Is nutrition an important part of recovery? No, not necessarily, but should it be? Absolutely! Any doctor will tell you that nutrition is something important to pay attention to, regardless of whether or not you are in recovery for substance abuse. So why should nutrition be important in recovery?
Health Can Help
When we were using drugs and alcohol, those chemicals did a lot to our bodies and it is unlikely that they had positive effects to our health. When we become sober and in recovery it can be hard to decide to try to be healthy with things like nutrition, especially when we just want to eat for the simple fact that maybe we did not eat a lot while using drugs and alcohol.
Another thing that can happen in the early stages of recovery is the need for instant gratification and things like candy or over-indulging with food can be an easy way to feel instant gratification. Starting to pay attention to what we eat can make us feel better about our decisions and this may also help guide our recovery to better decisions as well.
Nutrition Can Relieve Stress
One thing that a lot of people in early recovery find as a great way to relieve stress is regular exercise and if this is you, then you already know that most personal trainers or people that like to work out would also suggest trying to follow a guideline to proper nutrition to get real results from exercise. By following proper nutrition guidelines and exercising in early recovery a person is already setting themselves up to see and feel results from hard work, much like making the daily decision to not use drugs and alcohol.
Nutrition May Lead To Better Decisions
Making nutrition an important part of recovery can not only have a ripple effect on better decision-making, but it can also turn into a new hobby of cooking. Greasy take-out food and eating at restaurants all the time may not be the easiest way to focus on getting better nutrition, so starting to cook for yourself may be a better alternative. Cooking for yourself instead of buying fast food or getting take-out every night is not only a much easier way of obtaining proper nutrition, but it is also a great way to save some money.
Guidance From a Professional
Trying to figure out your own nutritional guidelines can be overwhelming and may even lead to some unhealthy diets or other dietary problems. You should always seek out a professional nutritionist for advice when starting to make nutritional changes to your diet.
Conclusion
So is nutrition going to be important for everyone’s recovery? Probably not, but it is definitely a great way to start making some good life decisions and could contribute to a more positive recovery overall. Will implementing proper nutrition keep you clean and sober, not directly, but it could help. The important decisions that we make in early recovery can really contribute to the rest of our life and adding nutrition to that list of important decisions can help us start to make some other very important changes for our overall health.
