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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.

It’s estimated that around 30.8 million adults in the United States have a personality disorder, and avoidant personality disorder (APD) is one that centers around a fear of criticism and rejection. For many people with this disorder, social situations can become terrifying due to the potential of embarrassment in front of others; it’s not uncommon for people with APD to feel as though they don’t fit in. If this is something you’ve struggled with, you can probably relate to the incessant “mind reading” that goes along with this disorder. When this happens, we feel so incredibly confident of what others are thinking about us (most often in a negative light)– and in turn, it causes us to act (and react) in ways that only push us further into depths of the disorder itself. A 2016 article written by authors from Italy associated mindreading with “metacognition” – a term that involves our own personal awareness and understanding of our own thoughts. It’s suggested that for those with APD, metacognition may be impaired because a person is unable to fully grasp how their thought processes are influencing the social anxiety they’re experiencing. In 2018, researchers published a study in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry that argues that APD is quite similar to social phobia depending on the degree of social anxiety; from their study, however, they found that not only do those with APD tend to have lower metacognitive functioning, but they also tend to experience greater distress in forming relationships with other people. If you tend to project your feelings onto other people, this can make it incredibly difficult for you to engage with others. Unfortunately, many people seek out substances as a way to resolve the stress associated with being out in public – but while this may work temporarily, it doesn’t truly help a person recover.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, “You are what you eat?” There’s a lot of truth to this because the nutrients (or lack thereof) that we get from various foods causes our body to react in different ways. Foods that are good for us – which means they’re high in vital nutrients and minerals – are going to help us function at our best. Naturally, foods that are stripped of quality nutrients are going to make us feel bad both mentally and physically. If you think of your body as a machine – let’s say a car, for example – it’s much like the analogy of putting in the lowest quality of gas versus premium for a car that really needs it. When active addiction is taking up all of our energy, there’s little room for food control – and that’s why recovery is the best time to get back on track. A 2017 review published in the Journal of Traditional Medicine & Clinical Naturopathy explains that food deprivation, unhealthy food choices and excessive weight gain are common outcomes of addiction. Substances like alcohol, however, make it more difficult for what nutrients we are getting to break down, which leads us to nutrient deficiencies. Gastrointestinal issues suppressed appetite and more clearly paint a less-than-healthy picture at the beginning of recovery, but we can turn that around by placing emphasis on our food choices now. Here’s what you should be eating (and avoiding) if you want to get your health in “tip-top” shape:

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.

Amphetamines are stimulant drugs, and they essentially speed up messages sent through pathways in the brain and body. Most often, amphetamines are prescribed to treat conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy, and it’s also known by nicknames such as “speed”, “fast”, “up” and more. The Alcohol and Drug Foundation (ADF) of Australia explains that amphetamines may come in the form of powder, tablets, crystals and capsules; these drugs can also be taken in a variety of ways, such as swallowed, dabbed on to the gums, inhaled through the nose, injected or smoked. There are many side effects that come with using amphetamines, and that’s what makes they so addictive:

Whether you’re struggling with chronic pain or you just have a lot of stress and anxiety as you navigate this journey to recovery, massage therapy can be extremely beneficial for you – in more ways than one. The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) states that addiction causes harm to the body, mind and spirit – and the ramifications mean that a lot of different types of therapy should be involved. Maureen Schwehr, a naturopathic physician in Arizona, explained, “The spirit is who we really are. Our mind is our thinking brain, and our body houses this. If you’re [a person who is actively in addiction] you often have to ignore your body, because you are, in essence, hurting your ‘house’.” The body loses vital nutrients when active addiction is involved, and after detoxification occurs, individuals may experience more aches and pains than they’re used to. No matter what the drug of choice is – it all has significant impact on brain and body functioning, which will take some time to heal. If you’re ready to dive into some holistic practices – such as massage therapy – consider the following 6 types that could provide you with many benefits:

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:

Holistic approaches to addiction recovery have become used more than ever in addiction recovery because researchers have found just how powerful these practices can be in restoring the mind, body and spirit. Addiction takes us away from the present moment and leaves us with depletions of time, love, energy and so much more – while holistic treatments aim to give us back some of what we lost while addiction was active. Holistic treatment is often considered “alternative treatments”, and the best part of these methods is that they can be combined with more traditional methods of treatment – such as alongside therapy and medication.

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.”

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) emphasizes that many people with addiction have a comorbid disorder with mental illness; about half of people who experience a mental illness also experience a substance use disorder (SUD) at some point in their lives and vice versa. Those entering recovery often need support to heal from more than just an addiction – they need a support system, tools and resources to help them navigate the symptoms of mental illness, too. Integrated treatment is so important here for this very reason – addiction isn’t the only aspect of our lives. Physical fitness provides so many benefits to the mind, body and spirit. Physically, exercise can make us stronger, leaner, more flexible, and more in tune to the present moment. For mental illnesses – which often come with symptoms such as anxiety, depression, mood swings, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, low self and more – physical fitness can train the mind to work better. A 2016 study published in the journal World Psychiatry reminds us that physical activity doesn’t have to be a rough, challenging, momentous sprint or marathon for us to receive the benefits; for many, light exercises, such as walking or even exercises by sitting, can be beneficial – especially if someone in recovery has physical limitations that prevent them from a wide range of movement. In 2014, researchers published a study in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation that sought to explore the effects of physical exercise on those with mild to moderate depression. The study’s results found that exercise therapy can assist those in recovery with coping mechanisms, improved body image, enhanced quality of life and increased independence in older adults. When mental illness is present, it can be difficult to get started in physical activity – but having a set schedule within treatment for addiction recovery makes it that much easier to ensure that a person is supported in their fitness goals.

Vicodin is often prescribed for pain and contains hydrocodone and acetaminophen. An opioid, Vicodin is at high risk for addiction and dependence – and it works by changing our perceptions on pain as well as our emotional responses to it. Vicodin can create feelings of euphoria for many people, which is where it brings a strong pull towards dependence. For many people, Vicodin addiction stems from their prescription they’ve been given after having a surgery; Dr. Laurence Westreich, an associate professor at New York University, told CBS News, “Some people have chronic pain and opioids feel good. They help with anxiety – a lot of people say they give a general feeling of well-being.” The opioid crisis sparked major concern amongst many people given prescription medications, but it’s not just the fact that they’re prescriptions that make drugs like Vicodin so dangerous. Oftentimes, it’s the misuse of prescription drugs that takes people towards a place of addiction. If you or a loved one have been prescribed Vicodin, keep the following tips in mind: