Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
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Holistic addiction treatment focuses on a person’s body, mind, and spirit to help them recover from addiction. The goal is to focus on a person’s overall well-being to treat addiction symptoms.
For most people, addiction is more than their body’s physical craving for the drug. Things in a person’s environment, as well as their mental and physical health, play a significant role in addiction.
Holistic treatment aims to:
A holistic approach is a belief that everything is connected. Treating the whole person, rather than just their symptoms, is essential to achieving optimal health.
Focusing on one’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being is vital to long-term recovery. Holistic addiction treatment is a therapy that looks at the person as a whole – body, mind, and spirit.
The most excellent use of holistic treatment for substance abuse is that it treats the entire person, not just the addiction. Here are other advantages of holistic medicine:
A holistic approach considers various aspects of a person’s health, allowing for a complete healing approach by addressing the underlying issues contributing to addiction. Professionals customize holistic treatment plans for the individual.
The multi-faceted environment of holistic treatment provides an opportunity to gain insight into the factors that have led to addiction. Understanding yourself better can help build a foundation for long-term recovery.
Since holistic treatments focus on the whole person, they often include activities that promote better physical and mental health. Holistic therapies also use natural remedies, resulting in fewer side effects than traditional treatments.
Holistic treatment plans often employ techniques that give you more control over your recovery. This helps you build self-esteem and gain life skills that allow you to stay sober for longer after treatment.
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There are several different holistic therapies, including:
Professionals have been using art in addiction treatment since the 1940s. Art therapy aims to understand one’s addiction through creative expression.
Those using art therapy in their recovery process use a variety of media, including:
Listening to and playing music is a very emotional experience for many people. During music therapy, emotions can reveal necessary information about a person’s addiction and mental health challenges.
Music therapy can help a person understand their addiction. It’s also known to be especially helpful for those with co-occurring disorders.
Massages stimulate the lymph system, speeding detox and reducing substance cravings. It decreases anxiety and makes substance use triggers more manageable. Many people also find it comforting because massage therapy involves human touch.
Animals are popular for treating various health issues, including alcohol and drug addiction. Animal therapy involves introducing animals into a therapeutic environment.
Many conventional psychotherapists have begun to incorporate therapy animals into their practices. Interacting with a therapy animal during addiction treatment tends to:
Gardens stimulate all five senses, and gardening boosts self-esteem and reduces stress. Horticulture therapy uses gardening to promote health and well-being and can range from simply spending time in the garden and outdoors to tending a garden.
Mediation is one of the best relaxation tools that can help overcome addiction. Practitioners have found it helps them resist cravings and avoid relapse.
It pairs well with a variety of other conventional and holistic treatments. During meditation, a person recognizes and addresses their cravings before they become overwhelming.
Prayer works similarly to meditation but has an added component of the person finding or restoring a relationship with a higher power. Many have found this to be extremely helpful when dealing with addiction.
Prayer can:
Acupuncturing uses the belief that the body possesses meridian points, and stimulating these points encourages self-healing.
Those who have used acupuncture to treat addiction have found it:
Yoga treats a variety of mental and physical health issues, including:
Yoga involves physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. It can do the following to help reduce cravings and the risk of relapse:
One theory of why Tai Chi works is it dislodges the toxic debris that accumulates in the body’s tissue after drug and alcohol use. The activity stimulates the lymph system, which speeds up the detoxification process.
Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art involving slow, controlled movements and deep breathing sequences. It offers many emotional and physical benefits, including decreased anxiety and depression.
Holistic addiction treatment is effective, especially when combined with traditional therapies.4 Many mainstream rehabilitation programs incorporate holistic approaches into treatment practices.
In some cases, holistic therapy might not work, but that is possible with all treatments. The key to successfully using holistic medicine is to be willing to change their lifestyle.
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Holistic treatment for substance use disorder is an excellent option for people who want to address their addiction comprehensively. This treatment combines traditional and alternative methods to help you overcome alcohol dependence. It can help you gain insight into the underlying causes of your addiction and build a foundation for lasting sobriety.
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