Try These Therapies Before Giving Up Hope in Treatment

Are you in a treatment program and about to give up hope? Has the treatment you’re receiving seemingly lost it’s effectiveness or have you had difficulty recovering from addiction despite your trying many different types of treatment? It’s not uncommon to hit a plateau when you are receiving addiction treatment and to require a change in order to continue to push forward with recovery. Many therapies are offered to help instigate better, lasting recovery despite plateaus or other hurdles in the recovery process.

The last thing you probably want to do is attempt more behavioral therapy or counseling, especially if you feel like these methods are not providing you with an effective foundation for recovery but there is help. When you want relief from the discomforts and pain that come with withdrawal, sometimes, an alternative therapy approach is the best answer. Complimentary and alternative therapies can be very effective, especially during the first days or weeks of treatment when withdrawal symptoms are at their peak and agitation, irritability and discomfort are the primary concern.

Before you give up hope and quit treatment all together, try an alternative or complimentary therapy that may help ease the pain, discomfort and mental instability that comes during these early phases of treatment. You might be surprised at the effectiveness of these therapies and chances are, you’ll feel a lot better. Besides, there’s really nothing to lose and a whole lot of potential gains could come from easing the symptoms of withdrawal in preparation for long term recovery efforts.

Massage Therapy

This method of therapy can help induce the recovery of both the mind and the body by integrating the senses and getting them back in touch with one another. Massage is an effective therapy used to reduce pain, induce the release of dopamine which makes you “feel” better and can promote enhanced immune function. Because massage therapy can be used either in an inpatient or outpatient program of treatment, there is a certain ease of access that makes this method of therapy highly effective in drug addiction treatment.

Massage can improve sleep, reduce anxiety and agitation, eliminate cravings and improve mental clarity.

Meditation

For mental clarity, meditation is an excellent therapy that will promote relaxation, increased mind-body awareness and spiritual growth. Often times, meditation is also used to help teach recovering addicts how to allow a drug craving to peak without giving in to the craving to get high. This method of behavioral therapy that involves meditation to overcome and surpass the craving to use drugs can be highly effective in preventing future relapse.

Acupuncture

This method of therapy has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years and is now used as a complimentary treatment for addiction. Acupuncture is effective at reducing drug cravings, alleviating withdrawal symptoms, promoting stress reduction and sleep and can also ease pain and discomforts. It is used to treat nausea, headaches and other withdrawal symptoms that commonly make the detoxification and early days of drug addiction treatment very difficult to cope with.

Before you give up hope, try one of the methods of therapy in conjunction with counseling and care. You could be pleasantly surprised at how effective and helpful these methods of treatment can be. Remember, the early days are the most difficult—if you can get through the first days and weeks, the recovery will become easier as you go.