Recovery

Holistic treatment modalities have shown time and time again to be effective alongside more traditional addiction recovery practices like therapy and medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Yoga, meditation, chiropractic services and acupuncture are all forms of holistic treatment because they’re non-invasive – and that very reason alone is a huge source of comfort for those who worry about pain or discomfort. Acupuncture is a recognized practice in the Eastern world, but has made it’s way out West over the past decade as researchers have discovered it’s practical implications along with it’s more healing, therapeutic outcomes for those in addiction recovery and beyond. Margarita Alcantara, a woman who has struggled with addiction, explained her experience with acupuncture via Mind Body Green. She stated, “Not only does [acupuncture] reduce the cravings, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and need for pharmaceuticals, but it helps create a more optomistic and synergistic attitude towards the process of recovery, and has been reported to improve program retention.” Dr. Andrew Weil, an internationally recognized expert on medicinal plants and alternative medicine, explains that acupuncture can benefit those with anxiety, depression, nausea, vomiting, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines and even degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. There are many benefits of having acupuncture done, especially for those in recovery from addiction:

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 11-20 out of every 100 Veterans who served in Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Enduring Freedom (OEF) have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a given year, and about 12% of Gulf War Veterans experience PTSD. It’s been estimated that 30% of Veterans from the Vietnam War experience PTSD – and with the many symptoms that accompany PTSD, such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks and more, those who have served in the military undergo a significant amount of stress long after their time in service. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are extremely prevalent amongst our military veterans, as so much don’t receive the proper care and support to recover from the horrific events they’re exposed to at war.

Many people come to depend on opioids because they’ve been prescribed them for pain relief from a sports injury, an accident or something else. Opioids activate receptors in the brain, sending abnormal messages by flooding the brain’s reward system with dopamine (a “feel good” chemical”). When this happens, the drug blocks pain messages being sent and instead produces feelings of relaxation or euphoria for a person. For many, this euphoric feeling is what leads into the development of dependency – and, eventually, addiction. A young woman shared her story with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on developing opioid addiction after having a car accident when she was 25 years old. The CDC stated that one day, she doubled her opioid dose – and eventually found herself becoming addicted to heroin, a place she never thought she’d be. With such a strong hold on the body, withdrawal symptoms can be challenging to work through as a person recovers. In many instances, pain will suddenly emerge as a person detoxes from opioids because the receptors in the brain have been blocked from those “pain” signals for so long. In 2017, Peter Grinspoon, MD, told Harvard Medical School that of his own experience with pain after coming off of opioids. He stated, “My leg was hurting beyond belief. I literally felt as if it were burning off. But, I had spent the last 13 years of my life conditioning myself, almost in a Clockwork Orange kind of way, to be aversive to taking any and all opiates.” These situations are exactly why it’s so critical to be surrounded by a support system – a team of healthcare professionals who can be there for you when the pain feels unbearable. In these instances, sometimes medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is necessary – and there are opioid medications that, with close monitoring and strict doses, can help a person manage the pain their experiencing without becoming addicted again. In addition to this, holistic practices – such as mindful awareness, can help those in recovery reach a state of psychological peace.

Even after we’ve gone through detox and rid our body of the toxins that were acquired from active addiction, we have to continue the restorative process of our mind, body and spirit. From the time when our addiction developed, we’ve covered up layers of ourselves that serve great purpose in living a happy, meaningful life; emotions have been pushed down far within us, and we may even find ourselves having difficulty expressing some of our darkest issues. Throughout recovery, we have to pay close attention to our thoughts and emotions, because these are what shape our perceptions – and perception is what guides us in life.

We all experience pain, sadness, guilt, resentment and other challenging feelings, and sometimes we push down those thoughts with substances because of the promise to relieve some of the discomfort. We’re scared to feel what’s been affecting us so deeply, so we mask the pain with drinking or using drugs – and the longer we go without expressing our thoughts and feelings, the harder it is to tap into that throughout our lives. Addiction recovery gives us an opportunity to open old wounds, to explore past and present thoughts and to feel them for what they really are: genuine human emotion. Each person coming into addiction recovery is different, which means there needs to be various treatment methods to address a variety of needs. Expressive therapies – such as writing therapy – can help people approach thoughts and feelings in a way like nothing else can. The American Psychological Association (APA) notes that writing can help us better handle stress, better connect with others, give us new perspective on our experiences and more, but it has to be done right. At Avalon Malibu, writing therapy takes place with a therapist who assigns themes and topics for those in recovery to focus on each session. From there, individuals need to keep the following tips in mind:

When we walk into addiction recovery, there’s already a notion that we hold of ourselves. A self-perception – and it’s this perception that weighs heavily on the way we view ourselves, others, and how we relate to society as a whole. Most commonly, those at the beginning of their recovery journey identify themselves as “an addict” – and this is probably in large part due to the way society has framed those with addiction over the years. Media tends to depict this wretched, “lost” person as an “addict”, when really that’s not the case. We’re people with families, with friends, with jobs, with our own challenges that we’ve overcome. We’re people with histories, traumas, mental health issues, health conditions and more – and the identity of “an addict” truly takes away all of the other aspects that make us human. A 2015 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that while those at the beginning of recovery hold “the addict” identifier, more time spent in recovery helps a person change their narrative – to one of recovery. Once a person starts viewing themselves as “a person in recovery”, they’re able to apply this social role to other areas of their life, such as with school, work, and home. One person shared their recovery story via the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “In my last rehab program, life and behaviors began to change. I was liking myself again and remained in the last program, after graduation, to work helping others. I became hungry for recovery.”

There are a lot of emotional battles that we have to face in recovery, because sobriety forces us to come face to face with thoughts, feelings and events of our lives that we’ve suppressed for so long. Sometimes sobriety can bring about feelings of depression and anxiety, especially once we’ve started coming to grips with our past actions and how they’ve affected those we love. Whether you’re in the first month or the first year of recovery, self-love is going to be critical – so that you can accept what you can’t change and courageously move forward. Kate Malley, a young woman who has overcome addiction, stated on A Lust for Life, a website that publishes personal stories and articles about mental health, physical health and the soul, explained that once she dove into the hard work of self-care, she became stronger. She stated, “I can tell you that as exhausted as self-care can be – it works – but it takes work, a lot of it…but the payoff is definitely worth it…Your emotions become more stabilized, which was a change I definitely appreciated after so long of a rollercoaster of highs and lows.” The following are some vital components of self-care – and self-love – that can truly transform the way you walk through your journey to recovery.

Addiction recovery takes a lot of hard work and dedication, and one of the hardest aspects of recovery life can be re-integrating into society. After having spent months in a rehabilitation center, it’s time to get back into the swing of things – to hold a stead position, to support a family, and to accomplish whatever goals you may have. There is a lot of hesitancy for those in recovery when it comes to finding employment, however, and it’s because of the stigma that comes with addiction recovery. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine states that national costs exceed $400 billion annually on lost productivity, absenteeism, disability and worker’s compensation related to addiction, and for many employers, these are major concerns when it comes to hiring someone who’s in recovery – they don’t want any of these issues to arise for them. Of course, you may know well in your heart that you’re going to reach your recovery goals – but how can you assure your potential employer of this? Getting a job may take some sincere effort and finding the right opportunity may take some time, but despite the stigma, employers are becoming more supportive of helping those in recovery get a second chance at rebuilding their lives.

One of the most challenging yet worthwhile components of addiction recovery is learning about how we tend to cope with stressful situations and finding ways to apply healthier stress responses to them. For many in addiction recovery, stress is something we’ve always tried to avoid – either by not acknowledging it, by physically leaving the situation, or by numbing the pain with substances.

Even if we’ve been taught the healthiest ways to handle distressing situations, all the lessons we’ve learned can go out in an instant the minute we’re having a bad day. Our blood temperature rises, our face gets hot, we become more irritable or sad, and before we know it, we’re doing something we’ll later come to regret. This happens to all of us at one point or another – but addiction recovery is a vulnerable process and the wrong coping mechanism could lead us into relapse. If you’re ready to take hold of your mental health, it will help to identify what you may be doing that’s not helping you before you can learn what will.

“He or she only cares about themselves…they are such a narcissist.” We’ve been hearing different variations of that phrase for quite some time now, as the term “narcissist” has been taken over on social media to serve as a quick insult. This isn’t the first time that mental health issues have been used incorrectly in the public forum, but misuse is likely to occur when explanation behind these disorders isn’t provided as much as they should be. The truth is, narcissism isn’t bad. In fact, we all have it to some degree – and we shouldn’t stigmatize that term nor the disorder so much, because it only makes it more challenging for those around us to seek the help they need.

Recovery is a difficult road to process without proper support. In addition to this, “we don’t know what we don’t know” – and without having the knowledge to understand what type of questions we need to be asking in treatment, we’re likely to make some daily mistakes that actually aren’t contributing well to our overall health. During the first few months – and even in the first year – of recovery, you’re going to find what works for you and what doesn’t. You’ll likely hear a lot of tips from those who’ve been in recovery for a long time, as well as some advice from those who are also new to recovery but have been doing some research. No matter where you’re at in the recovery process, you have to consider what decisions you’re making on a daily basis – and whether that’s improving or hindering your addiction recovery journey.