Author: Romeo
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:06 am
My addiction counselor had explained to me years ago how the alcoholics body metabolizes alcohol into an opiate like substance and that’s part of the reason why an alcoholic has such a wicked hard time getting clean.
This link explains it: http://self-renewal.com/alcohol%20addiction.htm#A
Click on A Physical Addiction and you can read from there or I have copied part of the article and pasted here:
Problem with alcohol metabolism. Physical addiction, the body’s normal reaction to too much alcohol too often, doesn’t affect everyone the same way. A select group of people who have a problem metabolizing alcohol are especially susceptible.
Alcohol metabolism is normally a simple chemical process. Basically the liver attempts to detoxify the body of alcohol by breaking toxic alcohol into acetaldehyde (another toxic chemical), and then reducing acetaldehyde to acetate or acetic acid which quickly convert to glucose in the blood. In “alcoholic� drinkers the liver functions poorly during this second step. It converts acetaldehyde to acetate at about half the speed of a “normal� drinker’s liver.
This malfunction causes two main problems. First of all, acetaldehyde builds in the blood. As a powerful toxin, acetaldehyde adds to the toxic damage alcohol causes the cells, which start to fight as much to protect themselves from acetaldehyde as from alcohol.
Secondly, acetaldehyde interacts with brain enzymes, creating isoquinolines, those opiate-like chemicals that tranquilize the brain and nervous system. This chemical byproduct doubles or even triples the sedative effect of the alcohol. What’s more, this added sedative in the brain dramatically increases the addictive power of alcohol. Because of it, withdrawal becomes more extreme. You go all the way from euphoric sedation while drinking, to a high-pitched buzzing anxiety when you withdraw. How do you get rid of the anxiety? Alcohol. Or other sedative drugs.
So the metabolic problem causes greater agitation in your cells, as they’re forced to fight another toxin. But it causes greater sedation as well. That’s why, when you get the alcohol “really working,� you’re raring to go yet calm and cool. How can you beat this high?
And all this because of a glitch in metabolism. Clearly this glitch is the main reason for your physical addiction. About 10% of all drinkers have this problem. They are the ones who become “alcoholic.�
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I’ve often wondered if this is why Suboxone helps alcoholics to stay clean, Suboxone is filling those opiate receptors that alcohol once did??
Regardless, I’m glad Suboxone helps you guys to stay alcohol free.
