Holistic Approaches to Addiction Recovery: Mindfulness, Yoga, and Wellness

When you are an addict trying to get clean, the focus is on breaking the torturous cycle of addiction rampaging through your mind every second of the day. A medical detox takes care of the physical hold drugs or alcohol, or both, have on your body and therapy helps you cope with the little voice in your head telling you to relapse at the first opportunity you get.

While these two tools of SUD and AUD recovery are fundamental to helping you break your addiction, there is another part of the healing process that often does not get the attention it deserves. We are talking about holistic therapies to undo the damage your addiction has wrought on your body.

The reality is being an addict, especially if you have struggled with substance abuse for years, can ruin your physical health. Drugs and alcohol are toxic substances and if you are putting them in your body every day, there are consequences to your abuse that show up, sometimes months after starting the abuse cycle, and sometimes years later.

Holistic wellness strategies are a key part of your recovery program, but what does this term mean? Is it “new age” nonsense, or does it hold weight in the argument of being an essential part of a recovery plan?

Is it worth checking into a holistic rehab offering holistic wellness strategies in their recovery plans? Beyond that, how do holistic wellness strategies benefit your recovery and deter relapsing into your old behavior? Let us answer that question for you and unpack the elements of holistic wellness in addiction recovery.

Nutrition – The Foundation of Physical Recovery

Nutrition and addiction recovery go hand in hand. Food is fuel, it is as simple as that. From the moment you enter recovery and go into medical detox your body starts the lengthy process of healing itself. Your body will need raw materials to repair the damage to tissues and organs, and you get them through the food you eat.

Calories matter and your nutrition in recovery should give your body the energy it needs to start the repair job. A holistic detox center like Carrara understands this critical principle of healing during your recovery, and we give you a custom nutrition plan, tailored to what your body needs to rejuvenate and restore your health. But there is way more to nutrition than just pulling the first thing you find in the fridge and sitting down for a meal.

Food Quality Makes All the Difference

The quality of the food you eat could mean the difference between making a recovery and relapsing. That is right, even if you are eating the right amount of calories your body needs to fuel the day you could still end up furthering the damage to your body instead of repairing it. Getting 2,000 calories a day from fast food, sugary snacks, and soda is not going to do you any favors.

Snacks and fast food are “processed and ultra-processed” foods, and they do not belong in our bodies. Add to this the issues around cooking these foods with seed oils, and it is no surprise the average American is in a poor state of health, just from the food they eat. When you eat these foods, you are setting yourself up for a life battling chronic disease and when you eat poorly during recovery, in a way, you are setting yourself up for relapse.

Your body needs real food. Organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and real dairy, meat, poultry, and fish. You need food free from hormones and additives, and you will need to avoid ultra-processed foods as much as possible. When your diet is clean and nutrient-dense, your body has the raw materials it needs to start the healing process. That makes sense, right?

Tracking Macros to Optimize Metabolism

But it is not just what you eat. How much you eat also matters big time during recovery. Overfeeding yourself (eating too many delicious calories) or undereating is also a bad idea. Eating too much food leads to weight gain and eating too few calories means your body must break down muscle tissue and body fat stores to find the fuel it needs.

Your diet in recovery is more than just tossing a few food items on a plate. You need to understand your body and how you respond to the three macronutrients: carbs, fat, and protein. Your gut biome profile is as unique as your fingerprints. Your biomes might prefer eating a high-protein diet while someone else’s biome profile might better suit a high-card or high-fat meal plan.

Preparation is Key

We know what you are thinking. “Who wants to eat bland food every day for the rest of their life? We have good news for you, eating well can taste terrific. At Carrara, our private chef works in concert with the medical team and your personal trainer to design a custom diet plan just for you.

Your chef gets to work in the kitchen preparing your meals bursting with flavor, vitamins, and minerals, giving your body everything it needs to eradicate nutrient deficiencies and put you firmly on the path to healing your physiology. When everything is prepared for you, and you do not have to plan your diet yourself, all that remains is to enjoy your meal in our luxury dining area and continue with your recovery plan.

Physical Exercise – Awaken the Sleeping Giant Within

Like nutrition, exercise and addiction recovery are heavily intertwined. Holistic substance abuse treatment plans must include an exercise routine to get your body moving. When you are addicted to substances and alcohol, the last thing on your mind is wondering about when you are going to get in your next workout.

Your muscles have likely “atrophied,” meaning they got smaller and weaker, and your joints are probably dry as a bone. Your sinew and ligaments are weak, and your cardiovascular fitness is in the gutter. That is okay, we all start somewhere, the key is to get going with your program, and you will never look back.

Revitalize Your Physiology

A holistic alcohol rehab like Carrara sets you up with a personal trainer, a private gym, and a customized training program, just for you. In the same way everyone has different macronutrient requirements, everyone responds differently to exercise as well. A personal trainer prepares your program and walks you through executing it, so you gain the skills to do it yourself without their help.

Improve Your Mood and Thought Processes

Exercise does more than build muscle and shred excess body fat. It has a holistic (there is that word again) effect on your physiology and health. What does that mean exactly? When we exercise, our brain releases neurotransmitters and hormones that flood the bloodstream, creating unique physiological effects in our body and brain.

Exercising causes the brain to signal the hypothalamus (the hormone factory in the brain) to release hormones.

Endorphins are mood elevators, giving you a feeling of bliss and satisfaction during and after a workout that lasts for hours after you finish your session.

Adrenaline and noradrenaline release from the adrenal glands that it on top of the kidneys, giving you a burst of energy while intensifying your focus so your mind is razor-sharp.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pumps out of the liver and repairs muscle tissues.

Glucagon keeps your blood sugar balanced and stabilizes your appetite and energy levels.

So, you see, there is a lot more to exercise than just getting sweaty and out of breath. Every workout you complete strengthens your body, and if you stay consistent with your training program and nutrition, your body will heal, that is more than a promise, it is a guarantee.

Yoga – Move, Flow, and Connect Your Body and Mind (450)

Using yoga for addiction recovery is a relatively new practice for addiction recovery programs and Carrara is a holistic recovery center pioneering this form of moving meditation in holistic recovery programs. Yoga therapy has mazing results. You might be wondering what additional benefit yoga offers if you are already on an exercise program? That is a good question, and here is the answer.

Stretch Out the Stress and Regulate Your Emotions

Yoga is a system of “poses,” which are positions you hold for a specific amount of time, depending on your experience level with the practice. These positions were developed by “Yogi’s,” who are master of yoga, and they are thousands of years old, yoga has been around for longer than western civilization, and these practices are somewhat new to westerners, becoming popular in the 1960s and 70s.

Yoga poses stretch out your muscles and ligaments, making you more supple. The poses are specifically designed to activate areas of the body and brain, creating a holistic energizing and calming effect on your physiology. Regularly practicing yoga makes you feel alive with energy, more calm during the day, and you will think clearly as your physiological stressors wind down.

Reinforce the Mind/Muscle Connection

Yoga is more than exercise. It is not about getting your heart rate up, that is the goal of traditional exercise programs. Yoga in rehab is about reconnecting the “mind-muscle connection.” But what on Earth does that mean? Building the mind-muscle connection is about focusing on the internal processes going on in your body, like muscle contractions while simultaneously focusing on the external processes, such as moving your body.

Yoga rebuilds and strengthens this connection. When your mind-muscle connection is on top form, you have better balance, you use less energy to move, and you develop excellent posture. But yoga has so many more benefits to it than this one simple advantage.

Meditation and Breathing – Tap the Universal Energy Around You

Yoga is a relatively new addition to holistic recovery, and its success sparked a deeper dive into using yoga principles in recovery programs. Carrara is one of the few holistic addiction treatment centers using meditation and breathwork.

It might seem silly to think that breathing can influence your mind and body, but it does, very much so. Guided breathwork sessions help you meditate and focus on that “mind-muscle connection” we just discussed. There are many breathwork systems, from modern versions like “box-breathing,” to traditional practices like “Tummo.”

Oxygenate Your Brain and Body

The primary reason breathwork works is that your breath controls your nervous system response, and it does this by manipulating the relationship between carbon dioxide, oxygen, and brain/body function.

A breathwork session can leave you feeling euphoric, in a state of bliss where you cannot help but laugh or cry as it brings your pent-up emotions to the surface. The breathing session floods the body with oxygen, saturating the blood and brain, signaling the brain to release the hormones and neurotransmitters we talked about earlier.

Experience True Mental Clarity and Complete Calm

The fusion of breathwork and meditation is nothing short of magical when it comes to treating feelings of stress and anxiety. The “sympathetic nervous system” (SNS) is one of two branches of the central nervous system (CNS), the “parasympathetic nervous system” (PNS) is the other branch of the CNS, but it is not the one we are concerned with right now.

Addiction can have a lasting impact on the SNS. The increasing stress on your body and mind that addiction brings to the physiology party activates the “fight-or-flight” response, leaving you feeling on edge and full of anxiety.

The problem with addiction, especially to stimulants, is that these substances rewire the SNS, forcing it into a perpetual state of fight-or-flight. You are left feeling on-edge all the time, so it is no surprise that people deeply addicted to stimulant drugs like meth and cocaine end up developing panic disorders and anxiety problems. If they do not get help, these problems morph into serious issues like psychosis.

Wellness strategies like yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness meditation aid in recovery by ramping down the SNS response making it easier to deal with rouge thoughts of relapse. You will feel more in control of your mind and body and a lasting feeling of calm will free your mind.

 

Mindfulness Practices to Build Self-Awareness

Mindfulness practices have been a part of holistic wellness and recovery programs since the early 2000s, and for good reasons. By learning to be mindful of the thoughts and feelings racing through your mind you get a better understanding of yourself, and a chance to quiet the storm and take back control.

It is another strategy to add to your recovery program, and it works, really well. Mindfulness is a type of meditation, and a new way of looking at your thought processes like you are standing on the outside of your mind looking in at the chaos rampaging through your brain. You take back control of your thought processes and find it easier to commit to persisting with your recovery plan.

A Brief Mindfulness Exercise

We can show you the power of mindfulness right now. Follow these basic instructions and see if it has an influence on your current stress levels.

1. Go and sit in a quiet spot in your home where you are away from all distractions.
2. Close your eyes and focus on being present in this moment.
3. You will build presence by focusing on the rise and fall of your breath.
4. As you are mindful of your breathing, you should start to feel your mind clear its current thought processes, emptying itself into nothingness.
5. If you have lingering thoughts, recognize that they are there and what they are about.
6. Do not give any power to the thoughts, just let them appear and dissipate.
7. (Keep breathing).
8. When you notice a particular thought, like a craving, arising in your mind ask yourself how it serves you and why you are thinking about it.
9. Let your mind flow through the answers, but do not focus on any specific side of the argument.
10. Open your eyes and take a deep breath.
11. What do you notice about your thought process? How do you feel? Are you more relaxed and in control of your thoughts?

Carrara Spa Services – Take Care of Yourself and Be Well

Carrara holistic rehab center believes in the power of self-care. Many addicts end up ignoring their declining physical appearance and personal hygiene as their addiction takes over their mind. At Carrara, we will take care of you. Our team offers hydrating facials and body wraps, massages, alternative wellness strategies. We even have a hair salon and nail bar waiting for you.

Relax and Unwind Physical Stress with Massage Therapy

When was the last time you had a massage? Is there any better way to unwind and feel the stress melt out of your body? From deep tissue techniques to lymphatic stimulation and stretching, our six variations of massage therapies will leave you feeling tip top and ready to face the days challenges with a renewed sense of vigor and vitality surging though your body and mind.

Try Acupuncture and Reiki to Improve Energy Flow

Acupuncture and reiki are similar practices, manipulating the body’s energy systems to improve your sense of wellbeing. Acupuncture involves a trained therapist inserting hair-thin needles into specific points around your body. These points or “meridians” can experience blockages that stop the efficient flow of life force, otherwise known as “Qi” through your body.

Acupuncture removes these blockages, allowing the lifeforce to flow freely. Reiki is a Japanese practice with similar effects to acupuncture, but without the use of thin needles. The practitioner places their hands a few inches from your body and manipulates the energy flow around you to heal your body.

Remove Toxins with Cupping

“Cupping” is an eastern wellness practice common in Asia. A trained therapist uses cups to pull your skin away from the subcutaneous tissues, drawing toxins through your skin into the cup. It is an amazing addition to any detox and recovery program. Pull the toxins from your body and experience a boost in energy levels as your metabolic functions optimize themselves.

Experience Relief with Alternative Therapies

At Carrara we specialize in alternate holistic therapies not commonly found in rehab programs.

Hydrotherapy: The use of warm or cold water to reduce systemic inflammation in the body. Inflammation is the foundation of chronic disease development in the human body and hydrotherapy lowers cytokine levels in every physiological system in your body.

Aromatherapy:  Aromatic oils like ylang-ylang, citrus, and eucalyptus act on the brains “olfactory system” which is a fancy way of describing your smell. This part of the brain associates scents with experiences and feelings. You can leverage the healing power of scents to reduce inflammation and chase away thoughts of relapse, calming your mind.

Sound Therapy: The brain operates on five different types of wavelengths with each of them inducing a different mental and physical state. We can manipulate alpha brainwaves by using sound frequencies to change brain function and initiate sensations of calm and relaxation.

Carrara – The Home of Holistic Addiction Treatment

Carrara is a holistic drug rehab focusing on healing your mind, body, and spirit. Our treatment program will recover your health because health is real wealth. Without health, we have nothing in life. Ask a sick billionaire if they would part with all their money just to be healthy again, and they will likely hand you the password to their bank account.

It is time to get you healthy again.

Carrara’s comprehensive holistic wellness program frees you from the grip of addiction, giving you the springboard you need to rise up against your addictions and reclaim your life. Let our professional fitness trainers, yoga instructors, and award-winning chefs lead you back from the brink of self-destruction.