It is impossible for an individual who has not lived through the experience of having a friend or family member battling drug and alcohol addiction to thoroughly understand how heart-wrenching of a situation it is. What is even more difficult is watching a loved one go through a rehabilitation program, only to have a relapse and fall back into the same destructive pattern. The effect that it has on the peace of the home, the morale of family, and overall home stability is devastating.
Why Traditional Drug Rehabilitation May Not Work
At times, the reason why drug rehabilitation does not work is that the rehabilitation program was focused simply on getting the addict to quit using the drugs or to quit abusing alcohol. The truth of the matter is that effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation is a lot more complicated. It requires a holistic approach in order to be successful.
What Is Holistic Drug Rehabilitation?
A drug rehabilitation center in Arizona that focuses on holistic rehab focuses not just on treating the addiction but instead on treating the entire individual. The holistic approach is effective because it works on the premise that the dependence a person has on a substance is just part of the problem. Other aspects of an individual’s life, their past, and their physical and mental makeup have led to the addiction, and all of these things must be treated in order for the addiction to be stopped.
A holistic approach to rehabilitation is not a one size fits all thing. The causes of addiction vary from person to person. The solution provided must be tailored to the needs of each individual. It should incorporate multiple therapeutic services. The goal is to help the addict achieve a balance in their life both physically, mentally, and spiritually.
A major part of holistic drug rehabilitation involves helping a person feel better about themselves. The stronger an individual’s self-esteem is, the more strength they will have to battle against relapses. Obviously, in order to feel good about themselves, a person’s diet, level of physical fitness, and mental clarity must also be top-notch. This is why the holistic approach incorporates diet, exercise, and some sort of meditation or acupuncture.
Holistic Drug Rehabilitation and Mental Illness
The connection between mental illness and drug abuse is staggering. It is estimated that in the United States approximately 2 million people have what can be qualified as severe mental illness. Of these people, at least half, or 1 million individuals, also abuse drugs. This statistic is staggering especially when you realize that the general population only has a 15 percent drug abuse rate. These statistics come from The Alcohol Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration.
This is an important fact because if a person enters into rehab and they are only treated for their addiction, but the underlying mental illness is not addressed, it is all but assured that they will return to drug abuse. At a holistic clinic, every aspect of the patient is evaluated. The focus is not solely on their drug habits, but it is also on their physical, emotional, and mental health. Understanding things such as a history of mental illness helps professionals design a recovery program that is specific to a particular patient’s needs.
Mental health professionals who work in holistic clinics strive to create a balance. What they do not want is for the addiction to be treated while mental health issues become exacerbated or vice versa. This is part of the mind and body treatment that holistic medicine provides. Identifying underlying issues that lead to drug addiction is the key to permanent drug addiction recovery.
Holistic Drug Rehabilitation and Spirituality
Most holistic rehabilitation centers focus on helping a person improve their spirituality. This does not mean that an individual is encouraged to practice the beliefs of one denomination or another. Instead, they are encouraged to do a self-examination identifying the void that they are trying to fill with alcohol or drugs. Then, the spiritual aspect of holistic drug rehabilitation is used to help addicts fill that void with something that will give them a strong sense of purpose.
Watching a loved one repeatedly relapse and return to destructive addictive habits is painful. Watching a loved one who has gone through a holistic rehabilitation program improve their self-esteem, their mental health, their eating and diet, and their resistance to drugs can be a source of great happiness.
