GABA for the Treatment of Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a chronic disease involving an addiction to alcohol. If you are an alcoholic, you may become obsessed with drinking, and you may lose the ability to control how much alcohol you consume. Symptoms of alcoholism include the denial of the condition, drinking when alone or in secret, craving alcohol and withdrawal symptoms when you try to quit drinking. Medications, counseling and group therapies are available to help alcoholics overcome their addictions. Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) may also help to treat alcoholism when it is combined with traditional methods of treatment.

What is Gamma-Aminobutryic Acid?

• GABA is an amino acid that affects your central nervous system. Gamma aminobutyric acid works with vitamin B6 to inhibit message transmissions to neurons in your brain. The levels of GABA in your brain help control the firing of nerve cells, decrease the possibility of seizures and control muscle spasms.

  In Alcoholism: The Cause & The Cure, Genita Petralli explains that GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that mediates effects of alcohol. Ingesting excessive amounts of alcohol can alter your brain chemicals and increase the amount of GABA in your brain; GABA is a neurotransmitter that controls your impulses. Alcohol withdrawal can cause GABA levels to drop substantially. The alcoholic will begin to crave alcohol as the effects of withdrawal set in because of the chemical changes in the brain and body.

  In Addictions: A Comprehensive Guidebook, authors Barbara S. McCrady and Elizabeth E. Epstein explain that alcohol consumption increases GABA levels and that GABA levels decrease when alcohol consumption suddenly ceases. They also explain that when GABA levels increase in your brain, they have a sedating effect. When the levels are decreased dramatically, the reduced levels can be associated with withdrawal symptoms, and in severe instances, low GABA levels are associated with seizures.

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Consumption

• Take GABA supplements to alleviate alcohol withdrawal symptoms and to help rebalance GABA levels in your brain. Consume 750 mg capsules of GABA two times a day to naturally increase your GABA levels. GABA supplements are offered over the counter and can be purchased online or in local drug stores; this supplement is relatively inexpensive to purchase.

  Do not use GABA supplements if you are still drinking, because alcohol consumption naturally increases the levels of GABA in your brain. Also, stop taking GABA if you relapse and start drinking again. Using GABA supplements alone will not be truly beneficial to you if you are an alcoholic, and you should seek out therapeutic methods of treatment for alcoholism if you want to successfully learn how to manage the condition.