What is Holistic Treatment for Addiction?

Legacy Healing Center Blog

Holistic treatment is a comprehensive approach in treating the entire mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. For addicts and alcoholics, a holistic approach to treatment is recommended by most healthcare professionals and has been proven to be the most effective method of treating chronic substance abuse.

 

The disease of addiction is said to be a three-fold illness – one that affects the mind, body, and spirit of the sufferer. The symptoms of the disease of addiction are typically not alleviated unless the individual seeks to improve many areas of his/her life. Abstinence, alone, is not the solution for a chronic alcoholic or addict. The individual suffering from substance abuse must heal and take care of themselves entirely. 

 

Holistic practices aim for long-term success and are designed to impact positive and permanent changes in lifestyle, behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes.

 

There are many holistic approaches and techniques that include holistic healing and/or medicine. It is important to remember that holistic treatment may be different for each individual. The goal of holistic treatment is to balance your focus between your mind, body, and spirit – meanwhile holistically treating your addiction. 

What is Holistic Treatment?

 

Holistic detox and treatment supplement traditional medical care with alternative methods of treating substance abuse. Yoga, meditation, breathing techniques, acupuncture, and massage therapy are commonly part of holistic detox and treatment. These age-old practices have been proven effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. 

 

Individuals who take on a more holistic approach, to combating addiction, have seen better physical results. When treating addiction, you do not want to attack the physical allergy with more drugs. Exercise, proper detox treatment, education on proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and better hydration may benefit you physically way more than you expected.

Variety of Holistic Treatment Options

 

Holistic substance abuse detox and treatment allows healthcare professionals to implement and execute an individualized treatment plan, giving each patient a wide array of holistic therapies to choose from. Instead of being limited to only the traditional methods of addiction treatment, each individual can participate in a wide variety of holistic options.

 

The goal of holistic therapies is to restore the entire body into proper function and balance. Each option seeks to treat the client’s mind, body, and spirit. Here are some beneficial holistic treatment options for addiction:

 

Meditation

Meditation is a common therapeutic practice in holistic treatment. Meditation can address the emotional aspects of a person’s inner thoughts and consciousness. When an individual is active in their addiction, he or she may transform their individual desires like relationships and careers into unbalanced obsessions while provoking unnecessary emotional suffering.

 

Meditative practices seek to restore balance while calming an individual and helping them to cultivate an overall feeling of inner peace and contentment. This specific type of holistic practice has been proven to reduce stress, anxiety, minimize depression, and even chronic pain. 

 

Legacy Healing Center helps patients develop techniques to reduce stress while overcoming mental and physical challenges through meditation. Here are the spiritual, physical, and mental benefits that may be achieved from meditation:

 

  • Stress reduction
  • Regulated heart rate and blood pressure
  • Alleviation of anger and anxiety
  • Concentration
  • Healthy coping skills
  • Mindfulness
  • Restores focus 
  • Mental clarity and discipline
  • A developed sense of happiness and inner peace
  • Ability to recognize underlying thought patterns
  • Impulsivity control 

 

Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition therapy recognizes the importance of a balanced and healthy diet for alcoholics and addicts – especially those in early recovery. The goal of nutrition therapy is to learn how to improve your diet to achieve maximum physical and mental health benefits. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine,[1] a balanced diet has been proven to increase energy while improving physical and mental health in recovery. 

Many addicts that enter treatment are malnourished and physically unhealthy. This is due to the individual neglecting to consume a proper diet and the body’s inability to absorb nutrients due to the detrimental nature of his/her addiction. Proper nutrition can help restore the body to proper homeostasis as well as heal from the damage caused by chronic substance abuse. 

 

Eating a healthy, nutrient-rich diet is a critical step toward healing from addiction. Legacy Healing Center offers nutrition counseling and full meal plans to help detoxify and strengthen the body through the recovery process. We incorporate delicious 100% organic cold-pressed juices to flood the body with nutrients that many addicts have been deprived of. Benefits of healthy dieting include:

 

  • Increased energy
  • Improved mood
  • Strengthening of the immune system
  • Repair of damaged organs
  • Reduced risk of relapse
  • Increased focus
  • Repair of the damaged nervous system

 

Exercise

There is an innumerable amount of health benefits to regular exercising and physical activity. Not only will exercise improve the physical fitness of a recovering addict, but there are many mental health benefits as well. Regular exercise is a great way to release tension and boost the body’s endorphin’s that ultimately make the individual feel better. 

 

Whether you choose to try out a hot yoga session or hit the gym to lift weights, exercise is great for an individual in recovery from substance abuse. According to Harvard Health,[2] exercise helps to distract recovering addicts from cravings. Workouts add structure to the day. They help with forming positive social connections and help treat depression and anxiety in combination with other therapies. 

 

Getting in shape can be a helpful part of the recovery process for many addicts. Legacy Healing Center offers on and off-site fitness programs to help clients get healthy, stay motivated and raise their self-esteem. Here are some benefits of incorporating exercise into your holistic treatment:

 

  • Stress relief
  • Restoring brain chemistry balance
  • Alleviating anxiety, depression, tension
  • Boosting mood
  • Enhancing focus
  • Mitigate cravings
  • Encourages self-motivation
  • Improves sleep and energy
  • Boosts self-confidence
  • Overall physical well-being

At Legacy Healing Center, our approach to recovery is built around a holistic methodology. We look at addiction as a comprehensive issue and offer a complete set of services to heal the physical body, the mind, and the spirit. Combining research-evidenced practices from medicine and psychology, our team of highly trained professionals looks at all aspects of our clients’ lives on an individual basis. Our holistic approach to healing encompasses more than dealing with addiction through primary treatment strategies like therapy and meetings. We offer a full range of services to heal the whole person, body, mind and spirit.

Resources

  1. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002149.htm
  2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-exercise-help-conquer-addiction-2018122615641

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