Nutrition is a crucial aspect of health for everyone. Proper nutrition is how we sustain ourselves and is something we will always require. For individuals who have been struggling with an addiction, ensuring adequate nutrition becomes especially paramount. Over time, addictive substances can rob the body of critical nutrients and throw many bodily processes out of balance.
Operating in this suboptimal physical state makes finding the strength to recover even more challenging, so it’s important to find help to get your health back on track. If you or a loved one is suffering from the physical ravages of addiction, you don’t have to attempt recovery alone. Please call Baltimore Detox Center at [Direct] today for more information on holistic detox and beginning a substance abuse treatment plan specifically tailored to your needs.
The Importance of Nutrition in Recovery
The role of nutrition in recovery is a critical component that is often overlooked. Nutritional therapy for substance abuse is complex because the effects vary depending on the substance and the client’s physiology. Unfavorable conditions such as inadequate emotional support systems, co-occurring mental health disorders, and poverty are commonly seen as cofactors in a drug-induced nutritional deficiency.
Proper nutrition and adequate hydration are vital to the healing process and improve the chance of a client’s full recovery. Macro and micronutrient deficiencies can lead to bouts of depression, anxiety, and various other problems, which can all become the root causes of a client’s choice to self-medicate again. This is just one typical example of a relapse trigger.
Substance abuse generally leads to a lack of proper nutrition, either due to consistently not eating enough or only eating foods devoid of nutrients. Different substances have different mechanisms of harm. Stimulants suppress the appetite, which disrupts metabolism and leads to inadequate calorie consumption and impaired nutrient absorption. Opposite to this is a depressant, such as marijuana or alcohol, which sometimes increases appetite.
Knowledge about the role of nutrition in healing addiction is essential for all clients in recovery. Clients should be aware of the best ways to heal and nourish their body after it has suffered through the trauma of addiction. Clients actively involved in their treatment should be aware of:
- How proper nutrition and hydration reduces cravings for drugs and alcohol
- The role nutrition has on regulating neurotransmitters, which can stabilize mood and reduce stress
- The overall benefit of a healthy lifestyle for everyone and how neglecting their self-care contributes to their addiction
- How drug and alcohol abuse causes vitamin and mineral deficiencies that threaten our physical and mental health, damage our organs and nervous systems, and decrease our immunity to common sicknesses and disease
Drug abuse causes poor eating patterns, lack of exercise, and unpredictable sleep patterns. These can all be direct causes of long-term health problems, including pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and weight issues.
How to Maintain Physical Health in Addiction Recovery
It’s crucial to supply an addict in recovery with balanced, consistent meals at regular intervals. This may be a difficult task during the initial detoxification process, but it should be the goal in mind as soon as the client is stabilized. Regular physical activity, healthy predictable sleep schedules, and good nutrition work together to ensure the client’s overall health and vitality.
It is vital to correct any nutritional deficiencies and the medical conditions caused by them because a continuous state of malnutrition produces intense cravings for drugs. The cornerstones of healthy nutrition are foods that reduce inflammation and provide the body with healthy energy from antioxidants, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Discover More About Nutrition in Recovery at Baltimore Detox Center
Addiction treatment at Baltimore Detox Center uses a whole-person approach that considers every aspect of health when treating a client suffering from addiction. This includes an emphasis on nutrition in recovery. Learn more by calling [Direct] today to begin your recovery journey.
