The majority of people going into a Drug and Alcohol Detox program are harboring poor nutrition which unless fixed will make their drug and alcohol detox more complicated than it needs to be, and the difficult side effects of withdrawals while in drug and alcohol detox are one of the main causes that people decide to quit their drug and alcohol detox program before they are finished and return to using or drinking. In fact it is becoming obvious that good nutrition during drug and alcohol detox will substantially help to alleviate the symptoms of withdrawals and therefore allow for a better likelihood that the addict undergoing drug and alcohol detox will complete their addiction treatment and decide to pursue a clean and sober lifestyle.
Alcoholics, for instance, are typically low on Vitamin B1 in their system as a consequence of their drinking, and when this deficiency is untreated it can result in wet brain syndrome. The lack of vitamin B1 is usually due to a bad diet, damage to the digestive tract from alcohol consumption, and the fact that alcohol prevents the absorption of vitamin B1 in the brain. Opiate addicts, conversely, can be known to suffer from a wide variety of nutritional deficiencies due to poor eating habits while in their addiction as well as the physical symptoms of heavy opiate use, and providing supplements and vitamins during drug and alcohol detox has been demonstrated to reduce the withdrawal symptoms during drug and alcohol detox.
Addiction is a mind, body, and spiritual disease. If we can reduce the stress and anxiety during drug and alcohol detox through the use of good nutrition as well as nutritional supplements, then the person’s mind will be in the right place to deal with the behavioral changes that will be necessary for pursuing a clean and sober lifestyle after their drug and alcohol detox. Of course, we also need to bring the body along for the ride during drug and alcohol detox or we can be setting ourselves up for failure. As for the spiritual side, it is vital that proper counseling be provided during drug and alcohol detox otherwise treating the mind and the body with proper nutrition will be pointless. Low self-esteem, for instance, is a frequent factor amongst addicts and alcoholics and it is important to begin to look for the causes behind this during drug and alcohol detox. When the spiritual side isn’t treated during drug and alcohol detox, then treating the mind and the body with good nutrition will be pointless.