Nutrition After Substance Addiction ~ 6 Tips to Keep Sober and Healthy

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Nutrition After Substance Addiction (drug and alcohol)

6 Amazing Tips That Helped Me Stay Sober
by Andrew Macia

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison” – Ann Wigmore
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I know a thing or two about poisoning your body. For many years I was an alcoholic and drug addict, which means I was constantly poisoning my body with chemicals and toxins.
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It all started when I was only nine years old. Can you imagine the harm I caused to my body, consuming these evil substances from such a young age?
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I still remember the very first time I got drunk: I had always wondered about alcohol, and how as soon as the adults had a couple of glasses they seemed happier and worry less.
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When I asked to have a sip, I got a stern lecture from my parents, but, stubborn as I was, I didn’t let it go.
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I stole a bottle at a family party while the adults were busy and it only took a few sips for me to get drunk. I loved the feeling it gave me, and I kept stealing sips every chance I had.
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As a teenager, I started using first marijuana and later other more hardcore, horrible drugs like cocaine and meth.
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I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong, I thought it wasn’t a big deal, I was just having fun. Until I wasn’t.
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At 23 I was sentenced to two years in prison for drug-related charges. I had hit rock bottom, so the only way to go was up. It was then that I decided I had to get clean.
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Breaking My Addiction and Getting Clean

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There are many options to help you break your addiction. I chose an in-patient rehab treatment, where I learned, among many things, the importance of nutrition during recovery.
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I had poisoned my body so much, that now it was time to cleanse it and nourish it with foods that are beneficial for your mental and physical health.
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Today I want to share with you
6 amazing nutritional tips that helped me throughout my recovery and sobriety.
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1. Amino Acids
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Amino acids have many benefits, one of which is they allow the release of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine by neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that give you feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
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Addiction lowers the levels of these chemicals in your body, so increasing your amino acid intake can help regulate these levels, making you feel healthier mentally and emotionally.
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Amino acids are found in foods like eggs, lean meat, tuna, salmon, and plant-based protein sources like quinoa and soybeans.

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Healthy fats, too, are important to keep the body satiated. There is a big world of difference between fats which heal and fats which kill.
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2. Antioxidants
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The magic of antioxidants is they combat oxidative damage to the body, which happens when cells expel free radicals. Free radicals are found in substances like drugs and alcohol -and many more-, and they alter the body’s normal functions.
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Consuming foods rich in antioxidants can help decrease the flow of free radicals and nourish your systems back to health.
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Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants, so what I do is eat a portion of fruit in the morning and one in the afternoon. I also make sure I include a portion of vegetables with my lunch and dinner every day.
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It’s important to take into account that, in order for them not to lose their nutritional properties, you should only lightly cook your vegetables, or, better yet, eat them raw.
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3. Probiotics
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One of the systems that suffer a lot of damage from excessive alcohol and drugs consumption is your digestive system.
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In order to fix some of this damage, you can eat probiotics, which are good bacteria that will help restore your digestive system’s healthy state. They are found in yogurt and other dairy products. Supplements are also a great option for anyone who is looking for an extra probiotic boost.
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4. Eat Less More Often

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Instead of having three huge meals, it’s better to have 6 small-medium ones.
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This is good for anyone that wants to stay healthy, but it’s especially important for recovering addicts, given that you need to make sure your blood sugar levels are stable to avoid crashes.

I always carry some snacks with me to work. Healthy snacks such as peanuts, almonds or chopped fruits. I also have specific times I eat them during the day.
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5. No More Sugar or Refined Carbs
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As you probably already know, a big part of recovery is making sacrifices. It was definitely a sacrifice for me at first having to cut down on sugar, but it was worth it.
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Refined carbs and sugary food provide empty calories, which means they don’t give any important nutrients to your body. They can also cause fluctuations in your mood, which, as a recovering addict, I’m sure you don’t need any more of.
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As hard as it was at first to give up sugary snacks, I ended up trading them for healthier snacks such as nuts, grains, or complex starches, and I realized they leave you just as satisfied and full.
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6. Keep a Food Journal
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During rehab, keeping a diary in which we had to write every food we ate and how we felt later was a bit tough.
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To be honest, I didn’t feel at all like doing this at first, but it turned out to be very useful. Linking what you eat with how you feel can help you discover which foods make you feel better, both mentally and physically, and which ones just don’t work for you.
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These 6 tips helped me feel a lot better all through my recovery process. I kept following them during my early stages of sobriety and, given that I was feeling stronger physically and happier emotionally, they helped me stop craving alcohol and drugs.
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Even now, almost a decade later, I still include these tips in my diet and daily life. Increasing your amino acid, antioxidants and probiotics intake, as well as reducing refined carbs and sugary food can make a real difference in your mental, emotional, and physical health.
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It did for me, and it wasn’t that hard to adjust to a diet that meets these requirements, so I strongly encourage you to do it too.
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If you know any other nutritional tips that might help someone who wants to stay sober please leave a comment below.
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Article by Andrew Macia
Hi, I was born in Bogota, Colombia, but raised in Los Angeles, California. I spend my time helping others with their recovery and growing my online business.

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