A growing number of rehab centers are integrating alternative care options into their treatment plans. For example, mindfulness meditation has become a popular option for many going through addiction treatment. However, you may ask yourself whether mindfulness meditation can be effective. It can be challenging for many people to believe that a simple technique like mindfulness meditation therapy could help with a complex disease like addiction. However, medical studies show that there could be a real advantage of this beneficial technique. If you are interested in learning more about how meditation and mindfulness can help people in addiction recovery, contact Crestview Recovery by calling 866.262.0531.
The Nature of Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is an ancient practice that focuses on calming the mind, relaxing the body, and concentrating on the moment. Past generations used it as a medical care option and a way to “project” their consciousness. Though there is no evidence of consciousness-projection in meditation, studies do show it does provide many benefits.
For example, medical experts have found that it can help decrease some pain symptoms, relieve anxiety and depression, manage some insomnia concerns, and even reduce blood pressure. Performing this relaxation technique is all about remaining still and letting negative thoughts and bad feelings disappear. But can mindfulness meditation work for addiction, or are other substance use care methods better?
Can Mindfulness Meditation Work for Addiction?
Many readers may think of mindfulness meditation as a New Age care option with no scientific backing. However, that is not the case. A growing body of evidence suggests that meditation may help with many symptoms of drug addiction. Just a few ways that mindfulness meditation may help control your substance use include how it can:
- Manage some signs of physical withdrawal pain
- Calm anxiety related to drug use and other issues
- Help decrease insomnia caused by substance use
- Decrease a person’s compulsion to abuse drugs
- Manage relapse triggers more effectively
- Create a more peaceful and more relaxed state of mind
So, can mindfulness meditation work for addiction? Many experts believe that meditation, alongside high-quality rehab, may help with many of its symptoms. However, none claim that it should be the sole treatment option for this disease. Medical help is still essential for those experiencing the disease of addiction. However, mindfulness meditation can help with day-to-day problems for those with an addiction.
Tips for a Mindful, Connected Life
Anybody can learn mindfulness meditation as a way of managing addiction. This simple care method can then be used throughout your day to help avoid relapses. And these techniques can be used whether you are going through rehab therapy or aftercare. Even people who quit years ago can use the following methods to stay sober when the impulse to use strikes:
- Meditate whenever you feel the desire to use drugs
- When bored, meditate instead of seeking out substances
- Try to meditate at least once every day, even if you do not feel abuse triggers
- Use meditation techniques during stressful moments without fully meditating
- Master controlled breathing to manage excessive stress and other issues
These tips should help to make meditation a helpful tool for managing your addiction. But remember: rehab is critical for your overall recovery. And while the answer to the question, “can mindfulness meditation work for addiction?” is a positive one, you also should not expect miracles. Meditation, while beneficial, is just one tool that you should use in your fight against substance use.
Therapy in Addiction Recovery
A traditional rehab program may address addiction without treating mental health concerns. However, rehab-only programs may not fully treat or even address issues like anxiety, stress, fear, or depression. A key feature of nearly all holistic addiction treatment programs involves teaching how to relax and center the mind and body. In this way, holistic therapy allows people to restore balance to their lives. It helps people recognize and deal with unhealthy habits and remove environmental toxins from the body. Mental health therapy deepens your understanding of yourself, others, and how you relate to the world and people in your stratosphere.
Help Is Available for Your Loved One
Hopefully, this information answers the question of whether mindfulness meditation can help people manage addiction. If not, please do not hesitate to contact us at Crestview Recovery today. Our specialists have decades of experience and can provide many care options, including:
- High-quality dual-diagnosis treatment
- Depression treatment
- Anxiety treatment
- Outpatient and inpatient care options
- Extended care in a 90-day program
- Individual therapy options
- Trauma and PTSD therapy
- Help for all types of substance use
Our experts want to help you actualize your recovery to make it easier to regain a sober life. So call 866.262.0531 today to get started. You can also verify your insurance along the way. Please do not let addiction take over you: instead, regain control of your life.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
