Hardships of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse can be highly detrimental and self-destructive to a person’s life. It affects almost every aspect of the addict’s life in a negative way from career, health, finances, freedom, life expectancy, personal relationships, and more. Shaking substance abuse, which often involves a physical and mental addiction, is one of the most difficult things a person can do in life. It takes unfaltering will and determination.
Traditional Methods of Help
Traditional methods of dealing with substance abuse often involves counseling and sometimes even a controlled environment to ensure relapse doesn’t occur during the peak time of physical withdrawal, which is often days or weeks. This is not necessary for many former sufferers of substance abuse but should not be ruled out as an option, even if just temporarily at the beginning.
Alternative Paths
Alternative methods to deal with substance abuse focuses on self healing on a physical, mental, and spiritual level. Activities such as meditation, yoga, mental and breathing exercises, herbal supplements, massages, acupuncture, saunas, healthy eating, and appropriate entertainment can be more powerful than any drug or counseling session in many instances. Thinking outside the box and remedy many problems that are traditionally hard.
Kai Chi Do
Kai Chi Do as a treatment for substance abuse might be an option. Kai Chi Do is a Japanese system of meditation and spiritual movement that is a natural stress reliever. It focuses on fluid body movement, flexibility, clarity of the mind, and music. This is very therapeutic and relaxing and helps with cravings, withdrawals, and willpower. It involves breathing exercises, elements of yoga, and promoting positive energy flowing throughout the body. It is said the confidence and tranquility achieved through this makes the desire for substance abuse cease.
Herbal Remedies
There are many natural herbs and medicine that minimizes cravings and withdrawals and helps with the root causes that people abuse drugs such as pain, insomnia, appetite, anxiety, stress, depression, and other ailments. For example, CBD, derived from the cannabis plant, is legal and has many health benefits and treats many of the mentioned conditions. Contacting an herbalist to guide you to select the right medicine is recommended.
Massages, Acupuncture, and Saunas
Massages are relaxing and often temporarily takes the one being massaged into temporary nirvana and euphoria. This state can be very pleasurable and can replace the high achieved from drugs. Acupuncture can be particularly helpful in the beginning of battling substance abuse as it can assist with detox. It helps cleanse the body and relieves it of unwanted toxins that can prolong the desire. Saunas follow a similar logic with helping refine the body to make it more pure and free of addiction.
Food
Even though we all must eat food to survive, truly enjoying delicious food and eating healthy is a ability and luxury many do not properly indulge in. Looking forward to diverse and succulent flavors, your body feeling healthy from proper nutrition, and treating yourself to comfort food after victories of sobriety is a great asset in the battle to recovery.
Sports
Increased physical activity in general is very beneficial as an alternative way to help with substance abuse. Basic exercise such as aerobics, running, bicycling, and weight lifting can be effective. Sometimes getting involved in something organized like basketball, bowling, golf, or martial arts can be even more effective. Hobbies such as chess and starting collections are therapeutic as well as getting more in tune with nature with hiking, camping, gardening, astronomy, and sightseeing.
Romance
This may seem like a rather simple and unorthodox recommendation to deal with substance abuse, but love can be a drug in itself. Having romance in your circle is one of the most natural ways to get high off of life. A romantic partner not only gives emotional support but doing activities together is distracting from addiction and motivation to stay strong. Love can do powerful things; some think it can save the globe and promote world peace. It being that powerful is questionable, but it can be a strong aid when remaining sober and drug-free.
Battling addiction requires a strong and formidable fight. Using all the weapons and tools available in your arsenal will better ensure victory. Strong consideration should be given to alternative methods to help with substance abuse as well as the traditional strategies.