Alcoholism; the Nutritional Approach

140 Pages·1959·11.677 MB·English

by  roger williams

Alcoholism:
This small, easily read book
. . .
gives the alcoholic and his physician
a §ound basis for a medical approach
to one of today's "most complex diseases,
Houston Post
;
RogerJAVffiams

ALCOHOLISM: the Nutritional Approach

Alcoholism
The Nutritional Approach
By Roger Williams
J.
University ofTexas Press Austin & London
International Standard Book Number 0-292-70301-5
Library ofCongress Catalog Card Number 58-59850
Copyright © 1959 by Roger Williams
J.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States ofAmerica
Fifth Paperback Printing, 1978
Printed in U.S.A.
To Alcoholics Anonymous

Preface
Progress in the solution of the highly
important problem of alcoholism has been hampered
by considerable confusion with respect to ways and
means of advance.
The attitude of the medical profession is of great
interest and is certainly an index to the true state of
affairs. Most physicians prefer not to have alcoholics
among their patients, for the simple reason that doc-
tors are aware oftheir inability to help alcoholicswith
their basic problem. Most medical men and laymen
consider alcoholism a psychological problem. Many
therefore look to psychiatry for help, but here, too, in
vain, because few psychiatrists welcome alcoholic pa-
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Alcoholism: the NutritionalApproach
tients. The most consistent advice given alcoholics by
the medical profession is "Join Alcoholics Anony-
mous." This, in the writer's opinion, is excellent ad-
vice, because Alcoholics Anonymous has a most en-
viablerecordforeffectivework.
This advice when looked at objectively is, however,
phenomenal. Isthereaparallelinthecaseofanyother
disease, for treatment of which physicians refer sick
people to a lay group? Obviously this is a state of af-
fairs that would not exist if there were a recognized
medical treatmentforthedisease.
We believe that through biochemical studies we
have discovered important causes of this disease, and
that advance toward prevention, if not cure, can be
We
expected to be rapid. do not wish, however, to
overemphasize biochemistry and physiology to the ex-
We
clusion of psychology. are convinced that people
—
are not built in separate compartments anatomical,
—
biochemical, psychological but that they are inte-
grated insuch away that alcoholism, for example, has
its roots in every aspect of an individual's make-up.
In the past sevenyearssince anearliervolume deal-
ing with nutrition and alcoholism was published,
there have been new discoveries, with a substantial
increase in insight into the disease. These I have
tried to set forth in the present volume. While there
are many worth-while ideas in the earlier volume, it
—
carried an implication namely that alcoholics might
well look forward to a life of moderate drinking
which I cannot now endorse. If an alcoholic is able to
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