Speakers - 2026

Title: Nutrition in the recovery setting

Abstract

Substance use, whether alcohol, stimulants, opioids, or other commonly misused drugs, creates profound disruptions in the body that extend far beyond withdrawal and cravings. A growing body of research shows that chronic substance exposure leads to significant nutrient depletion, microbiome disruption, and gut barrier dysfunction. These biochemical changes directly affect neurotransmitter synthesis, emotional regulation, impulse control, and relapse vulnerability. This presentation highlights the nutritional pathways most impacted by substance use and demonstrates how restoring key nutrients can meaningfully support mental health and recovery outcomes.

Attendees will learn:
1. The core nutrients depleted by chronic substance use and how to replenish them, including B-vitamins, magnesium, zinc, amino acids, and omega-3 fatty acids; and how each contributes to neurotransmitter production, stress resilience, and cognitive stability.
2. How alcohol, stimulants, opioids, and sedative drugs alter gut integrity and microbiome diversity, reducing the body’s ability to absorb and utilize nutrients critical for mood, focus, and executive function.
3. Why nutrient deficiencies persist long after substance use has stopped, how these lingering biochemical imbalances mimic or intensify symptoms commonly seen in addiction including anxiety, depression, irritability, anhedonia, poor sleep quality, and heightened cravings; and how this prolonged instability can slow recovery and increase relapse risk.
4. A practical framework for nutritional assessment and support (and/or referral) that practitioners can integrate into recovery programs, therapeutic settings, and early stabilization protocols.
 

Participants will walk away with actionable tools that enhance accuracy and effectiveness across disciplines. Clinicians and mental-health providers will gain skills to more accurately differentiate between psychological symptoms and those driven by biochemical depletion, and how nutrition can be a key part of improving mental wellness. Recovery professionals will learn how targeted nutritional strategies can reduce early-recovery distress and support long-term abstinence or reduced use. Faculty and researchers will gain new insights into under-recognized biological mechanisms that can be used to expand coursework, teaching models, and future study design.

This session introduces practical, immediately implementable approaches: evidence-based nutrient assessment questions, gut-supportive nutrition strategies that stabilize neurotransmitter production, and targeted nutrient repletion protocols that complement traditional therapeutic and behavioral interventions. By addressing biochemical imbalances, practitioners can help clients regulate mood more effectively, reduce cravings, and improve overall resilience during the recovery process.

By bridging neuroscience, nutrition, and the gut-brain axis across multiple substances, this session fills a critical gap in addiction-science education. It offers a biologically grounded explanation for common clinical challenges seen in recovery settings and provides realistic, manageable tools to enhance outcomes. Whether you teach, research, counsel, or design recovery programs, this presentation will expand your perspective and equip you with a more comprehensive approach to supporting individuals navigating the complex physiology of substance use recovery.