What happens after recovery?

Does a recovery treatment program offer a 100% sober and healthy life?

No, there is always a chance of relapse. It does not matter how determined you are not to go back to the substance abuse behavior. After all, it is a health condition, and you might not know when you have again developed a dependency on the substance.

In order to combat relapse, individuals who are suffering from addiction issues must enroll themselves in a rehabilitation program. However, the recovery journey never ends at the detox center.

After you complete the recovery, you need to learn some tricks and tips for avoiding triggers. When you have come out from the treatment program, you need to follow some tips and tricks from the recovery experts, as we have mentioned above.

10 Tips On Transitioning To Life After Rehab

Here, we will let you know some tips on transitioning to life after recovery. These will help you to ensure proper recovery and combat the triggers. Now, let’s have a look at them.

Tip 1: Continue Developing Your Support System

Your support system is really crucial for not only ensuring your safety but also helping you not go back to the addiction. During your treatment program, you might get the needed support from professionals and staff, and other fellow patients.

When you have completed the treatment, you also need to develop a support system from several resources, like social media platforms and any other ways.

Tip 2: Set Goals For Yourself

Leading life without any goal is like driving a car without knowing the destination. Especially when you have just recovered from addiction, you need to keep yourself indulged in several activities. The best way to do that is to set up goals.

So, set some goals for both your professional and personal life and work towards them. This way, you will be able to put aside the thought of substance abuse and reduce the chances of relapse.

Tip 3: Evaluate Neighborhood And If Necessary Consider Shifting

You might know how your surrounding environment also impacts developing an addiction towards any particular substance. So, when you come out clean from the substance abuse after the successful completion of the treatment. You need to consider this.

Evaluating your neighborhood is actually important for continuing an addiction-free sober life. You can start with that, and if needed, shift to a new locality.

Tip 4: Visit Follow-up Appointments

You have completed your addiction recovery treatment does not mean that you are completely free from addiction now. As we have mentioned earlier, recovery never truly ends. So, you should not even think about skipping those after-treatment appointments.

Regularly visiting all the follow-up appointments is a must here. This way, you will be able to keep the relapse risk at bay and continue leading a sober life.

Tip 5: Develop Fruitful Relationships

Just the way your relationships and friendships can actually make you fall for addiction issues, they also hold power to drag you out from the darkness of the addiction world. Obviously, they will not be the same individuals.

So, you need to create some relationships and develop friends who will not only understand you but also help you to not go back to the addiction issues.

Tip 6: Pay Attention To Mental Health

Your mental health is really crucial for your complete recovery. Remember those days when you have chosen substance abuse over any other thing just to get the relaxing feeling as you were suffering from depression and anxiety.

When you quit substance abuse, those mental health issues might reoccur, and thus you have to be very cautious about it. Taking assistance from professionals can actually be beneficial here.

Tip 7: Help Someone Else

Just the way you have had a tough time during your withdrawal and addiction days, a lot of people are suffering from addiction issues and also afraid of quitting it just because of the physical and mental suffering they will get during withdrawal.

They need your help. You have already gone through all of that. You will be able to understand them and guide them properly or at least be there for them. It will also help you to avoid relapse.

Tip 8: Stay Alert For Sign Of Relapse

You have to be very alert about the signs of relapse. In most cases, alcohol abuse reoccurs as alcohol is easily available and accessible. Also, almost every event serves alcohol. So, you need to identify the triggering points.

During your treatment days, you have learned a lot about how to identify and avoid triggers. You need to use them to keep relapse at the edge.

Tip 9: Continue Your Structured Routine

In the rehabilitation center or at home, you were following a structured routine during those treatment days. Once your treatment is over, do not jump back to the usual old life. Continue the structured and healthy routine.

It will not only ensure your overall health and fitness but also help you to stay away from all those substances that are addictive.

Tip 10: Change Your Diet

Your diet plays a huge role in your recovery. That is why you had a proper diet when you were undergoing treatment. After the treatment program is over, continue to follow a balanced diet, which will be able to offer you all the nutrients you need.

Addiction often leads to malnutrition. This way, you need to cover up the deficiency of several nutrients that have been created within your system.

Get Healthy, Stay Sober

You just need to follow the things we have discussed in this article. All of them will prevent you from going back to the substance abuse behavior all over again. In case you are not feeling well, mentally or emotionally, you must seek help from a professional and the recovery experts.

Always remember you can not make yourself and your loved ones suffer all over again. It is time to stay healthy and sober.

All the best for your healthier and sober life!

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For millennia, people have written about the joys of being in nature. Now that nature is no longer as much a part of our lives as it was for our forebears, it’s become clear that humans are, in a way, meant to be in touch with the wild and that our modern lifestyles are, to put it mildly, wreaking havoc on our mental health.

Today, it is fully understood by urban planners that views of green spaces, bodies of water, and other natural features do a lot to help improve the ambiance and “feel” of a space. However, there is now growing evidence that being in nature and doing activities in a natural setting can also help our minds heal.

For instance, it’s been found that patients with post-traumatic stress (PTS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to benefit from regular outdoor exposure, either through nature hikes or by doing regular therapy sessions outdoors.

Because PTS and PTSD often contribute to substance use disorder (SUD) and other mental health issues like generalized anxiety disorder, this kind of intervention has the potential to dramatically reduce the load on our overburdened mental healthcare system.

Below are some of the ways nature therapy may be beneficial for trauma. If you’re in North Texas and need to learn about rehabs that offer regular outdoor and nature therapy, check out this resource on inpatient drug rehabs in Dallas, TX.

1. It Gives Opportunities For Enjoyable Exercise

People with trauma and other mental health conditions will often benefit from some form of regular exercise. Exercise can help burn off anxious energy which is often common in people who have experienced trauma. It also makes your body release natural hormones that could help stabilize your mood and improve sleep — a problem often encountered by people with PTS and PTSD.

While exercise in urban areas is certainly a good option, nature also offers other perks that we’ll discuss later. If one has access to the beach, safe forest or desert trails, or other suitable natural features, chances are these offer enjoyable exercise opportunities for people of all ages.

Hiking, swimming, kayaking, and cycling are just some of the more common moderate impact outdoor activities that could help recovering individuals get the exercise they need. If one is up to the challenge, they can also try out more strenuous activities like rock climbing, cross-country skiing, surfing, and trail running.

Apart from their stress and anxiety-busting benefits, many of these exercises allow participants to be in a focused, meditative state, which in itself has direct benefits for reducing the effects of mental trauma.

2. Enjoying Nature May Help Build And Improve Emotional Resilience

While it takes much more than a nature trip to heal people who’ve had serious traumas, there is growing evidence that outdoor therapy can build emotional resilience in both children and adults. Some studies seem to suggest that activities held in the elements can help build a sense of control that influences other aspects of our lives.

Emotional resilience is usually defined as the ability to continue normal functioning after experiencing trauma. It is our ability to adapt and overcome when we’re faced with a particularly serious event.

Resilience, however, is not an all-or-nothing quality. Unfortunately, trauma has a way of expressing itself in ways that are not obvious to either the victim or outside observers. Trauma survivors could be functional or superficially productive while also engaging in self-destructive behaviors like using drugs, stress eating, gambling, or impulse buying. Having better resilience may help prevent these negative behaviors from happening.

Outdoor activities in small groups are especially beneficial for improving emotional resilience for people of all ages. These group activities can build a sense of “relatedness” that can prevent recovering individuals from reaching for unhealthy coping strategies.

3. We Tend To Be Happier And Less Anxious When Close To Nature

Studies on groups of people with PTSD (particularly combat veterans and other people who encounter continuous traumatic experiences) seem to show that being in nature or in places that mimic nature like parks and gardens can significantly improve PTS and PTSD symptoms. Engaging in exercise and mindfulness practices in these settings further improves this effect.

Why this is the case is not entirely clear. However, given the benefits, natural settings may eventually be key to cost-effective trauma interventions in an increasingly overburdened healthcare system.

4. It Offers Opportunities For Social Bonding And Peer Support

The growing evidence in favor of outdoor therapy has also made it an increasingly popular supplemental intervention for all kinds of mental health issues, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and even substance use disorder. In the context of trauma recovery, outdoor and nature therapy is often done in a group setting, which offers a variety of benefits for recovering individuals.

Because participants in group therapy sessions tend to have similar or at least relatable experiences, recovering individuals are better able to let their guard down, without fear of being misunderstood. Group therapy is also a source of new friendships and bonds, which may remain important throughout one’s life.

One may not even have to join these types of outdoor group therapy sessions to benefit. Simply bonding with other people over common interests can already help recovering individuals to heal and move on.

It seems that being in nature doesn’t only feel good, it may help us heal from invisible mental scars as well. For people with serious psychological trauma, exposure to nature can be key to allowing conventional therapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication-assisted therapy to do its work.

As with any supplemental approach, nature therapy is not a substitute for conventional psychiatric intervention. However, because nature therapy is flexible and relatively easy to implement, it could be tried out by virtually anybody, with nothing to lose and much more to gain.

*collaborative post

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Do you, or someone you love, suffer from an eating disorder (ED)? These disorders are about more than just food and weight. An ED can cause major disruptions in a person’s life, from school or work performance to physical health problems. Yoga is a mind-body practice that is known for its mindfulness and natural healing properties. Yoga can be a useful tool for navigating the recovery process and a sustained yoga practice (in combination with psychological treatment) can be helpful year round.

What makes yoga a good fit for eating disorders?

Yoga is a mindful practice that requires deep concentration, and it’s a great way to focus on your breathing and body as a way to stay in the present moment. Because eating disorders are caused by many factors, including a lack of coping skills and stress, yoga can be a helpful part of treatment, and perpetuate positive changes and healthy habits.

How yoga helps with eating disorders

There are multiple benefits of yoga, including improved sleep, and positive impact on mental health, well-being and quality of life. When stress, difficult emotions or other triggers arise, one can practice yoga instead of turning to disordered eating behaviors to cope. Disclaimer: This is not a suggestion to use yoga practices as a way to avoid what comes up or shift obsessive behaviors into another location. But it is possible to let urges towards destructive habits become a cue to press the “pause” button and step on your mat.

The practice of yoga can strengthen digestion, relieve constipation and reduce reactivity around the painful process of re-feeding. The emotional effects of yoga helps ground and process strong feelings, needs and longings. Meditative practices help reduce negative thought patterns and long held emotions can be released during or after a class.

Disordered eating often stems from attempts to avoid feeling painful emotions. A hatha yoga practice can be a safe place to ride the waves of your experience by practicing breathing exercises, self-acceptance, relaxation, and watching and allowing your feelings to flow through you. This may sound easier said than done, but consider your mat a lab where you can practice greeting difficult sensations without avoiding them. Practiced consistently, the ability to sit with emotion and sensation during yoga can ultimately translate to your life off the yoga mat.

A review of the emerging research on yoga for eating disorders concluded it is too early to state with certainty whether the practice of yoga is helpful, although no data suggests it is harmful.

Considerations for eating disorder patients interested in yoga

1. Choose your practice wisely

Certain forms of yoga may be more therapeutic than others for those with eating disorders. For example, some may use power yoga as a form of compulsive exercise, which might reinforce symptoms. So instead of a “hot yoga” or power class, try something less vigorous, with a mindful or gentle component. Slower forms of yoga (like yin and restorative yoga) that help you re-inhabit your body with loving awareness are likely to be more therapeutic, even if they seem less ideal initially. Choosing the right class will assist you in cultivating self-compassion, which will counteract the harsh self-talk characteristic of eating disorders.

2. Practice meditation, especially loving-kindness (metta) meditation

Practicing meditation, whether seated or during postures, will help ensure that you don’t turn your asana practice into a continuation of your ED. Consciously inhabiting your experience will support your mental and physical health, and research increasingly suggests that meditation may benefit eating disorder patients. Taking a loving-kindness approach to your practice will support your ability to appreciate each part of your body and what it does for you. If there are parts of your body that you despise, practice sending them thoughts of kindness, or placing your hand on them, allowing yourself to feel the warmth and support. Over time, this self-kindness will extend from the physical body to other parts of you—judgmental cognitions or feelings of shame, for example.

3. Be mindful of media views of yoga

Media portrayals of yoga often replicate the same objectifying tendencies as mainstream media depictions of women that are widely theorized to contribute to eating disorders. Be aware of these messages and, if you can, avoid consuming popular yoga media that emphasizes the thin ideal, weight loss, or even the attainment of complex or gymnastic postures. These messages convey that your worth is still tied intrinsically to your body, rather than honoring that the body is just one facet of the self.

4. Steer clear of diets and cleansing

The yoga lifestyle is often associated with special diets, such as veganism, mono-diets, or stringent cleansing routines. While these are commonly said to align with the yogic lifestyle, those with eating disorders should exercise caution, as adoption of these diets may trigger symptoms. Remember, “health” is subjective, and what may be entirely appropriate for one person is not necessarily healthy for another. As you begin your journey into yoga, consider focusing your attention on meditation, mindfulness and supportive asana rather than restrictive and rule-based dietary suggestions.

Keep these simple guidelines in mind, as well as inspirational stories like that of Chelsea Fox, who as a teenager experienced healing from anorexia through yoga. As noted by Chinese sage Lao Tzu, “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

The practice of yoga can be a helpful complement to your eating disorder recovery. A consistent yoga practice and weekly yoga classes is recommended to reap the maximal effects of yoga. Working with a yoga therapist or a registered yoga teacher can further support the recovery process and can fine tune the practice to your individual needs.

On our Membership Site: A complete list of yoga poses for Eating Disorders and a yoga therapy resource guide for Eating Disorders.

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