Fueling Recovery: The Essential Role of Nutrition in Overcoming Alcoholism
Let us set the table. When we consider methods for getting sober from alcoholism, nutrition is typically not the first thing we think about. Even for those that do not struggle with alcoholism, diet is an afterthought a lot of the time—we are too busy, healthy food is too expensive, it’s just too hard, there’s too much conflicting information, or maybe we don’t know where to start.
What if I were to tell you nutrition is a cornerstone of establishing sobriety and wellbeing? Our program addresses the impact of alcoholism on the mind, body, and spirit—we consider nutrition a key component in the healing process and necessary for creating lasting change. Once established, alcoholism is primarily a brain disease involving malnutrition, abnormal brain chemistry, and abnormal brain cell membranes. Cravings, loss of control of substances, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms all involve abnormal brain chemistry and poorly nourished brain cell membranes. The food we eat is digested and broken down into literal brain food and fuel for the body. If we want to get sober and stay sober, we have to look at what we’re feeding our brain and in what ways we’re providing it with the fuel it needs to rebalance. Without doing so, we’re trying to win a boxing match with our hands tied behind our back. We’ll talk about how alcoholism impacts the body, why nutrition is important in recovery, and then explore how our program addresses these facets.
How Alcoholism Impacts Brain and Body Function
Alcohol use depletes essential vitamins and nutrients critical for the brain and body to operate properly like folate, vitamin B6, thiamine (B1), and vitamin D. We’ll refer to vitamins and nutrients such as these as cofactors. Cofactors help convert amino acids (the building blocks of protein) into other substances which lead to the development of specific neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messages the brain uses to communicate with one neuron (brain cell) to the next which influences how we feel and what we do. When we drink alcohol, we are messing with our neurochemistry. With repeated use, an imbalance in our neurochemistry has a wide range of cascading negative effects on the body and mind. We’re talking about mood dysregulation, lack of ability to handle stressors, poor sleep quantity and quality, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, foggy thinking, lack of motivation and functionality.
As the disease progresses, alcohol can be used to cope with these symptoms, and alcohol can become the majority of our daily caloric intake. Alcohol is empty calories—it does not offer any nutritional value—so we’re becoming increasingly malnourished, more dependent, less stable and less able to recover. Alcohol damages our gastrointestinal system which impacts our digestion, the gut-brain axis, and our ability to absorb nutrients. Our body’s natural cues for hunger and nutrition eventually become lost in the noise, and this can further disconnect us from proper self-care. To establish sobriety, we need to start the healing process by addressing the nutritional and neurochemical deficiencies in order to stabilize the body and the mind. As Christina Veselak, founder of the Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition, says “food is not optional!”
Nutrition is also a serious component of relapse prevention. Hunger is one of the four main triggers for relapse (HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). Think about the Snickers “hangry” commercials. Their tagline is “you’re not you when you’re hungry.” The same premise applies in recovery— we are more apt to be in a bad mood and make poor decisions when we’re hungry and/or not eating well. “You can regulate your emotions much better when your blood sugar is stable. More protein and less sugar means more emotional resilience throughout it,” (The Holistic Psychologist). Unlike candy commercials, we stress that relying on sugar is not the answer and is actually harmful to your recovery and health. It’s a common mistake in early recovery especially for alcoholics. It’s typical to experience sugar cravings at the same time of day you would be drinking or as the quick fix to dealing with stress. That’s because the primary ingredient in alcohol is sugar—so you’re swapping one highly addictive substance for another and using it to cope. In the process, it’s reinforcing the addictive neural pathways and elevates your risk for relapse. Learning to eat a balanced, nutrient-dense diet with regular protein intake is essential to creating mood stability, making sound decisions, and limiting risky behaviors—AKA the fundamentals for staying sober.
BTG’s Holistic Approach to Nutrition in Recovery
At BTG, we provide our clients with a multi-faceted approach to rebalancing neurochemistry, improving diet, and developing nutritional self-care practices supportive of long-term recovery. Our clients receive psychoeducation sessions exploring the basics of nutrition, digestion and detoxification processes, and how to select nutrient-dense, whole foods. There are weekly activity sessions in which clients get to practice kitchen skills and try new recipes. With the gift of living in a sober community, clients learn to cook and make meals then eat together; this helps build connection with one another and reconnect with the value of nutrition and self-care. Clients also have the opportunity to learn about growing and harvesting fresh produce via the community garden. We focus on building sustainable practices that are transferable to life outside of treatment. All of our nutritional recommendations are practical, affordable, and replicable. We don’t expect anyone to be perfect in their approach to nutrition in early recovery but we know the power of building awareness and making small changes in creating progress. What we eat and drink impacts how we think, how we feel, and what we do. It’s a crucial aspect of the healing process and in sustaining sobriety. There is so much hope in recovery when you have access to all the tools. Let us share them with you.
Sarah Carter, BA, QMHP-A, CADC | Substance Abuse Counselor
Sarah champions recovery as a path to healing, guiding clients through BTG's integrative, holistic approach while pursuing her CADC certification. Outside work, she embraces outdoor adventures with her dog Rosie, cherishes family time, and explores the world with friends.