Nutrition and drug addiction- one year on
It has been a year since Education in Nutrition released Nutrition and recovery from drug addiction by Lulu Cook, APD.
Nutrition in drug addiction is a space that, until now, dietitians have shied away from. The key messages from Lulu’s presentation remain unchanged:
- Nutrition is increasingly recognised as part of drug and alcohol recovery treatment.
- Drug and alcohol abuse has a significant impact on gut health, with gut dysbiosis evident in individuals effected.
- There is a bi-directional relationship between the gut and the brain. Nutrition intervention is pertinent in mood and appetite regulation; focus on wholefoods with gut-enhancing and liver-enhancing properties.
- Supporting individuals with drug and alcohol addiction via a sustainable, client-centred, and empathetic approach is crucial.
We caught up with Lulu recently and asked her about the last year.
What is one lesson you have learnt over the last 12 months?
I’ve learnt that people with substance use disorders may be starting from the absolute ground floor on nutrition knowledge and skills…. or they may know more about the biochemistry of food than I do! Make no assumptions when providing nutrition education with people with substance use disorders.
What skills are valued in practitioners who work in the area of addiction?
Counselling skills are key in working with this population. People with substance use disorders may be struggling with prodromal disordered eating, housing instability, mental health disorders, and more. The capacity to develop rapport with them and understand their unique challenges are crucial for being able to coach them through even the smallest food/eating behaviour change.
Are you doing anything differently since you presented a year ago on Nutrition and recovery from drug addiction?
I’m learning to approach every individual client with a public health perspective in the back of my mind. I find that I keep stripping back my nutrition counselling to a more basic message. For many people with SUD, just eating regularly will be a huge win. Any ambitions I may have for them – e.g., eat a vegetable! Ease off on the drive through! – pale beside the basic health benefit they can gain from eating consistent meals and staying focused on their substance abstinence.
Register here for Nutrition in drug and alcohol recovery
Read a review of the presentation Nutrition in drug and alcohol recovery
Research into the role of nutrition in alcohol use disorders
Cameron McLean, AdvAPD has been working at St George Hospital NSW with people who have an alcohol use disorder. As the first step in providing improved care, the availability of nutrition services to this cohort needs to be identified.
If you work in a Primary Health Network in New South Wales and have seen clients with an alcohol use disorder, you can help this valuable research here