Monday, April 21, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
APRIL 19 v 2 TWELVE STEPPING WITH POWER IN THE PROVERB
Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;
haste makes mistakes.
haste makes mistakes.
STEP 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact
with God , praying only for knowledge of His will
for us and the power to carry that out.
Going into and maintaining sobriety should be done with enthusiasm and excitement . Well at least it is for me . Everyday is a new adventure ,I feel at times like a child discovering brand new wonders at the amusement park. At this stage of my recovery Fifteen years in June, and as I get older I have come to realize we need to keep it simple , learn as much as you can , and help as many people as you can. When you take it slow and listen your chances of making mistakes is reduced .There will be times when you screw up but don't let the self pity wagon take you for a guilt trip on the relapse roller coaster. A good sign of maturity in recovery is when you can get right back up on your feet like you never missed a beat . Staying sober will show you what life is meant to be and for those of us in recovery step eleven should be the code we live by .
Jeremiah 29 : 11 - 13 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me !
By : Joseph Dickerson
Warning Signs: 5 Red Flags in Kids Who Are Susceptible to Addiction
Be sure your child isn't at risk for addictive behavior by keeping an eye out for these signs.
Shutterstock
By Marissa Rosado
Source The Fix
04/16/14
Even if you’re on Facebook, you might not be privy to every aspect of your child’s social life. Adolescents, by nature, seek independence by detaching from their parents and keeping more of their lives to themselves. These formative years are also characterized by changes in the brain that allow drug abuse to occur more easily than at other times. How can you, as a parent, reduce the risks of your child engaging in substance abuse and becoming an addict? Below I've listed five signs that indicate your teen is extra-vulnerable to using drugs or alcohol, and what you can do about it.
1) Risk Taking
Important rewiring is taking place in your teen's brain. This rewiring ultimately prepares your child for moving out of your home and becoming more independent. The level of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter associated with reward, is lower in adolescents, but when it is secreted (by engaging in new and exciting behaviors), it is released in higher concentrations than in adults. This results in the adolescent having a much stronger drive to engage in dopamine-secreting activities. Drug-taking releases dopamine, but so does achieving a goal (even if it's a new level in a video game) or learning a new skateboard trick or acing a test. When you notice that your teen is bored, remember that it will take innovative and interesting activities to relieve his or her boredom. Do not discourage your child from taking risks, but try to direct the risk-taking in as responsible a way as possible. Try to eliminate boredom as a trigger for drug use.
2) Anxiety
In the face of a new challenge, how does your child react? A certain amount of anxiety is normal, and can even act as a motivating force. When the anxiety becomes extreme, however, your child may feel desperate for a solution. Many addicts and alcoholics are perfectionists and as children they sought approval at all costs. The anxiety can be overwhelming and push your child to seek relief in drugs or other destructive behavior. Alternatively, this drive for perfection (straight A's, perfect athlete, piano prodigy) can backfire and cause your child to simply give up. This is a setup for drug use too: The pain of failure is unbearable, especially in a family where expectations are high. Drugs ease that pain.
Take the pressure off your child. Let him pursue his own interests and experience the joy of achievement for achievement's sake. Go easy on rewards and punishments. Let your child know that he is loved unconditionally. When your kid believes in himself and wants to reach goals because of an internal drive, not because he's seeking approval, he will not need to look elsewhere for validation/comfort.
3) Depression
Although moodiness is a characteristic of adolescence, long-lasting or frequent depression is not. In 2013, there were reports that children as young as five years old were showing signs of depression. It’s awful, and heartbreaking, but it’s a reality we have to discuss. Keep an eye out for a few specific behaviors. Does your child complain that she is always tired? Does she sleep too little or too much? Has she suddenly lost or gained an appetite? Trust your instinct on this one. Kids get tired from staying up too late and appetites increase with growth spurts, but if these behaviors seem extreme or are accompanied by a loss of affect, your child may be suffering from depression. Untreated depression and other mood disorders may lead to self-medication with drugs. Maintain open communication with your child by being non-judgmental and if something seems wrong, ask about it.
If you have concerns but can’t seem to get any answers from your child, reach out to teachers, coaches, babysitters, or anyone else who spends considerable time with your child. Have they noticed a change in your child’s demeanor? Are they able to shed light on a recent event you weren’t aware of?
4) Social alienation
Has your normally social child become isolated? Does your teen prefer to be alone than with his peers? Does your kid feel ostracized or left out?
Address social alienation before it becomes a problem. Kids do drugs in order to fit in with their peers or to escape the pain of isolation. School situations such as bullying, dealing with a learning disability, or not fitting in with the other kids all create tremendous pressure and anxiety. Maintain communication with the school so you know what's going on. Spend enough time with your child that she knows she can trust you with her feelings and confide in you. Many adult addicts say that they felt different as children. You may not be able to create a social life for your child, but if you acknowledge this "different" feeling and assure your child that she is okay anyway, you will go a long way to helping her feel safe and comfortable in her own skin. Talking about your own social challenges when you were a child is also very helpful in letting your kid know she'll make it through the tough times.
5) Emotional avoidance
If your child is unable or unwilling to experience difficult emotions, she may be setting herself up for substance use later in life. Pushing feelings down requires effort, and addicts learn to use drugs to cope with difficult emotions. Whether your child's emotional avoidance is a result of trauma or conditioning or something else entirely, it needs to be addressed if you want your kid to experience a healthy and fulfilling life.
Lead by example. When you’re feeling frustrated/angry/upset, articulate those feelings. Show your child that you don’t have to punch holes in the wall to feel better. Sometimes relief is as easy as saying how you feel out loud. Also let your child know that feelings can be overwhelming, but they always pass.
We advise seeking professional help if your child displays emotional avoidance. Sometimes the inability to feel emotions is a sign of something deeper, some trauma that needs to be addressed, or some organic problem like depression or another mental illness. Many addicts have never received proper treatment for their mental illness and consequently they self-medicate with often disastrous results.
***
There is no magic trick to ensuring that your child will not abuse drugs or become an addict. Nor is there a fool-proof way to predict addiction or abuse. Open and honest communication, however, goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy relationship with your child so that if and when problems do arise, you can address them before it's too late.
Be sure your child isn't at risk for addictive behavior by keeping an eye out for these signs.
Shutterstock
By Marissa Rosado
Source The Fix
04/16/14
Even if you’re on Facebook, you might not be privy to every aspect of your child’s social life. Adolescents, by nature, seek independence by detaching from their parents and keeping more of their lives to themselves. These formative years are also characterized by changes in the brain that allow drug abuse to occur more easily than at other times. How can you, as a parent, reduce the risks of your child engaging in substance abuse and becoming an addict? Below I've listed five signs that indicate your teen is extra-vulnerable to using drugs or alcohol, and what you can do about it.
1) Risk Taking
Important rewiring is taking place in your teen's brain. This rewiring ultimately prepares your child for moving out of your home and becoming more independent. The level of dopamine, an important neurotransmitter associated with reward, is lower in adolescents, but when it is secreted (by engaging in new and exciting behaviors), it is released in higher concentrations than in adults. This results in the adolescent having a much stronger drive to engage in dopamine-secreting activities. Drug-taking releases dopamine, but so does achieving a goal (even if it's a new level in a video game) or learning a new skateboard trick or acing a test. When you notice that your teen is bored, remember that it will take innovative and interesting activities to relieve his or her boredom. Do not discourage your child from taking risks, but try to direct the risk-taking in as responsible a way as possible. Try to eliminate boredom as a trigger for drug use.
2) Anxiety
In the face of a new challenge, how does your child react? A certain amount of anxiety is normal, and can even act as a motivating force. When the anxiety becomes extreme, however, your child may feel desperate for a solution. Many addicts and alcoholics are perfectionists and as children they sought approval at all costs. The anxiety can be overwhelming and push your child to seek relief in drugs or other destructive behavior. Alternatively, this drive for perfection (straight A's, perfect athlete, piano prodigy) can backfire and cause your child to simply give up. This is a setup for drug use too: The pain of failure is unbearable, especially in a family where expectations are high. Drugs ease that pain.
Take the pressure off your child. Let him pursue his own interests and experience the joy of achievement for achievement's sake. Go easy on rewards and punishments. Let your child know that he is loved unconditionally. When your kid believes in himself and wants to reach goals because of an internal drive, not because he's seeking approval, he will not need to look elsewhere for validation/comfort.
3) Depression
Although moodiness is a characteristic of adolescence, long-lasting or frequent depression is not. In 2013, there were reports that children as young as five years old were showing signs of depression. It’s awful, and heartbreaking, but it’s a reality we have to discuss. Keep an eye out for a few specific behaviors. Does your child complain that she is always tired? Does she sleep too little or too much? Has she suddenly lost or gained an appetite? Trust your instinct on this one. Kids get tired from staying up too late and appetites increase with growth spurts, but if these behaviors seem extreme or are accompanied by a loss of affect, your child may be suffering from depression. Untreated depression and other mood disorders may lead to self-medication with drugs. Maintain open communication with your child by being non-judgmental and if something seems wrong, ask about it.
If you have concerns but can’t seem to get any answers from your child, reach out to teachers, coaches, babysitters, or anyone else who spends considerable time with your child. Have they noticed a change in your child’s demeanor? Are they able to shed light on a recent event you weren’t aware of?
4) Social alienation
Has your normally social child become isolated? Does your teen prefer to be alone than with his peers? Does your kid feel ostracized or left out?
Address social alienation before it becomes a problem. Kids do drugs in order to fit in with their peers or to escape the pain of isolation. School situations such as bullying, dealing with a learning disability, or not fitting in with the other kids all create tremendous pressure and anxiety. Maintain communication with the school so you know what's going on. Spend enough time with your child that she knows she can trust you with her feelings and confide in you. Many adult addicts say that they felt different as children. You may not be able to create a social life for your child, but if you acknowledge this "different" feeling and assure your child that she is okay anyway, you will go a long way to helping her feel safe and comfortable in her own skin. Talking about your own social challenges when you were a child is also very helpful in letting your kid know she'll make it through the tough times.
5) Emotional avoidance
If your child is unable or unwilling to experience difficult emotions, she may be setting herself up for substance use later in life. Pushing feelings down requires effort, and addicts learn to use drugs to cope with difficult emotions. Whether your child's emotional avoidance is a result of trauma or conditioning or something else entirely, it needs to be addressed if you want your kid to experience a healthy and fulfilling life.
Lead by example. When you’re feeling frustrated/angry/upset, articulate those feelings. Show your child that you don’t have to punch holes in the wall to feel better. Sometimes relief is as easy as saying how you feel out loud. Also let your child know that feelings can be overwhelming, but they always pass.
We advise seeking professional help if your child displays emotional avoidance. Sometimes the inability to feel emotions is a sign of something deeper, some trauma that needs to be addressed, or some organic problem like depression or another mental illness. Many addicts have never received proper treatment for their mental illness and consequently they self-medicate with often disastrous results.
***
There is no magic trick to ensuring that your child will not abuse drugs or become an addict. Nor is there a fool-proof way to predict addiction or abuse. Open and honest communication, however, goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy relationship with your child so that if and when problems do arise, you can address them before it's too late.
My Trip Through the Wilderness
After trying everything else to help my son, we tried "wilderness therapy." The results were mixed, at best.
Not the solution. Shutterstock
By Katie Bernard
04/14/14 Source The Fix
Wilderness “goons” usually roust teens from their beds in the middle of the night, when high-schoolers are too groggy and disoriented to fight their transport to an outdoor therapy program.
But I told the transport company that Jake doesn’t turn in until 3 and wouldn’t sink deep into REM sleep until 7. So as Good Morning America awoke the country, Chris and Corey—the transport team—quietly rolled their rented Camry into our driveway.
The two 20-something men looked more like a couple of camp counselors than the muscle I expected. Standing in the driveway with these guys from the J. Crew catalog, my husband and I—a couple of 60-somethings—signed paperwork, rehearsed the wake-up drill, then led them to Jake’s room before he suddenly awoke and ran.
Stepping over the chaos of clothes and dirty dishes on his bedroom floor, I touched Jake’s shoulder, told him we love him and that this transport team would take him him to a wilderness therapy program outside Ashevlle, N.C.
As I recited my lines, Cory grabbed Jake’s cell phone lying by the bed, and Chris scouted the room for weapons—standard procedure. There were no weapons, just a loaded weed grinder and bong.
Jake smiled slightly when he realized he wasn’t dreaming: He knew kids who went to wilderness and presumed he’d someday land there, too.
“Guys, give me 10 more minutes,” he said, pulling the blanket over his head and rolling over for a little more sleep.
My husband and I waited in the kitchen as the goons—that’s what wilderness kids call escorts—helped our only child throw on a pair of shorts and a knitted poncho that reeked of pot. Flanked by his escorts, Jake walked past us without a word, and slid into the back seat of the silver sedan, where he napped throughout the 10-hour ride between Northern Virginia and the North Carolina rain forest.
For most wilderness moms, watching their kid leave with God knows who, for God knows what, is the worst moment of their life.
For me—not so much.
Why We Tried Wilderness
Wilderness therapy uses the non-negotiable nature of Nature to rehabilitate addicted and defiant teens. It was the only therapy we hadn’t tried to help Jake manage his ADHD, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, Adoption Attachment Disorder, and his relatively recent dive into recreational drugs. By the time Jake was 16, he had been treated by:
A childhood analyst specializing in adoption issues, who helped 4-year-old Jakey correct the notion that we had stolen him from his birth mother.
A behavioral consultant, who said the analyst was a waste of money, and that 8-year-old Jake needed charts and chits to help modify his out-of-control behavior.
An NIH-worthy drug trial to discover which cocktail of stimulants, mood stabilizers and anti-depressants would help 11-year-old Jake pull through grade school.
A therapeutic boarding school that killed us emotionally and financially but was the only way to turn down the heat that was consuming our home as Jake crashed into adolescence at 13.
The result of all the “help”?
Jake was cordially invited not to return to the mainstream boarding school, which followed the therapeutic boarding school. He finished his junior year hell bent on breaking every rule we set. He refused to get a summer job, take a class, or do anything productive with his summer. He smoked weed in his room all day; rendezvoused with his pot dealer in our driveway at midnight; called me a cunt, and told his father he’d dance on his grave.
So when the escorts took our son away, I felt relief. I doubted that Jake would return the “confident and empowered” child the brochure promised. But I figured, at the very least, he’d be better off hiking, camping, and making fire with a bow and stick than inhaling drugs in his bedroom all summer.
Almost a year and $35,000 later, I can’t swear I was right.
The Ways of Wilderness
The world of wilderness programs, which serves over 10,000 U.S. kids a year, is varied and vast. Programs mostly are located in rugged areas – Utah, Idaho, parts of North Carolina that see 90 inches of rain per year. And they fall into two basic categories.
Expedition Programs: Teens live in the wilderness for about two months and don’t see civilization again until they graduate.
Base Camp Programs: Teens alternate two-week wilderness treks with a week of classes and, often, a week of equine therapy; rinse and repeat the monthly routine until the teen is ready to transition back home or to a boarding school.
Both types of programs include individual and group therapy.
My best friend sent her 15-year-old daughter, who was trading sex for drugs, to an expedition program in the Utah mountains. There, Victoria filled plastic bottles with boiling water to warm her sleeping bag during winter nights. Today, she’s 20, works a fulltime job, takes college classes, and smokes pot nightly with her steady boyfriend. For Victoria, wilderness therapy had mixed results.
We sent Jake to a “wilderness lite” program in western North Carolina during the rainy season. He camped and hiked during downpours, then dried out at base camp where he studied snakes in an environmental science class, and tended a horse named Hal; evidently, the emotional lives of horses and teens are similar.
Each week, my husband and I talked with Jake’s primary therapist, Will. At first, Will’s goal was to help Jake reconnect with us, and heal our family. Halfway through Jake’s 10-week stay, Will gave up that ghost—Jake (like his horse) wouldn’t budge. So, the therapist focused sessions on helping Jake launch himself into adulthood.
Great for Jake; too bad for us.
Jake’s goal, of course, was to move through the program and get out. We were told he got along with everybody—counselors, kids, horses. He worked hard to “bust his coal,” the first step toward starting a fire without matches—the holy grail of wilderness training.
And he wrote terse, weekly letters to us, where he shared his feelings: “I don’t hate you for sending me to wilderness,” he wrote. “I hate you for other reasons.”
As the summer wore on, my husband and I sunk deeper into hopelessness. We hit bottom when Jake’s “Letter of Accountability” arrived during the homestretch of his wilderness stay. The LOA, as the kids call it, is their mea culpa, where they own the reasons they landed in the woods.
Jake confessed so much in that seven-page letter, we figured he lifted some capers from stories he heard around the campfire. Here’s a sample.
“I smoked weed 3-6 times a day, whether I was away at school or home."
“I abused cough syrup, painkillers, Ecstasy, cocaine.”
“I stole money and credit cards from you.”
“I had sex with trashy girls.” (That’s the part we’re pretty sure he made up.)
There was a lot of accountability; absolutely no remorse or apology. We half-way expected him to end the LOA with: “And I’d do it all again.”
In the beginning of August, when Jake was a few sparks away from starting his matchless fire, we began making a post-wilderness plan for him. Most wilderness teens don’t return home right away. They go on to other drug rehabilitation programs, therapeutic boarding schools, or alternative schools that contain them until they can contain themselves, or they turn 18—whichever comes first.
We picked an Idaho program that taught a healthy lifestyle and a “zest for life.” But as we drove Jake to his fourth home in five years, he delivered a parting shot.
“I did drugs in wilderness.”
According to Jake, a student injured in wilderness returned to the program with a leg cast and percocet prescription. Jake said he traded his fruit rations for the painkiller.
When I could breathe again, I shot an email to Will. He interviewed the boy with the cast, who denied the allegation, then ticked off the field protocols employed to make sure pills are swallowed, not traded. Counselors make the kids stick out their tongues, swish water around their mouths, and pull out their cheeks. Will’s conclusion: Jake despised the other “gentleman” and was trying to get him in trouble. Case closed.
Perhaps that’s what happened; honesty is not Jake’s strong suit. But the wilderness program never interviewed my son, nor asked for a drug test—steps I would have taken if someone claimed drugs were exchanged in my wilderness program.
Was Wilderness Worth It?
Today, Jake is watching howler monkeys and finishing high school online in Central America, where his school maintains a branch. He lives in a small village where life is simple, and family is everything.
We Skype with him weekly, and things are a lot better than they were. He tries to be pleasant, and we try to be happy with the effort. He’s scheduled to come home in late May with a high school diploma and five college acceptances under his belt.
Happy ending? Jake told us recently that he plans to smoke pot when he comes home, but not in the house, and only now and then.
“I don’t want to be a stoner,” he said. “I want to be a business major.”
Hey—it’s a start.
Katie Bernard is a pseudonym.
Nutrition and Recovery: How Healthy Eating Can Help You Stay Sober
Eating healthy, research shows, can go a long way toward helping you on the road to addiction recovery.
Shutterstock
By Jenny Smiechowski
Source The Fix
04/15/14
There is a common belief in the addiction recovery world that when you are overcoming a drug or alcohol addiction you should allow yourself to indulge in all the sweets, fats, and junk food you want. After all, why restrain yourself from harmless junk food when you have bigger beasts to slay? Evidence suggests, however, these eating habits may be hindering you more than they’re helping you on your path to recovery.
The Nutritional Double Whammy
The nutritional dilemma faced by recovering addicts is two-fold. First, the very act of ingesting drugs or alcohol wreaks havoc on the body. Alcohol, for example, impedes nutrient breakdown and assimilation resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Opiates tend to cause gastrointestinal issues, and, during opiate withdrawal, severe vomiting and diarrhea can lead to nutrient depletion. Stimulants suppress appetite which can lead to an insufficient intake of calories and nutrients.
In addition to the purely physiological implications of drug and alcohol abuse, there is another factor that results in a less than stellar nutritional report card for addicts: lifestyle. A person consumed by addiction is less likely to eat healthfully. Some drugs cause you to eat too much, others too little. At the height of their drinking, alcoholics often derive as much as 50 percent of their daily calorie allowance from alcohol itself. In most cases, the need for the addictive substance is prioritized over the need for, say, a whole-grain turkey sandwich or other high-quality, nutrient-dense food.
Given the nutritional standing of most recovering addicts, it’s surprising that proper nutrition is not emphasized more in recovery programs. Mounting evidence points to one emerging consensus: nutritional therapy can significantly help those recovering from addiction. It seems like common sense (because it is), but proper nutrition has the potential to make those in recovery feel better both mentally and physically. Furthermore, research suggests that the inclusion of nutrition education in substance abuse treatment programs can increase participants’ success in achieving recovery.
How Nutrition Helps the Healing Process
Proper nutrition helps recovering addicts (and everyone else) feel better because nutrients give the body energy, help build and repair organ tissue, and strengthen the immune system. Because recovering addicts have usually damaged vital organs during the course of their drug or alcohol abuse, good nutrition provides them with the nutritional building blocks they need to begin restoring these damaged tissues.
Nutrition also plays an important role in mood. Research suggests that changes in your diet can alter brain structure both chemically and physiologically, and influence your behavior. Furthermore, the consumption of certain foods has been tied to increased production of key neurotransmitters like serotonin, which enhances mood.
This means recovering addicts can use food to feel better physically (as their bodies receive the nutrients they need to repair prior damage and operate on a more optimal level) and mentally (as they eat foods that enhance their mood and overall well-being). In many cases, feeling better will reduce the risk of relapse, as demonstrated conversely by the fact that recovering addicts with poor dietary habits are more likely to relapse. Additionally, in some cases, addicts are so unfamiliar with the feeling of hunger, they misinterpret hunger as a drug craving and fall face-first into relapse. This potentially disastrous mistake can be easily remedied by eating frequent, healthy meals.
Seeking Support
When adding nutrition to your addiction-fighting arsenal, it is important to collaborate with a trained nutritionist who can tailor your diet to your specific needs in recovery. No matter where you live, there is surely a trained nutritionist nearby, and there are even some who specialize in addiction recovery.
David A. Wiss, MS, RDN, CPT, founder of the Los Angeles-based nutritional practice Nutrition in Recovery, is one such nutritionist. Wiss is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from California State University, Northridge who has dedicated his nutritional expertise to helping those with addiction use diet to their advantage rather than detriment.
Wiss says he was inspired to specialize in addiction recovery nutrition after working as a personal trainer at addiction treatment centers and witnessing first-hand the poor nutritional habits that were encouraged. “I noticed that most of these facilities provided unlimited amounts of junk food to their clients. I decided to dedicate my career to changing that paradigm,” said Wiss.
In some cases, like that of Colorado-based Master Nutrition Therapist Patricia Farrell, a nutritionist’s own struggle with addiction sets him or her on the path of healing through nutrition. Having overcome addiction herself, Farrell brings a passion to her addiction-focused nutrition practice that comes from a personal understanding of the challenges her clients face. In fact, it was during the time she spent in recovery meetings that she had an epiphany about the importance of nutrition in addiction recovery.
“I used to go to this lunch-time recovery meeting and everybody had their bag of McDonald’s and their coffee, and then there were cookies served afterwards,” said Farrell. “It was obvious to me just looking and listening to these people that they did not feel well and it dawned on me that the first thing you want to do when you are recovering and you don’t feel well is to use. That is why I went into nutrition therapy and my expertise is drug and alcohol recovery.”
The Sugar Saboteur and Food as a Substitute Addiction
In her practice, Farrell strongly emphasizes sugar regulation. It is not uncommon, says Farrell, for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction to become addicted to sugar. Alcoholics are especially prone to sugar addiction and to the energy rollercoaster that accompanies it, but sugar addiction affects other addicts too. Farrell believes that eating in a way that promotes blood sugar spikes and crashes is a recipe for disaster when it comes to maintaining your sobriety.
“When you get that blood sugar crash, your body craves sugar. In an alcoholic’s mind, and it works this way in a drug addict’s mind too, when you crave sugar it immediately translates in your brain to alcohol and you get a really strong craving for alcohol. It may be a craving that you can’t control,” said Farrell.
By regulating their blood sugar, says Farrell, recovering alcoholics can avoid the sugar highs and lows that often send them running for a drink. According to Farrell, in many cases, an addict’s overwhelming urge for his or her next fix is actually a sugar craving in disguise.
The tendency for recovering addicts to develop sugar addiction as they withdraw from alcohol or drugs is an example of a very common phenomenon in addiction recovery: the development of a substitute addiction to food. It is not uncommon for those recovering from addiction to turn to food as a replacement. According to a study published in the international research journal Appetite, men in the early stages of recovery often practice dysfunctional eating habits, including substituting food for their drug of choice. According to Wiss, this is one of the primary issues he addresses in his practice.
“I often get patients who have been to treatment before and have developed severe eating dysfunction while in treatment,” said Wiss. “Some people can gain up to 20 lbs in their first month of treatment from binge eating, emotional eating, and food addiction. By disrupting these patterns through nutrition education and counseling, most of my patients end up staying sober and become interested in a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition and exercise.”
Eating healthy, research shows, can go a long way toward helping you on the road to addiction recovery.
Shutterstock
By Jenny Smiechowski
Source The Fix
04/15/14
There is a common belief in the addiction recovery world that when you are overcoming a drug or alcohol addiction you should allow yourself to indulge in all the sweets, fats, and junk food you want. After all, why restrain yourself from harmless junk food when you have bigger beasts to slay? Evidence suggests, however, these eating habits may be hindering you more than they’re helping you on your path to recovery.
The Nutritional Double Whammy
The nutritional dilemma faced by recovering addicts is two-fold. First, the very act of ingesting drugs or alcohol wreaks havoc on the body. Alcohol, for example, impedes nutrient breakdown and assimilation resulting in nutritional deficiencies. Opiates tend to cause gastrointestinal issues, and, during opiate withdrawal, severe vomiting and diarrhea can lead to nutrient depletion. Stimulants suppress appetite which can lead to an insufficient intake of calories and nutrients.
In addition to the purely physiological implications of drug and alcohol abuse, there is another factor that results in a less than stellar nutritional report card for addicts: lifestyle. A person consumed by addiction is less likely to eat healthfully. Some drugs cause you to eat too much, others too little. At the height of their drinking, alcoholics often derive as much as 50 percent of their daily calorie allowance from alcohol itself. In most cases, the need for the addictive substance is prioritized over the need for, say, a whole-grain turkey sandwich or other high-quality, nutrient-dense food.
Given the nutritional standing of most recovering addicts, it’s surprising that proper nutrition is not emphasized more in recovery programs. Mounting evidence points to one emerging consensus: nutritional therapy can significantly help those recovering from addiction. It seems like common sense (because it is), but proper nutrition has the potential to make those in recovery feel better both mentally and physically. Furthermore, research suggests that the inclusion of nutrition education in substance abuse treatment programs can increase participants’ success in achieving recovery.
How Nutrition Helps the Healing Process
Proper nutrition helps recovering addicts (and everyone else) feel better because nutrients give the body energy, help build and repair organ tissue, and strengthen the immune system. Because recovering addicts have usually damaged vital organs during the course of their drug or alcohol abuse, good nutrition provides them with the nutritional building blocks they need to begin restoring these damaged tissues.
Nutrition also plays an important role in mood. Research suggests that changes in your diet can alter brain structure both chemically and physiologically, and influence your behavior. Furthermore, the consumption of certain foods has been tied to increased production of key neurotransmitters like serotonin, which enhances mood.
This means recovering addicts can use food to feel better physically (as their bodies receive the nutrients they need to repair prior damage and operate on a more optimal level) and mentally (as they eat foods that enhance their mood and overall well-being). In many cases, feeling better will reduce the risk of relapse, as demonstrated conversely by the fact that recovering addicts with poor dietary habits are more likely to relapse. Additionally, in some cases, addicts are so unfamiliar with the feeling of hunger, they misinterpret hunger as a drug craving and fall face-first into relapse. This potentially disastrous mistake can be easily remedied by eating frequent, healthy meals.
Seeking Support
When adding nutrition to your addiction-fighting arsenal, it is important to collaborate with a trained nutritionist who can tailor your diet to your specific needs in recovery. No matter where you live, there is surely a trained nutritionist nearby, and there are even some who specialize in addiction recovery.
David A. Wiss, MS, RDN, CPT, founder of the Los Angeles-based nutritional practice Nutrition in Recovery, is one such nutritionist. Wiss is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from California State University, Northridge who has dedicated his nutritional expertise to helping those with addiction use diet to their advantage rather than detriment.
Wiss says he was inspired to specialize in addiction recovery nutrition after working as a personal trainer at addiction treatment centers and witnessing first-hand the poor nutritional habits that were encouraged. “I noticed that most of these facilities provided unlimited amounts of junk food to their clients. I decided to dedicate my career to changing that paradigm,” said Wiss.
In some cases, like that of Colorado-based Master Nutrition Therapist Patricia Farrell, a nutritionist’s own struggle with addiction sets him or her on the path of healing through nutrition. Having overcome addiction herself, Farrell brings a passion to her addiction-focused nutrition practice that comes from a personal understanding of the challenges her clients face. In fact, it was during the time she spent in recovery meetings that she had an epiphany about the importance of nutrition in addiction recovery.
“I used to go to this lunch-time recovery meeting and everybody had their bag of McDonald’s and their coffee, and then there were cookies served afterwards,” said Farrell. “It was obvious to me just looking and listening to these people that they did not feel well and it dawned on me that the first thing you want to do when you are recovering and you don’t feel well is to use. That is why I went into nutrition therapy and my expertise is drug and alcohol recovery.”
The Sugar Saboteur and Food as a Substitute Addiction
In her practice, Farrell strongly emphasizes sugar regulation. It is not uncommon, says Farrell, for people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction to become addicted to sugar. Alcoholics are especially prone to sugar addiction and to the energy rollercoaster that accompanies it, but sugar addiction affects other addicts too. Farrell believes that eating in a way that promotes blood sugar spikes and crashes is a recipe for disaster when it comes to maintaining your sobriety.
“When you get that blood sugar crash, your body craves sugar. In an alcoholic’s mind, and it works this way in a drug addict’s mind too, when you crave sugar it immediately translates in your brain to alcohol and you get a really strong craving for alcohol. It may be a craving that you can’t control,” said Farrell.
By regulating their blood sugar, says Farrell, recovering alcoholics can avoid the sugar highs and lows that often send them running for a drink. According to Farrell, in many cases, an addict’s overwhelming urge for his or her next fix is actually a sugar craving in disguise.
The tendency for recovering addicts to develop sugar addiction as they withdraw from alcohol or drugs is an example of a very common phenomenon in addiction recovery: the development of a substitute addiction to food. It is not uncommon for those recovering from addiction to turn to food as a replacement. According to a study published in the international research journal Appetite, men in the early stages of recovery often practice dysfunctional eating habits, including substituting food for their drug of choice. According to Wiss, this is one of the primary issues he addresses in his practice.
“I often get patients who have been to treatment before and have developed severe eating dysfunction while in treatment,” said Wiss. “Some people can gain up to 20 lbs in their first month of treatment from binge eating, emotional eating, and food addiction. By disrupting these patterns through nutrition education and counseling, most of my patients end up staying sober and become interested in a healthy lifestyle, including nutrition and exercise.”
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