Importance of nutrition in preventing addiction

Anyone who desires to live a healthy life needs to pay good attention to what they eat. The popular saying “you are what you eat” is largely true because the food you eat plays a pivotal role in the state of your physical and mental health.  

When some people hear of good nutrition, what comes to their mind is “less fat, sugar, salt, etc”. While this is true, it is important to know some of the benefits that nutrition gives to the body, especially when it comes to preventing you from getting addicted.

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Below are some of the perks of good nutrition

It boosts the immune system

Our bodies need the right amount of nutrients to function properly. Without the ideal dose of nutrients, we might find ourselves engaging in habits that can cause addiction in the long run.

Ensure your meal contains all the classes of food, and remember to take lots of water to stay hydrated and energized.

The right dose of energy

If you want to remain strong and healthy, you need to pay more attention to your nutrition. It is vital to mention that our bodies depend on the energy that comes from the food and drinks we take.

These nutrients that provide energy are fats, carbohydrates, and protein. When you eat these foods, they digest slowly, thereby giving room for prolonged energy.

It improves your mood

The type of food you eat also determines your mood. For instance, if you take a diet with a low carbohydrate content, your mood might not be the best. Some studies have shown that taking enough carbohydrates has a positive effect on your mood.

It enhances your physical and mental wellness

Your diet can also have a positive or negative effect on your physical and mental well-being. Studies have revealed that unhealthy diet choices can make you addicted. For instance, with the right diet, you can effectively combat stress, alongside other health measures.

However, if you don’t eat healthily, you might take alternatives like drugs, alcohol, etc, which might adversely affect your health in the long run.

TAKING THE BOLD STEP IN ADDICTION RECOVERY

In addiction recovery, it is rare for you to see an individual who is eager to recover. At the abuse stage, it might be possible but when it is a full-blown addiction, it becomes extremely difficult.

Taking the bold step in addiction recovery implies that you want to be rid of your addiction problem. A good number of times, this decision is fueled by someone who wants them to be sober.

The first thing to consider when taking a bold step in addiction recovery is the fact that, you need to own up to the reality of being addicted. This would help them to enroll in an addiction rehab and begin the process to sobriety.

An addiction counselor also motivates an individual to accept their addiction process. Thereafter, the counselor would ask some questions that the individual is supposed to answer truthfully.

The answer to these questions are needed to form the basis of the counselor’s evaluation. The counselor presents this to the therapist who would use it to create your addiction treatment program.

Addicted individuals need to note that they need to be as plain as possible with the addiction counselor. There is no need being shy with the counselor because he or she is acting from the professional angle. So, by all means necessary, it is best to state things as they are.

During the course of addiction recovery, you will finally discover the root cause of your addiction. Moreso, you will be equipped with life skills that will help you combat addiction anytime the urge comes up.

At the start, it is never easy for an addict to accept their fate of being addicted.

Some of them are aware of this deep down their hearts but they do not have the courage to admit this in the open. So, the best person in this case who would accept them for who they are is the addiction counselor.

The addict might be required to stay within the rehab or come from home. Irrespective of the case, it is still a good shot at sobriety.

TIPS FOR FAMILIES STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION

A family struggling with addiction can be one of the toughest thing to contend with. Not everyone in the family might be addicted but the few ones that are addicted would adversely affect the others.

One of the notable features in a family struggling with addiction is, the love and care dies down and hate begins to creep in.

An addicted family member will not want to see reasons with the rest of the family as regards their addiction.

Usually, the common approach is, families do not offer correction in love, so the addicted individual feels that the whole world is against him or her. So, the addicted family member will seek solace in the arms of fellow addicts.

Bringing an addict back to the sober lane is difficult. Their addiction problem would have reformed their emotions and behaviors, so they would not think the same way as people who are not addicted. The only way to bring them back to normalcy is to be patient and loving with them. 

Families struggling with addiction are advised to contact an addiction counselor. He or she is in the best position to keep everyone calm.

If help is not sought for in a family where addiction thrives, everyone would be at loggerheads every now and then. However, with a counselor, rifts become easier to mend and the family gets back on track progressively.

When the addicted family members are admitted into rehab fully, it is mandatory for the family to keep in touch with him or her. They do not have to attend all sessions with them, but the compulsory one is the family therapy sessions.

An individual who sees that his or her family members are supportive during their addiction treatment, would be grateful and motivated to ensure that they get sober in no time.

During the period of family addiction, it might be difficult for peace to reign, but it is important and instrumental to the eventual recovery of the addicted family member.

3 Mobile Apps for Addiction Recovery You Should Know About

In today’s world, with modern technology as advanced as it is now, there are several different resources available to those struggling with addiction.

 

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Of course, the best route for addiction recovery is a treatment facility, however, there are a few other tools out there that are designed to help you along the way, encourage you to do better, and help keep you accountable.

When it comes to addiction recovery, there is almost no such thing as too much support or too much help. There will always be those weak moments where you feel as though you can’t continue, therefore it is important to have several avenues for support, help, and accountability.

One group of tools out there to help you beat addiction is mobile apps that can be accessed via your smartphone or even your tablet.

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A few useful apps you might want to look into downloading while you are in recovery include:

  1. Sober Grid.This app allows you to find, chat, and meet up with other people who are also in recovery. Using your smartphone’s GPS capabilities, the app will search to locate other people near you using the app. However, you can choose to remain anonymous.
  2. Quit ThatJust like with any type of progress, you should always be keeping track of yourself. This holds you accountable and ensures that you consistently meet your goals. This app will track the progress you have made from quitting anything – from coffee to heroin. So, once you have quit your drug of choice, you can continue to use it to reach your next addiction recovery goal.
  3. recoveryBox Addiction Recovery ToolboxIf you have a spouse, parent, friend or anyone who is consistently tracking your progress with you, this app is a great tool to help out. Each day you put what you did in the app and it will flag it either as green, yellow, or red. The colors deem the activity as a good behavior, a warning behavior, or an acting out behavior. Then, at the end of each day, the information is sent to whoever is keeping you accountable.

Conclusion

Addiction recovery is hard enough in itself. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it can also take a village to help someone recover from addiction.

During your recovery, it is important that you not only rely on God and your family and friends but that you also find other forms of accountability to ensure you have the best success you can.

The Anatomy of a Great Addiction Recovery

When you decide it is time for you to seek help recovering from your addiction, one of the scariest factors is the unknown.

What should you expect from your recovery period? Are the things everyone says real? How do you know which recovery facility will offer the help you need?

 

All these questions are great questions, and can be answered simply by breaking down the simple anatomy of a great addiction recovery:

Facility type

The best facility type will completely depend on the extent of your addiction and the kind of help you are looking for. Things to consider include:

  • Is it long-term or short-term?
  • Is it an outpatient facility?
  • Do they offer patients other drugs in lieu of what they were addicted to?
  • Is it in a good location?

Several factors of the facility, especially when it comes to the location, can impact the success of your recovery. Do not put yourself in an area where you might be tempted – for example, close to your drug dealer or favorite liquor store.

If your addiction is more severe, consider a live-in facility to rid yourself of all temptation and give you a constant support system. Sometimes, it takes complete isolation to achieve recovery.

Services

One key factor to a successful addiction recovery facility is locating one that will address all your needs: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. By finding a treatment facility that encompasses all these aspects into their program, you are more likely to see a much better success rate.

To fully recover from addiction, you will need all the support you can get. By getting back on track with your spiritual life, you will find that you have more support and better tools to aid you in your recovery.

Services such as ministers there to pray with you, chapel services and other religious practices can really give your recovery plan the strong backbone it needs to stick with you.

What does all this mean for me?

Take time when choosing your addiction recovery facility – your recovery is incredibly important and should not be taken lightly. Spend time doing your research and speaking directly with the facility. Based on your needs and the extent of your addiction, there are several things to be considered.

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When it comes time to choose your recovery path, enlist the help of your doctor and friends or family to ensure you get the best help and one that will be best for you.

 

Why We Love Addiction Recovery (And, You Should Too!)

What a great feeling it would be to say you recovered from your addiction, right?

So many people long to overcome their addiction and return to their strong physical, mental and spiritual self. However, unfortunately, most people don’t seek the help they need and a large percentage of people never overcome that addiction.

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Addiction leaves many homes and marriages broke, people homeless, children hurt, and even takes the lives of several people each year.

When will you step up and say it is time for you to recover from your addiction?

That first step can be the hardest – although you might have prayed about it and researched it, it can still sometimes be hard to find the courage to just jump out and make a decision to seek help and go to rehab.

But, there are several benefits to going to rehab. Let us tell you why we love addiction recovery and you should too:

It will rejuvenate you.

There is something so reviving about starting over. You know the feeling when you have been on vacation and you finally come home? Those first few days can be dreadful – setting an alarm, going to work and doing household chores – but, to get back on a schedule is just such a rejuvenating feeling.

Addiction recovery is kind of the same concept. While it might be hard at first as you experience withdrawals and such, once you get back on a physical, mental and emotional track you will feel so much more alive.

It will mend broken relationships.

While recovery does not guarantee that all relationships will be mended, more than likely at least one will. You will also have the opportunity to form new friendships. During rehab, you will meet others who are just like you and can offer you, someone, to confide in who will understand.

After addiction recovery, you will also feel more empowered to try to mend your broken relationships. What an awesome feeling it will be to go visit your friends and family and prove to them you are a new person.

 

Conclusion

Overall, addiction recovery will give you your life back – or give you the life you never even got to start. When you get back on track and in tune – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, you will find that you are empowered to start each day fresh.

While there will still be struggles, addiction recovery facilities will give you the tools you will need to continue pressing forward with recovery.

5 Signs You Need Help with Addiction Recovery

When it comes to addiction – whether it be drug or alcohol addiction – the first step to recovery is often just admitting that you need help with recovery.

One problem many addicts around the world face is the “do it myself” mentality. As someone struggling with addiction, it can be hard to admit that you need help. It can also be much easier to think that you can do it yourself as a way to escape letting anyone else know that you even have a problem.

However, there are several great resources out there that will help you recover will benefit your physically, mentally and spiritually. The support of a great group of Christian people who know what you are dealing with can make all the difference.

By trying to do it alone, you lose the sense of community and you lose the accountability of other people.

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So, if you are struggling with addiction, how is it time to know you need to get help with addiction recovery?

The cold, hard truth is that around 22.7 million individuals need treatment for drug and alcohol abuse, yet less than 1 percent each year will receive the help they need.

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Here are a few tell-tale signs it is time to seek addiction recovery help:

  1. You experience withdrawal symptoms when you stop using the drug of choice.Experiencing withdrawal symptoms is a sign of true addiction, therefore a sign that it is time for addiction recovery.Withdrawal symptoms can include cramps, insomnia, nausea, paranoia, and irritability, among others. These symptoms are how the addiction strengthens its hold, so it is important to get help.
  2. Your doctor has advised you of health issues related to your addiction.Once your addiction is negatively affecting your health so much so that it heads your doctor’s warning, it is time to get some help – for those around you and for your well-being. Otherwise, the addiction really could kill you.
  3. Your friends and family have begun to notice and are asking you to get help.If your addiction is beginning to affect those around you then it really is becoming a problem. If those around you are asking you to get help, then that means they believe that a professional needs to intervene – not them or just you alone.
  4. You have harmed yourself or others while under the influence.Don’t let your addiction take your life or the life of another person – get help.
  5. You have been trying to quit but have failed to do so for any extended period of time.This sign might be the most important one. If you have been trying but aren’t succeeding, it should be obvious you need professional help as you cannot do it on your own.

5 Questions You Might Be Afraid to Ask During Addiction Recovery

Addiction is a topic most people tend to avoid – especially the addict themselves.

Oftentimes, addiction is associated with negative connotations such as anger, depression, and anxiety. It is also associated with other negative events such as ended relationships or lost loved ones.

However, an important step in the process of addiction recovery is talking. It is important both in the recovery of the addict themselves and those affected that everyone involved openly discusses the issue, experiences, and most importantly – the recovery.

So, in dealing with the process of addiction recovery, there are plenty of questions presented by those affected that get left unanswered.

Some people are unsure of what to ask, others are just simply afraid to ask it.

When addressing addiction recovery, here are a few of those common questions you might be afraid to ask a recovering addict during their addiction recovery process:

  1. Why do you think you became an addict?Whether it is drugs or alcohol – there is something that opened up the door to addiction for each person.
  2. What do you miss the most about being an addict?This question oftentimes is most beneficial for the addict themselves. Typically, once they have recovered there will be very few things they miss about addiction. Their new life is much better, so this question helps remind them of that.
  3. What has your addiction forever destroyed?Sometimes reality is hard – and the reality of addiction is very hard. However, in overcoming what they have lost throughout addiction, it is important to address it – don’t let it be the elephant in the room.

    It might be a relationship lost that could be mended and by discussing it, that could be the first step to mending it.

  4. Do you have other means of intoxicating yourself now?They might have a new “high” that is actually healthy, such as running or reading. Inquire about what they are doing now and find out how you can enjoy the activity together, or at least promote the continuance of it.
  5. Who did you hurt most with your addiction?This can really be an eye-opener and yet again another opportunity to mend a broken relationship.

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Takeaways

When it comes to addiction recovery, it is all about balance. It also takes continuous improvement to truly overcome it. As someone in your life is recovering from addiction, ask them the tough questions. Dig deeper and find out what they are still struggling with.