The Importance of Good Nutrition in Addiction Recovery

It’s National Nutrition Month, an education and information campaign that takes place in March every year. It’s created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for the purpose of bringing attention to the importance of making informed food choices and eating habits as well as developing smart exercise habits. This year’s theme is “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” and focuses on limiting your daily caloric intake and exercising consistently in order to maintain a healthy weight. 

About Nutrition and Addiction

Developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, such as healthy eating and exercise habits, is beneficial for everyone. It can be especially essential for people in addiction recovery.

Excessive or extended alcohol or drug abuse wrecks havoc on a person’s body. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, drugs and alcohol can affect the body in the following ways:

• Prolonged abuse of alcohol can cause severe damage to the body’s organs, especially the liver and pancreas. It can also lead to other conditions such as diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, seizures and malnutrition.
• Opiates such as oxycontin, morphine and heroin can harm a person’s gastrointestinal organs.
• Methamphetamine, cocaine and other common stimulants are appetite suppressants, which can increase the risk of a person being underweight. Because these stimulants cause an increase in energy, a person may be more likely to stay awake for long periods of time and be more at risk to develop dehydration and electrolyte problems.
• Alcohol and drug abuse damages the immune system, can lead to malnourishment, and blocks the body’s feel-good chemicals.

Good Nutrition in Addiction Recovery

The negative effects of drug or alcohol abuse may not be completely reversible, but developing good nutrition habits can go a long way in helping to rebuild a body that’s stronger, healthier and more attractive. Getting the proper nutrients gives the body energy, helps build and repair organ tissue, and strengthens the immune system.

In addition, making good food choices can play an important role in boosting a person’s mood. Research has shown that changes in diet can alter brain structure both chemically and physiologically, and that the ingestion of certain foods is tied to the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which enhances mood. Feeling better may also help prevent relapse. Experts believe that people in recovery who make poor dietary choices have a higher chance of relapsing.

A major factor in addiction recovery is changing harmful habits into beneficial ones. Developing healthy nutrition and exercise routines can make a big difference in maintaining recovery. Proper treatment and support can help you or a loved one stop the damaging cycle of drug or alcohol addiction and start the path to recovery.

By Jenna Mitchell