As an addiction treatment center, PACE Recovery Center hopes that everyone working a program has a plan for New Year’s Eve. Our most recent posts provide some guidance for keeping recovery intact and setting resolutions you can follow. 2019 is about to get underway, and it can be a year of continued progress.
People who undergo addiction treatment learn that physical and spiritual health is a top priority. Men and women who seek to overcome and recover from mental illness benefit from leading a healthier life. Many addiction treatment centers encourage clients to engage in athletic activities as a means of facilitating healing. Persistent drug and alcohol use takes a toll on both mind and body, requiring healing. To that end, allotting a few hours each week to exercise establishes a healthy behavior and promotes wellbeing.
Substance use is a behavior that carries severe risks to one’s health. However, once drugs and alcohol are out of the picture doesn’t mean necessarily that an individual’s mind and body will bounce right back. Encouraging wellbeing means eating nutritional foods and making an exercise routine. People living with physical disabilities will have to scale back such activities some, but they can benefit from physical fitness too.
Each year, at this time, many people in recovery resolve themselves to make physical fitness a priority. It is possible to lead a healthier existence in recovery and strengthen other areas of one’s life just by taking a little time to get the heart beating faster. Naturally, routines should be realistic; no need to overdo it and risk burning out or worse, get hurt. Individuals currently in addiction treatment should ask counselors for guidance. Those working a program outside rehab can turn to their support group for support and perhaps an exercise partner.
How Can Exercise Help My Addiction Recovery?
Research regarding the benefits of exercise, in recovery, can be difficult to unpack. There are several studies on the topic. There are many approaches, each person has to find a routine that works well. Whichever one decides (i.e., jogging, biking, or swimming) most experts agree, physical fitness aids recovery outcomes. While working out alone will by no means lead to recovery, exercising in conjunction with psychotherapy and mutual-help groups, for instance, is quite beneficial.
Claire Twark M.D., writing for the Harvard Health Blog, points out some of the positives of exercise in recovery. Dr. Twark works at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital Addiction Recovery Program in Massachusetts. She has found that “exercise helps to distract them [patients with various substance use disorders] from cravings. Workouts add structure to the day. They help with forming positive social connections, and help treat depression and anxiety in combination with other therapies.”
In her article, Dr. Twark highlights nonprofit organizations advocating for physical activity for people in recovery. As such, individuals can do more than just promote physical wellbeing, they can exercise for a sense of community. The Boston Bulldogs Running Club is for people with addiction and their friends and families. The Phoenix is a community of sober individuals bonding through peer-led CrossFit, yoga, rock climbing, boxing, running, and hiking events. Such activities occur across the country, as well as in the area north and south of PACE, in Long Beach and Costa Mesa, CA.
Those thinking of incorporating an exercise routine into their program of recovery will experience health benefits. Continuing to promote physical well-being outside of addiction treatment, provides an outlet for a more significant sense of community. If exercise is a resolution of yours, again, please consult with your support group. There is always strength in numbers.
Addiction Treatment In 2019
Many men who are currently struggling with alcohol or substance use disorder would like 2019 to be a year of change. However, embarking on a quest for healing is an objective that requires assistance. At PACE Recovery Center, it would be our great pleasure to be part of your incredible journey into recovery. Please contact us today to make the New Year one of progress.
The Gentlemen of PACE Recovery Center would like to wish everyone a safe and recovery-focused New Year’s Eve.
