The Importance of Good Nutrition For Individuals in Recovery

Negative Health Effects of Substance Abuse

The negative health effects of substance abuse (be that substance drugs or alcohol) are well documented. However one of effects that many people forget to consider are the negative effects that substance use disorders (SUDs) can have on nutrition. Many individuals suffering from SUDs have very poor diets and may even suffer from malnutrition.

When entering recovery for their SUD, many recovery units will focus on emotional and spiritual recovery, rather than on physical and nutritional recovery. However, to do so would be a very grave mistake. Returning to regular meal times and a focus on food can leave addicts in recovery experiencing weight gain that can leave them feeling unhappy and depressed, and could even cause them to relapse as a way of shifting their new weight. However recovery units that employ registered dietary nutritionists tend to have much higher success rates and provide a vital service to the addicts that use them.

Rehealth

To demonstrate the incredible effects these services can have, an intervention study called REHEALTH (The Recovery Health Eating and Active Learning in Treatment Houses) was trialled, and it was found that offering healthier food options, cookery classes and nutritional education, as well as independent nutritional support, not only lead to those within the program having lower BMIs, it also lead to positive behaviour changes across the board.

A study by Barbadoro et al. (2011) investigated the impact of a nutrition education intervention on the nutritional knowledge and behaviors of 58 alcohol dependent participants in an inpatient treatment facility in Italy. The authors found a positive correlation between the nutrition intervention and the participants’ knowledge of the relationships among nutrition, food, and health, stating that:“Alcohol dependent individuals are receptive to educational messages regarding nutritional health.” - Curated from http://www.rehabs.com/pro-talk-articles/hands-on-nutrition-interventions-for-addiction-recovery/

The importance of choosing nutritious food options should be emphasized as early as possible during the recovery process. This will encourage individuals in recovery to practice self-care and to take responsibility for their own health and rehabilitation. Nutrition intervention for those in recovery is very important, and whilst it isn't common practice in all recovery facilities, it certainly is massively beneficial.

About the Author:

Mel Goulding is a writer and former healthcare worker. She is sharing an article by  David A Wiss and Kristie Moore who explore hands on nutrition intervention for people who are on the road to good health. Read the full article at http://www.rehabs.com/pro-talk-articles/hands-on-nutrition-interventions-for-addiction-recovery/