How Vitamin Therapy Can Help Recovering Alcoholics
The consumption of too much alcohol not only affects your personality, but also your body and organs. The liver is the organ that is affected the most by this drink, as many have had to undergo surgery, alcohol poisoning, or even death as a result of overconsumption of alcohol and its addictive properties. This article is going to discuss vitamin therapy and the benefits that it presents to one who is in recovery from alcoholism.
Vitamins are essential for the recovering addict, as these individuals are likely to be suffering from malnutrition or vitamin deficiency. Alcohol does not provide much nutrition, and chances are, an individual who is prone to constant binge-drinking is not wary or particular concerned about maintaining a healthy diet. Methods of taking vitamins include taking supplements, or being mindful about eating vitamin-rich foods. Another method that is gaining more popularity, especially with celebrities, is using a vitamin drip; this is also referred to as “vitamin IV therapy” and involves the process of shooting vitamins directly into the bloodstream.
When detoxing from alcohol, it is essential to have proper nutrition, meaning that one must be careful as to what they consume. Maintaining poor nutrition, on the other hand, can slow down the recovery process and make it more stressful on the individual’s body.
Malnutrition in general can cause a variety of health problems, and alcoholics who suffer from malnutrition are experiencing extra pain and hardships on their body. When you are recovering from alcohol abuse, you are not just recovering from the psychological effects of addiction, but also the physical symptoms as well. Hard drugs also cause negative side effects such as loss of appetite, insomnia, nausea, and dehydration. In turn, this can lead to severe vitamin deficiencies and loss of brain function. This shows why good nutrition, wellness, and a proper diet can change and restore an alcoholic’s body functions and promote overall health.
Other harmful drugs such as cocaine or Xanax artificially manipulate our dopamine levels. Even when they may be prescribed, abusing them or taking more than is recommended can cause a serious chemical imbalance.
Street drugs such as ecstasy or molly, for example, flood the brain with serotonin, causing a chemical imbalance which leads to changes in one’s mood. After multiple uses of the drug, the brain craves the drug as a result of the pleasant feeling it creates in the body. Tolerance to the drug builds up with repeated usage, meaning the individual has to consume higher and higher amounts of the drug in order to get the same effect. This is a key factor for why people quickly get addicted, and end up seriously affecting their brain’s natural chemistry in a negative way.
How Vitamins Helped My Own Personal Recovery [H2]
During my college years, I was prescribed an amphetamine as a result of having trouble focusing. This drug had many side effects, and they were easily noticeable. This drug made me lose my appetite for the majority of my day, which in return made me lose unnecessary weight. This drug also caused me to be dehydrated, which lead to shortness of breath and my heart pounding for hours at a time. I hated what this drug did to me, and it's safe to say that I no longer take it, as I have replaced it with healthy foods such as spinach, peanut butter, fruit, and daily vitamins. Fish oil, B12, magnesium, 5HTP, and a daily multivitamin are all natural vitamins that can be used to restore body function. While B12 restores energy, 5HTP increases one’s serotonin level in the brain. The things you put in your body can truly affect one’s overall health and appearance. Even if you aren’t recovering from drugs, it’s still important to prioritize proper nutrition and take care of your body.
When an alcoholic undergoes addiction treatment, it is essential to assess the damage that they have done to the body. If they undergo a drug rehabilitation program, the doctors may identify symptoms of malnutrition, and suggest vitamins as a supplement to the drug detox process. In extreme circumstances, vitamin IV therapy may be required, as it is a faster process than taking vitamins via pill form or consuming them in meals. Vitamin IV therapy describes treatment involving large dosages of nutritional vitamins which are shot directly into the bloodstream using an IV. The advantage of this procedure is that it works faster, and an alcoholic who is suffering may need vitamins faster than the average person.
On the other hand, vitamins may also be consumed via a healthy diet that includes fruits, vegetables, poultry, and less pasta and sweets. Detox drinks and cleanses are also helpful to the body of a recovering alcoholic, as they may help with dehydration and kickstarting an appetite. Some of my favorite vitamin rich-foods include salmon, asparagus, edamame, strawberries, blueberries with yogurt, orange juice, smoothies, and a chicken Caesar salad. These foods will not only make you feel good, but they restore the body from malnutrition.
While detoxing off from prescription or recreational drugs can be difficult, eating the right foods can the process much easier. From personal experience, being kind to yourself during a hard time will create more positive results. It's better to spend a day feeling healthy and alive instead of tired and nauseated.
