Healthy Living, Sustainable Recovery Fact Sheets Webinar Series – Part Two: The “Weight” of Recovery: Living in a Diet Culture

Earlier this year, the Pacific Southwest ROTA-R launched the Healthy Living, Sustainable Recovery Fact Sheets, a set of resources on nutrition, substance use, and recovery topics authored by Anne R. Lindsay, Ph.D. (University of Nevada, Reno Extension), Cortney S. Warren, Ph.D., A.B.P.P. (UNLV-School of Medicine), and Lauren Ganim, M.S., R.D.N. (University of Nevada, Reno Extension). The Pacific Southwest ROTA-R will be hosting a two-part webinar series showcasing the Healthy Living, Sustainable Recovery Fact Sheets. Please join us to learn more and ask questions about the resources!

Overview

Recovery-related weight gain is common among individuals in treatment due to suppressed appetite and disrupted metabolism during substance use. After stopping the drug, weight gain can occur which can lead to fad diets and rigid dieting behaviors to prevent further weight gain. Chronic dieting can perpetuate weight issues and exacerbate dangerous practices like restrictive eating, skipping meals, and misuse of diet supplements and energy products often leading to substance use reoccurrence. Body dissatisfaction can also further drive dieting and extreme measures to improve appearance, dieting behavior, negative effects, and the development and maintenance of eating disorders, making it one of the strongest predictors of eating pathology. Up to 50% of people with eating disorders use alcohol or drugs and up to 35% of those dependent on substances having eating disorders. Addressing these psychosocial factors simultaneously is necessary. This webinar will define body dissatisfaction, eating pathology and explore their relationship to substance use, including common concerns related to weight, especially in women. The webinar will also cover the signs and symptoms of disordered eating, their implications on treatment, best practices, and showcase available resources.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Explain how body dissatisfaction and concerns about weight can lead to chronic dieting behaviors and contribute to substance use recurrence.
  2. Recognize the co-occurrence of eating disorders and substance use, including their prevalence and how they exacerbate each other.
  3. Learn to identify common signs and symptoms of eating pathology in individuals recovering from substance use, particularly in the context of weight gain and dieting behaviors.
  4. Explore effective strategies for addressing body dissatisfaction, eating pathology, and their influence on substance use in treatment, while providing resources to support recovery.

The Healthy Living, Sustainable Recovery Fact Sheets Webinar Series is a two part series. Part one is on November 07, 2024.