Californians are known for wanting to be healthy and physically fit, probably harking back to the state promotion of jogging as a leisure activity that occurred in the late 1970s and grew in popularity throughout the 1980s and is now taken for granted. But outside of a Los Angeles drug rehab, not many Californians know about the vicious cycle that exists between addiction and poor nutrition.
Obviously, the causes of drug addiction are complex, and poor nutrition is not to blame. However, once addicted, poor nutrition can exacerbate the symptoms of addiction, and the longer one is addicted, typically, the more nutritionally deficient one is bound to be. That’s why when an addict checks into a Los Angeles drug rehab for treatment, one aspect is likely going to be focusing on the patient getting all the right nutrients and vitamins into his or her body. Not being balanced in terms of diet – which means not getting enough healthy nutrients, vitamins, healthy carbs, proteins and carbs, can diminish health significantly and lend more power to addictive behaviors. Patients at a Los Angeles drug rehab are therefore likely to be made aware of how their addiction is destroying their physical health, and provided with a diet that can lead them back on the path.
Depending on what kind of drug to which one is addicted, the results can influence changes in the brain that alter the way that one experiences sensations such as pleasure or pain; in fact, the two can be exchanged to a large degree. Healthy foods may no longer have the attraction that they should, and rather than seek to feed normal hungers that would satisfy the body’s need for optimal nutritional health, the body begins to crave the drug more. The psychological effects of drugs also diminish one’s capacity to care for one’s own body, which may result in not eating for days, or gorging on junk food. Likewise, not sleeping for days is an effect of some stimulants, such as meth-amphetamines or crack cocaine. Significant weight loss or gain may be the result.
Some deficiencies can be traced in cases of particular addictions, such as alcoholism. Fat soluble vitamins usually begin to diminish in the body of a chronic drinker over time. Alarmingly, even if an alcohol addict is eating healthy foods, they may show a stark deficiency of Vitamins A, E and D.
Addicts who enter the context of a Los Angeles drug rehab face an assortment of challenges, including not only learning methods of self-care both psychologically and emotionally, but physically as well.
