When researching addiction rehab centers, it may seem like a fairly standard order of operations: detox, substance use disorder treatment, and aftercare or relapse prevention. Those are the makings of a strong foundation, certainly.
But a person is so much more than their addiction, and their addiction is so much more than too much alcohol or drug use. Addiction healing begins with mind, body, and spirit often seen in holistic values. At Denver Recovery Center, we go a step beyond the standard care by finding opportunities to weave holistic elements throughout our clients’ experiences.
Learn more about a holistic approach to addiction recovery and how it fits into the traditional model.
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Holistic Approach To Drug and Alcohol Rehab
Taking a holistic approach to addiction treatment means taking all parts of the person into account:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Life skills
- Habits
- Hobbies
- Relationships
By balancing these elements, you create a stable foundation on which to combat substance addiction. A holistic approach to treatment could mean several things.
Manage Stress
Physical activity or mindful engagement are methods to center your mind and relax your body, without the old routine of reaching for a substance as the only way to relieve stress. These are just a few of the ways that people can manage stress in a healthy, sustainable fashion. Along with stress management, physical health plays a huge role in holistic addiction treatment.
Some activities include
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Hiking
- Creative expression
Manage Health
Health affects all aspects of a person’s life, including their addiction. Making healthy choices with food, exercise, and stress management will make your body feel better and make tackling addiction easier.
Clients learn to manage their health through activities like
- Exercise
- Life skills training
- Nutritional education
Seek New Challenges
Therapy is a lifelong way to explore interests long forgotten:
- Remember your passion for music?
- Were you in your high school play (or secretly wished you were)?
- Always wanted to rock climb or hike to the top of a 14-er? If you don’t know this term yet get ready to embrace the idea of hiking to mountain peaks rising upwards of 14,000 feet above sea level.
You don’t have to make your challenge grand:
- Start small by spending snuggle time with your pet. They are great for channeling your energy.
- Engage your mind with puzzles, card games, crossword puzzles, and books.
- Next time you go for a walk, bring your camera along. Inspiration from nature has long been a path to healing.
Why Choose a Holistic Addiction Rehab Center?
Anyone who has ever struggled with addiction or has a loved one with a substance use disorder knows that the disorder is extremely habitual. What starts as an occasional habit eventually evolves into addiction.
The habit of a drink after work might become three beers. Then one night during the workweek some drinking becomes a nightly habit. Then three beers aren’t enough anymore to maintain the high as tolerance builds.
In addition, some triggers spark the habit. Here are just a few examples, but there are many more:
- Going by the gas station on the way home where the alcohol is usually purchased
- Feeling stress about a job performance review
- Receiving a phone call from an irate customer
- Coping with a loss of a loved one or the aftermath of a traumatic incident
- Being at a concert or party and feeling awkward without a drink in hand
Breaking these routines begins with discontinuing the use of alcohol, heroin, cocaine, meth, prescription medication, or other substance. But through traditional therapy, you will learn to rewire your thoughts and behaviors to change this pattern. New skills and tools will put you in a better position to react differently than in the chaos of the past.
Holistic therapy builds on this new strength by focusing on healthy life habits that are useful for anyone looking to improve their lifestyle. There is some truth to the idea of “you are what you eat,” for example. When you have a balanced and nutritious diet and a regular eating pattern, you feel much more able to be productive. For someone deep in the throes of substance use, nutrition typically falls right out the window because the focus is on maintaining the high rather than general well-being.
By managing the other habits in your life with a holistic approach — such as what you eat and how you manage stress — you can overcome the habits you formed through addiction.
Here are some examples of healthier ways to manage mental health and physical pain:
- Try meditation and exercise to help with stress.
- Eat foods proven to reduce inflammation, and practice yoga to help with pain.
- Cut back on caffeine or try meditation to help with anxiety.
Holistic Approach Teaches Lifelong Recovery
Taking a holistic approach to addiction is common, especially when traditional strategies don’t work. Since holistic addiction treatment relies primarily on making the mind, body, and spirit healthy, it works for the majority of people who try it. Taking a holistic approach not only improves your chances of overcoming the addiction but can also improve your overall quality of life.
Whether it’s traditional therapy, holistic addiction treatment, or a combination of both, the skills you acquire at an addiction rehab center are skills you can carry with you for the rest of your life. Along with helping you prevent relapse after you leave the rehab center, a holistic approach to life will help you live a healthier, more mindful life.
Holistic Addiction Treatment
What if you could enter an addiction treatment rehab center to overcome a substance use disorder and leave with a set of healthy living skills that you can use for the rest of your life? At Denver Recovery Center in Colorado, that’s the exact reality our clients experience.
We focus on three stages related to life skills, outdoor therapy, and nutritional education in our holistic approach.
Life Skills
Recovery doesn’t end when you leave Denver Recovery Center. Learning life skills during addiction treatment will create a solid foundation for a healthy and sustainable return to everyday living.
Skills include
- Coping with difficult emotions
- Dealing with stress
- Managing anger
- Academic
- Vocational (job/career)
- Leadership
- Money management
- Time management
Outdoor Therapy
Reconnecting with nature and yourself through outdoor therapy can be healing medicine. The main goal of this type of therapy is to provide you with experiences that will enrich your holistic treatment for addiction. These programs combine psychotherapy, skill building, and the development of an appreciation for the world outside of the self-destructive cycles of addiction.
Nutritional Education
A healthy mind starts with a healthy diet. You will learn how to create healthy meals to sustain you through recovery and beyond.
Balancing Holistic Approach With Evidence-Based Therapy
In addition to taking a holistic approach to addiction rehab, we also offer several therapy options to help our clients through the hard experiences that often have left them in a vulnerable state. Our evidence-based therapy options include
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
- Individual counseling
- Outdoor therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Experiential therapy
Treatment Begins at Denver Recovery Center
The goal of substance use rehab is to provide the patient with the tools and skills they need not only to overcome their addiction but also to stay away from drugs and alcohol by making a better overall life for themselves. Most addictions stem from personal issues or unhappiness in life. Patients can learn how to become happier and healthier, which increases their chances of never turning back to substance use.
The first step to a successful substance use disorder treatment and rehab program is for you to admit that you have a problem and need help. By working with trained professionals, you can start the road to a better life, free of addiction.
At Denver Recovery Center, you will experience the combination of substance use disorder treatment, holistic addiction treatment, and evidence-based therapy that works best for you. With a partial hospitalization program, an intensive outpatient program, and outpatient care, Denver Recovery Center is ready to help you take that first step.
Find your new beginning. There is life after addiction through Denver Recovery Center. Call us at (844)602-3175.
FAQs:
- How Long Is Treatment at a Holistic Drug/Alcohol Recovery Center?
Treatment length at drug and alcohol rehab centers varies depending on the level of program options available. Upon intake, a case manager will assess you mentally and physically, and work with a team to determine the level of treatment at which you should start.
Detox may be needed prior to treatment beginning. Treatment generally has three levels: inpatient with 24/7 stay for a set period of weeks or open-ended based on treatment progress, partial hospitalization with therapy daily on-site up to seven days a week and evenings at home, or intensive outpatient with therapy during the weekday and evenings at home. Program lengths vary based on progress or facility schedule.