The Role of Nutrition In Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Substance use disorder (SUD) profoundly affects both physical and mental health, often leading to severe nutritional deficiencies and imbalances, but a comprehensive recovery approach that includes diet and nutrition can significantly enhance the healing process. 

It’s long been established that substance or alcohol abuse can negatively affect your physical health. And to proceed in the same direction, it’s important to understand how some drugs can disturb the physiological functioning of the organs in our body, thus affecting the body's capacity to obtain sufficient nourishment from food. 

Here are a few ways that alcohol and drugs disrupt our intake of nutrition and nourishment:

• Forgetting to eat: You may forget to eat or lose your appetite while drunk or high. 

• Poor eating habits: When people get addicted, they are more likely to prioritize misusing substances instead of eating. This results in avoiding healthy eating habits or snacking on junk food. 

• Malnourishment: Malnourishment can be caused by a pattern of irregular eating or by the body's failure to absorb nutrients that are essential for biological functions.

• Overeating: Some drugs can force people to eat more than they need. Such repetitive overeating may lead to obesity or other diseases. In addition, increased weight can depress people and influence them to abuse more drugs, forming a vicious cycle of drug abuse and overeating. 

• Organ damage: Our organs help us digest the food we eat and allow its absorption into the body. Drug or alcohol abuse can impair the liver, pancreas, stomach lining, and intestines. 

• Immune system damage: Opiates affect the immune system, making the human body more vulnerable to infections and diseases. 

• Gastrointestinal conditions: Acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, leaky gut syndrome, pathogenic bacterial overgrowth, fungal intestinal infections, and chronic gastrointestinal tract inflammation can all be worsened by alcohol.

Alcohol

If you abuse alcohol or know someone who does, you can testify that heavy drinkers often neglect healthy eating habits and prioritize consuming alcohol. Alcohol consumption prevents nutrients from being broken down and absorbed by damaging the stomach lining and depleting digestive enzymes. Chronic alcohol misuse can also seriously affect the liver and pancreas. The liver metabolizes poisons like alcohol and narcotics, while the pancreas creates enzymes and pro-enzymes to break down lipids, proteins, carbs, and hormones that carefully manage blood sugar levels. Electrolyte, protein, calorie, and fluid imbalances can result from damage to these two essential organs.

Prolonged abuse of alcohol can result in deficiencies of the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin B6

• Folic Acid

• Thiamine or B1 (almost 80% of alcoholics suffer from thiamine deficiency). 

These nutrients are essential for our bodies, and a deficiency can lead to anemia and other neurological illnesses. For example, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome is a severe disease that can be caused by thiamine deficiency and causes serious memory and learning disabilities.  Consumption of alcohol affects men and women differently. According to several researches and studies, women face worse health impacts from alcohol than men. Women who drink alcohol, even in a controlled quantity, are found to have problems with their cycle. These menstrual troubles can be directly linked to infertility problems. They can also affect the levels of estrogen and testosterone in the body. Furthermore, some period symptoms such as headache, breast tenderness, and premenstrual syndrome or PMS can be adversely affected by abusing alcohol for a long time.

Opiates/Opioids

Vomiting and diarrhea are withdrawal symptoms from opioids like heroin, codeine, morphine, OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin that can dehydrate the body, deplete it of nutrients, and create electrolyte imbalances. Although eating might be challenging when going through withdrawal, complex carbs in balanced meals can reduce the severity of the symptoms.

Marijuana

Popularly known as weed, marijuana is infamous for increasing a person's appetite for oily and salty foods. Junk food cravings can lead to weight gain or even obesity since these kinds of foods are hardly rich in nutrients. Overeating while dealing with an addiction to marijuana can also result in the following illnesses:

• High blood pressure

• Heart stroke

• Breast or colon cancer 

• Heart diseases

• Reproductive issues 

• Thyroid problems

• Type 2 diabetes

Persistent weed smoking can also cause deficiencies of fatty acids rich in omega-3 and omega-6. As a result, people get prone to infections, slow healing abilities, and various skin health issues. 

Stimulants

Stimulants are a category of drugs that stimulate or activate the central nervous system and are commonly referred to as "uppers." Substances like crack, powdered cocaine, meth, coffee, and prescription stimulants like Ritalin & Adderall fall into this category. Users of stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines experience heightened energy, exhilaration, and decreased appetite. Stimulant drugs like cocaine and amphetamine affect the activation of the satiety regions in the brain. As a result, they can convey messages to the brain that reduce our desire to eat. 

People nowadays are expected to accomplish heights of success within a short period. This has increased the levels of pressure. In addition, struggles such as the fluctuating job market, relational issues and other societal pressures are continuously deteriorating, and individuals can feel helpless at times. This is why many people are severely reliant on stimulants to keep up or even relax. While it is acceptable for people to use legal and prescription stimulants in moderation, we must be careful not to overindulge, as these powerful, mood-altering stimulants have the potential to cause the following issues:

• Low body temperature

• Loss of muscle

• Inadequate respiratory muscle strength leads to long recovery times and an increased risk of lung infection

• Impaired wound healing ability

• Immune system suppression

• Low phosphate, magnesium, and potassium levels in the body

• Disturbances of the cardiac rhythm

• Mental health and cognitive problems (depression, low self-esteem, brain fog, and a lack of sexual appetite)

Even while seeking treatment, some people may underestimate the value of a nutritious and balanced meal. When people in rehab programs start prioritizing their health and eating healthy foods, they will have better chances of recovering from addiction. This is because when you feel healthier, your mood improves, and you do not feel a strong urge to abuse alcohol or drugs. Encouraging healthy eating habits in people trying to recover from any kind of drug addiction is essential. 

However, it’s also important to note that someone who has just started on their path to recovery may not want to adopt any other major changes. For example, they may not want to incorporate healthy fats and vitamin-rich fruits in their meals right away. Therefore, families and friends of recovering people must understand this idea and should not force or shame the person into eating things they do not want to. 

As for people who have come further along in their recovery process, some key factors to pay attention to include:

• Try to eat regularly: Scheduled meals help the body regulate digestive processes and ensure you do not skip a meal. 

• Increase intake of healthy fats, proteins, fiber, etc.: Proteins make up muscles and are essential for the body. Healthy omega fats provide long-lasting energy and keep you full.

• Supplements for some vitamins and minerals may be helpful: Take supplement tablets or powders for vitamin B & C deficiencies, but only under the supervision of a medical practitioner

• Get some exercise: Regular exercise helps in improving mood and energy levels. 

• Reduce your caffeine intake: Caffeine can cause dehydration and loss of appetite. 

• Do not overlook the importance of sufficient rest & sleep: Minimum 8 hours of sleep is essential for the body to recuperate from a day's work. Rest also replenishes an individual's energy levels. 

• Drink more water: Addiction dehydrates the body. Therefore, drinking plenty of water with food is essential to make digestion easier for your organs. 

These steps don’t promise recovery, but they can make achieving it easier. In addition, healthier people have better chances of avoiding or preventing relapse. 

Some addiction treatment programs also include access to a dietitian or nutrition counselors. Such diet programs can be very helpful for people who struggle with maintaining proper eating schedules or are unaware of what their body needs. 

We’re Here To Help You Find Your Way

Would you like more information about nutrition and recovery? Reach out today.

CALL US: 844-620-3343

Message Us

Food is an important part of a truly holistic treatment approach. Some addiction experts have established that people in treatment programs can recover quickly and are less prone to relapsing when enrolled in a diet and nutrition course. The treatment centers and facilities in the country have taken note and are starting to launch dietary and nutritional education along with other services in their rehab programs. These plans come into effect after the period of detox has ended and the patient's system is cleaned off of any toxins. 

Follow the given steps to learn more about nutrition while seeking treatment in rehab:

• Ask your treatment provider about nutrition programs and how to enroll in one 

• Talk to the counselors in the facility about what you know and what you would like to learn about diet and nutrition 

• Join a cooking class to explore your eating habits and options

• Find what works best for you and try to incorporate that in your life in whatever capacity possible 

Integrating nutrition into Substance use disorder (SUD) recovery is essential for restoring physical health, boosting mental well-being, and supporting long-term sobriety, and prioritizing nutritional support can significantly enhance your recovery journey. 

At The Edge Treatment Center, we understand the vital role of a balanced diet and offer holistic treatment plans that include expert nutritional guidance. If you or a loved one are navigating recovery, seek professional help from dietitians and nutritionists to create a tailored nutrition plan. Reach out to us today to get the help you need to achieve lasting recovery.

We’re Here To Help You Find Your Way

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction, there is hope. Our team can guide you on your journey to recovery. Call us today.

CALL US: 844-620-3343

Message Us