Often, our nutrition can be overlooked or put on the back burner in moments of our daily lives. But, the closer we can achieve our nutritional goals the better we can allow our bodies and brains to function, and this is no truer than in 12 step recovery. Nutritional therapy is a method that addresses specific deficiencies of vitamins, minerals, and micronutrients in the body. Heavy substance use can not only interfere with our ability to feed ourselves in a healthy way, but it can also prevent the absorption of certain nutrients and damage the physical functions of our bodies. For example, alcoholics are often deficient in the mineral zinc. This is partly due to alcoholics getting a bulk of their daily calories from alcohol instead of food sources containing zinc, such as whole grains and nuts.
However, heavy alcohol consumption also decreases the gut’s ability to absorb zinc and even flushes zinc out with our urine. This is sometimes referred to as “leaky gut.” A leaky gut is when the barrier between the body’s intestinal contents and the rest of the body becomes weakened, allowing the passage of toxins to the liver, increasing the likelihood of alcohol-related liver diseases. Zinc deficiency has been linked to greater rates of depression, irritability, apathy, and confusion, all of which can complicate recovery and increase the risk of relapse. Another common nutritional deficiency with heavy substance use is folate and vitamin B-6. Folate and vitamin B-6 deficiencies slow down the production of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. Below Can-Am has provided some topics related to the importance of healthy nutrition to aid our recovery.
Good Nutrition Helps Balance Dopamine Levels
Speaking of dopamine, it is theorized that addicts self-medicate with substances for the sudden dopamine release they provide. Dopamine is a naturally occurring, feel-good chemical that induces joy and euphoria. Substances cause our brains to flood with dopamine, giving us a highly concentrated feeling of this euphoria. Over time, however, the artificial manipulation of our dopamine levels actually reduces dopamine receptors in the brain, resulting in low function of dopamine. In fact, research indicates that some people have fewer dopamine receptors in the brain to start with due to genetic factors, making them more prone to addiction by dulling their brain’s response to substances. The low function of dopamine is made worse by continued poor eating habits (common in addiction) that supply little of the necessary protein-building blocks, known as amino acids, that the body uses to create more dopamine. A personalized, high-protein diet supplied by nutritional therapy can increase dopamine receptors and provide enough amino acids to balance the body’s dopamine levels.
Good Nutrition Helps Control Drug and Alcohol Cravings
Hypoglycemia is common among addicts When your blood sugar crashes, the brain sends signals telling you to boost your energy quickly. This is when cravings happen, usually for something sweet. The craving for something sweet can easily be mistaken as an alcohol or drug craving. Nutritional therapy focuses on stabilizing blood sugar levels by minimizing processed foods and foods with lots of added sugar, focusing on foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI), and balancing carbohydrate intake with protein and fat.
How Good Nutritional Fits into Your Overall Treatment
During treatment, the medical team takes a comprehensive assessment of your general health, including factors such as:
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Co-occurring mental health disorders
- Family history of mental health disorders
- Medications you are taking or have taken in the past
- Severity or frequency of substance abuse
Proper nutrition can help reduce the pain and discomfort of detox and help you navigate any appetite fluctuations you may experience. Over time, learning how to plan and prepare meals for yourself motivates you to eat for health and self-care, not for emotional reasons or as a substitute addiction.
Help?
These are just a few examples to help us understand the importance that good nutrition has in our lives and in our recovery. Depending on each individuals needs, there are countless variations of nutritional treatments that can work for us. As we all have different nutritional needs, having professional guidance to help us understand what those needs are can be very beneficial for us in our quest to living and in our recovery. Can-Am Interventions promotes healthy living and lasting recovery. We are here to help you, to guide you and to provide treatment strategies best suited to your individual needs. We look forward to the opportunity of helping you. Call us today.
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