Exercise Addiction Therapy

Overcoming an addiction is easily one of the biggest challenges that an individual abusing substances can endure. It's an accomplishment that doesn't happen overnight, and in fact for many, it takes years of relapses and therapy in order to become sober. Methods such as holistic treatment has proven to be incredibly effective in preventing relapses, maintaining balance, and implementing practices that can change the overall quality of one’s life beyond addiction.

What is unique about holistic treatment is that it focuses on the individual as

a whole, rather than addressing an addict’s individual issues. Holistic

treatment focuses on the person's physical, emotional, spiritual, and

nutritional needs.

Some examples of holistic therapy methods include:

1. Adventure and exercise therapy: Instead of spending all day

in a rehab facility, individuals are taken to the beautiful outdoors in a

supervised area. This gives patients the opportunity to reflect while gazing at

some of the most beautiful mountains, trees, and sunsets. You do not need to be

addicted to substances to recognize the therapeutic benefits of nature.

2. Aromatherapy: Aromatherapy is my absolute favorite. I love to

sit in my room at night and light a lavender candle, as the scent is relaxing.

I have also found that deep breathing essential oils reduces my anxiety

overall. Aromatherapy helps with an addict’s relaxation, mental clarity, better

sleep, and alleviating withdrawal symptoms.

3. Art and music therapy: As an individual who suffers with

anxiety and depression, I have found that listening to music has helped me more

then words can explain. It allows us to express ourselves in a non verbal way,

by listening to words that describe our feelings and deep thoughts. Art and

music therapy is also helpful for those individuals who have trouble opening up

to others, as they can express themselves through their mind and creativity.

In addition to the above tactics, there is also a simple method

to help with addiction recovery: exercise. Exercise can simply start with

putting your headphones in, listening to music that calms you, and talking a

walk. This is something that I do on a daily basis at my home, as my daily

walks are an essential part of reliving my anxiety. The cool thing about

exercise is that it releases and restores dopamine, which is a happiness

enduring chemical in our brain. Going out and engaging in physical activity

such as hiking, swimming, or cross fit can greatly improve one’s mood and

self-esteem. This also works as an advantage for recovering addicts, because studies show that exercise can actually help

return a user’s dopamine levels to where they were before they started using

drugs.

There are many beneficial exercises that have worked for many

over the years in order to recover from addiction. For me, yoga has been the most beneficial. In fact, many recovery

programs teach yoga to addicts as a part of recovery. Yoga specifically focuses

on healing the mind and body, which releases dopamine to the brain. This

is why yoga has helped so many in recovery. Yoga

is a combination of physical poses, controlled breathing, relaxation, and

meditation. It also helps to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and heart

rate.

Another popular exercise to help those in recover is playing

team sports. Being able to get

together with sober friends and enjoy the outdoors while focusing on sports is

a wonderful and very beneficial way for addicts to recover. Not only does

it provide for a good workout, but also can be an essential part of an addict’s

recovery. This is because forming new relationships that don't involve drinking

or using drugs helps recovering addicts feel like part of society again.

From personal experience, recovering from an addiction is a very

difficult experience. However with the right treatment, exercises, meditation

and mindset, it is very possible to become sober with a new lease on

life.