When you think about addiction, digestion is probably not the first thing that springs to mind, but addiction affects every bodily system. From your sleep to your mood and bowel habits, an excess intake of alcohol or other drugs can wreak havoc on your body.
Your gut and gut microbiome affect virtually every aspect of your body including immune health, digestion, mental health, and disease risk. Substance use can disrupt its makeup and how it functions.
Here’s what you need to know about how addiction can affect digestive health.
Why Digestive Health Matters
Optimal digestive health is fundamental to overall good health and well-being. The bacteria in the digestive system help break down food, especially complex carbohydrates like fiber. Then nutrients are absorbed into your system, and waste products are eliminated.
In turn, the gut influences your energy levels, metabolism, immune function, and mental health. The gut also influences functional systems that many people correlate with the brain, such as mental clarity and mood.
When your gut fails to function correctly, it can throw off the entire rest of your body. It’s important to cultivate good habits that support gut health.
Cultivating Good Gut Health Habits
Sound nutrition is crucial to optimal gut health, so it’s important to have good eating habits. Eat plenty of fiber, such as that found in fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. Include nuts, seeds, and whole grains in your diet, and don’t forget to drink plenty of water daily.
Limit processed and junk foods. Almost everything you eat from a drive-through window is highly processed and can barely be labeled food. If you eat meat, limit red and processed meats.
Opt for fish or chicken when possible and incorporate a few vegetarian meals in your diet each week. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and kombucha encourage the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut.
Alcohol should be limited, and if you don’t drink, don’t start. Popular headlines have reported that moderate alcohol intake may be healthy.
However, more current studies reveal that alcohol is linked to increased cancer and other health problems. These newer studies contend that the idea of drinking as protective is outdated and dangerous.
Don’t forget your annual check-ups, and see a gastroenterologist if you’re having stomach or intestinal pain. Starting at age 45, doctors recommend a colonoscopy every 10 years for those without cancer or polyps.
Addiction and Your Gut
Addiction to any type of drug including alcohol, disrupts your gut microbiome. The microbiome is comprised of the trillions of microorganisms that call your gut their home. These microorganisms influence your digestive system and many other aspects of your overall health.
Our brains and gut microbiome are closely connected. The two message each other through the gut-brain axis via the vagus nerve. Scientists recognize addiction as a relapsing brain disease, but new and ongoing research is connecting the brain and gut in the disease of addiction.
Brain-Gut Axis
Since the 1970s, scientists have shown a link between the brain’s dopamine reward system and drugs. Neurotransmitters in your brain trigger dopamine, which gives pleasurable feelings after drug use.
Newer research is making similar connections between the gut and reward perceptions. In the case of the brain and the gut, people need increasing levels of drugs to trigger the pleasurable feelings. This leads to addiction and its many challenges.
Addiction and Your Gut
We benefit from the symbiotic relationship we have with those trillions of microorganisms residing in our guts. Unfortunately, processed foods, chemicals, and drugs all contribute to a disruption of gut epithelial integrity and the microbiome. That disruption leads to problems throughout the body.
The beneficial microbes living in your gut help metabolize intestinal bile. The liver sends the bile to the small intestine to digest fats. The liver can recycle bile acids after they’ve been broken down by enzymes and bacteria.
Drugs and alcohol disrupt these processes, leaving your liver unable to recycle the bile acids, which leads to a dangerous buildup of those acids and causes cholestasis, which can cause liver damage, a well known side effect of alcohol addiction.
Addiction Negatively Affects Digestive Health
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation, nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, and gastrointestinal cancers can all be a result of addiction. Additionally, many people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease are more likely to have a substance use disorder than those in the general population.
Addiction can lead to increased inflammation, diarrhea, leaky gut, bleeding in the intestinal tract, acid reflux, and an increased risk of infection. Excessive alcohol or drugs are related to a disruption in the gut-brain axis, which can lead to depression, anxiety, mood disorders, and even psychosis. Undergoing drug or alcohol detox not only safely reduces withdrawal symptoms but also supports the recovery of digestive health and gut function.
Getting Back on Track
Poor digestive health is a bellwether for other negative bodily functions, and when digestion is out of balance, the rest of the body often follows. If you think your substance use borders on problematic, it may be time to seek help.
Don’t let substance misuse turn your body against you. Your digestive health affects your body and mind, and a strong digestive system helps optimize your overall health.
Addiction disrupts the gut and the brain-gut connection. If you’re worried about your substance use, consult with a doctor today.
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