The Rose is popular for having an in house chef who makes delicious, nutritious, gourmet meals and snacks for the women. As elaborate as this may sound it is also a key element to the recovery program. Alcoholism and drug abuse deplete the brain of amino-acids and serotonin. A “malnourished brain” as we refer to it in the recovery field makes the recovery process even more difficult for clients. The inability to think rationally and curb impulsive behavior makes it difficult for the client and staff to work towards recovery in a healthy fashion. Which is why proper nutrition is so important in recovery. Not only does nutrition help brain functioning but it also decreases alcohol cravings:

Glutamine is a glycogenic amino acid which means it can convert to sugar for energy production, a process called gluconeogenesis. These blood sugar stabilizing effects may partially explain why it decreases alcohol cravings, as well as sugar cravings. In studies with alcoholics, 2000-3000 mg 3 times daily decreased the desire to drink, decreased anxiety, & improved sleep. It works best given between meals. Has been used for this purpose in daily doses from 6000-15,000 mg in 3 divided doses. Use upon arising, mid-morning & mid-afternoon between meals.

Giving Glutamine to rats decreased their voluntary alcohol consumption by 34%. When the Glutamine was stopped, their alcohol consumption returned to baseline levels.

Many of The Rose clients do take vitamins and supplements, but the best form of Amino Acids is coming straight from the source: Those foods with the highest content are pork, poultry, eggs, & dairy proteins, wheat germ, oats & avocados.

To learn more about Alcohols depletion of Amino Acids and Serotonin please see this study ALCOHOL, AGGRESSION AND SEROTONIN: METABOLIC ASPECTS in the Oxford Journal.