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Many people need a drink to get through the day because they are addicted to the ingredients from which their favorite alcoholic beverage is made. Consequently it seems that alcoholism and food addiction are closely related, if not identical.

Researchers at the Deaconess Hospital in St Louis, Missouri, have recently conducted an intensive enquiry into alcoholism and its possible causes. They found evidence to substantiate the belief that alcoholism is, in fact, a food allergy. Their research showed that alcoholics are twice as susceptible to food allergies as are nondrinkers. Different alcoholics were found to be addicted to the different elements within the drink, rather than alcohol itself.

Alcoholic beverages are made by fermenting sugars derived from the starches of various grains and vegetables. For example, beer contains barley and hops; whisky, malted barley; vodka, potatoes, rye or barley; wine, grapes; and so on. Missouri">All alcoholic drinks contain yeast, another common allergen.

The presence of alcohol in the system acts as a catalyst to the absorption of materials from the intestinal tract. As the alcohol is absorbed, it takes along with it particles of the food from which the particular alcoholic drink was made. In addition, because of the catalytic effect of the alcohol, accelerated absorption of any drugs or foods ingested with the alcohol, also occurs.

The ingredients which make up an alcoholic beverage can produce an addictive form of food allergy which, because of the effects of the alcohol, is even more acute than food allergies without alcohol. As a result a person with this problem becomes a compulsive drinker, or to use that grossly inaccurate term - 'alcoholic'.

The chemical effect of the alcohol causes compulsive drinkers to have withdrawal symptoms that are even more intense than other food allergies. The addicted drinker, in desperation, reaches for another drink to seek relief and so perpetuates an endless cycle of ingestion and withdrawal. Dr Mandell writes about the addiction to alcohol as a food allergy.

'Alcoholics may think they are drinking to combat an anxious or depressed state of mind due to some emotional problem - and a drink certainly makes them feel better fast - but, in reality, they are suffering from the addictive form of food allergy, and their anxiety and depression are nervous system allergic reactions to the food residues of the source materials in the alcoholic beverage.'

As in most food-related allergies, there is an addictive process which requires larger doses more frequently, to control withdrawal symptoms and to briefly regain the feeling of well-being. This is particularly so with the compulsive drinker, who is locked into a cycle of withdrawal symptoms and relief, followed by recurring symptoms, which are only relieved by further alcohol. It is only when this endless cycle is permanently broken that the sufferer can regain good health. After this, abstinence is usually the only answer, although if the allergy is to grains and the person has been a beer drinker, then a change to a non grain-based drink, such as wine, may solve the problem. However, this should only be done after a period of total abstinence for at least six months, to allow the overloaded immune system to recover its full function.

People who are reliant on alcohol have often had a severe masked allergy problem from infancy. Throughout their childhood years and into their late teens, they were never well - suffering various recurring ailments, tiredness and the awful fits of depression which go with such an insidious condition. Then with their first drink of beer, or spirits, they feel much better. Others may have an initial negative reaction, followed by a beneficial feeling. The result in either case is that the individual forms a firm attachment to the alcoholic beverage and thereafter incorporates it in his every-day life. A downward spiral commences, which may last many years, before that person reaches a stage where the alcohol will no longer relieve the symptoms no matter how much is consumed.

Most alcoholic drinks other than wine are grain based, with wheat being a major ingredient. Therefore a close link would appear to exist between an individual's liking for foods such as bread, pies and biscuits, and a need to drink beer in excessive quantities.