Nutrition is key ingredient in drug addiction recovery
Simon Mwangi
Food and nutrition is one of the drivers to successful healing for persons suffering from substance use disorders (SUDs).
Ordinarily, people who abuse drugs generally consume less food (except for marijuana users), choose foods that are less nutritious and may even skip meals, increase the loss of nutrients through vomiting and diarrhea and increase the speed at which their body uses up energy.
However, thanks to science and development in the nutrition world, neuroplasticity has emerged as a key concept in addiction recovery.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form new connections and rearrange old ones, naturally in response to injury, disease or a change in the environment.
The development of addiction is itself an example of neuroplasticity, as the reward pathway’s activity chemically adapts to the presence of drugs or alcohol.
Sometimes those abusing drugs are known to be irritable and anxious which can mainly be attributed to production of low brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) or when the chemicals are out of balance as a result of poor nutrition.
In the process, such people can suffer from food cravings, anxiety and inability to sleep.
During recovery, persons suffering from SUDs should eat a diet that will balance the levels of serotonin, a hormone that helps with relaxation, in the brain.
This involves eating foods high in carbohydrates, especially complex carbohydrates found in starchy foods such as legumes (beans, lentils and peas), root vegetables (potatoes and carrots), pastas and breads.
Eating these foods in combination with protein in meals will assist in the healing process.
In the early stages of detoxification and recovery, meals are supposed to be introduced slowly since the body might not be used to digest diet.
It is advised such people start off with small and frequent meals. In the process some may start to gain weight and they are advised to seek professional advice from a nutritionist.
Eating regularly also helps equip persons with drug use disorders ability to resist drug and alcohol cravings, as their blood sugars will be steadier throughout the day.
Those recovering from substance abuse are more likely to relapse if they have a poor diet.
Stimulants cause appetite suppression. They do so by making users feel more energetic and “indomitable” as though they don’t need to eat.
People who abuse stimulants frequently go on binges of the drug in which they don’t eat or drink enough to nourish the body.
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and heavily reduced food intake inevitably lead to malnutrition in those who abuse stimulants.
It is important for those in recovery to note that within the first year after stopping alcohol or drug abuse, their bodies’ nutrition needs are higher than normal.
Consequently, they need to make sure they are feeding on a balanced diet on a daily basis.
Even when healthy and varied diets are consumed while drugs and alcohol are being abused, less nutrients are available to satisfy nutritional needs since a lot of those nutrients are being used to detoxify the body.
Critically, food shouldn’t replace drugs as a coping mechanism. Sugar and caffeine are common substitutes used during recovery because they produce highs and lows.
The low-nutrient foods can prevent one from consuming enough healthy food and they end up affecting the mood and cravings.
Alcohol abuse also causes severe harm to two critical digestive organs: the pancreas and liver. The pancreas makes enzymes necessary for digesting fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
It also produces hormones essential for balancing blood sugar. The liver breaks down toxins, including alcohol, and if it stops working correctly due to heavy drinking, the alcohol will circulate in the blood for longer and cause more damage to the digestive system.
Brain imaging studies have revealed that drug addiction unsettles connectivity between different parts of the brain, making it more difficult to re-stabilise healthy neuro-transmission during recovery.
Fortunately, adequate nutrition can improve neuroplasticity by helping the brain replenish normal amounts of neurotransmitters. — The writer is the Corporate Communications manager at the National Authority for Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse
