Here is something almost none of us pay attention to while we are drinking and using. That something is our nutritional needs. Back in the day dinner consisted of a bag of Doritos and a 12-pack. If it was a choice of how much money we had we would forgo the Doritos. Our whole life centered on drinking and using. If we were using cannabis irresponsibly, we may gain an inordinate amount of weight. If crystal meth was on the menu, we ended up looking like Skeletor. Our concern for our nutritional needs was of no importance to us.
When doing cocaine, I would sit on the couch to eat. Actually, I set there so I could put my food in a napkin and throw it away. I got down to almost Skeletor but my pocketbook was quickly running out of funds. I had to double up on the pills I was taking and drink more than usual (usual was a quart of vodka per evening). I had built up quite a tolerance to alcohol so I had to drink more and more to get to my desired state of drunkenness. This caused me to regurgitate any food I may have consumed. Then I would fall into a blackout, not conscious of what I was doing.
I knew I was an alcoholic long before I admitted it to anyone else. I was always a reader but I couldn’t read any books on alcoholism at the home. This would make my partner suspicious. So, I would go to the bookstore and read in the store. Yes, I was truly a full-blown addict/alcoholic.
I became very unhealthy and would wash my blood pressure medication down with vodka. I barely ate anything near the end of my drinking career. Sometimes I would take vitamins but this seemed to be too much trouble. My skin became very flaky and my hair began to fall out. By the time I got sober I was a total mess.
As I got sober, I began to cook again and ate very well. I was very hungry most of the time as my body was crying out for vitamins and minerals. I began to eat again and gained some weight. It was at this point that I started eating fruits and vegetables. Fortunately, I had money to buy nutritional foods, unlike others who lived on the streets or in a shelter and were unable to do.
As we get sober and stay sober, we begin to see the importance of taking care of our physical health. We probably need a good checkup for hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases. If able it is important to meet with a nutritionist. We need to be honest with this person so that they can fully understand our needs. Nowadays fruit, vegetables, and lean meat, and chicken are on the menu. Fish is also very important to include in one’s diet.
No more Doritos and a twelve-pack for dinner.
