Diet for Recovering Alcoholics: Nourish Your Recovery

Vegetables also have a high water content and are packed with nutrients and fiber. Fiber helps keep blood sugar levels steady, which reduces irritability, anxiety and cravings. Orange and green leafy vegetables are very rich in calcium, potassium and vitamins A, B and C. Eating a balanced diet is essential to reduce the harm of alcohol and improve your overall well-being.

Addiction Destroys Dreams, We Can Help

Many of the effects of drinking every day can be reversed through early intervention. However, certain food groups also have benefits when it comes to helping with the discomfort of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification. While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease. It eases inflammation and protects the thin layer that surrounds your brain cells, called the cell membrane.

Individualized, evidence based treatment, to fit your needs.

During this period, when your body is adjusting and healing, it is important to have a healthy diet and nutrition to support you in your new alcohol-free lifestyle. Without it, you can have strong cravings, mood swings, and hostile behavior. We get amino acids from protein in foods like meat, dairy products, and nuts, along with some grains and beans. For example, my work and others’ has found that people who both drink heavily and smoke cigarettes are more likely to benefit from naltrexone. Several medications have demonstrated encouraging effects on drinking in randomized controlled trials but are not yet FDA-approved for alcohol use disorder. Instead, they are used “off-label,” meaning that physicians use their discretion to prescribe them for an unapproved indication.

Nutritional Therapy for Alcohol Addiction

In the same manner, those who have bulimia and binge eating disorders experience extreme cravings for food and feel a loss of control when over-consuming. Both food and addictive substances present ways to escape from or numb unwanted feelings. People who abuse alcohol typically do not pay attention to nutrition. Even those who were formerly healthy tend alcohol recovery diet to let their good eating habits go as they become more consumed with the need to find and drink alcohol. This creates a two-fold nutritional problem because even if someone does manage to eat healthfully and get all their nutrients, alcohol prevents them from being fully absorbed. Alcohol detox isn’t easy and not everyone can do it on their own.

• However, in cases where withdrawal symptoms are overly uncomfortable or potentially dangerous, medical detox may be necessary.
• A struggle with alcohol use impacts many aspects of a person’s life, including diet and nutrition.

Alcohol has no nutritional value, and instead dehydrates you and can lead to malnourishment. This double effect shows why it is important to be aware of and deal with these issues for your physical and mental health. Good nutrition can be a strong ally on the road to recovery from drug addiction. The right food can not only mitigate drug damage but also help the former abuser feel stronger.

• Alcohol use disorder is a devastating condition for which better treatments are desperately needed.
• Contact us today to learn more about treatment programs, including alcohol detox and recovery plans that can work well for your situation.
• Micronutrients are just as important, but you don’t need to consume as much of them to stay healthy.
• Drug and alcohol addiction causes a person to forget what it is like to be hungry, and instead think of this feeling as a drug craving.
• Simply put, people want a socially acceptable drink that’s healthier than traditional beer.
• Consider fruit if you have a craving for something sweet during detox.

• Alcohol detox isn’t easy and not everyone can do it on their own.
• In the meantime, there are many things you can do to help get through the withdrawal stage.
• Maintaining the proper diet can help to reduce the stress your body experiences and better equip you to handle the difficulties of alcohol withdrawal.