This article is designed to provide practical pointers for you, as an addiction professional, in assisting your clients struggling with addictive disorders in laying a solid nutritional foundation for their recovery.

Sound nutrition is unquestionably a cornerstone of optimal health and lasting sobriety. The fact that our bodies replace each cell and tissue every seven years gives new meaning to the old saying “you are what you eat.” For decades, leading health authorities have underscored the importance of a low-fat, high-fiber diet as a preventative measure against both heart diseases and many forms of cancer. Bringing it closer to home, let’s take a fuller look at some of the devastating nutritional consequences of alcoholism and drug addiction.

Nutritional Consequences of Alcoholism and Drug Addiction

In brief, adverse nutritional consequences associated with alcoholism and drug addiction include:

• Disruption of appetite and displacement of nutritious foods - An alcoholic who consumes a pint of vodka daily absorbs more than 2,200 calories from alcohol alone, leaving little room for tofu, veggies and other nutritious foods.
• The toxic effects of alcohol and other drugs on the body
• A predisposition toward eating high-fat foods, associated with excessive consumption of alcohol (a key reason why taverns throughout the world serve cheese and crackers, and beer nuts to their patrons)
• Disruption of the body’s blood sugar balance — also known as the alcohol-sugar
connection

This article examines some of the more insidious consequences of the alcohol-sugar connection in terms of hazards posed to the recovering person’s overall health and well-being, together with their prospects for achieving lasting sobriety.

A growing number of physicians and nutritionists believe that most alcoholics suffer from alcohol-induced hypoglycemia — an abnormality of carbohydrate metabolism in which the mechanisms that regulate the body’s blood sugar levels go wildly out of control. (1,2,3) Chemically, alcohol is a highly concentrated form of sugar, and excessive alcohol consumption causes erratic imbalances in blood sugar levels. When a person drinks, their blood sugar level rapidly rises and adrenalin is pumped to the brain. Unfortunately for the drinker, this “rush” is relatively short-lived, and is followed by a “crash” in which the blood sugar levels drop below normal. This, of course, prompts the alcoholic to order another drink in order to temporarily raise the blood sugar level. The result is that the heavy drinker’s body gets caught up in a constant high/low blood sugar “roller-coaster ride.”

When the alcoholic finally stops drinking, it generally takes the body several months to adjust to being able to function without a constant infusion of concentrated sugar in the form of alcohol. This can be a major contributing factor to the depression, irritability, confusion and disturbing mood swings that many people encounter during early sobriety. The associated discomfort often triggers a heavy craving for sweets (and caffeine), in a misguided effort to restore the body’s blood sugar to the level required by the body and the brain for optimal functioning. If the underlying nutritional imbalances remain uncorrected, they can lead to less than optimal health and enjoyment of sobriety, and may also be associated with increased risk of relapse.

Clean up nutritional act

As a counselor, it behooves you to impress upon your clients the need to pay particular attention to rebuilding their bodies by means of sound nutrition, adequate rest and vigorous physical exercise. Basic pointers for helping your clients get on track in the important area of nutrition and recovery include:

• Get the basics down in terms of “3 + 3” — Most people in early recovery need some coaching to help them bring their diets into better balance. In the interest of promoting optimal nutrition while normalizing their blood sugar levels throughout the day, I advocate that clients adopt the habit of eating three small nutritious meals, interspersed by three nutritious snacks, spread throughout the day. Above all else, advise your clients — don’t skip breakfast!
• Encourage your clients to develop a “positive addiction” to whole foods - Whole foods, by definition, are naturally produced foods that have been tampered with as little as possible. I especially like to encourage clients to follow the healthy diet guidelines illustrated in the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Note that the base of the pyramid emphasizes whole grain products, fresh vegetables and fruits, and plant-based sources of protein — which should form the mainstay of a truly healthy diet. Depending on one’s philosophical leanings, lean sources of animal-based protein (e.g. fish and poultry) may also be consumed in moderation. Sweets should also only be consumed in moderate amounts. As completely abstaining from sugar is unrealistic for most people, I generally advocate limiting sugar intake to 2-3 carefully planned deserts per week.

• Encourage your clients to consciously transition toward a healthier diet - In working our programs we learn to take it “one step at a time.” Likewise, it is important to encourage our client in recovery to take manageable steps toward bringing their diets into better balance. (In my book “The Wellness-Recovery Connection”, I give specific pointers for dietary transitioning and also present readers with a series of diet transitioning “cheat sheets.”)

Hopefully, the above pointers will help you assist your clients in reaching new levels of quality sobriety through building a solid nutritional foundation for living clean and sober. Until next time — to your health!

References
1. Beasley, Joseph D. and Susan Knightly. Food for Recovery: The Complete Nutritional Companion for Recovering from Alcoholism, Drug Addiction and Eating Disorders. New York: Crown Trade Paperbacks, 1994.
2. Ketcham, Katherine and L. Ann Mueller. Eating Right to Live Sober: A Comprehensive Guide to Alcoholism and Nutrition. Seattle, WA: Madrona Publishers, 1983.
3. Mummey, Jack and Anne S. Hatcher. Good Food for a Sober Life: A Diet and Nutrition Book for Recovering Alcoholics and those Whol Love Them. Chicago: Contemporary Books, 1987.

John Newport, PhD, holds combined doctorates in psychology and public health, is a wellness counselor, freelance writer, speaker and consultant based in Santa Ana, CA. He is author of the Wellness-Recovery Connection: Charting Your Pathway to Optimal Health While Recovering from Alcoholism and Drug Addiction. For more information visit www.wellnessandrecovery.com.

This article is published in Counselor,The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, June 2005, v.6, n.3, pp.20-21

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Toby Clegg   |193.62.97.xxx |2007-04-25 06:23:04 The sooner people working in the feild of addiction understand the role of nuero transmitters, amino acids and diet in addiction the better. We dont all believe that a creator god is going to sort us out if we just behave better morally (12 steps) Reply 0   0

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