When someone goes to the doctor for an illness, they may be prescribed medication in order to get better. However, when you struggle with substance abuse, your treatment needs to be different than traditional ways of caring for an illness.

For midlife adults with a lot going on — careers, taking care of a family, staying on top of finances — life can feel very hectic, making the way you approach recovery all the more important. Addiction recovery needs to begin by taking a holistic approach and making seemingly-simple but important life changes.

Holistic Methods for Treating Substance Abuse

Nutritional Guidance

Years of substance addiction can take a toll on your physical health, so it’s important to establish and maintain a healthy diet during your recovery. By having the proper nourishment, you can better fuel your body for recovery and replenish any vitamin deficiencies addiction may have caused.

Meditation

One of the biggest feats when you’re working towards recovery of substance abuse is keeping a healthy mental attitude. Meditation is a great practice to help focus your mind and find the inner peace needed to be alone with your thoughts in a safe, healthy way. Meditation can also help you cope with feelings of stress and anxiety rather than turn to substances.

Horticulture Therapy

Since the 1950s, horticulture therapy and gardening have been shown to improve physical and mental health. Tending to and caring for delicate flowers and produce can help increase your self-esteem as well as teach you important life skills to aid in your recovery.

Trauma-Sensitive Yoga

One of the reasons people might turn to drugs and alcohol is to mask the emotional or physical trauma they’ve experienced in their lives. Trauma-sensitive yoga is specially-designed to manage the negative emotional feelings that caused you to turn to substances in the first place and, instead, use healthier coping mechanisms.

Equine Therapy

Did you know that equine therapy is a proven-beneficial treatment for those struggling with addiction? By interacting with horses and being cognizant of those interactions, you can achieve better self-awareness which can help you in your recovery.

In the holistic addiction program at Silver Ridge, we view the body as a whole entity and specialize in treating those in mid-life. For more on holistic therapy and other addiction treatments at our Asheville rehabilitation center, please contact us at (855) 945-7788