Get enough thiamin (vitamin B1)
If you drink regularly, make sure your diet includes enough thiamin, which alcohol makes harder to absorb.
- How often
- Daily
- Time
- Part of meals
- Recommended for
- 1 factor
How to do it
- Aim for the recommended intake: 1.2 mg a day for adult men and 1.1 mg for adult women.
- Fortified breakfast cereal is the easiest source, at up to 1.2 mg a serving. Enriched egg noodles have about 0.5 mg a cup.
- Pork, trout and black beans each provide about 0.4 mg per serving (3 ounces of meat or fish, or half a cup of beans).
- Choose whole-grain or enriched bread, rice and pasta, and add seeds, nuts and legumes.
- Eat regular meals on the days you drink, not alcohol in place of food.
Why it helps
Thiamin helps turn food into energy and keeps nerves working. Alcohol reduces how much thiamin you absorb and store, so people who drink heavily are among the most likely to fall short. Up to 80% of people with chronic alcohol use disorder develop a deficiency. In severe cases this can lead to Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, which damages memory and nerves.
Be careful
Eating well doesn't undo the effects of heavy drinking. Drinking less is what protects you. Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, confusion or memory problems need a doctor's attention. If you think drinking has become a problem, SAMHSA's free, confidential helpline is open 24/7 at 1-800-662-4357. Check with a doctor or pharmacist before starting a supplement.