describing what was happening. Niacin is not a cure, it is only a crutch. There are drugs that block opiates. They are used in treating opiate addiction. Why not use niacin in the same way for alcoholism? If someone is trying to quit alcohol, why not use niacin to help block the effect of alcohol? It might help to get over small relapses. If nothing else, why not use it as a test? If you think you might be dependent on alcohol, try taking niacin for two weeks. You will sure find out in a hurry if you have a problem. Think of it as an early warning detector. Good luck to everybody.

Is anyone here free and clear of all addictions and drug use? By that I mean to include caffeine and cigarettes. Just my experience, I take caffeine.  But I seem to have no problem moderating or taking none at all, whereas I've heard of others suffering palpitations or mood swings.  I do sometimes enjoy chocolate, but again can go long periods without any.  Only if I'm hungry when I go shopping do I seem to end up buying it, and it can then sit on a shelf for weeks.  Quit smoking over 11 years ago, so alcohol seems the only thing I really have a problem with because I certainly felt the full obsession and compulsion for it.  Never even tried other recreational drugs, I grew up thinking alcohol was safe !

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  (AnotherOne) wrote in message This sort of thing can literally destroy peoples lives.  Do you have the right to do that? Let the flame wars begin, huh? I've been drinking more than I should for years. I went to AA, but the other members said I wasn't an alcoholic so I quit going. As the years went by I gradually drank more and more, but only in the evening, at home. A couple of weeks ago I started taking niacin as a booster to the cholesterol drug Lipitor . After a few days I started drinking in the daytime. I couldn't get enough. That scared me. I suspected the niacin was causing it and did some searching on the net. Then I found this paper describing what was happening. Niacin is not a cure, it is only a crutch. There are drugs that block opiates. They are used in treating opiate addiction. Why not use niacin in the same way for alcoholism? If someone is trying to quit alcohol, why not use niacin to help block the effect of alcohol? It might help to get over small relapses. If nothing else, why not use it as a test? If you think you might be dependent on alcohol, try taking niacin for two weeks. You will sure find out in a hurry if you have a problem. Think of it as an early warning detector. Good luck to everybody. Sobriety.  Why?  Because I'm worth it! http://www.alcoholismhelp.co.uk