Battling an Addiction? Consider a Retreat
Although you may associate addiction largely with abuse of alcohol and hard drugs, habit forming behaviors are more common than you think. Research suggests that close to half of adults in the US suffer from one addiction or another when you consider habits such as excessive exercise, internet use or shopping, as well as more traditional problems with alcohol, drugs and tobacco1. If you can identify with this, a range of treatment options are available, but one that may not automatically spring to mind is an addiction retreat. Whether you attend for just the day, stay over the weekend or take part in a more intensive retreat, all can aid your recovery.
Like more standard programs of treatment, addiction retreats help you to understand dependency and the changes you need to make achieve recovery, but they also offer you time away from the stresses of everyday life, with difficult life circumstances often behind an addiction. These retreats equally allow you the chance to rest and contemplate in an environment that offers safety and structure. Just as rehab facilities are increasingly looking to offer holistic addiction recovery tailored to your needs, taking part in a retreat allows you to enhance your physical, mental and emotional well-being, as they focus on the value of complementary therapies. From art therapy to yoga you can benefit from the positive impact these treatments have on your all-round wellness and their power to help you cope after you withdraw from your habit. While some might focus on one discipline, the emphasis is still on personalizing therapy to your needs, allowing you to get the most out of an addiction retreat.
Physical activity on retreat
Periods of activity are just as important as rest during a retreat, as exercise is a valuable treatment for mental health problems and that extends to addictions too. Getting physically active offers many benefits for recovering addicts, from offering a useful distraction from cravings to providing an opportunity to develop positive social relationships, but working your body also triggers favorable changes within your brain. Certainly, the release of brain chemicals similar to those generated in addictive behaviors may help to explain why exercise appears to effectively reduce the risk of relapsing into old habits2. However, it isn’t just aerobic activities that are beneficial, as there is growing interest in yoga as a therapy for addiction recovery. While physically this promotes strength and flexibility, other aspects of yoga such as controlled breathing, meditation and mindfulness are known to be valuable when overcoming the grip of an addictive habit3.
The value of touch therapies
Although massage is a relaxing therapy for anyone, it also has a place within addiction management, which is why it is often on offer at these specialist retreats. Its relaxing nature means massage is particularly useful if you suffer from pre-existing anxiety, which is a known risk factor for addiction and can hinder your recovery from it4. However, even without a history of tension and worry, these feelings can set in once you withdraw from your habit, with studies showing that massage is beneficial at reducing this form of anxiety5. When it comes to helping you relax, this may again be down to the release of mood-elevating chemicals in your brain, though massage may also help to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Massage isn’t the only form of therapeutic touch beneficial in aiding recovery from addictions though, as there is additional evidence that Reiki, which aims to balance the energy fields around us, promotes greater periods of abstinence from alcohol and drugs6.
Creative expression to manage addiction
It is possible to benefit your mental wellness further with the aid of art therapy while on retreat. This form of therapy is beneficial for managing stress and low mood, but can also help you to manage destructive behaviors, including addiction7. While you may struggle to express yourself verbally, with the guide of a specialist therapist various forms of art give you an alternative means of expression, which helps you to work through your difficulties. Art therapy is particularly useful if you have suffered traumatic events which are difficult for you to talk about.
Good nutrition to fight addiction
Nutrition education and therapy is often forgotten about when it comes to addiction recovery, but there is evidence that you are more likely to achieve a positive outcome from treatment when this aspect of care is included8. This is certainly not an issue during retreats, which not only offer nutritious whole foods, but often incorporate education on diet into their schedule. By helping you to adopt a well-balanced diet that is rich in nutrients, it is possible to correct the deficiencies that are commonly seen as a consequence of addiction, especially to tobacco, drink or drugs. It also helps to reset the balance that can occur when food addiction is the issue9. Whatever your habit though, when in better physical and mental shape you are in a better position to effectively fight your addiction.
Resources:
1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
2 http://www.sciencedirect.
3 http://www.
4 http://www.mayoclinic.org/
7 http://www.arttherapy.org/
8 http://www.njpn.org/wp-
9 http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/
