People often treat debilitating arthritis with pain relievers such as ibuprofen or naproxen. However, while these OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are pretty good at relieving acute pain, they are neither safe nor entirely effective for chronic pain. That leaves many folks with arthritis, including many of our readers, searching for home remedies they can use long term. One of the more popular remedies is golden raisins drenched in gin. However, not everyone should use this. In particular, we discourage alcoholics from embracing this particular approach.
Could Arthritic Alcoholics Benefit from Gin-Soaked Raisins?
Q. I am having very good results with the gin-soaked raisins but I know several alcoholics who have terrible pain and want to try. Is there an alternative for them?
A. Although there is only one drop of alcohol in the daily dose of nine gin-soaked raisins, alcoholics should not tempt themselves by keeping gin in the house to make the remedy.
Other readers have recommending soaking golden raisins in apple cider vinegar mixed with honey (two parts vinegar, one part honey). This completely sidesteps the problem of keeping gin on hand (and also of overdoing the dose). Whether it works as well has not been determined, but it is certainly worth a try.
Should Alcoholics Avoid Gin-Raisin Remedy?
Q. A friend shared her happiness with your arthritis remedy of marinating golden raisins in gin. I am alcoholic. Does the alcohol evaporate out, or is this a prescription to resume my illness?
A. As noted above, we don’t recommend this remedy for people like you. Although most of the alcohol does evaporate, having gin on hand to soak the raisins might be too much of a temptation.
Some people have found that soaking golden raisins in apple cider vinegar and honey is a good alcohol-free substitute. On the other hand, there are many other remedies for arthritis pain that do not involve alcohol. You might want to explore some of those, which include Certo and grape juice or Knox Gelatine mixed with oatmeal.
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We have dozens of alternate solutions in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies, including turmeric, tart cherries, grape juice and plant pectin, boswellia, cayenne and pineapple juice. In addition, you may wish to consult our eGuide to Alternatives for Arthritis, which also provides many nondrug options.
