Health And Wellness In Addiction Recovery

Navigating the road of addiction recovery is certainly rewarding and at times – challenging. Typically, the hardest part of recovery is the first few months. Once you get past the detox stage, have adequate support, and learn as much as you can about staying sober, you tend to do better.

One area of addiction recovery that is sometimes overlooked in health and wellness. The reality is that it’s tougher to get on the sobriety track and stay there if you’re struggling physically, emotionally, or mentally.

Rather than take health for granted, it’s essential to put it first, doing what you can do to heal in whatever area you are struggling in. After all, when you feel good, you tend to do better in every area of your life.

A happy man

Eating Healthy During Detox

The detox process can be uncomfortable as the body rids itself of toxins associated with whatever drug was being abused. This part of recovery is the best time to introduce nutritious foods that will help you in your recovery process.

Common detox symptoms involve effects that diminish nutrients from the body. From sweating to vomiting to diarrhea, the body can get run down in a hurry. You’ll want to be sure that you are consistently putting healthy foods and water into your body during this time.

Sure, you may feel awful dealing with flu-like symptoms, but to strengthen and boost your immune system, you must practice self-care with adequate nutrition. If you’re in a residential rehab, be sure that they offer healthy food options. If you’re detoxing at home, stock your fridge and cabinets with nutritious options so they’re there when you need them.

During this time, you’ll want to ditch the unhealthy, process foods and sugary drinks – hard as that may be for some. Adopting a healthy, balanced diet with loads of fruits and vegetables can replenish your body and give you the physical and mental boost that you need.

Fitness And Recovery

Eating healthy can certainly enhance your recovery, as well as fitness. Physical exercise, even if it’s light, can help you feel better on all levels.

Not crazy about exercising?

That’s alright. You don’t have to hit the gym or run for miles and miles. Just taking a brisk walk several times a week can help you physically and emotionally. Many treatment centres offer various fitness and wellness classes too, such as yoga or aerobics. You can also choose from plenty of physical activities that will give your body a solid workout, such as golf, group sports like softball, hiking a trail, swimming, and more.

Recovery From A Holistic View

It’s helpful to view your recovery from a holistic angle. You’re not just putting down the drink or drug. That’s a great first step, but recovery involves much more than that. When you enter recovery with focus on yourself mind, body, and spirit, you’re more apt to learn valuable lessons about yourself on all levels that will help you stay sober.

For example, let’s say you’re in recovery for alcoholism. If you just put down the drink and don’t really do anything else, you’re likely to relapse. Or, at the very least, continue to live with inner turmoil.

To really get into full recovery, you’ll want to approach it holistically, putting focus on your health and wellness emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. This could mean seeing a counsellor start getting to the root of the drinking behaviour. It could also mean joining some sort of emotional support group like a 12 Step program.

Take some time to think about what your whole recovery picture looks like. What can you do to boost your health and wellness? Your emotional sobriety? Your mental health? You may want to discuss these things with your therapist, mentor, sponsor, or whoever it is that’s helping you along your recovery journey.

Discipline And Recovery

To live a life sober, free, and experience peace, learning about and implementing self-discipline in your life is necessary. To discipline yourself takes courage and dedication. You’ve probably heard this since the time you were young, either by your parents, teachers, or both.

If you want something, you’ve got to discipline yourself to get it. When it comes to staying sober and going on to live your best life, you’ve got to discipline yourself in various areas. Health and wellness are no exception.

It’s easier to just go on with bad eating habits and plopping on the couch binge-watching Netflix. However, these behaviours won’t do much for you in terms of experience more peace, fulfilment, and joy. So, decide to become a self-disciplined person, doing what you must do in terms of health whether you feel like it or not.

The reality is there will be days you won’t feel like following through with healthy behaviours. You’ll want to skip self-care and revert to old, unhealthy habits. Don’t fall for that temptation. Draw your line in the sand and choose to follow through with your health and wellness goals.

Reach Out For Help

If you find that you need some help along your recovery journey, whether it’s in stopping the use of alcohol or drugs, or taking care of yourself health-wise, reach out for help. There’s no shame in admitting the need for help – everyone does at some point in life.

There are professionals available in the addiction recovery and wellness space that would be delighted to assist you to get free in every area of your life.

You can take that first step today by reaching out for help.

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