Mental Health Article - NOT amateur radio

The following article was written by Molly Anderson and sent to me:

Getting Your Physical and Mental Health Back on Track While in Addiction Recovery

 Photo Credit: 

maxlkt, Pixabay

Getting sober, maintaining sobriety, making healthy changes, resuming a normal lifestyle – the whole process of quitting an addiction and being in recovery are difficult. However, the reward is worth the challenge, as you'll find yourself feeling much better, and you'll get a fresh start in life. The healthy changes you make will aid in getting sober, staying sober, and feeling healthier both physically and mentally.

Assessing the Damage

Abusing drugs or alcohol harms your body, mind, and relationships. Different substances have different effects. Amphetamines can cause insomnia, depression, cardiovascular issues, loss of appetite, and gastrointestinal issues. Cocaine can cause fatigue, depression, anxiety, and restlessness. Other drugs have harmful effects on the mind and organs as well. The negative effects of substance abuse can lead to issues that cause malnutrition and physical and mental illnesses.

Addiction can also harm relationships. Whether it's physical abuse, emotional abuse, or letting others down, friends and family members are often hurt by an addict’s behavior. Finding ways to repair the damaged relationships can help you let go of guilt and any negative feelings you have about yourself, which can help improve your mental health. Consider attending family therapy with your family and friends once you’ve completed recovery. Your counselor can decide the best timing, but it’s usually a few months or a year after treatment begins.

Finding Healing Activities

Most people who abuse drugs or alcohol are probably not involved in healthy activities such as yoga, meditation, and acupuncture. In recovery, you can start up these activities to be used as holistic therapies, which can improve your health and keep you on track to remain sober. Meditation teaches you to become aware of your thoughts, emotions, and sensations through breathing and concentration. This technique can be used to fight cravings, to deal with the physical pains many people deal with in recovery, and to fight negative emotions, such as anxiety and depression.

Yoga produces long lasting changes to the body, both physically and mentally, which help maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yoga creates a sense of calm and solace and is a positive coping mechanism when dealing with depression, anxiety, anger, guilt, and other negative emotions. Yoga and mindfulness can be combined to provide energy, satisfaction, and stability during your path to recovery.

Certain points used in acupuncture can address targeted parts of the body – such as the kidney, lungs, and liver – that are damaged from drug or alcohol abuse. Acupuncture can also help calm the body so that you can let go of negative feelings, such as anger or anxiety, and get in touch with your emotions. Acupuncture may also help to alleviate physical pain and insomnia.

Diet and Exercise

Part of addiction recovery includes improved health, which means beginning to exercise. Exercise releases endorphins, so it can be an alternative to drugs. It can also reduce stress, improve mental health and mood, and benefit your organs, bones, and muscles. Getting healthy also involves good nutrition. A well-balanced diet provides energy so you don’t feel fatigued, and it provides the nutrients you need for growth and repair. Your diet affects all parts of your body, including your heart, immune system, bones, teeth, and mental health.

Another important step in your road to recovery is to figure out your goals. This includes both clinical treatment goals and goals for employment, education, social activities, and housing. Once you establish your goals, you can work with a counselor to pursue and achieve them. Recovery gives you a fresh start, so use this opportunity to heal your mind and body with holistic therapies, diet, and exercise. You can then work on healing relationships and accomplishing your goals in life.