We are excited to introduce our April Sampson Foundation winner, Kimberley Hiner. Kimberly was chosen to receive free tuition to our Health Coach Training Program due to her passion for health and wellness and desire to use an Integrative Nutrition education to better her community!

Here’s a bit of Kimberly’s story in her own words:

The classic scene at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting: a table filled with donuts, cookies and pitchers of coffee, people mingling outside smoking cigarettes. Ever wonder why a former drinker’s drug of choice becomes sugar after they kick the booze? It’s for real. I’ve been there.  Here’s what happens – sugar temporally raises serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain.  So, when you remove the main substance upon which a person has become dependent to feel good or normal (alcohol), the brain screams to get that relief from other substances, most commonly, sugar. This phenomenon is known as addiction transfer: when you stop one compulsive behavior or coping mechanism and move to another behavior, as you are not addressing the underlying source of what’s driving the addictive behavior and cravings in the first place. Thus preventing sustainable recovery.

Adding insult to injury, many binge drinkers struggle with blood sugar fluctuations or hypoglycemia, which drives cravings for alcohol and sugar to regulate blood glucose balance. Once you stop drinking, sweets can quell your craving for alcohol. 

The crazier part is that so many people working with sobriety don’t know this about addiction transfer to sugar.  They struggle terribly with it.  They ask for help and don’t where to begin. That’s where I would come in. 

As a sober woman, I have experienced what others are struggling with and I have come out on the other side.  I truly believe that nutrition is incredibly important piece in sustainable recovery from alcohol addiction.  I've been there, lived it, and now I want to share my experiences and help others do the same. AA and local (Seattle) rehab centers require certification from a reputable, well-established Health Coach institute in order for me to help participants.

As a certified Health Coach, I will be able to serve the thousands of people who are waiting for someone like myself to help them.

Thanks to our partnership with The Sampson Foundation, we are able to give free tuition to one individual each month, like Kimberly, who is actively working in their community to make a big difference in health and wellness.