Reviewed by Kate Wood
All forms of self-care are worthwhile when healing from a substance use disorder. By the time most people seek treatment, their bodies, minds, and spirits are already suffering. They may have become estranged from friends and family, and may have done or said things they never imagined they would.
For many, surviving a life dominated by substance use means skipping meals or relying on unhealthy convenience foods. It may also mean poor sleep quality and little exercise. The substances themselves have a negative effect on the brain and body.
Problems like lack of rest, poor nutrition, and broken relationships compound the physical, mental, and emotional damage addiction can cause.
When you are faced with all of this, relaxation techniques might seem low on your priority list. However, self-care is one of the most important habits for a person in recovery to learn. Self-care will help you restore your physical and mental health and keep your spirit strong through all recovery phases.
Addiction Recovery and Self-Nurturing: Learning Healthy New Habits
A report from the National Institutes of Health shows that around 50% of people with substance use disorders also have mental health disorders, and vice versa. Generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are some of the most common issues that co-occur with substance use disorders.
Many people living with undiagnosed or untreated mental health disorders self-medicate to ease their symptoms. While self-medication may provide some temporary relief, substance use only makes the problem worse in the long run.
The reverse is also true. Living with a substance use disorder is bad for your mental health. Substance use can physically damage your brain. In addition, addiction can isolate you from your loved ones and cause catastrophic financial distress. These personal hardships may lead to depression, anxiety, or other mental health concerns.
Learning how to cope with life’s challenges without depending on drugs or alcohol is at the heart of recovery. Incorporating healthy habits like eating well, getting adequate sleep, exercising, socializing, and practicing relaxation techniques can offer a number of benefits.
Self-care encompasses all those things an individual does to repair the damage of addiction and create a new future. Here are seven ways that self-care, spa treatments, and relaxation techniques can support recovery.
1. Make Detox More Effective
Massage Today shares the results of a four-day study that included 50 people detoxing from alcohol. The study showed that participants who received a massage felt healthier, safer, and more supported than those who did not receive massage therapy. They also had better appetites and a more positive outlook on the treatment program overall.
Some types of massage therapy help the body’s natural elimination process by stimulating the lymphatic system. This system is responsible for eliminating toxins and metabolic waste.
Acupuncture is another technique that people in detox could benefit from since this treatment may support the function of the kidneys, liver, and digestive system. These systems play a major role in removing waste from the body.
One study concluded that clients who had received acupuncture treatments during detox were less likely to be readmitted to detox treatment. Another suggests that including electrical stimulation with acupuncture may help prevent anxiety and depression during withdrawal.
At its best, withdrawal causes emotional and physical discomfort. Some people experience pain, sickness, and extreme emotional upheaval. Most detox symptoms can be managed by medical care, but including natural, drug-free techniques such as massage, meditation, and acupuncture helps create a more restful recovery experience.
2. Restore Physical Health
The physical effects of addiction can be severe. Depending on the duration and severity of substance misuse and the type of substances involved, these effects can be life-threatening. Some of the most common physical complaints associated with substance use disorders include:
- Heart damage
- Liver and kidney disease
- Brain damage or cognitive decline
- Poor dental health
- Digestive disorders
Acupuncture may be especially helpful in supporting physical health. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture is often used to restore physical and emotional balance by promoting the flow of energy, or “qi.” It is believed that healthy qi leads to a healthy body.
Relaxation techniques like meditation support physical health by reducing pain and improving sleep. A study published by the American Journal of Psychiatry found that meditation and other mindfulness practices may reduce pain. This could be especially helpful for people in recovery who are coping with chronic pain.
Sleep is essential to physical health, but getting restorative sleep without turning to substance use can be a challenge. Meditation is a highly recommended and evidence-based method for redirecting a racing mind and improving sleep quality.
3. Reduce Stress
Though the goal of recovery is to lead a happier and healthier life, leaving behind everything that is familiar — including substance use — causes stress. Psychology Today reports that stress is a key factor in relapse.
However, stress management is learned, not instinctive. People with a history of substance use may lack the coping skills needed to handle stressors that others take in stride.
Those who grew up in chaotic households or who have other risk factors may not have had the opportunity to learn functional ways of handling stress. In fact, when a child consistently experiences high levels of stress, it can alter their ability to respond to stress effectively.
Learning new stress management skills is an integral part of any effective addiction treatment program. Relaxation techniques that you practice yourself and receive from trained professionals can provide you with new insights.
A study published by the National Institutes of Health found that many forms of meditation can reduce the physiological markers of stress. Meditation can also improve symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and PTSD.
Massage is also highly effective for lowering stress. According to the Mayo Clinic, massage can help with stress-related depression and anxiety, improving mood, and increasing a person’s confidence.
4. Improve Emotional Regulation
A prolonged substance use disorder can exacerbate mental health symptoms and disrupt the body’s ability to maintain hormonal balance. It can affect neurotransmitters like serotonin, which plays a pivotal role in controlling a person’s mood, stress response, and impulse control.
Relaxation techniques help to restore emotional balance. There is evidence that massage therapy increases serotonin and improves emotional regulation, for example.
Reiki, a type of energy healing that originates from Japan, may enhance emotional well-being on several levels. Studies have shown that Reiki reduces stress and improves mood. It may also reduce anxiety and boost self-esteem.
Over time, Reiki may help improve an individual’s overall mental well-being by releasing stagnant energy and promoting emotional balance. Regularly receiving Reiki, massage, and other relaxing therapies could help soften extreme emotional highs and lows.
5. Improve Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is about recognizing your strengths and weaknesses, learning your motivations in life, and being able to control your emotions. With self-awareness, you can also understand the triggers that tempt you to misuse substances.
Improving self-awareness is critical for preventing relapse and setting new goals in recovery. Practices such as massage, acupuncture, and craniosacral therapy help people become more self-aware because they strengthen the connection between mind and body.
For example, it is not unusual for clients to experience feelings of sadness or joy when receiving massage therapy. These reactions may be related to a phenomenon known as body memory.
Body memory is a theory that suggests trauma can be stored in areas of the body other than the brain. When those trauma points are activated through massage or other hands-on therapies, the memory may be released and cause an emotional reaction. This experience can deepen an individual’s mind-body connection and lead to better self-awareness.
6. Increase Feelings of Positivity
Many people who enter recovery feel hopeless and are skeptical that treatment will work. Fortunately, it’s not necessary to enter recovery with a positive attitude in order to heal.
Some clients are forced into treatment by circumstances and don’t even believe they have a substance use disorder until therapy helps them reach a place of honesty about their behaviors. Although they started treatment with a negative outlook, their attitude may begin to turn around.
A positive attitude gives people hope and the courage to make new goals. It can help recovery clients on every level, including repairing relationships, bringing meaning to life, and improving mental and physical health.
Relaxation techniques promote a more positive outlook. By relieving pain, improving sleep, and lowering stress levels, techniques like massage, acupuncture, meditation, and other mindfulness practices help clients feel less anxious and more positive.
7. Be Fully Present
There’s a lot of talk about being “present in the moment” in treatment. Being present means not being preoccupied with past mistakes or worrying about future events. Both of those thought patterns can lead to relapse.
However, people who have misused drugs and alcohol to escape their feelings have difficulty keeping their minds focused on the current moment. Massage, yoga, hot/cold therapy, and other relaxation techniques encourage participants to pay attention, take deep breaths, and clear their minds of any distracting thoughts.
Whether you’re meditating, taking a yoga class, or receiving a sound healing treatment, one of the goals is to focus your attention on what is happening right now. This is the meaning of mindfulness — to avoid distractions and fully experience the moment.
Mindfulness is a powerful ally in recovery. It helps people avoid ruminating or getting caught up in a shame spiral. The more fully present you can be, the more you appreciate the beauty of life without addictive substances.
Relaxation Techniques Aid Your Recovery Journey
Finding new ways to boost feel-good hormones and receive pleasure without relying on substances can be a challenge for people with addiction issues, especially when they first enter a treatment program.
Despite the pain and chaos that substance use disorders may cause, giving up unhealthy habits can feel like giving up a source of joy. However, self-care practices like massage, acupuncture, cold/hot therapy, and meditation provide new ways to experience joy. They are also scientifically studied and evidence-based methods for improving the recovery experience and avoiding relapse.
Relaxation techniques can ease the discomfort associated with detox by supporting the lymphatic system as well as the liver and kidneys. They can help you restore physical health and repair the damage caused by substance use disorder by improving sleep and returning the body to a state of balance.
Recovery clients who have difficulty managing stress or regulating their emotions can also benefit from relaxation methods. Therapies like craniosacral massage and Reiki have been found effective for increasing feelings of positivity and improving self-awareness.
Lastly, incorporating relaxation techniques in your addiction treatment plan can help you become more fully present in your daily life. Learning to stay focused on the present moment instead of getting wrapped up in worries and regrets may reduce the risk of relapse and help you enjoy life without the burden of addiction weighing you down.
To learn more about different relaxation techniques that are helpful with addiction recovery, call 855-934-1178, use our online contact form, or send us a message via the live chat function on our website today.
References
- Common Comorbidities with Substance Use Disorders Research Report. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes on Drug Abuse (US); 2020 Apr. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK571451/
- Gentsch, Antje, and Esther Kuehn. “Clinical Manifestations of Body Memories: The Impact of Past Bodily Experiences on Mental Health.” Brain sciences vol. 12,5 594. 3 May. 2022, doi:10.3390/brainsci12050594
- “How to Increase Serotonin without Medication.” Healthline, Healthline Media, www.healthline.com/health/how-to-increase-serotonin#diet. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
- Marsolek, Amy. “Massage Helps Anxiety, Depression.” Mayo Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System, 20 July 2022, www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/massage-for-depression-anxiety-and-stress#:~:text=Massage%20can%20lower%20stress%20levels%20and%20feelings%20of,massage%20can%20be%20an%20effective%20part%20of%20treatment.
- “Massage: A Supplement to Alcohol Detox.” Massage Today, www.massagetoday.com/articles/15442/Massage-A-Supplement-to-Alcohol-Detox. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
- Pascoe MC, Thompson DR, Jenkins ZM, Ski CF. Mindfulness mediates the physiological markers of stress: Systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res. 2017 Dec;95:156-178. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2017.08.004. Epub 2017 Aug 23. PMID: 28863392.
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- “Reiki for Mental Wellbeing: Supporting Your Mind with Reiki Energy.” Reiki Healing Association, reikihealingassociation.com/reiki-for-mental-wellbeing-supporting-your-mind-with-reiki-energy/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
- St. Marie, Raymond, and Kellie S. Talebkhah. Neurological Evidence of a Mind-Body Connection: Mindfulness and Pain Control. American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal, Https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.130401, vol. 13, no. 4, American Psychiatric Publishing, Apr. 2018, pp. 2–5, doi:10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2018.130401. April 1, 2018.
- “Stress and Addiction.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201705/stress-and-addiction?msockid=3e810381c43767c42cf117cdc5b36615. Accessed 23 Oct. 2024.
- Wu, Sharon, et al. “Acupuncture for Detoxification in Treatment of Opioid Addiction.” Informit, search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.961591765882718. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.