How Does Addiction Affect Appetite?

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

-Virginia Woolf-

Addiction is a complex disease that disrupts the brain and body systems. Over time a tolerance is built up and the body begins to rely on that substance to maintain some type of normalcy. That need to maintain becomes a driving force while other needs quickly fall to the side. The desire to eat and drink is lost and undernourishment and dehydration quickly set in. In the most basic terms the body begins to fall apart. Breathing becomes harder and the ability to move and think clearly decreases.

In a recovery facility and throughout treatment it is vital to treat both the mind and the body. As the mind recovers so does the body. A nutritionally sound diet full of fresh fruits and leafy green vegetables along with lean meats and proper hydration can help restore body systems to proper performance. Drug and alcohol abuse takes its toll on the body. Proper nutrition and hydration along with help from an addiction specialist are the first steps in regaining your life and independence.

Residents arrive with little-to-no desire to eat. Usually around day 3 they start to nibble, a little here and there. Day 5 rolls around and their appetite returns. They come out of their shell and start to interact with others. By the end of the second week they start to come back to life. Their eyes begin to sparkle again, color returns to their face and it’s at that point they transform from who they have been to who they want to be.