Common symptoms following alcohol withdrawal include headaches, nausea, muscle aches, and intense cravings. The symptoms can vary depending on numerous factors such as age, the duration a person drinks, the quantity of alcohol, and underlying mental or physical conditions. Still, cravings are regularly experienced by those who struggle with alcohol addiction.
Many people will use certain medications like methadone to combat the temptation to drink. However, there are foods that help with alcohol cravings, providing a more natural approach to recovery.
Foods That Reduce Alcohol Cravings
If you are wondering how to reduce alcohol cravings, one answer is with delicious and nutritious foods. Individuals who become physically dependent often need to fight the temptations to drink after treatment. After completing an alcohol detox, a person will still experience intense cravings to drink.
Here are foods that stop alcohol cravings or help reduce symptoms naturally:
Specific Carbohydrates:
If a person has low blood sugar or glucose levels, then the cravings for alcohol are strong. If alcohol is a normal addition to a person’s diet, then the body will mistake it for regular fuel. Therefore, eating fiber-rich complex carbohydrates like whole-grain bread and legumes will digest slowly and decrease cravings.
Dopamine-enhancing food:
Dopamine-enhancing foods help with alcohol cravings since users will grow attached to the spike of dopamine and boost the mood that alcohol produces. However, chronic alcohol abuse will cause serious imbalance and dopamine levels to drop. Foods like bananas and sunflower seeds help naturally set off the brain’s reward chemicals.
It’s essential to fuel the body with healthy foods such as vegetables and fruits. If you want to avoid relapse, try adding more veggies and fruits into your diet. Fighting alcohol cravings with organic and healthy options is helpful in combating the intense cravings for alcohol.
How to Stop Alcohol Cravings Naturally
There are numerous ways to naturally stop alcohol cravings. To help reduce alcohol cravings, it’s important to find specific triggers and eliminate them. Plus, forming a support group is equally as important as dietary changes since communicating thoughts and feelings about the process is mentally and emotionally beneficial.
Avoiding foods with alcohol or foods cooked with alcohol may also be helpful, especially when leaving the treatment process. Try drinking more water, switching your diet, or trying new hobbies to distract yourself positively. For example, you can spend more time cooking in the kitchen. Recovery starts with you!
Treatment at Our Heartland Recovery Center
At Banyan Treatment Centers Heartland, we offer an excellent 12-step program, along with other successful therapeutic programs, to help patients freely express themselves and apply new skills to prevent relapse. After a medically monitored detox, our experienced medical staff works hard to establish a treatment and relapse prevention plan, so our clients can live a fulfilling and sober life.
Don’t wait! Speak to a specialist at our Heartland detox center by calling 888-280-4763 and get started on the road to recovery today!
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