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Massage is something that most Americans seek out on a weekly basis – stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm have the potential to hold us back in our daily lives, but massage opens up the realm for relaxation and breathing. Despite its general benefit for public use, massage therapy is also incredibly beneficial for those in addiction recovery; the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) recently highlighted the beautiful journey of a man who was battling alcoholism but found restoration in massage therapy. As his massage therapy sessions continued, he began to realize that the pain he’d been battling emotionally was being kept up inside of his body – and that was only provoking stiff muscles.  Jennifer Broadwell, DOM, ADS and acupuncturist, stated, “We live in a culture that doesn’t do a good job teaching anyone how to relax, both physically and mentally.”  The emotional dissociation that many people experience often tends to come out in other, more subtle areas of a person’s life: such as through financial difficulties, muscle tension, eating unhealthy foods, experiencing troubles in relationships, substance abuse and more. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine notes that massage therapy can be used to help treat a number of conditions, such as:

Motivational enhancement therapy (MET) is a therapy approach that helps people who are feeling ambivalent about moving forward in treatment find some solidarity and explore their options. This approach is generally for people who aren’t quite sure of the benefits for why they should move forward – but the underlying mechanism behind MET is the aim to spark internal motivation for change. There are several components to this approach, but, when done successfully, a person can become more engaged with their program because they’ve personally chosen to move forward rather than feeling coerced into it.  The American Counseling Association (ACA) expresses that MET is not only brief, but it’s not grounded in direct persuasion. People who are unsure of whether or not to move forward in recovery likely won’t benefit from hearing straight-forward, persuasive statements – rather, they’d like to weigh out their options and consider the costs and benefits of each decision they could choose. In many instances, MET is considered based on a partnership between the client and therapist; by working together and engaging in discussions, clients can fully consider their options while not feeling threatened.

Have you or someone you love ever grabbed an alcoholic drink while saying something along the lines of, “I’m stressed”, “I’m depressed”, or “I feel on top of the world!”? We don’t realize it in these minute instances, but our mood can directly affect the way we think about drinking as well as how much we actually drink. Conversely, the type of alcohol we drink – and how much – can have a direct affect on our mood. In 2017, Medical News Today, a website that publishes information related to a variety of health conditions, explained that beer, wine and spirits can all have different effects on us; so, in other words, if you find yourself more aggressive after drinking spirits, you’re not alone. Professor Mark Bellis from the King’s College London noted a study that confirmed the effect that liquor can have on our mood and explained: “For centuries, the history of rum, gin, vodka, and other spirits have been laced with violence. This global study suggests even today consuming spirits is more likely to result in feelings of aggression than other drinks.”

A few years ago, a woman shared with Marie Claire, a website that publishes stories related to fashion, beauty, politics and more, her story of living with methamphetamine addiction. She explained that there was one point in time when she found herself waiting for an ambulance because she’d overdosed and couldn’t feel her legs or arms. Just a few short days later, she overdosed again; she stated: “When I tried meth for the first time, I knew the nature of my disease. I knew that the minute I put the drugs into my body my brain would respond with uncontrollable obsession. I knew that the meth would hijack my frontal lobe…getting more drugs would become my one and only concern.”  It’s been estimated that around 1.6 million people have used methamphetamine within the past year; the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains that an estimated 964,000 people had a methamphetamine use disorder in 2017, and more and more lives are being put at risk with this in mind. Addiction is an obvious long-term risk for those who experience methamphetamine abuse, but there are many other repercussions as well. For example, functional and molecular changes in the brain can lead to anxiety, confusion, mood disturbances, violent behavior or psychosis.

Nutrition and exercise are two of the most commonly neglected aspects of health when substance abuse is involved. A few simple drinks after work hours can translate into daily binge drinking, and occasional drug use with friends can eventually turn into nightly intoxication sessions. It feels harmless at the time, but these behaviors form into a dangerous habit that becomes an addiction – and along with addiction comes with crucial areas of our lives that tend to be pushed to the side. If you’re in recovery for addiction, you can probably admit that it’s been more difficult for you to get proper exercise and to eat healthy when substance abuse required so much time and effort. It’s harder to go shopping for healthy, nutritious foods and to schedule in time each week to exercise when our brain has become altered to crave substances constantly. If you feel like you’ve got a long way to go, don’t be disheartened – treatment is just as much about getting your physical health back on track as it is treating the addiction itself.

Music is an incredibly powerful force that can have a direct influence on our mindset, depending on what we’re listening to. If we’re feeling irritable, for example, harsh beats can elevate that feeling – and, conversely, listening to calming music when we’re stressed or frustrated can help keep those feelings of anger at bay. The University of Nevada explains that music around 60 beats per minute can “cause the brain to synchronize with the beat causing alpha brainwaves.” In this manner, music can help physically change our brain’s functioning – with some considering it’s efficacy to the extent of medication.  In 2017, a study published by Science Daily found that our favorite music can trigger certain activity in the brain; Jonathan Burdette, M.D., has explained, “Music is primal. It affects all of us, but in very personal, unique ways. Your interaction with music is different than mine, but it’s still powerful…Your brain has a reaction when you like or don’t like something, including music.”  Music seems to directly impact the parasympathetic nervous system, which is used to help the mind and body relax and sleep. Music can, oftentimes, provide our brain and body with a beat with which to function off of; when we listen to relaxing music, we’ll find that our heart rate slows down, our blood pressure is lowered, and our muscles may even begin to relax. It’s an incredibly peaceful feeling – especially if we’ve had a bad day or need some time to just breathe. Music therapy can sometimes trigger this type of response, especially if clients are listening to relaxing music and soaking in the present moment. If you’re ready to learn more about holistic practices and how they can benefit your journey to recovery, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

Most people view addiction as the sole problem a person experiences, because the harmful consequences of substance abuse seem to be the most visible and direct. However, there’s much more than goes on beneath the surface; in many instances, those battling addiction are also struggling with mental illness, placing them in a category of having a co-occurring disorder. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) notes that co-occurring disorders affect people of all walks of life and age groups; when having both an addictionand mental illness, there are a number of implications for recovery:

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) emphasizes that addiction is a complex brain disease – and not one single form of treatment can work for everyone. Even after formal treatment has been completed, aftercare is crucial to ensuring a smooth transtion from treatment to home life. In many cases, aftercare is an emotional yet satisfying period of a person’s recovery, because they’re able to take what they’ve learned in treatment and utilize those strategies in their everyday lives. Whether it’s you or a loved one who has recently completed treatment, it’s important to begin considering what aspects of aftercare are needed for a smooth transition – and what will set you or your loved one up for the most success in long-term sobriety. At Avalon Malibu, support is provided on a complete continuum of care. Aftercare is built into all treatment programs, and clients are easily able to remain integrated in addiction recovery support groups even once formal treatment has ended; in fact, many people find that they’re easily able to adapt to home life while attending these types of programs in the evenings throughout the week. Transitional guidance is provided in a number of areas, such as:

We all have them – the days when it feels like the world is falling apart, like we don’t get anything done, like nobody believes in us and we wish we could simply go back to bed. Bad days are unpredictable, and, if we don’t watch closely, we could find ourselves falling into a “rut” in recovery. There will always be ups and downs, especially as we’re learning to find our balance – but part of healing is discovering healthy techniques and coping mechanisms for when these bad days arise. Writer Joni Edelman, a woman who works on her mental health, shared with the Huffington Post in 2017 her experience with having bad days. She listed some basic questions that she asks herself to promote positive coping skills on these days, such as:

Our lives are entirely complex, filled with thousands of thoughts, feelings, moments and more. All of these impact us not only on a daily basis, but also in the long-run – in the grand scheme of our lives. True health and well-being is based in three primary areas that tend to cover nearly every aspect of living: mind, body and spirit. Part of addiction recovery is working on emphasizing these three areas of life – because addiction in and of itself can take away from these areas more than we realize.

We all need a strong reason for why we want to improve our lives or make positive changes, and addiction recovery isn’t any different. Everyone’s reason for pursuing a life of sobriety is different – but that reason is incredibly important, because it’s what keeps us motivated. Writer Kendra Sebelius explained for Healthy Place, a website that publishes relevant information related to a variety of health conditions, that motivation is what helps us push through despite the struggles. In every journey, there will be obstacles to overcome – and if we can keep our eye on what matters to us in the long run, we’ll be more likely to achieve our recovery goals

It’s a common experience here within the United States; individuals meet up on the weekend, or after work, and begin drinking until they’re belligerently intoxicated. College students experiment with blackouts at parties, and many highschools have their first drink at the age of 14-15. Our society holds such a heavy stigma on addiction, yet social norms seem to perpetuate alcohol use in an almost positive light. In 2016, writer Layla Bryndzia shared her views on The Odyssey, a website that publishes information related to home, communities and more. She explained, “For most college students, a typical weekend starts with happy hour on Friday, going out later that night, getting completely sloshed, waking up on Saturday with a killer hangover, then doing it all over again the next weekend.” We always read the signs that warn us of drinking and driving, drinking and violence and more – yet why do so many Americans seem to not take this notion seriously? In 2015, Adweek highlighted the fact that alcohol ads have increased by 400% over the years – and while that certainly perpetuates the ease of buying alcohol over drinking a glass of water, it could very well be the fact that Americans are stressed – and they’re looking for ways to numb the pain.  The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) explains that there are a number of stressors that are placing Americans at higher risk for alcohol intoxication; a new job, a death in the family, moving cross-country, breaking up, getting married and more are all incredibly major life events that can bring out nerves and the urge to drink. In addition to this, daily stressors and living with a mental illness can make it hard to manage symptoms – and in these cases, Americans may bypass drinking “responsibly” in favor of drinking to cope.