Many people with a drug or alcohol problem have a nutritional deficiency due to malnutrition and can have liver problems due to toxins. Nutritional support is an alternative medicine technique that attempt to correct nutritional problems and flush toxins from the body. For addicts, the levels of beta-carotene, vitamins B1, C, and E, zinc, and selenium should be increased through diet and/or supplements. Calcium and magnesium can also be helpful. The recovering addict should avoid refined carbohydrates and processed sugars while increasing their intake fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Herbal remedies are often used as alternative medicine approaches. Certain herbs reduce alcohol and drug withdrawal symptoms including anxiety and insomnia. Some can also reduce the body’s craving for its drug of choice. For relaxation, try peppermint, catnip, chamomile, or skullcap. St. Johns Wort can reduce depression. Burdock root, Echinacea, and milk thistle act as cleansing agents. Rudimentary Chinese studies show that Kudzu root tea can reduce the cravings for alcohol by up to half.

Acupuncture, an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine, has been used successfully to treat alcohol and drug addiction. This method attempts to restore the imbalances in the body that led to addiction in the first place and has up to a 50% success rate. The treatments can reduce the withdrawal symptoms and prepares the mind to face any underlying emotional problems. Acupuncture treatments for addiction concentrate on the liver, kidney, and nervous system meridian points or channels in most cases.

The use of illicit and prescription drugs in an abusive and consistent manner can lead to a physical and psychological addiction that in most cases leads to negative effects on the user’s physiology and day-to-day life. Many drug abusers require a residential drug abuse program to help them kick their dependence on a particular substance, while others may need to be a part of a structured program for the rest of their lives.

There are numerous types of drug addiction recovery programs; deciding on the right one for a particular person depends on the type of drug they abuse. Some include the better known AA meetings that require addicts to attend regular meetings. Other programs require a more hands-on approach through the detoxifying process, and may need the addict to live in the treatment center until he or she gains the tools necessary to manage the addiction problem.

Drug addiction recovery programs are only as successful as the level of commitment by the patient and his or her family. The larger the support system formed around the patient, the easier the process becomes and the greater the chances of long term success. Recovery programs provide guidance to the patient and his family on how to break away from cycles and habits that prevent recovery. Many of the tools gained in these programs can be beneficial not only to the addict, but her family and friends as well. These programs teach coping mechanisms that are important in reducing daily stress and anxiety. Some programs also use replacement drugs that aid the addict through the detox process by lessening the physiological shock of reducing or stopping the use of a particular drug.

The type of recovery program chosen strongly depends on the type of drug the addict abused. This is because different drugs result in varying types of addiction responses by the body.