You may be suffering from alcohol addiction. Whether it is alcoholism or substance abuse, you shouldn’t take any form of addiction lightly.
Alcohol addiction takes a serious toll on the mind and body, and the road to recovery can be a long and arduous one full of trials and tribulations. But there are multiple ways to approach alcohol addiction. We at BOLD Health recommend a combined effort of exercise and nutrition for alcohol recovery, alcohol treatment, and alcohol rehab. To properly engage in mental, emotional, and physical healing, you must also understand the importance of exercise and nutrition in your everyday healing.
Proper exercise and nutrition are essential for promoting your overall well-being.
But what do you do if you quit drinking alcohol?
If you are addicted to alcohol, it’s easy to neglect your nutritional needs and overall well-being. When you engage in binge drinking or substance abuse, you’re more likely to eat a diet high in sugars and processed foods. These unhealthy dietary habits ultimately lead to health problems down the road. These problems include nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, weakened immune systems, and other vital organ issues.
The best thing you can do is educate yourself. Learn how exercise for addiction recovery and nutrition for addiction recovery will benefit you, and get the help you need as soon as possible.
How Alcohol Abuse Disrupts Nutrition
If you feel you are struggling with alcohol abuse, don’t hesitate to reach out. The first step is to understand the risks of severe alcohol consumption. Each substance has its own specific effects
on your health, but many of them have a startling amount of similar impacts on a person’s ability to retain the necessary nutrients.
3 Warning Signs of Alcohol Relapse: When to Get Help
Excessive alcohol consumption may lead to many mental and physical health problems.
If you think that you may struggle with alcoholism, you are likely to engage in the following:
- Poor eating choices: When under the influence of alcohol, you are more likely to make questionable decisions when it comes to your health; for example, indulging in sweets and fast food.
- Loss of appetite: Substance abuse can lead to a poor diet, such as a suppressed appetite or forgetting to eat.
- Organ damage: Most substances (alcohol, drugs) can be the primary source of damage to organs responsible for breaking down and processing necessary nutrients.
- Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar can be a direct effect of the lack of a proper diet and exercise.
- Gastrointestinal disorders: Alcohol and drug abuse can contribute to chronic, long-term issues in the gastrointestinal tract that ultimately prevent it from taking up the necessary nutrients in food.
Exercise in Addiction Recovery
Physical Health Benefits from Exercise
Ask yourself, “How much is alcohol affecting my life?”
Is it causing you to sleep worse? Eat worse? Are you stressed or on edge when you are not drinking? Does alcohol abuse hinder you from enjoying other parts of life, such as family, friends, and activities?
If this sounds familiar, we have the answer for you.
Exercise is an essential component that needs to be implemented into your daily life if you want to recover from addiction. Exercise for addiction recovery has several benefits – the benefits alone are enough to give it a try. Regular exercise will reduce stress, boost your mood through “happy chemicals” known as dopamine and serotonin, and improve your overall physical health.
A few physical health benefits from daily exercise include:
- Cardiovascular health: Your breathing and airways will improve, blood circulation will be more fluid, and your heart will pump blood stronger and healthier. Your stamina and overall energy will improve.
- Muscle strength: Your muscles will heal and grow, and your body will look (and be) healthier, cut, and lean with less body fat.
- Flexibility: Your body will be able to stretch, bend, and heal quicker from injury.
Also, exercise will reduce the risk of chronic, life-threatening diseases and improve your overall quality of life. Do you want to participate in those family activities? Take care of your body. Get some exercise, and you can!
The Role of Therapy in Alcohol Addiction Treatment
Mental Health Benefits from Exercise
When you include exercise for addiction recovery in your daily routine, you’ll experience both mental and physical benefits. Your life may be extremely strenuous and challenging at times. Life can be overwhelming, scary, confusing, and all-around difficult. But adding addiction to an already stressful life isn’t going to make anything better.
The thing is, addiction is not an easy thing to control. When you are addicted to a substance, you become dependent. Your brain actually changes the way it behaves to the point where it seems almost impossible not to drink or do drugs.
This is where exercise for addiction recovery comes in. As mentioned, exercise has many positive physical effects, but you may not be as aware of the positive mental benefits.
A few mental health benefits from daily exercise include:
- mood enhancement
- increased endorphins
- reduced stress
- relaxation
- improved self-esteem
- increased confidence
- increased motivation
Physical activity can release mood enhancers, and natural endorphins, reduce stress, and promote calmness and relaxation. On top of this, if you exercise every day, your self-esteem will increase as your sense of self-accomplishment increases. You will feel more confident in yourself. You will be motivated to continue on a healthy path and get closer to recovery.
Common Challenges in Alcohol Rehab and How to Overcome Them
Nutrition in Addiction Recovery
Many problems arise due to the lack of exercise, but your diet also goes hand in hand with your workout routine. Good nutrition for addiction recovery is essential if you want to see results. If you exercise but fail to provide your body with the necessary nutrients, you will be at risk of experiencing many physical and mental health problems.
Problems from the lack of nutrition include:
- disturbance in your heart rate and rhythm
- muscle atrophy
- low body temperature
- weight loss
- confused thinking or trouble-solving problems
- depression
- anxiety
If these symptoms sound familiar, you most likely lack nutrients in one way, shape, or form. To properly use nutrition for addiction recovery and administer the appropriate amount of healthy nutrients into your body, you must first understand them fully.
Developing a nutrition plan is one proven effective way to use nutrition for addiction recovery to get the correct amount of nutrients. Doing this allows you to spend more time meal prepping and following a set schedule. This will keep you busy and focused on what is important to you, in this case, your recovery from alcohol addiction. Developing a nutrition plan while in recovery specifically focuses on planned means and deciding which meals are appropriate with other activities in your treatment plan.
The key is once you develop the nutrition plan, make sure you stick to it.
This involves taking into account any issues you may have regarding food. Depending on your individual needs, the plan may be more lenient and have snack times or cheat days. The main thing to remember is that having a healthy balanced diet will help you and your alcohol addiction in the long run.
However, providing healthy meals and determining nutritional needs is not the only dietary element for recovering alcohol addicts. A top-quality plan will help you learn and practice good, healthy habits on your own.
A few recommended nutrition habits include:
- choosing foods low in sodium and fat
- providing yourself with enough fiber and whole grains
- avoiding sugar and caffeine
- eating only at planned times
- regularly taking necessary vitamins or mineral supplements
Once you decide to practice good eating habits, you will see the changes. Taking care of your body and providing the necessary nutrients is essential, especially when recovering from alcohol addiction. By understanding nutrition and supporting healthy habits, you will soon learn how healthy food is a powerful tool for sustaining recovery.
The Benefits of Group Therapy in Alcohol Rehab
When to Seek Alcohol Treatment in San Diego
As we know, alcohol abuse leads to many unfortunate mental and physical health issues. If you feel you are losing control over your life due to your alcohol addiction, it may be in your best interest to seek help. It may be time to seek treatment at an alcohol rehab in San Diego.
You may think that you do not have an issue with alcohol and that there is no way you have an alcohol addiction. Sadly, the truth is many people who struggle with alcohol abuse, or substance abuse have trouble realizing the actual problem and situation.
Don’t worry. We’re here for you.
If you feel that alcohol and its adverse effects are causing issues in your life, whether it’s relationships, school, work, or physical or mental health, there is a good chance you should seek help and reach out to learn more about our alcohol rehab in San Diego.
Some significant issues indicate you may need help for alcohol addiction:
- You experience blackouts from drinking.
- You’ve put yourself or others in danger while under the influence of alcohol.
- You lie about and hide your drinking.
- Your drinking has led to health issues.
- You have tried to stop or limit how much you drink, but you can’t.
- You suffer from withdrawal symptoms when you don’t drink alcohol (vomiting, sweating, headaches, shaky hands, nausea, etc.)
- Your drinking habits harm your school or work life.
The first step to recovery from alcohol addiction is facing it head-on. To do this, the first step is to enroll yourself in a high-quality alcohol rehab program stationed in San Diego, where you can safely detox and undergo the necessary alcohol treatment.
Time for Alcohol Detox? Get Alcohol Treatment in San Diego
BOLD Health Alcohol Treatment in San Diego
Remember, never think of seeking help as a weakness. In fact, reaching out for help and guidance is a true sign of strength, courage, and growth.
BOLD Health provides compassionate, high-quality, and individualized alcohol treatment in San Diego. Whether through our outpatient alcohol detox, intensive outpatient program, therapy, medication management, or a combination of our therapeutic options, we will provide the best possible treatment for you. At BOLD Health, we will provide the necessary tools and strategies to prevent alcohol relapse.
You deserve freedom from alcohol addiction, and we at BOLD Health are more than happy to guide you toward recovery.