People often neglect nutrition as a significant factor required during recovery when trying to remain sober. Instead, people focus more on concerns related to medications, cravings, withdrawals, therapy, and support. Even though they are crucial factors to consider, many people ignore nutrition.
An excellent recovery journey requires a proper diet, adequate sleep, and exercise. Research indicates that drugs and alcohol addiction can lead to poor nutrition, which creates a significant toll on your body.
How Do Drugs and Alcohol Affect Your Nourishment?
There are several ways drug abuse causes malnourishment, and being knowledgeable helps to improve nutrition in recovery. Some of the common issues include:
- Heavy substances abuse and alcohol lead to reduced appetite. Some drugs such as marijuana may make people overeat, leading to overweight and obesity, creating several medical.
- Regular use of drugs and alcohol consumption makes addicts prioritize them over food intake, leading to poor eating habits.
- Drugs and alcohol cause malnourishment, which is the inability to absorb nutrients from food.
- In some cases, substance abuse leads to diarrhea and vomiting, causing loss of nutrients from your body.
- Some substances can damage your body organs such as the liver, kidneys, stomach lining, etc. damage related to essential body organs can affect how it absorbs, digests, and stores nutrients from food.
- Research indicates that drugs and alcohol can compromise your immune system leading to the vulnerability of infections and diseases. Eventually, your food consumption becomes affected.
Nutrition and Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption leads to poor nutrition. Alcohol damages your stomach and intestine lining affecting your digestive enzymes and causing poor absorption of nutrients.
Also, alcohol can produce severe damage to the pancreas, which impairs digestion. Additionally, it can damage your liver, causing a severe imbalance in the proper functions of your body.
Long-term alcohol use may result in a severe deficiency of essential vitamins, which can create problems for your nervous system, including other medical conditions.
Opioids and Nutrition
Some opioids may slow down some functions on your body resulting in inefficient digestion and absorption of nutrients. Constipation is fairly common in people who take opioids.
Also, opioid withdrawals develop uncomfortable symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Later, you may lose a lot of fluids and nutrients, which creates risks to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
Stimulants and Nutrition
Studies indicate that some stimulants such as methamphetamine and cocaine can send specific signals to your brain that decrease appetite and sleep.
Over time, people usually experience malnutrition, severe weight loss, dental health and tooth decay, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance from the poor diet during binges.
How Nutrition Help With the Recovery Process
Long-term drug and alcohol use stresses your body and mind. Therefore, your body takes some time to heal and become sober. However, consuming proper nutrition boosts the recovery process. Other additional benefits include:
- Mood Improvement
- Increased energy levels
- Repairing of damaged body organs and tissues
- Low risks of relapse because of improved mood and increased energy
- Increase in chances of long-term sobriety due to better mental and physical health.
Final Thoughts from the Recover
Nutrition issues brought by drug addiction can treatable in a professional rehab. If you or your loved one is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction and you having the above nutrition effects, consult a nearby rehab center for advice regarding your needs.
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