Healing From Alcohol Addiction With Holistic Nutritional Therapy.
An often overlooked way that alcohol affects our bodies, minds, and tendencies towards addiction is by causing our bodies to become undernourished and out of balance. An unhealthy gut biome is a prominent contributor to anxiety and depression – both problems that often lead to, and stem from, alcoholism. Over time, consuming alcohol depletes our essential nutrients. And by the time people enter treatment for alcohol dependency, most are deficient in at least some.
Alcohol also interferes with your body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals, and increases the loss of even more through excessive urination. And because it contains so many empty calories, people who drink heavily can easily consume over 2,000 calories a day in alcohol – calories that don’t contain anything your body needs, and a lot of toxic things it doesn’t.
Better Gut Health Leads to Better Brain Function in Recovery
Alcohol can cause “leaky gut”, otherwise known as intestinal permeability – a condition that allows toxins and bad bacteria to pass through your intestinal walls. When your internal organs don’t absorb and use nutrients properly, they then send distressed messages to your brain, which is why alcohol-related gastrointestinal issues are known to be associated with depression, irritability, and lack of mental focus.
On the other hand, however, intestinal health improves your brain function in early recovery. That’s because our bodies, minds, souls, and spirits are interconnected – what goes on in one of those areas most certainly affects the rest. So taking mindful steps to improve your gut health with intentional diet changes designed for your recovery has a huge impact on other aspects of your being and on your success in treatment. By identifying imbalances and treating them by using food as medicine, we can start to repair ourselves on a biochemical level.
How Superfood Nutrition Can Repair the Damage Done by Alcohol
Food is an incredibly important part of healing from addiction. It aids the process of eliminating toxins from our bodies, bringing our brains and bodies back into balance. A nutrient-rich diet that’s full of superfoods and planned around your recovery doesn’t just make you feel good – it makes you feel amazing. And when you feel amazing, you don’t have a reason to go back to using substances, which is great news for your long-term sobriety.
That’s why the Sanctuary Sedona takes such a focused and conscientious approach to its superfood nutrition program. Food provides information to your body, and it should send your body the message that it’s healthy, vibrant, and well cared for. Here, we’re not just organic and diet-conscious – we know exactly where our food is sourced from. In fact, much of it comes directly from our onsite tea and vegetable garden, lovingly grown in the warm sun, fertile soil, and high vibrational energy of Sedona and ready to nourish you back to health and heal your whole being from the damage that alcohol addiction has caused.
For more information on the importance of excellent nutrition in addiction treatment, see our article: Science is Proving that Nutrition is a Strong Component in Healing.
To learn more about how our unique, non-12-Step alcohol treatment program can help you, call us at (877) 710-3385 or email us at i[email protected].
He is the Founder, Administrator, Counselor at the Sanctuary at Sedona. He has a BA in Political Science and is currently Senior teaching staff at Four Winds Society, an international school of energy medicine. His credentials also include being an Ordained Minister; a Certified Shamanic Breathwork® Facilitator; a Founding Member Society for Shamanic Practitioners; a Member of Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology; a Member of the National Institute for Holistic Addiction Studies. [email protected]