Chronic use of drugs, such as cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol, can lead to the formation of oxidative stress (47). It has neuroprotective and cognitive-enhancing effects, and as I’ve discussed before, it can support your mitochondria, protect your brain from alcohol, and help you overcome brain fog. It’s known to produce a calming effect on the brain by crossing the blood-brain barrier and increasing the production of both GABA and dopamine in the brain. Unlike prescription anti-anxiety medication, it does not cause sedation and drowsiness (13, 14, 15).

It is most commonly found in dark green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, green peppers, asparagus, and romaine lettuce. Alcohol use is one of the major causes of nutritional deficiency in the United States. The most common deficiencies are of the B vitamins (B1, B6, and folic acid). A lack of these nutrients causes anemia and nervous system (neurologic) problems. For example, a disease called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome («wet brain») occurs when heavy alcohol use causes a lack of vitamin B1. For example, some people are extremely deficient in vitamin production.

What Foods Are Essential for Healing?

Many treatment protocols for AWS involve supportive care as the person withdraws to ease the discomfort of the symptoms. Our center employs addiction professionals who deliver these services with care and expertise. We provide you the tools you need to achieve abstinence and sustain long-lasting sobriety and wellness. Alcohol exhausts all soluble vitamins in the body, especially during early withdrawal. Multivitamins can help restore low levels of vitamins that the body desperately needs.

Whether through varying kinds of therapy, meditation, and holistic approaches, the above factors must exist for recovery to be successful. Additionally, addiction can create deficits in many vitamins in the body including magnesium, vitamin D, B6, folate, and many more. These kinds of deficits can make it difficult for recovery, and it may be necessary to replace those vitamins to help recovery be successful. Certain vitamins can help you achieve overall wellness and manage some of the vitamin deficiencies that can come with a substance use disorder.

Medication vs. Supplements: Which are Better for Drug Recovery?

Because of this, it may be imperative for particular individuals to seek out supplements to achieve the number of nutrients they need. The body needs plenty of fruits and vegetables, meats, and other foods that aren’t processed. Those who don’t get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals typically suffer from poor gut health. Every substance use disorder and addiction affects everyone in varying ways. Typically, young adults stop taking their vitamins in their teenage years. But as the years begin passing and more physical health issues manifest, individuals of all ages and genders start to pay closer attention to vitamins and the benefits they provide.

Drug and alcohol addiction causes a person to forget what it is like to be hungry, and instead think of this feeling as a drug craving. The person should be encouraged https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/recommended-vitamins-for-recovering-alcoholics/ to think that they may be hungry when cravings become strong. When someone drinks alcohol, it diminishes the function of producing digestive enzymes.

SJRP Nutrition Therapy and Counseling For Mental Health

It’s very easy to get hooked on alcohol, but getting sober is an entirely different matter. At some point, you may simply get fed up with the lifestyle or a health condition that forces you to stop. This is when you have to buckle up and deal with the harsh reality of detox.

• Addiction functions similarly to other types of diseases, causing internal and external damage to both the mind and body.
• More and more people are using alcohol to ‘cope with life’, as a sedative for the stress of it.
• Additionally, B6 and B12 play an important role in producing blood cells and keeping the nervous system healthy.
• Women who drink heavily are at high risk of osteoporosis and may need to take calcium supplements.
• They may also include attempts to boost or improve your baseline level of health.
• It can trigger irritable bowel syndrome, acid reflux, and other gastrointestinal illnesses, too.

It is important to eat healthy meals and snacks and avoid high-calorie foods with low nutrition, such as sweets. Managing withdrawal is essential to a rough recovery, but it’s not the end-all-be-all. There are still plenty of other tasks that need to be fulfilled to recover completely from alcohol abuse. As a result, all the food options we provide on our campus are hand-selected to be the most delicious and nutritionally sound.

What can help me stop drinking?

But glutathione can reduce oxidative stress and therefore decrease the development of addiction (46). N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is a modified form of the amino acid cysteine. Thirty subjects with methadone dependence were given 2 grams of ALCAR daily during a 3-week detoxification period, and it reduced their pain and the length of their withdrawal (49).

It is estimated that about 50% of people who are dependent on alcohol will experience withdrawal symptoms upon stopping alcohol or reducing their intake. Drug addicts are often found to suffer from deficiencies of Vitamin B1, B5, B6, C, and E as well as calcium, magnesium and niacin. These nutrients are essential for the body and as such, a lack of any one could result in a multitude of health-related concerns. Vitamin C is especially advised for individuals recovering from opiate addictions, as it is a natural anti-oxidant and helps alleviate painful withdrawal symptoms. Reputable researchers believe that by nature, drug and alcohol abuse depletes certain vitamins and minerals because very little healthy sustenance is taken on board.