The road to recovery, especially from drug addiction, is a long and difficult road. But the fact that anybody has managed to even start travelling down that path shows a lot of strength. There are ways to make the journey much easier, however, and one of those ways is by eating healthy and observing proper nutrition. Here are some of the ways healthy eating can contribute to rehabilitation.
1. It helps reverse malnutrition
There are many ways how anybody who uses drugs would become malnourished. One reason is that anybody who is suffering from the effects of hard drugs may not eat for long periods of time because some drug suppresses appetite. Another reason is that people who usually consume drugs tend to consume food that is cheap, but unhealthy, in order to better sustain their habits financially. Lastly, and perhaps the biggest factor of them all, the drugs actually strip the body of vital nutrients, or make it difficult for you to absorb them in the first place. Eating healthy can help reverse the damaging effects of malnutrition and help put your body into equilibrium.
2. It helps detoxify your body
One of the biggest problems with drugs is that they can be so nutritionally-damaging. This is because they basically strip your body of vital nutrients and replaces them with more harmful components. Observing proper nutrition helps keep your body’s biochemistry in top condition and would eventually flush these harmful components out. Information on how to properly detoxify or find a detox facility is available online if you want to find out more. Most detox facilities usually provide customised nutrition plans that are unique for every individual.
3. It helps improve your immunity
Drugs have always been known to damage a person’s immune system, making it difficult for them to fight off diseases. Sometimes, it’ll take time to recover from any damage the drugs have done to your immune system. Eating properly will help boost your immunity and will keep you healthy enough to fend off diseases while your body undergoes rehab.
4. It helps prevent electrolyte imbalance
Much like we’ve mentioned with malnutrition, when a person is suffering the effects of drugs, they tend to not keep their eating habits in check. This will lead to electrolyte imbalance, which in turn leads to your body not working properly. Eating a healthy with a varied diet helps make sure that your body is receiving the right number of electrolytes and helps keep your body in perfect balance.
Learning about good nutrition is critical in the recovery process.
5. It helps manage the withdrawal symptoms
One of the biggest parts of recovering from an addiction is withdrawal. Being able to weather through the withdrawal symptoms will determine whether you have a smooth road to recovery or not. This is usually the point where many people start relapsing, as the physical effects of withdrawal tend to be too overwhelming. Eating the right kinds of food helps manage your cravings and keeps the withdrawal symptoms at a more manageable level. The withdrawal is still there, but it’s much easier to deal with.
Takeaway
Having the right nutrition and practising good dietary habits is important for everyone to follow, whether they’re suffering from an addiction or not. Proper nutrition is especially important for a person who’s on the path to sobriety. This is because a person’s body is mending itself after being damaged by drugs, a process which requires the right nutrients to be done successfully. Healthy food not only brings balance to your body, but it’ll also bring balance to your life.
Peter Wallace has been an advocate for mental health awareness for years. He holds a master’s degree in counselling from the University of Edinburgh.
