Healthy Habits for Addiction Recovery
Healthy habits are always great to implement at any stage in life. In addiction recovery, the same applies. In fact, adopting healthy habits allows you to heal faster and develop new hobbies to distract you from drugs and alcohol. Focusing on new, healthy habits can help keep you sober. Also, as your body starts to adapt to the changes, you’ll begin to naturally make healthier choices for yourself and your well-being.
Wellness as a Part of Addiction Recovery
It is a good idea to seek out professional help for addiction recovery. Rehab ensures that you’ll have support through your detox. As well as lots of care to help change your old habits and create new ones. In our rehab facility, wellness is a part of the treatment track. Most often, you’ll find that these are available in rehab:
- Yoga
- Exercise
- Meditation
- Nutrition and healthy living
These are essentials to any healthy lifestyle. For recovery, they take on a whole new level of purpose.
Yoga in Treatment
Yoga is a physical activity that people can do at any age, ability, or level of physical fitness. Lots of facilities like to offer it as a part of addiction recovery because it is a mind-body activity that allows the practitioner to focus on the present and learn how to breathe.
In yoga, there is no comparison to other people in the room. It isn’t competitive – rather it is all about coming to your own and consistently bettering yourself. It also teaches acceptance. Each day when you take yoga your body may feel different – achy, sore, limber, or strong. Each day you have to work with what you are given. It is a concept very similar to the “Just for Today” theory that exists in most 12-step groups.
Exercise in Treatment
While yoga is considered a type of exercise, it has distinct mind and body properties that separate it from conventional exercise. Running, biking, and going to the gym all consists of ways to keep your body in shape.
During treatment, a person’s body goes through a number of big changes. Everyone needs to be medically cleared for an exercise program before they begin. The amount of time between when you begin treatment and get cleared will depend on your medical status and the extent of your addiction. Usually, this period of time will span the length of your detox, providing no other underlying medical maladies are caught.
Exercise will help a person sweat out toxins and improve their overall health and vitality. As an addict gets stronger through treatment for drugs and alcohol, undertaking a medically-approved exercise program is one of the best things they can do to maintain their health.
Meditation and Addiction Recovery
In addiction recovery, mindfulness is a must. It is essential to learn how to focus in on the present moment and bring your awareness to what is going on in the here and now. Through various group and individual therapy sessions, we walk clients through the process of meditation. Using techniques like mindfulness meditation and guided visualization allows people to try different meditation techniques and hopefully find the ones that work the best.
Addicts tend to be very impulsive and want immediate gratification. Mindfulness can help to shift that so that they start to think more about the outcome of their decision making and realize that long-term consequences are very real.
Nutrition and Healthy Living
Additionally, people frequently overlook their basic needs, like healthy nutrition, exercise, and rest. In order to function normally, a person needs the proper nutrients and enough food to work optimally. Clients often come to treatment completely malnourished and need to take vitamins and supplements in order to regain health and strength.
In the beginning, eating a lot is fine, as long as it is healthy food and the person eats when they are hungry. Over time, they will meet with nutritionists to determine needs and work out a plan to best suit them. Special dietary considerations will be taken into account if the person has medical issues like diabetes.
As the body continues to heal from addiction, taking essential vitamins is key. Alcohol depletes B vitamins which are responsible for keeping the body functioning and converting other healthy food into fuel. It’s also a good idea to take a multivitamin along with eating a healthy diet to ensure that your body is regaining strength at a good place.
Healthy Habits Mean a Healthy Life
Establishing healthy habits early on in recovery can also help build a foundation for successful sobriety. The more you can do for your health, the better. Plus, eating healthy and creating positive patterns will naturally make you want to live a healthy life in all aspects. That means a lifestyle free of booze and drugs.
