Recovering from substance abuse is a difficult process that requires the healing of body and mind. A rehab center will provide the emotional and mental healing you require but in order to heal physically you need to detoxify your body.

Using niacin to detoxify your body is a popular and safe method. Niacin is a naturally occurring water soluble vitamin otherwise known as B3. Also known as nicotinic acid, niacin is found naturally in chicken, turkey, beans, grains and red meat. Niacin works in the body to open blood vessels thereby increasing the flow of blood through your body. Toxins are stored in fatty tissue and it is only by widening the capillaries allowing more blood to pass through that the toxins are removed from the fatty tissues and flushed out of the body.

This process of flushing out toxins is neither harmful nor dangerous and it is painless. One of the side effects to this procedure is that your skin may look flushed due to the fact that there is more blood flowing through the tiny capillaries just under the skin.

There are only two safe forms of niacin to consume in doses greater than those recommended which you need to do in order to use niacin for detoxification.

- Immediate release or crystalline niacin. This is an effective and inexpensive form of niacin. The niacin is released into the blood stream immediately which often results in feeling flushed. Start the dose at 250 mg and gradually increase it until the desired amount is reached. Never exceed 500 mg daily unless under direct medical supervision.

- Extended release niacin. This is a time release capsule but it is not slow release niacin. Studies have shown that niacin is completely safe even in large doses provided exposure to the liver is limited. Slow release formulations can be harmful to your liver because the niacin is in your system for extended periods of time.

Niacin is inexpensive and available where you can buy other natural supplements. Always check with your primary care physician prior to beginning any drug therapy.