Recovery-related weight gain is common among individuals recovering from substance use due to suppressed appetite and disrupted metabolism during substance use, leading to significant weight loss. After stopping drug use, weight gain can occur due to impaired nutrient absorption and distorted hunger cues, with cravings for sweet foods often resulting in overeating. Fad diets and rigid dieting behaviors, used as self-medication to prevent weight gain, can be harmful and lead to further weight cycles and a higher risk of substance use recurrence. Chronic dieting, especially among females focused on appearance, can perpetuate weight issues and is exacerbated by dangerous practices like restrictive eating, skipping meals, and misuse of diet supplements and energy products.
Body dissatisfaction, defined as having negative thoughts or feelings about one's physical appearance, arises from a perceived gap between one's actual and ideal body image. Influenced by cultural values and appearance ideals, individuals may internalize these ideals, particularly the thin ideal in Western cultures, leading to behaviors aimed at achieving these standards. This thin-ideal internalization often results in body dissatisfaction, driving dieting and extreme measures to improve appearance. Research indicates that body dissatisfaction is a significant predictor of dieting behavior, negative effects, and the development and maintenance of eating disorders, making it one of the strongest predictors of eating pathology.
The relationship between eating pathology and substance use is well established, with up to 50% of people with eating disorders using alcohol or drugs and up to 35% of those dependent on substances having eating disorders. The co-occurrence of these issues makes it difficult to determine which is the primary problem, and subclinical eating pathology often emerges during recovery. Treating substance use, eating pathology, and body image issues simultaneously is often necessary. Recovery can disrupt internal hunger cues, leading to increased appetite, overeating, and weight gain due to biochemical changes.
This poster identifies some of the most common harm reduction methods in an attempt to normalize the term "harm reduction" and broaden the definition.
In Part 2 of The Green Adolescent Brain webinar series, content will highlight risk factors associated with cannabis use by adolescents, its impact on the developing brain, and treatment interventions and recovery support strategies that are adolescent specific.