Webster Place Recovery

Nutrition for Recovery

Nutritional healing and healthy eating are part of Webster Place's recovery program. When we are hungry, angry, lonely or tired, we are also more at risk of relapse. Therefore, we need to understand how to avoid relapse, with nutrition being one important component. Avoiding relapse is difficult, especially during the first year of sobriety. To give recovering alcoholics and addicts the best chance of success and sobriety, a program needs to offer a diverse set of life skills that help minimize and deal with cravings. Many of us who have been through the 12-Steps have an understanding of how drugs affect our brain chemistry. All drugs directly or indirectly target the brain's reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. This over stimulation of our system, rewards our natural behaviors, producing a false sense of euphoria. We can't get enough because we never actually feel good anymore, so we repeat this behavior. In essence, we destroy our bodies natural ability to produce healthy functioning neurotransmitters every time we abuse drugs, creating a brain that is literally starving for amino acids. The good news is, we can help with recovery from addiction with proper nutrition. You can use food and nutritional supplements to feel good again, without the need for addictive substances and essentially help ease cravings, freeing the mind, possibly giving you that extra push you need to focus on modifying and improving your behaviors. Amino acids are the stuff neurotransmitters are made of. Supplying the body with an abundance of specific amino acids can help restore their function, reduce cravings, increase sensations of well being, and minimize relapse. It's time to prime the mind for success. Here is a list of brain foods to get you started.
  • L-tryptophan -- egg whites, spirulina, atlantic cod, raw soybeans, parmesan cheese
  • L-5 hydroxytryptophan chromium salts -- traces in turkey and cheese, supplements derived from the seeds of griffonia simplicifolia
  • L-glutamine -- meat and dairy products, beans, beats, spinach, parsley, and cabbage
  • L-phenylalanine -- cow's milk, goat's milk, aspartame sugar substitutes
  • L-tyrosine -- cheeses, spirulina, soy protein, egg whites, salmon
  • Phenylalanine -- meat, poultry, fish, soybeans, dairy products, nuts and seeds
If you notice your body craving sweets and carbohydrates, it could be a sign that you're lacking other vital nutrients. Replacing sugar and refined starches with just some of the foods listed here can help restore balance and emotional integrity to an otherwise stressful situation. Along with psychological and spiritual therapies for overcoming addiction, nutritional support and dietary supplements are quite literally the food our brain needs for enhanced recovery. Tailored from the 09/09 Recovery Zone Newsletter

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia (low and variant blood sugar) is a very common problem affecting recovering alcoholics and some addicts, and is one trigger of relapse. Alcoholics with a heavy history of drinking often develop this condition of swinging and crashing blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels fall, they experience depressed mood, lethargy, and also cravings for sugar, which for alcoholics means cravings for the sugar in alcohol! Alcoholics are taught that a great way to minimize the cravings is to avoid ever feeling hungry, and by never letting blood sugar levels fall. But, be cautious. Avoiding the peaks and valleys of too much sugar and caffeine is recommended, as they alter chemistry of the body and brain, and keep them imbalanced, similar to the ways in which alcohol, morphine and heroin do. Addictive Nutrition expert Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons states, "sugar evokes a beta-endorphin response like an opiate drug such as morphine or heroin." The blood sugar levels, seratonin uptake and beta-endorphin uptake are all imbalanced for recovering alcoholics and addicts, according to Dr. DesMaisons. It is critical for alcoholics with imbalanced sugar metabolism to regulate these three chemicals in the brain. Myth: Proper nutrition or vitamin supplements can constitute a recovery program. This is false. Regardless of how many vitamins you take or what diet you consume, it will not radically change the way you feel in recovery, especially in terms of the emotional roller coaster that early sobriety brings with it. True recovery from addiction requires much more than just proper nutrition. Special note: If you are withdrawing from alcohol or drugs, you need medical supervision, not nutritional advice. A Note on Vitamins: Because drugs and alcohol deplete the body of vitamins and minerals, multi-vitamin/mineral plus B supplements can be especially helpful. Vitamins and dietary supplements should be taken with meals for optimum absorption. Source: Nutrition In Recovery by Margaret Soussloff, M.S. & Cara Zechello, R.D., Massachusetts Food Banks and Maria F. Bettencourt, MPH, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Check out our Recipies for Recovery page! The Sober Kitchen by Liz Scott at Amazon.com, "Recipes and Advice for a Lifetime of Sobriety" Great recipes from The Common Man restaurant.