Quitting Smoking at Same Time as Drugs and Alcohol is Recommended

In our last blog entry we discussed how cigarette smoking is common in the field of recovery < >.

Today we are going to discuss recent studies that show that abstaining from all mood altering chemicals (including tobacco and other cigarette by products) actually increases the likelihood of a recovering alcoholic or addict maintaining sobriety for the long term.

Nicotine is a Powerful Drug and Powerfully Addictive

Nicotine is a powerfully mood altering substance. It is also cheap and easily available. Nicotine costs about 2 cents per "hit." It is very potent and has been masterfully packaged and marketed by "big tobacco." It is even fashionable in some circles to smoke cigarettes (although less so over time).

The Nicotine Treatment Myth

It is believed by many (myself included) that smoking is a "crutch" with which a recovering alcoholic or drug addict will be able to rely on to manage stress in early sobriety. It is very common at the A.A. clubs around the world to have caffeine drinks handy and ashtrays for the recovering people. This myth leads to the assumption that quitting smoking at the same time as alcohol (or drugs) will lead to higher relapse rates

The Fact of Quitting Both Nicotine and Alcohol (or Drugs) at the Same Time

Almost everyone who is addicted to cigarettes wants to quit smoking. Studies have shown that relapse rates are higher for recovering addicts (and alcoholics) who
continue to smoke in sobriety than it is for those who don't smoke.

Quitting Smoking Requires a Treatment Program

It is critical for the treatment industry to address this deadly habit and start to provide the opportunity for newly recovering people to free themselves from the cigarette habit in addition to the substance they are in a rehab program for.

Cigarette cessation is important enough to justify creating a special recovery program of its own. Cigarette Smoking kills more people than alcohol, cocaine, heroin,homicide, suicide, care accidents, fire, and AIDS - COMBINED. Approximately 25 million citizens of the US who are alive today will most likelydie of a smoking related disease.

People in recovery who are attempting to quit smoking should also be given a program for the smoking cessation that integrates the smoking abstinence into the planning for:

• counseling


• support meetings


• journaling


• medication (there are products like Zyban and Chantix which can aid newly quit smokers)


• Nicotine replacement supplement (the patch and the gum)
  

There are special support groups for smokers who want to quit like nicotine anonymous ; contact your local hospital for more information.

The Benefit of Simultaneously Quitting Smoking and Drugs/Alcohol

The benefits of quitting both smoking tobacco and drugs/alcohol are that the person in recovery will feel better physically so much sooner, and the entire person will be healing in mind body and spirit. By clinging to another addictive substance (ie tobacco) during recovery, the recovering man or woman mentally, physically, and spiritually knows that they are still substituting one addiction for another. If they are able to quit all addictions at once, they will more easily have the spiritually rewarding experience of finding a healthy and fulfilling relationship with a higher power allowing them to abstain from smoking cigarettes. In this way the "life style" change is complete and the former cigarette addict will have so much more momentum in recovery, have so much more to lose in the event of a relapse, and therefore will remain more likely to maintain their sobriety.

Replacing the Brain Chemicals that Addiction has Robbed

In our last blog post we discussed a bit about why we feel it is important to address nutrition in addiction treatment. Here at Sober Living by the Sea we have always known that treating addiction is much more than just removing the substance from the user. We have taken it so far as to realize that addicts with different drugs of choice will often have unique needs with regard to types of rehab activities andspecific treatment programs we recommend. Abusers of ecstasy often bring a depressive and hopeless attitude to our rehab centers, whereas marijuana addicts often need to have many activities to help manage stress and keep the mind stimulated throughout the day.

Increasing Glutamine Intake Assists with Addiction Treatment

We have found that eating foods that are rich in glutamine can assist in recovery by reducing anxiety and sleeplessness. This promotes relaxation and helps reduce the loss of GABA which is an amino acis and the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. (The molecular receptors for GABA are the target of tranquillizers such as Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin).
Studies have shown that increasing the consumption of these amino acids helped a test group of cocaine addicts to reduced their desire to use the drug.

Serotonin Replenishment Aids in the Addiction Recovery Process

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is often deficient in an addicted brain. Our experience in the providing our young adult clients with ecstasy treatment has brought to our attention the difficulties of recovery for serotonin inhibited clients.

The loss of serotonin is one factor that contributes to the "sober sadness" or the depressive side of withdrawal symptoms that accompany early recovery. Serotonin can be replenished by eating foods that are rich in the amino acid called tryptophan. This amino acid is found in brown rice, nuts, fish, and milk. Studies have shown that reducing tryptophan will increase depressive symptoms and increasing tryptophan will cause the person to have a more optomistic outlook.

Omega-3 and DHA Replacement

We have also found it worthwhile to increase our client's intake of DHA which is a fatty acid belonging to the class of fatty acids called omega-3. Omega-3 nutrients have shown to have positive effects on human's neurotransmission system and its effects are being explored on Alzheimer's patients as well as cancer patients.

The DHA/omega-3 nutrients have a positive effect on the physical characteristics of nerve cells’ outer membranes, and thus the way they conduct nerve impulses.

People who are DHA deficient have been shown in studies to experience learning difficulties, excessive hostility, depression, and are even more likely to be suicide prone. Also, DHA deficient clients have been shown to be more likely to relapse from a program of recovery.

Contact our rehab centers for more information about the personalized program of recovery we design for each individual client.