The mind (thought), body (physical movement and sensation), and spirit (emotion and connection) are all separate but interconnected parts of a soul. When one part is broken and suffering, it takes a toll on all three parts of an individual.
(Spencer Selover/pexels)
Addiction damages every part of you.
- Mind: The brain rewires itself to anticipate the feel-good effects of drugs and alcohol and to encourage repetition in the behavior. It is also wired to protect us from pain and discomfort. If someone goes too long between substance use, the brain will remind you of times when you’ve used it before to stop the pains of withdrawal. Thoughts become obsessive until the addicted individual gives in and achieves (temporary) relief.
- Body: The body adjusts to substance use. If substance use releases feel-good hormones in large quantities, the body quits producing its own supply. That sense of well-being, pain control, and proper bodily function are all affected. During withdrawals, the body experiences pain, elevated heart rate, fight-or-flight-related anxiety, nausea, vomiting, uncontrollable sweating, and tremors, among other symptoms. The body can become so dependent on the substance that quitting “cold turkey” could lead to stroke or heart failure.
- Spirit: Addiction causes people to act against their value systems. They learn to value drugs over people and principles they once held dear. Addiction breaks the bonds of family and friendship, isolating the person who has a substance use disorder until they feel alone and hopeless. They feel judged by others and learn to judge and hate themselves for being “too weak” to kick the habit alone.
Isolated Recovery
In general, people with addictions have trouble recovering in isolation. Addressing only the physical symptoms ignores the reality that they are conditioned to respond to stress with substance use. Family problems, custody battles, job loss, property loss, alienation of friends, and other stressors will trigger a relapse unless the person develops alternate coping mechanisms.
How To Cope
Coping mechanisms can be mental, physical, or spiritual, but these mechanisms work best if they address all three. One of the many benefits of an addiction recovery center is that it works to heal the whole person. It helps people medically detox, easing pain and other physiological symptoms so the detox process is safe and effective. A center provides classes and therapy sessions with strategies and tools to get through specific situations and address mental health issues that may underlie the addiction. Christian treatment centers take it a step further, helping people foster a closer relationship with a higher power.
Here are some specific coping mechanisms that can work together to address mental, physical, and spiritual healing:
Meditation: Learning to accept thoughts, past deeds, and current situations with less judgment allows you to move forward with deliberate action rather than just reacting.
Exercise: Using your body to get feel-good chemicals through movement can replace previous behaviors over time. Not only does it make daily life healthier, but it also helps people manage stress better, vent frustration, and change their focus if they start having obsessive thoughts and cravings.
Grounding: People tend to live in the past or future rather than the present. Grounding yourself in the moment can combat overwhelm, anxiety, and fear of what may or may not ever happen. A person gets grounded by using all their senses to be in the moment. What do they see, hear, smell, feel, and taste? With practice, grounding can stop a panic attack or immediately redirect wayward thoughts.
How The 12-Step Program Heals
The 12-step program used at many Christian-based rehabilitation centers helps people accept their helplessness against addiction and access a higher power. Higher power may mean different things to different people, but there are common principles in the 12 steps.
- Seeking strength from something or someone greater than oneself. Whether that’s the person’s higher self, nature, a life’s calling, or God, people need to belong to something bigger. Problems become more manageable when they’re put into perspective. Prayer, meditation, and being in nature all help with perspective. They calm the nervous system, promote healing, and strengthen people in pain.
- Admitting to and making restitution for any wrongs they may have committed while under the influence. Transparency improves individual accountability, helps mend relationships, and stops the cycle of concealing wrongs because of shame. As long as people continue to live in denial or hide their actions, they can never move past them. Shame, guilt, self-loathing, and bitterness all undermine progress and encourage relapse.
- Service to others promotes a broader perspective, stops people from obsessing over their problems, and can offer a different kind of high. Service changes people, helping them be more sympathetic, forgiving, and loving, not just to others but to themselves. People can find a project they feel passionate about or serve others in an alumni group after graduating from an alcohol and drug treatment facility (such as the Sober Sisters or Band of Brothers alum groups at Renaissance Ranch).
Final Words
Addiction damages the whole person, so the solution must also be all-encompassing to be effective. By integrating strategies to meet mental, physical, and spiritual needs at an alcohol and opioid recovery center, therapies can help those suffering from addiction to reclaim their lives.