ADDICTION AND NUTRITION

Alcohol and drug abuse /addiction can result in numerous and gross nutritional deficiencies that hamper the physical and mental health of the individual. A healthy diet plays a major role in sustaining and improving the quality of life in recovery.
Alcohol and drug use can affect nutrition in the following ways
(i)  Not eating- drinking and using drugs causes a drop in appetite and at times they forget to eat.
(ii)  Eating insufficient– Drinking /using drugs is given a priority over eating .
(iii)  Overeating- at times there can be an increased appetite due to drug and alcohol use and the person eats unconsciously without an idea of satiety.
(iv)  Damage to organs- Alcohol and drug abuse can result in damage to the liver, pancreas, stomach, intestinal linings which are all involved in the digestion, absorption and retention of nutrients in the body.
(v)  Drop in Immunity- The depletion of nutrients causes a fall in immunity making the person prone to various ailments
(vi)  Gastrointestinal disorders
(vii)  drop in glucose levels resulting in mental and physical imbalances.
Alcohol
Those addicted to alcohol have poor food intake. Either they do not eat at all in order to drink or eat a lot without awareness of satiety.
In both cases there is nutritional depletion as the body is busy processing the alcohol that needs to be metabolized before the food.
Alcohol results in inflammation of the gut and stomach lining  resulting in indigestion, acid reflux, gastritis, malabsorption resulting in diarrhea and consequent dehydration.
Severe deficiencies of Thiamine, B12,B6 and Folic acid develop resulting in conditions like peripheral neuritis , anemia, fatigue, headache, memory problems and Wernicke Korsakoff syndrome due to Thiamine deficiency.
Muscle wasting, immunity reduction happens making the person prone to ailments , and in Indians the most common ailment that afflicts a person when the immunity drops is Tuberculosis.
Chronic alcohol use can cause significant damage to the liver and pancreas which are involved in digestion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates , hormones and sugar balance thus causing an imbalance in them.
Opiates
Withdrawals from drugs like opium, heroin etc results in cramps and severe diarrhea preventing the person from eating resulting in dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Eating carbohydrates and enough fluids will tide over this.
Stimulants -like amphetamines, MDMA, Crystal meth, cocaine
Stimulants keep the drug user awake for hours on end, hyperactive and kills the appetite whereby people do not eat for days  . This results in malnutrition , electrolyte and hormonal imbalance leading to severe weight loss, muscle loss, alopecia, increased risk of infections , heart ailments, depression, apathy, confusion etc.
In treatment, eating more  can result in an upset digest system as it is just getting used to food. this requires an experienced medical care. meals should be had in small portions.
Marijuana
Marijuana usage results in a ravenous appetite but for mainly junk food excessive consumption of which can result in obesity. Lack of any nourishment in junk food results in malnutrition also. There is a deficiency of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids which can result in skin ailments like eczema, rash and other inflammatory processes. Healing of wounds is delayed and susceptibility to infections is increased.
Diet during Treatment and Recovery
-A craving for sweets develops in most people in recovery from addiction to alcohol and drugs , as sweets trigger the same dopamine reward pathway that are triggered by the substances in brain.
-Exercise regularly- various yoga asanas aid in bringing the hormonal balance in the body and regain optimum organ functioning, regain physical and mental balance and core muscle tone. Start working out slowly being in connect with one’s body as the existent muscle wasting and lack of tone if pushed into working out too soon and too hard will result in recurrent injuries.
-Eat more complex carbs – Green vegetables,Whole grains and foods made from them, such as and whole-grain breads,rotis, Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkin, Beans, lentils, and peas.
(i)  Eat small portions of frequent meals, the appetite will slowly improve.
(ii)  There should be an increase in intake of fiber which will maintain gut health and proteins would help build muscles affected by alcohol and drug abuse.
(iii)  Avoid or reduce Caffeine intake in the form of coffee or carbonated drinks.
(iv)  Have plenty of water
(v)  Taking supplements of vitamins and minerals are essential as they will help initially to replenish immediate deficiencies and then enable the body to function well.
Every treatment /rehab facility should have a good and nutritious diet provision with adequate opportunities to exercise . We at AH provide such  an optimum  blend of nutrition and physical and mental growth in a luxurious ambience.
Alcohol Rehabilitation Centers In Mumbai

SOBER FUN

Currently in society "fun" is associated with drinking and using .

Every occasion in most households is incomplete without opening the bottle.

By the time it reaches the stage of addiction drinking and using is no longer fun but is indulged in to keep away pain.

There would be a glass in hand or a nip hidden in the socks when going to watch a movie or a match or picnic . No meal is eaten in a restaurant that does not serve alcohol. A party that does not serve alcohol is not considered worth attending .

Years spend in keeping away pain and the old association of fun with drinking and using leads to a loop of wanting to experience the same feel of fun without alcohol . With this presumption the old hangouts like pubs and restaurants and clubs are frequented but without drinking . However , without intoxication these very places and the company of others who drink and use are not so attractive . The same feel is not achieved which leads to disappointment . Frequenting the same places expecting a different result is the illusion and soon enough the person ends up drinking or using .

It is thus , very essential to include fun activities within the treatment program.

A voluntary system like ours promotes these very activities. Regular life does not only include work, study and family .. A very major part is time spent with oneself and entertainment .

Along with an inner transformation that is required to take place during residential rehabilitation treatment , new likes and hobbies and activities need to be adopted. Part of therapy should be to enable the client to experience that which seems like “normal” entertainment activities like going out for movies, meals , trekking, hiking, reading, art , music, karaoke .

When out on a movie with a client he shared that it was the first time in years that he had gone for a movie without being under the influence of alcohol or weed and that the realisation that he is having more fun without the substance was a revelation to him!

Likewise, another client of ours who was addicted to heroin and socialising over alcohol in pubs as a way to socialise in the European country she came from , realised that “ there is so many stuff to drink apart from alcohol”

For another client going on a picnic meant first filling the car trunk with booze the previous night making sure one would not fall short of liquor, the people and place is secondary. In the treatment process going on a picnic meant planning the place and the food to be taken or eaten.

Singing Karaoke would usually be in a Karaoke bar drunk or stoned and a lot of songs have associations with being intoxicated. In such a situation Karaoke singing in the treatment as fun

Thus there is a perspective shift.

It is very essential for these practical experiences to be a part of the therapeutic residential rehabilitation treatment process

I AM CLEAN, NOT PERFECT

Addiction is a painful process of living day and night in the clutches of the substance. The family goes through a loss of identity and an emotional roller-coaster ride with the addicted person trying to control his/her using.
Finally, the dependent decides to seek help. He goes to an alcohol/drug rehabilitation program for treatment for a certain duration of time. The family or co dependent can be under the impression that he will come out of the rehab as though he has been dry cleaned and all will be perfect.
In actuality , the real issues surface after the return from the rehab.
The family, unlike the addict in a residential rehab program, has not had the benefit of living away from emotional triggers and takes time to understand the process the addict has gone through and help him continue to not find the need to drink/use.
If the family has not undergone co-dependency counselling, they will look at him with ‘old eyes’ and emotions of fear, apprehensions, mistrust and judgement.
Earlier, the substance was the buffer to escape from the realities of life for the alcoholic/drug addict. Life was going on around him but he was only with the substance.
He is now just starting to get comfortable in his own skin living day to day without any substance. The crutch/substance that made him become oblivious of emotions is no longer present, and emotions are felt in their entirety and depth.
The person has to deal with them with the new tools learnt in rehab, without using a substance, and is finding his/her footing. The person has changed.
However, the spouse and family look at him as if, since he has become ‘rehabilitated’,he can now handle family responsibilities and a job and businesses. The spouse thinks.”Now my world is finally in place. He will take care of my emotional and other needs.” This is the illusion of the co dependent.
The person who has undergone treatment also wants to take on work and take the financial reins into his own hands. However, trust is difficult to get by. The emotional roller-coaster ride comes back with a vengeance in the family.Surprisingly most separations and divorces happen after the dependent returns home from a rehabilitation centre. The co-dependent who, until this point, was ‘right’ about a lot of issues only because of the other person’s drinking/using, begins  to realise that the person has now changed and does not indulge in emotional conversations and does not allow himself to get mood altered.
This entire conflict is the result of the myth that the suffering addict is not just clean but, because he has undergone treatment, should be ‘perfect’.
At AH we provide a luxury rehab facility with an Alternate life therapy program wherein the alcoholic/drug addict finds life and living beyond addiction to alcohol and drugs using various tools like counselling, meditation and writing, along with movies, meals out, hiking etc; in short, living a complete life, not finding the need to drink or use. The family too undergoes a similar process simultaneously so that both grow at an individual capacity and are able to then meet at  a common platform of understanding.

SEXUALITY AND INTIMACY IN ADDICTION

Humans are sexual beings. Sexuality includes physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual aspects. It does not only mean the act of sex but the energy of sex and the awareness of humans as sexual beings. Intimacy is building a close rapport, companionship and friendliness with another person.
Sexuality arises in infancy when the infant plays with its genitalia – repression/suppression of this most natural energy begins then itself by parents scolding the infant. In puberty, attraction to the opposite sex reaches its peak, but the topic is taboo in family/society. Religious beliefs complete the vortex of fear, guilt, shame and suppression. Perversion sets in as pornography is resorted to as an educative tool. Add drugs/alcohol to it and the psychological degeneration, delusion and self abuse that sets in is immeasurable.
In a suffering dependent, issues related to one’s sexuality are very extensive and deep rooted. This is not addressed in most treatment programs across the world, let alone in India. However, amongst the various relapse factors, sexuality issues rank amongst the highest.
The drinking /using might have begun as fun, experimentation, peer pressure etc. As it reaches addictive usage there has been a breakdown of most intimate relationships like husband/wife, parent/ child, partners/friends etc. in the cycle of wanting to drink and use and the repeated lies, the deception and the manipulation involved in perpetuating that habitual cycle. The intimacy with oneself has itself collapsed. Any attempt at intimacy by others is also thwarted as it is a threat to one’s usage or it is initiated to enable using or initiate sex.
Alcohol and drugs reduce inhibitions and increase sexual drive. As inhibitions drop with intoxication, promiscuity and unsafe sex is indulged in. The duration of the sexual act from initiation to orgasm lasts longer under intoxication, giving the illusion of it being greater, but though the drive and desire is high, the performance is affected.
Treatment
Considering the sensitivity and the importance of the issue, it is essential for it to be addressed in an unprejudiced, accepting ambience, maintaining confidentiality.
The person identifies and deals with areas of conflict from childhood, adolescence, adulthood and addiction through writing, detaching emotions from incidents. Counseling helps resolve them; meditation enables and sustains growth of awareness. He or she learns how the substances used affects/ afflicts sexuality and performance and what change can be expected in recovery.
It is of paramount importance that the person’s significant other (co-dependent) also receives the same treatment for his/her sexuality issues.
The individuals find freedom from shame, fear, guilt and anger related to sexuality.
Rebuilding Intimacy, Sexuality and Sexual Relations Post-Treatment
The individual is still coming to terms with a life away from the substance, but has experienced joy and is at peace with himself/herself, free from physical and emotional pain. Rebuilding relationships and redeveloping lost trust and intimacy with loved ones is worked through with guidance from a therapist.
Many might have had most sexual experiences under intoxication. Experiencing sex anew can open up other issues. For example, the intercourse may not last as long as it did under intoxication, or medical issues like premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunctions, secondary infertility etc may arise. All these can be resolved through counseling and medication.
We at Anatta are probably one of the only centers in India that addresses and deals with issues related to sexuality in addiction and co-dependency in its entirety in an ambience that is open and accepting through counseling, writing and meditation enabling truly holistic healing

Theories-On-Causes-of-Addiction

There are many factors that can cause addiction-

The Disease Concept

The direct relationship between neurotransmitters and drug abuse was discovered in 1970 that some neurotransmitters have molecular similarity to those of plant opioids –opium, morphine and heroin.

The normal human brain has a certain set level of release, increase and stabilization of dopamine –the pleasure neurotransmitter. However, in an addict brain the level of pleasure achieved is higher than normal and there is no plateau or stabilization phase, on the contrary the levels dip down to below baseline. This simulates the effect of consumption of substance in an addictive brain. Eventually, with each succeeding drug or alcohol event, the addicted person must use more and more to get less and less of an effect (tolerance) — the levels continues falling further and further until they are using not to get high but just to get normal

The Genetic & Inheritance Concept

Children born of Alcoholic parents have 4% more chances to be alcoholics.

Staying with Biological parents or Foster parents has not made any difference

Theory of inheritance of alcoholism, suicidal depression and epilepsy is known in female children of alcoholic parents.Some inherit anger, some inherit depression but more often so; it is the self-destructive attitude.

The Dysfunctional family Concept

Dysfunctional family members have common symptoms and behavior patterns as a result of their experiences within the family structure. This tends to reinforce the dysfunctional behavior, either through enabling or perpetuation. The family unit can be affected by a variety of factors

The following symptoms occur in most dysfunctional families:

Lack of empathy, understanding, and sensitivity toward certain family members; while, on the other hand, expressing extreme empathy toward one or more family members who have (real or perceived) “special needs”

Denial (a refusal to acknowledge abusive behaviour; also known as the “elephant in the room”) Extremes in conflict (either too much fighting or insufficient arguing between family members)

Inadequate or missing boundaries for self (e.g., tolerating inappropriate treatment from others, failing to express what is acceptable and unacceptable treatment, tolerance of physical, emotional or sexual abuse)

Unequal or unfair treatment of one or more family members due to their gender, age (e.g., seniors, children), abilities, race, economic status, etc. (may include frequent appeasement of one member at the expense of others, or an uneven enforcement of rules).

Abnormal sexual behavior such as incest

Abuse in childhood in any form emotional or physical.

Divorced or separated parents in continuous conflict, or parents who should separate, but do not (to the detriment of their children)

People living in such an environment can easily fall prey to addictions as a relief from stifling family circumstances.

Behavioral Concept

A Maladaptive Personality who cannot adjust to his surroundings and to his internal milieu can be more prone to addictions.

Whatever may be the cause and theories related to the same..if a fracture has to heal it has to be plastered. Likewise , the addiction has to be treated first and in the process the envelope of one’s life is turned inside out, and issues dealt with in a most compassionate, loving, confidential manner. We at Anatta provide the right mileu for the same.

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Contact us today and we will get back to you immediately.

website : http://www.anatta.in

ACCEPTING HELP

The need to  “fit in” is an universal human trait - most youth do several things-dress alike keep up with the trends etc some of them being  drinking and smoking cigarettes- like a “rite of passage” and lo! It is an entry into the world of parties –being part of, etc.. the shy gangly adolescent turns into a sauve happening kid popular amongst the guys and girls alike.  The intake begins in a small manner as that is enough to give a high, loosen the tongue and the inhibitions. In the flush of youth, studies are managed and the drinks increase to 6-7-8 . from weekends to two or three times a week.
The increase is noted by friends, warnings are issued but ridiculed by the young man - “ be a man-drink like me !”  Is help accepted? Life is going great guns, the studies are done, the girls are there one or many .. more often one too many than one.  The new job is gotten, a fat pay packet to boot.  The alcohol flows, the money too flows generously “friends “ benefit.
Slowly the hangovers take over... waking up with heavy heads become a norm…  the drinks are tried to be controlled now, the hangover hidden with coffee and soon enough through a drink to get over the hangover as the body and mind is in shambles ... focus is lost.. meetings are missed, absenteeism sets in... one tries to “ cut down to two or three drinks” succeeds for a few days then one fight at the office or home front, the three becomes 10 in no time and without any inkling as to how it reached there... the intention had been just have the three drinks and pacify the girlfriend/wife [This is the compulsive nature of an addictive mind taking over]  After three all intentions get drowned in the bottle... the next morning one wakes up with absolutely no memory of what transpired the night before- a blackout . The blackout starts becoming frequent. [Is help accepted here?] The mind remains more befuddled...The thinking changes… It becomes more grandiose, emotions are exaggerated, mountains are made out of molehills- though alcohol s temporarily not there because it is untreated the mental habits do not change.  Everything triggers an emotional reaction either expressed or in expressed. Life revolves around planning to get the next drink or start drinking.  [The obsession takes over]
Friends start avoiding as Dr. Jekyll turns to Mr. Hyde post a few drinks.. Friendships are lost.. guilt and remorse sets in.. and to forget it , guess what- more drinks are drowned.. but does one forget? No- cause the drink only magnifies the hurt existent real or imagined. [is help accepted now]
Again the decision to stop drinks.. but in the next one day, one hour or next five minutes the man finds a glass in his hand and a half a bottle down. It is baffling! How did that happen? [it is a cunning baffling disease- and the time from a thought of a drink to an intense thought to craving to obsession and compulsive drinking can take a few seconds to minutes to hours or days ] Help accepted?
The family intervenes. The hands are unsteady the body tremors cannot hold a glass; yet the thought” I can handle it” The liver is fired – on the verge of cirrhosis on the hospital bed- and yet the thought “I can handle the bottle” the struggle goes on; the life revolves around controlling the drink and going back to “social drinking” of 2-3pegs, a futile illusionary dream! [ this is the denial of dependency] The family tries to control the drink- drink wine- drink at home- I will drink with you- you are taking advantage of us! Another futile illusionary dream! [ the denial of the co dependent] Is help accepted?  For, now it has reached the stage of Addiction – “first the man drinks the drink, then the drink drinks the drink, then the drink drinks the man. “
 The drinking that was fun at a point  and solution at times now has become a problem!
But one is unable to stop for long on one’s own... people around “society” at large think that the man is a drunk ..he can stop on his own but he is selfish and wants to enjoy life at the cost of his family. However, the person addicted drinks now to keep away pain- physical and psychological and there is no more “fun” in it. [ is help asked for and accepted?]He/she is sick and tired  of feeling sick and tired
 The family approaches psychiatrists or an experiential addiction counselor for help ... the person who is chemically dependent now meets the counselor. An experiential counselor is one who has lived a life of addiction to drugs or alcohol and has accepted treatment and gone beyond the need to use alcohol or drugs for a substantial length of time. The light is seen at the end of the tunnel... identification is established... he understands my story, as my story has been his story... and if he can do it then I too have hopes of reaching where he has reached today and he will guide me into doing the things he did to arrive at where he is.
Help is finally looked for in the right place and accepted. Thus it is seen that one cannot predict when a person can ask for and accept help.
This is half the battle won.
We at Anatta are here to help those who accept help and to enable those who resist to arrive at a decision to accept help. We have our rehabilitation centers scattered in most parts of India like rehabilitation Center in Pune, rehabilitation center in Nagpur and drugs and alcohol rehabilitation centers in Delhi. Come to us and we will help you see life in a new way without alcohol and drugs.