A sober living center located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas held an educational presentation this week where its residents had the chance to learn about the importance of nutrition from experts on the subject.
The event was a part of a series of presentations that have been offered by the Sobriety Living Center — a nonprofit facility that provides assistance to the local men who are recovering from an alcohol or substance use disorder while they work to transition from an addiction treatment center to a sober lifestyle.
The other sessions of the series covered a number of additional subjects — from topics related to health and wellness to a range of matters that may be helpful for the residents once they leave the facility, such as effective financial management.
The latest presentation was held on Monday and led by a member of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, which is offered by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
A number of similar presentations have also been provided by members of the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program across other locations of the region such as low-income shelters, religious institutions as well as of different schools.
The presentations encourage audience members to get up and become a part of the learning process. Their curriculums of the events usually feature different demonstrations where the attendees can test how much they learned. For instance, during this week’s gathering, there were cooking lessons where all of the men got the chance to help and attempt to cook for themselves.
The presenter addressed roughly 10 of the men who currently reside at the sober living home and who, shortly before the session was concluded, were invited to taste one of the dishes that had been made. The residents had the chance to provide feedback on the meal and explain what they would like to do differently if anything.
In addition to the demonstrations, the nutrition program included suggestions on how the residents of the sober living home can find the most nourishing and healthiest foods without having to spend too much money. Tips regarding how they can easily calculate portion prices at grocery stores and compare one retailer to another were also provided.
Several of the men in attendance expressed gratitude for being a part of the event and for how much the sober living home has positively impacted their lives.
The sober living home has brought in several other prominent authorities and officials to speak to the residents, such as Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington.
Washington, who is an alum of the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, spoke earlier this year at a resource fair about how her office would be actively assisting the Sobriety Living Center residents as they proceed to recover and work to reenter society.
The head of the sober living center stated that occasions such as the recent presentation series are important tools when it comes to helping the people who are going through the process of recovering from a substance use disorder.
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad
Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com
