Alcohol and drug addiction are becoming more and more common in the world we live in. this form of abuse can take a huge toll on the body affecting the organs as well as mental health. Recovering and rehabilitating from this addiction is indeed a slow and gradual process that requires the individual to sacrifice a lot.
Many people use their will-power and proper mindset to get rid of the unhealthy addictions that they are used to. While for others use the help of drug rehab centers to help them cope with the unhealthy dilemma.
What is the most difficult stage during the recovery from drug and alcohol addiction?
Addiction is hard to recover from in the detoxification stage. This stage requires cautious observation by a third person or specialist because during this stage of the process towards recovery the patient is most likely to go through mental trauma as well as physical irritation.
While it might sound like food not being an important part of the recovery process it is actually quite wrong. During the recovery process, food plays a major and most crucial role in helping the body rebuild its lost health as well as maintain health.
In the midst of an illness such as addiction, keeping good eating patterns can appear meaningless. However, the lack of nutrition associated with drugs or alcohol will place a large amount of stress on the body. The mixture also creates changes in the body’s capacity to work that may contribute to nutrient deficiencies, electrolyte imbalances, and, in extreme situations, starvation, and death.
Why is eating healthy difficult during drug and alcohol addiction?
Maintaining a healthy diet is extremely difficult for people who are recovering from drug addiction. Some of the most important reasons why addicted people are more likely to suffer from the following issues:
- Are using less food except for the usage of marijuana
- Select products that are less healthy and/or can lack food
- Raise the pace at which the body absorbs energy
- Improve nutritional loss by vomiting and diarrhea
- Injure the intestines such that they cannot consume nutrients in food properly
When the body may not contain enough brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) or the chemicals are out of control, you can feel irritable and nervous. You can have food cravings, nausea, and an inability to sleep. Stress may also impair performance and/or render people nervous, sleepy, frustrated, or depressed.
Like most aggressive addictions, a good diet and exercise sometimes slip by the wayside. Instead of investing their time, money, or effort on keeping a healthier lifestyle, people struggling from abuse utilize these services to continue their harmful substance or alcohol behaviors.
If the dependent individual tends to lack their nutrition, they may begin to interact with the general well-being and capacity of the body to work.
Some of the effects of bad nutrition with addiction
Bad eating patterns and abuse also go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, this mix will disturb many of the main functions of the brain and body.
Persistent opioid or alcohol misuse and lack of food can easily contribute to deprivation and may result in forms such as:
- Low body temperature
- Depression
- Mental weakness
- Muscle degeneration heart rhythm abnormalities
- Reduced immune system
- Protein shortages
- Electrolyte imbalances
Although these are the most prominent side effects of keeping an unhealthy diet through active abuse, they are by no way a full collection. Many adverse effects are due to the type of medications used by patients.
What to eat while recovering from drug addiction?
Whether you are recovering from addiction all by yourself here are a few things that you need to accommodate in your daily life:
Go high on Carbs
During rehabilitation from addiction, you must consume a diet that regulates the amounts of serotonin (a hormone that helps in relaxation) in your brain.
This includes consuming foods high in carbohydrates, particularly complex carbohydrates contained in:
- Starchy foods such as legumes (e.g., beans, lentils and peas)
- Root vegetables (e.g., potatoes and carrots)
- Pasta and bread.
Eating these foods in tandem with protein should hold you at your best.
Vitamin B-12
Shortfalls of B-complex vitamins such as thiamine foliate or folic acid, and B12 are related to addiction, and certain B vitamins and vitamin C supplies are also insufficient. Chronic drug intake also decreases the body’s lack of nutrients such as copper, magnesium, and calcium. Iron is an exception to this and is seldom impaired because alcohol affects the lining of the intestine, thus raising the absorption of carbon.
Portions to consume
This is the perfect balance of your diet explained in detail as you might need to eat a lot in order to keep your mind diverted and to get the required results:
- Complete carbohydrates mostly 50 to 55 percent of the calories you consume which implies lots of rice, fruits, and vegetables
- Dairy products or other foods high in calcium (calcium enhanced drinks, tofu, and kale
- Two to three cups a day mild protein (15 to 20 percent of calories): two to four ounces of meat or fish twice a day (or poultry twice a day)
Social support and rehab
Behavioral therapies are of little benefit without inclusive social groups and structures that increase access to nutritious and affordable food, alleviate hunger, and tackle underlying mental health problems. Health care facilities and numerous community-based organizations, including alcohol and drug-specific groups, provide comprehensive behavioral wellbeing, wellness, and nutritional assistance, as well as other social programs. They are valuable resources in the rehabilitation phase, and they will offer holistic treatment and help as you heal from addiction.
Conclusion
Alcohol and drug addiction are real. People suffer from this but many people who realize that the track they are following is wrong try to overcome their unhealthy habits. Nutrition plays an important role in the recovery process and it provides your body with all the necessities to function properly.
Therefore if you are looking forward to changing your lifestyle it is important that you change you’re eating patterns first.