Are there foods that will help with withdrawal symptoms of an opiate addiction?
I would first like to congratulate you as you take your first steps towards recovery from your opiate addiction. Good nutrition is a powerful ally. The physical healing can begin by providing your body with nutrients needed to establish a healthy environment as you manage the withdrawal symptoms. The liver is our master detoxifying organ, critical to the proper functioning of the brain and central nervous system. There are a number of nutritional strategies that are supportive during this healing process.
Reduce the load on the liver by minimizing saturated fats and processed foods while eating a well-balanced diet that is high in fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.
Choose organic varieties of produce and animal products whenever possible to further reduce the amount of “toxic load” the liver must process. Work towards eating 9-12 servings per day of fruits and vegetables, and choose more plant proteins from beans, peas, lentils and other legumes in place of animal protein.
Especially helpful foods for the liver include;
Artichoke, watercress, cilantro, parsley, green leaf vegetables
Crucifers (Cabbages) including broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale.
Healthy fats from wild, cold water fish such as salmon, sardines and herring
Flaxseed, nuts, seeds and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
And finally, drink plenty of filtered water, white and green tea, to help hydrate the body and support the work of the liver and kidney as they work to “flush” toxins from the body.
I too am an opiate addict and thanks for the question and answer. Dennis, i wish you all the best in your recovery. You're a step above me. I went to rehab once but when I got out, I stopped working the program. Th program did not fail me Good Luck and hopefully one day I will allow myelf to say " I need help."
Congratulations Dennis and I wish you the best in your recovery. I recommend taking some nutritional supplements that will help you to rebuild your own production of natural opiates or endorphins. You can read The Mood Cure by Julia Ross for more information. Taking Dl-phenylalanine (DLPA) 500 mg (1-3) early AM, and mid-morning (or d-phenylalanine alone, if needed: 500 mg, 1-3 x day) will help. All my best, Sylvie www.realfoodnutrition.com
I suggest you take as much B12 as you can which will help with the withdrawals and with the insomnia. Further, you might want to look into taking a nutritional fruit beverage called MonaVie which is a patented blend of 19 fruits from the Amazon which has shown miraculous results for those who drink a couple of ounces each morning and night. The juice is delicious and has helped me and countless others with nutritional and health needs. You can purchase the juice online through www.monavie.com.
Good luck in your continued recovery. My future son-in-law is a recovering opiate addict and I am happy to wholeheartedly endorse him as an excellent choice for my daughter to marry. He has turned from his addicted lifestyle and is now a minister. You too, will find your calling and become all that God has intended for you!
Welcome to your new life. I have a little over 6 years of recovery off of Heroin and Oxy's. I went to treatment 6 or 7 times. I relapsed in and out of the program for lots of years, so I think I know a thing or two about how you feel. I know healthy is the way to go but, in the begining it is essential to do away with the cravings and so I ate a lot of chocolate, and drank a lot of milk shakes with real ice cream in it. Meetings such as NA or AA help even if you do them online. It was and still is important to share with others who get me. My family loves me, but they don't get my insane thoughts or why I do some of the crazy things I do. They tend to judge where as another addict has been there. Look me up if you want and we can write. Good luck
As a result of a serious accident my son was addicted to Oxycontin for many years (8) and Heroine for over a year. He refused to go to rehab or A.A. He always said: I will do it myself when I am ready. He always needed and probably will always need someone else to manage his meds (me, while I am alive). So get someone to help you with that. If you have any meds that you are tempted to over use, get someone you trust to hold them for you. When he was ready he would say: let's go down 10 mg. He was sick for a week and then o.k. for 3 weeks. It took a long year and needed help with Coladopin and Xanax, but he did it. By doing it slowly, he never went through severe symptoms -just flu-like, and Ibuprofen helped-and cranky, which staying away helped ME :-)
During those early days he ate a lot of sugary cereal and milk. Now he will not touch cereal! :-) So I agree with Newby1961 -- chocolate or whatever makes you happy. If you can, sleep a lot and watch comedy central.... those two things seemed to help my kid. :-)
It is tough, but you can do it.
