Substance abuse, diet and exercise.

[Alex H.]

Last night I went out for drinks with a few friends. One of the girls in this group has a variety of problems which she has been succeeding remarkably well with. Up until last night she'd been off hard drugs for several months, still reliant on a few prescription drugs, not smoked for 6 weeks and no alcohol for a couple of days.

Recently she's been asking me for advice on diet and exercise. Last night, he boyfriend of several years rather brutally broke up with her the end result of which was a suicide attempt using a variety of hard drugs and prescription medication.

I suspect she may have been trying to do too much at once.

I'd love to hear any recommendations about any diet or exercise that may help her toss the addictions without actually causing a great deal more stress upon her. Given her current situation I don't think major diet changes or vast exercise routines are going to happen.

Any help appreciated.

Alex.

[Coach Bentz]

Alex,

Is she currently receiving any professional care?

[john.sifferman]

Hi Alex,

I don't know if it's my place to give this advice, but I think that diet or exercise recommendations should be superseded by a good support network. A new diet and exercise plan may help her zone out of her recent events, and ignore the fact that she was hurt, but this may not be what she needs. She probably needs someone to talk to, to encourage her, to make her feel loved - I would think that this is the best thing for her to begin her healing process.

You could even combine the two and make sure she has someone to walk with a couple times a week, or hit the gym together, anything really. I hope this helps.

John

[Stillness_moving]

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Needless to say,) nothing contained herein should taken as medical advise.

[Stillness_moving]

John makes a good point, ultimately health can't be prescribed in the form of a work out regime, diet or pill.

Great quote, John.

[Coach Wilson]

Alex-

Be a good friend, listen, encourage and hug. Have her go see a professional, and see that she is balanced enough to go forward. Emotional Stress is still stress and can manifest itself physically in many ways.

I would encourage her to try any supplements until she has seen a professional who knows what is going on inside her. By inside her, I mean chemically and emotionally. everyone's internal biology is a bit different. Encourage her to seek help.
Smile.

Always,

Joseph

[AdamS.]

Alex,

I'm just going to echo what other people have already said here: She needs professional help. No one is a bigger skeptic about psycho-therapy than I am. However, a licensed professional does have plenty of real life experience dealing with people with her background. That alone is worth more than a dozen doctorate degrees.

Check in your area to find an out/inpatient drug rehab facility and AA/NA meetings. All these things can be a real help for someone in her situation. But please don't let her go it alone. She needs outside support and outside accountability, and there's plenty out there. While a good diet and proper exercise can be of immense help, it is no substitution for the real help she needs.

[Alex H.]

Alex,

Is she currently receiving any professional care?

My understanding is she is still in hospital. I'm not sure what sort of professional care she is receiving outside of hospital.

I'm pretty sure she has a solid network already in place. I'm not that close of a friend to her.

I guess what I was looking for (and well aware that it probably didn't exist) is something like the physical exercises that help with Ptsd, only for drug addiction. Or you know, that magical little pill that makes all your problems go away... :D

I guess to some extent this post is also me seeking to do something to help. Little in life frustrates me as much as suicide.

Alex.

[Connie Brown]

The best diet support for addiction IMHO is "Potatoes not Prozac" by DesMaisons. It heals (with diet) underlying imbalances in serotonin, endorphins, and blood sugar. Imbalances in all these three cause people born with addict bodies to try to compensate with substance abuse.

I second the advice to get a doc on board also - if she is seriously whacked it is okay to have pharm support at first, so one can begin self-care.

Al-Anon for loved ones, too.

Too many MD / psychiatrists will not even ask people, "what are you eating?" !! My family has much experience with addictions and psychiatry and have never yet met an MD who knows the connection.

Also fact: many people find that after getting nutrition in line, the issues for "talk therapy" dwindle to small and few, quickly resolved. The opposite is not true. Talk therapy and meds, without addressing nutrition, can lead to the stories of 10 years in therapy that we've all heard about...

web site is radiantrecovery.com

[Alex H.]

So, she has a psychiatrist and a psychologist. Two housemates that have been living with her for years and a solid network of friends outside of that. Not sure about AA but I'll try working it into conversation.

Thanks Connie, I'll look into that.

Alex.

[Connie Brown]

Good luck, Alex. Tell her that she will find friends who have been exactly where she is and know what it's like, and who aren't there any more. She has so much ahead of her that is wonderful even if she feels so bad right now.