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Recovery is a time when we can take a step back and focus on our health. Before recovery, you may have struggled greatly substance abuse and/or mental illness, leaving you with little room to lead the life you’ve always wanted. Holistic recovery is less about treating solely your addiction or mental illness – it’s more about treating you as an entire person. The Association for Addiction Professionals describes holistic recovery as this: “Recovery encompasses an individual’s whole life, including mind, body, spirit and community. The array of services and supports available should be integrated and coordinated.” In the past, professionals have focused primarily on the addiction/mental illness as the sole focus on treatment – but as researchers have been studying for many years, it’s more about compassion for everything a person’s gone through that truly helps them heal. There are many aspects of a person, such as:

In many cases, it feels as though we simply woke up one day, just to find that we’re suddenly struggling with symptoms of mental illness. We may begin feeling more anxious than normal, more depressed about our lives or more paranoid about seeing friends or family. Before, everything seemed fine – so why are we going through this now? While it may feel as though mental illness simply came “out of the blue”, it had to have started somewhere, right? Let’s take a look at some potential causes for the development of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, phobias and more. Genetics: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains that if someone in your family has a mental illness, the odds that you will develop one increase. First-degree relatives – such as your parents, siblings and children are the best sources of information, followed by your second-degree relatives, such as your nieces and nephews, half-brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts/uncles, etc. Environment: Our lifestyle both growing up and as adults can have major impacts on the development of mental illness. Some of these environmental risk factors can include: smoking, sleep deprivation, pollution, exposure to toxins during childhood, extreme weather conditions, hazardous work conditions and more. Other environmental factors could involve people – such as the early loss of a parent, poverty, social stigma, etc. Trauma: Traumatic events can have a significant impact on a person’s livelihood, and sometimes this can lead to the development of a mental illness, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Substance Abuse: In some cases, addiction can bring out symptoms that cause a person to develop a mental illness. When this happens, a person then has two conditions to treat, often called a co-occurring disorder. If you’re ready to get started towards complete health and rejuvenation, speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today.

As we progress through recovery, we learn more about ourselves; we learn more of what matters to us, what we struggle with in life as well as our personal beliefs about ourselves and life. Essentially, life is a classroom with so many different lessons – and for many people in recovery, the concept of boundaries is a bit blurry. Even after seeking treatment, it’s common for those in recovery to deal with cravings to use again; people, places, situations and emotions can spark that feeling to return to substance abuse, because that’s what’s made us feel comforted in the past. With this new stage of life, however, it’s important that you develop certain boundaries with yourself so that you can stay on the road to success. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), highlights the work of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in forming a relapse prevention plan, which truly helps those in recovery establish healthy boundaries with themselves. A scenario of a person who previously struggled with alcoholism, for example, may work on identifying several factors:

We’re not given a “Book of Life” when we’re born, and if that were the case, a lot less people would struggle with mental illness, addiction, and other painful experiences because we’d have already taken the right steps to seeking help. It just doesn’t work that way – and, unfortunately, it’s typically not until we’re well into adulthood that we begin recognizing distressing symptoms. Even as adults, we may believe that this is how life really is – and we may not seek any help at all. If this is something you can relate to, it’s important to know that seeking treatment is not only going to provide you with more answers regarding your day-to-day experiences, but it will also help you prevent any conditions you have from developing further.

There are some beautiful moments in recovery when we find ourselves at a steady pace – we’ve set a routine, we’re building momentum and we’re starting to see our goals become actualized as we continue to push forward. As this occurs in life, however, this too occurs in recovery; we find that even after having just been recently confident in our recovery efforts, we suddenly take a plunge and we begin to go back into the “lows”. There’s no stopping the highs and lows from coming and going, but if we take the lows too seriously, we may wind up holding ourselves back in recovery. A few years ago,  a young man shared his journey of recovery via Be Inspired Everyday. He explained that through addiction, he learned to become comfortable with conflict and chaos; even after he’d been working hard in recovery, he found himself self-sabotaging. He explained, “One of the lessons I learned in the process is that addiction and other forms of self-sabotage come from internal conflict…We become convinced, though usually not consciously, that our self-sabotaging behavior is necessary in order to protect ourselves.”

Alcohol is a major part of our society today; it’s used for celebration, social occasions, and even as a “self-care” tactic after a long day of work. While alcohol is incredibly mainstream in our culture today, there are far too many people who struggle with dependency and alcoholism – yet they don’t even realize it. In many cases, alcohol causes people to change in attitude and behavior, and that’s when situations can become incredibly risky – especially when violence is involved. The first question many people ask is, who’s at risk? According to ABC Heatlh and Wellbeing, an Australian source that provides information on health topics such as diet, fitness, mood, relationships and more, explained a few years ago that those who are more irritable, who have poorer anger control and who display lower levels of empathy towards others are most likely to get caught in this dangerous trap. A 2015 study published in the journal Trauma, Violence & Abuse highlights that alcohol is often a major factor in child maltreatment and intimate partner violence – and if help isn’t sought quickly, a person may continue to spiral. To those who are on the outside looking in, alcoholism and violence can seem so absurd – and while it certainly may not make sense, often those abusing alcohol are just searching for a solution. In 2017, writer Amy Anderson explained that for her, alcohol was a solution. She told Success, “Most people look at addiction or alcoholism from the outside and wonder, ‘How could they sink so low?’ What these well-meaning people don’t understand is that sometimes addiction and alcoholism feel like a step up from someplace worse.” As a person continues down the path of alcoholism, they often find that violence escalates – and the symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) or other deep-rooted issue only become covered up. If you’ve been struggling with alcoholism, it’s time to seek help. Speak with a professional from Avalon Malibu today to start experiencing healing and restoration – it’s never too late to turn your life around.

Valium (generically named diazepam) is a drug used for its calming properties; medically, it’s typically prescribed to help treat anxiety, muscle spasms and seizures. If not taken directly as prescribed, however, a person can become dependent on this drug, later developing an addiction. Just last year, WebMD reported that drugs like Valium and Xanax, along with other benzodiazepines, are being misused by around 1 in every 5 people who take the prescription drug. Drugs like valium are becoming used twice as much by adults than what was previously reported; by getting a clearer grasp on what Valium is, how it can affect a person and what a person needs to do to seek help, we can hopefully provide more support for our loved ones who are struggling with addiction.

When we talk about personality disorders, we mostly refer to borderline personality disorder (BPD), avoidant personality disorder (APD) or narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) – but histrionic personality disorder deserves acknowledgement too, because it affects so many people. This disorder is considered a “Cluster B” personality disorder because it’s considered a highly erratic, dramatic and emotional disorder. If you’ve been diagnosed with this disorder, know that you’re not alone – and that help is available. Those with histrionic personality disorder (HPD) tend to have a distorted image of themselves; their self-esteem is often based on others’ approval, and thus they tend to feel as though they need to “act out” in certain ways to get attention. In 2017, writer Fatima Dereye shared her personal story of HPD via Affinity, a website that publishes content on various topics, such as arts & culture, politics, feminism and more. She stated, “…When I am in a group of friends, I cannot stand being ignored. I will shake, feel anxious and sense that everyone is against me.”

Therapy is an incredibly important part of addiction recovery because it gives you a chance to face some of your internal battles, but it can be really nervewracking if you don’t feel all that comfortable sharing details of your life with someone you don’t quite know yet. Comfortability in therapy takes time, but once you’ve reached a steady dynamic with the person you’re working with, you’ll feel much better moving on to more deeper parts of your mind. In 2017, writer Jas T explained how uncomfortable he felt in therapy via The Mighty, a website that publishes relatable stories on addiction, mental illness, recovery and more. He stated, “Before my first-ever meeting, I was so anxious about seeing the college psychologist that I had a panic attack. I still remember my first few meetings. I did not say a single word or all I could say was, ‘I don’t know’. It was mostly my psychologist doing the talking.” If this is something you’re currently going through, know that you’re not alone – and there are some tips to help you ease into the idea of therapy. Tip #1: Write out what you’d like to talk about, or even just how you’re feeling before entering the session. By doing this, you’ll be a bit prepared for what you’d like to work on. It gives you session a foundation to build off of, and you don’t even have to feel nervous about what to say because you already have it prepared. If you’re too uncomfortable explaining it all outloud, you can even have your therapist read it themselves. Tip #2: Jot down thoughts or realizations as bullet points. This may help you before, during and after your sessions so that you can get a clear sense of what you’re experiencing in therapy. It will also hep simplify some of the thoughts you don’t want to forget. Tip #3: Find a therapist you feel comfortable with. If you don’t feel comfortable with your therapist, ask to try a different person. Get to know your therapist and spend some time building a dynamic with them. It may feel awkward at first, but it’s completely normal.

Many people glamorize methamphetamine for its ability to produce bouts of energy and feelings of euphoria, but not enough emphasis is placed on the potential short and long-term dangers of this drug. In 2016, researchers conducted a study to explore how methamphetamine tends to become used – and they found that out of society’s perception of normalcy, how easily accessible it is, and how popular it has become amongst people looking to feel “good”, it’s become much more a drug of choice than originally thought. Short-term effects tend to include an increased heart rate, loss of appetite, disturbed sleeping patterns and violent behavior, alongside hallucinations, psychosis, convulsions and more (especially when high doses are taken). Meth is highly addictive, and it’s unlikely that a person would only use this drug once or twice without beginning to develop some sort of dependency on it. The long-term damages are irreversible, and that’s one of the most tragic outcomes of this addiction:

Meditation is one of the most effective holistic approaches out there – and despite the many, many benefits of implementing it into your daily life, you may find that it’s incredibly hard to do. Perhaps you’ve tried sitting down and closing your eyes, only to find that you’re mind continues to wander; maybe you’ve been able to stay focused for a brief period of time, but then you find yourself bored, tired or in pain from sitting in an uncomfortable position. Meditation is incredibly beneficial for those in addiction recovery, but you may be wondering you can possibly benefit from it when you’re unable to concentrate the way you’d like. If you’re a beginner to meditation, don’t worry! This is a common concern and there is much to say about how a person can get the most out of meditation. First, what is meditation?

12-Step support groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) receive much of the spotlight when it comes to addiction recovery, but did you know there are alternative groups that a person can become involved in? A common thread amongst non-!2 Step support groups is the open concept of religion and spirituality, whereas many 12-Step support groups promote these areas as being vital to healing and growth. As Very Well Mind emphasized in 2017, those who do not find prayer and other religious messages to be of importance may find non-12 Step programs to be more their style; each person is different, however, and not one model of support can truly fit everyone – that’s where various non-12 Step programs come into play.