When struggling with any illness, including addiction, we are inclined to focus on the most pressing symptom rather than the illness as a whole because that is what is most distressing to us. Understandably, we tend to deal with the most urgent symptom because it is what we find most difficult to live with. Because we’re so focused on that troubling symptom, we don’t usually take a holistic approach to healing from illness.
When it comes to addiction, our dependence on our drug of choice is usually the most problematic issue for us. Our substance use, however, is only one symptom of the illness and not the entirety of it. It is a manifestation of the illness but not the cause of it, nor is it the whole picture of it.
A Holistic Approach Involves Deeper Healing
True recovery entails more than abstinence from our drug of choice. Recovery is finding the parts of ourselves that need healing and giving them the love and attention they need. Addiction recovery means working on our overall happiness and well-being, not simply shedding our dependence on our drug of choice. Healing means equipping ourselves with the tools we need to keep ourselves sober over time, even when we’re triggered by something or tempted by a craving.
Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Spiritual Aspects as Part of a Holistic Approach
Recovering from addiction, therefore, requires that we take a holistic approach rather than looking at only the symptoms of substance use. What are some of the contributing factors to our addictions? Are there emotional causes that we have yet to unearth and heal from? Perhaps addiction runs in our family, and we’re the last in a long line of people struggling with the same patterns. Maybe there are other mental, emotional, and physical health issues also at play.
How can we take a holistic approach to our recovery? One way is to look at addiction as a multifaceted illness rather than just a symptom of substance use. Addiction is an illness that has mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual components. Our recovery from addiction can include working on each of these areas. Working with an addiction recovery treatment center like Athens Area Commencement Center can help us to address all of the different factors of our addiction in order to work toward lasting recovery.
Cognitive and Scientific Factors of Addiction
Many of us recovering from addiction want to gain a deeper understanding of the illness. We can study addiction itself, its scientific components, and the nature of biochemical dependence. It can be fascinating to learn how our brains function when we’re struggling with addiction, when we’re under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and when we’ve recovered.
Different Treatment Modalities as Part of a Holistic Approach
We can learn more about different treatment modalities, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), 12-Step programs, and mindfulness meditation. Learning more about the mental and cognitive aspects of addiction can help us to better understand ourselves and our addictions. This can also help us discover which methods might help us most in our recovery. We can look for treatment programs, like those at Athens Area Commencement Center, that offer the treatment modalities we’re looking for.
Changing Cognitive Patterns as Part of a Holistic Approach
Committing to regular therapy can help us uncover some of the cognitive patterns we’ve developed that have contributed to our addictions. We all have thought patterns to which we default, and CBT can help us examine them in greater detail. With practice, we can adopt mindset shifts, instill new neural pathways, and create new thought patterns that serve us better in our recovery. Where once we might have consistently been telling ourselves things like “I’ll never get better,” we can begin to replace that limiting belief with “I have total faith I will get better.”
Emotional Benefits of Therapy
Therapy can help us with not only the cognitive aspects of addiction but also the emotional ones. Addiction and trauma are closely related. Many of us struggling with addiction have experienced trauma, especially in our formative years. Our addictions are often our way of dealing with the difficult emotions we haven’t yet learned how to cope with. Very often, we’re living with other mental health issues and emotional challenges that we have yet to address.
Taking Care of Our Physical Health as Part of a Holistic Approach
A holistic approach to recovery involves examining all the different aspects of our physical health that we might be ignoring because we’ve been focused on our substance use. When struggling with addiction, chances are we’re also dealing with other physical health problems that we’ve been unable to confront due to our substance use. We might have been avoiding going to the doctor or seeking help for other health problems. Many of us simply haven’t had the capacity to deal with our other health issues because our addictions are so all-consuming. Chances are we’re not getting restful sleep, adequate exercise, or proper nutrition. We’ve likely been neglecting our physical health for quite some time.
Spiritual Well-Being in Recovery
One aspect of 12-Step programs that can be especially helpful is the emphasis on seeking the help of a higher power. With a higher power, we no longer have to feel alone. We don’t have to take on our recovery alone. Having that help can mean the difference between feeling totally alone to overcome an insurmountable challenge and feeling loved and supported as we do the work to recover. This spiritual component of sobriety is often what helps us most in our recovery.
Recovery Is a Lifelong Journey
We learn through experience that recovery is a lifelong journey. Healing from addiction holistically means continuing to do the work in all areas of our lives for the rest of our lives.
Rather than focusing only on the most pressing symptom of our addiction, as we often do with illness, we want to look at our addiction holistically and take a holistic approach to our recovery. Beyond the symptoms of substance use, there are various underlying issues and contributing factors to our addictions. With help, we can address and heal from all of them. At Athens Area Commencement Center, we offer addiction recovery treatment as well as support for co-occurring disorders. We have over 30 years of experience in the field and have close ties to our community. Call us today at (706) 546-7355 for more information on how we can help you and your family.