We compare the heavy drinker with an injured person - the body, mind and soul are damaged and must heal. The body-mind damage is done by the toxic effects of alcohol, by nutrient deficiencies and by other adverse effects of eating and drinking the wrong foods.
Heavy drinkers tend to starve - they eat little or have limited, inferior food choices.
There are a variety of drinking patterns and the range of injury among alcohol abusers is great. Some are mildly injured and can recover on their own with the right tools and techniques. Others are critically injured and need hospitalization and prolonged rehabilitation with custodial supervision. All alcoholics face withdrawal eventually. You have to stop drinking to get better.