Addiction is always a more complex problem than meets the eye.
It isn’t just a behavior that patients need to change. The addictive behaviors are papering over deeper problems, and even if the patient successfully overcomes their addiction, the underlying problems will often manifest themselves in a different addiction later on.
So what makes addiction treatment worthwhile? Why go through the trouble of trying to overcome an addiction when statistics suggest it will be back later in life?
This is why the most effective addiction programs don’t just change the addictive behavior.
Instead, their focus is on addressing the underlying troubles that make addiction so attractive in the first place.
When you are seeking addiction treatment in New Jersey, don’t just look for the fastest program that seems to get results. Look for someone who takes a holistic approach, uniting mind, body and spirit for better health and to create a lifestyle that has no room for addiction.
And it may surprise you to learn that yoga can be an instrumental part of this process.
Healing Trauma
Addiction doesn’t usually occur in a vacuum.
The reason people turn to addictive behaviors is to cover the fact that they have deep patterns of unmet needs and pain that doesn’t quiet down without the numbing that addiction can provide.
While therapy is an integral part of healing the hurts that led to addiction, it is by no means the only way to heal old hurts.
Research has demonstrated time and again that movement can and does help release old tensions and rewire the nervous system.
And yoga in particular, with its emphasis on balance and flexibility as well as strength, is uniquely suited to helping stabilize mental health and release old pains and fears that are stored in various parts of the body.
For example, yoga utilizes several poses that stretch the PSOAS–a muscle in the lower back that is known to store residual tension from trauma.
So while therapy is vital for healing traumatic memories, it melds beautifully with a weekly practice of yoga that can let the patient do a physical release–both literal and symbolic–of the old hurts that led to their addictive behaviors.
Creating Positive Patterns
Removing an addictive behavior often leaves a patient’s life feeling empty.
Hours that were once filled with addictive behaviors are now open, and those long hours can stretch into a vacuum that your body is desperate to fill with old, numbing habits.
This is another reason that an activity like yoga can make a huge difference in the outcome of addiction treatment.
Having more events on your calendar helps to stay grounded and based in the reality of a structured week. Yoga class gives you a great goal for a given evening when you might otherwise be tempted to relapse at home alone or go to a bar or party.
And even on the nights without classes, filling those empty hours with relaxing yoga flows is much more productive than sitting and suffering through cravings or spirals, waiting for bedtime to come and relieve you of the temptation to indulge in destructive behaviors.
Building a Healthy Lifestyle
One of the surest ways to ensure that addictive behaviors will not return is to come to a close understanding of your body’s needs and rhythms.
Creating a lifestyle of nourishment fills the physical cravings that the addicted brain can misinterpret as need for substances or behaviors.
Getting adequate rest ensures that the more rational parts of the brain are fully functional and able to fight off the temptations that addiction presents.
And a regular practice of exercise, such as yoga, gives the patient goals and desires that they are willing to sacrifice for.
Performance and fitness goals are a powerful motivator. When you are focused on a positive physical outcome, addictive behaviors stop feeling like a fun pastime and start feeling like sabotage.
The Structure of Healing
When you are truly ready to change your unhealthy behavioral patterns, you don’t just start talking about your past with a therapist and get rid of the trappings of your poison of choice.
Longterm change means creating structured chains of habit and accountability that leaves no room for old patterns to sneak in.
Wanting to do better is just the first step. In order to enact positive change it’s vital to create a new life–one that is filled with positive habitual actions that preclude relapses just by virtue of their fullness and the supportive accountability of friends and colleagues.
And when it comes to finding friends who are interested in your health, and filling free time with productive and enjoyable activities, yoga is an excellent choice.
As you progress through an addiction treatment program, talk with your therapist about adding yoga to your weekly schedule. A holistic approach is more likely to succeed than simple therapy, and will also result in a life that you want to pursue to the fullest.
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