Does chromium reduce craving for alcohol?

Q: You've written that chromium reduces cravings for carbs. Does it also decrease the craving for alcohol?

A: What an interesting and important question!

George, the first person I describe in Lifting Depression: The Chromium Connection, reported that chromium - in addition to lifing his mood and reducing his appetite - definitely decreased his craving for alcohol. Before taking chromium, on those rare occasions when he drank, he would gulp alcohol, become rapidly intoxicated, drink too much, and feel awful the next day. After he started chromium, he felt less compelled to gulp alcohol, he drank slowly, he drank less, and he didn't have a hangover the next day.

Common knowledge

First of all, it is common knowledge among clinicians (healthcare professionals who see patients) that craving for carbohydrates is common among alcohol-dependent people, especialy when they stop drinking alcohol.

Scientific study

Registered dietitian Mona Moorhouse, working at the Addiction Program at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, scientifically studied this clinical impression. She measured the effects of diet on alcohol craving, and mood. She and her colleagues documented that about 50 percent of alcoholics also crave carbohydrates, especially when sober. This suggests there is some underlying biochemical imbalance that both conditions have in common. Since chromium curbs cravings for carbs, it makes sense that it would also curb the craving for alcohol in some people.

Nutritional deficiency

I agree with Dr. Abram Hoffer that certainly people with an alcohol problem should supplement their diets with chromium, as well as with vitamin C, L-glutamine, lecithin, and a multi-vitamin. In Dr. Hoffer’s words, “Chromium greatly reduces carbohydrate mis-metabolism, and greatly helps control blood sugar levels.”

Don't over simplify

If you have a problem with alcohol, chromium probably will help you. But don't expect chromium to do the job alone. Expecting chromium alone to treat alcoholism is as farcical as expecting one person to play a symphony.

Alcoholism is a complicated disorder that requires multiple treatments, including spiritual/psychological counseling, attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), nutritional supplementation, and evaluation of underlying medical/psychiatric contributory conditions, and that doesn't include all treatments. I would never want a person to ignore the complexity of alcoholism and its multiple treatments and say "Ah, ha. I can drink now if I take chromium." Please don't do that.