In addition to other mental health issues that can develop as a result of substance abuse, substance-induced anxiety disorders are more common than not. These disorders can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life, making it difficult to function and perform everyday tasks. Fortunately, there are various treatments available that can help manage anxiety disorders influenced by substance abuse and promote long-term recovery. Make sure to contact us at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center WV and learn more about the insurance policies and admission process. Continue reading →
Addiction recovery can be a challenging journey for anyone. However, studies show that women face unique needs in this process. As a gender group, women tend to have different experiences, expectations, and challenges than men when it comes to addiction and recovery. In addition, the unique needs women face in recovery are often overlooked. This is why it’s crucial to understand and address them in order to help women struggling with addiction achieve successful outcomes in rehab programs. If you are a woman or future mother reading this, don’t hesitate to contact us at Harmony Ridge Recovery Center WV. We offer not only highly-effective treatments but also a safe environment that supports your recovery journey from day one. Continue reading →
Going through the process of addiction treatment is like climbing Mont Everest. It seems impossible, it can feel like you’ll suffocate from time to time and just go back to the muddy old place where the sun doesn’t shine. However, if you put one leg in front of another despite it being challenging, you’ll eventually feel and be on top of the world. It’s true that small steps make big changes during recovery, and today, our experts at addiction treatment centers in West Virginia tell you just how. Continue reading →
The field of modern psychology and psychiatry that concerns alcohol and substance abuse has a broad terminology. Sometimes, it might be hard to keep up. And sometimes, terms simply overlap for various reasons. But, with this being a rising problem all over the world, it’s important to distinguish essential terminology. We know that is hard to worry about terminology when you have more significant problems on your plate, but it can make solving a problem a lot easier in the long run. That’s why our experts from the West Virginia treatment center try to explain terms from article to article. Today, we’ll talk about the difference between dependence and addiction, why it is important, and how to separate the two in reality. Continue reading →
Cocaine may be one of the most infamous drugs in the US and across the world. Whether it was 1983’s Scarface that truly thrust it into the public consciousness or not, little has changed since. Cocaine remains an incredibly addictive illicit drug, which sees use by various demographics and occupations nationwide. As such, people from all walks of life prepare for a cocaine detox program in West Virginia every year. As addiction treatment pioneers, we at Harmony Ridge Recovery and our West Virginia treatment center are here to help. In this article, we’ll explore cocaine, provide a reference point for cocaine rehab timelines, and outline key cocaine rehab criteria. Continue reading →
As any animal lover will tell you, spending time with animals is good for you. It is not just an opinion either – multiple scientific studies have proven that spending quality time together is beneficial for both humans and animals. In fact, animals are sometimes used in therapy for conditions such as anxiety and depression. It should, therefore, come as no surprise that if you struggle with addiction, bonding with animals can help your recovery in Parkersburg WV too. Many drug and alcohol treatment centers in West Virginia offer animal-assisted therapy as a part of their program or work with non-profits that do. If you are feeling anxious about rehab, consider spending some time with a furry (or feathery or scaly) friend – it could make a big difference in your recovery!
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude in addiction recovery helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. The actual definition of gratitude is a positive acknowledgement of a benefit that an individual has received. Gratitude allows us to recognize the good in our lives. Focusing and appreciating the good constantly reminds us about great things all around us. And many times we realize that the sources of good are very close by.
How is gratitude in addiction recovery connected?
Those suffering from substance abuse or addiction tend to show signs of depression, and are self-centered, thinking of their own needs. With gratitude comes a less selfish attitude and more satisfaction in their needs being met and they can focus their attention on others. Gratitude in recovery is a choice, but unfortunately, not one that comes naturally to everyone in addiction treatment. The thing about the disease of addiction is that it resides in our brain. Many times throughout recovery addicts will find themselves battling their old thoughts and ways of living, and searching for gratitude can become a difficult task at times.
Once an addict begins working on cultivating gratitude in addiction recovery, they tend to develop a better mindset overall and have a much more positive perspective on life. Addiction recovery is a long and winding journey. There are moments when the recovery process will seem like a stroll in the park, at other times it will feel like a daunting expedition. This is why it is important to incorporate practices into your life that will help you along the way.
Viewing life through a lens of gratitude can benefit your life in a variety of ways. Even scientific studies have shown that gratitude in addiction recovery has many positive effects.
Here are some big ways gratitude can benefit your life in recovery and beyond.
Positive people tend to have less stress.
Gratitude boosts physical health.
Gratitude helps foster good relationships.
How do you cultivate gratitude in addiction recovery?
If people feel grateful, it is going to benefit them in many ways. But with that being said, it isn’t always easy to muster up a genuine attitude of gratitude. However, there are steps that you can take in order to grow gratitude in recovery.
Keep a gratitude journal!
Journaling can be a great way to keep the little things in mind. By writing down what you are grateful for on a daily basis, it creates a positive habit of looking for the good things. If you are faced with a troubling day, having something to reflect back on can help keep things in perspective. Try to pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings. Reflect on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you. Think big and small, and remember there is ALWAYS something to be grateful for!
Be grateful for sobriety!
Just getting sober is a massive accomplishment. Be thankful for your sobriety and be proud of yourself for obtaining it. Your life is on the up and up and there is no turning back! If we are grateful for being sober, it is more likely we will stay that way. We will focus more on being thankful for those that helped us and less on the negatives. It has to do with motivation.
By being grateful we will continue to work toward our goals in recovery, attending meetings and being engaged with those that still struggle. It is when we take our sobriety for granted that we start getting into trouble. Each day is a gift and each day sober is a new chance to appreciate those things and people in our lives that bless us.
Write a thank-you note, even if it’s to yourself!
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”
-Oprah Winfrey
Gratitude in drug addiction recovery begins with you. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Keep positive people in your circle of influence!
“Surround yourself with people who make you happy. People who make you laugh, who help you when you’re in need. People who genuinely care. They are the ones worth keeping in your life. Everyone else is just passing through.”
-Karl Marx
People tend to be influenced by the people they spend time with. Surrounding yourself with positive people can help you maintain a positive outlook and view things in a similar light. Being around positive role models can also help you grow. Gratitude comes more naturally when you can see the bright side of situations. FInding gratitude in drug addiction recovery allows thankfulness to guide your recovery journey. If someone is a positive influence on your life, it will make all the difference when you’re exploring yourself and growing into the person you aspire to be.
Don’t compare your life to others!
“A flower does not think about competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.”
-Zen Shin
Another way to look at gratitude is from an opposite perspective, that people are unhappy because they want the things they do not have while failing to recognize all that they do have. Those that aren’t grateful for their own lives find themselves comparing their lives to those of others. When you find yourself with envy because you are comparing your circumstances to another’s, try to find something to be grateful for. In most cases, people deal with things you cannot see, so you should focus on your own struggles and triumphs.
Think about others first!
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
-C.S. Lewis
Self absorption can be a huge problem for people in recovery. When people are addicted to alcohol or drugs, they will spend most of the time only thinking about their own needs. When these individuals become sober, they may continue to be preoccupied with themselves. Self-absorption makes life difficult but when people feel grateful they have less reason to be so selfish. They feel satisfied that their own needs are being met so they can now focus at least some of their attention on the needs of other people.
Are you ready to find gratitude in addiction recovery?
By incorporating the above tips to bring gratitude into your daily life, you are setting yourself up for a long and healthy life in recovery. Addiction recovery is about more than simply avoiding substances. With a grateful mindset, you have the opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilling life free from addiction. However, if you are having trouble finding things to be grateful for and are slipping towards relapse, be sure to reach out to someone you trust as soon as possible. Generating gratitude is a process similar to recovery – it can be threatened by negativity, resentment, and self-pity. It’s easy to regress back into old patterns when things don’t go your way. Do not be afraid to ask for help. In the meantime, make sure that you take a moment to ‘stop and smell the roses.’ Are you or your loved one struggling with gratitude in recovery? We’re here to talk.
Recovering from addiction isn’t just a matter of remaining abstinent from drugs and alcohol. In fact, just focusing on abstinence is doing it the hard way and it will probably fail sooner rather than later. A strong recovery requires treating physical mental and health recovery issues, creating a supportive social network, and making healthy lifestyle changes. After treatment, it’s crucial to make a daily effort to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually. Failure to pay attention to your basic physical and emotional needs can quickly lead to relapse. Here are some of the most important ways to practice self-care when recovering from addiction.
What Does Dual Diagnosis Mean for Mental Health in Addiction Recovery?
In cases of dual diagnosis, neither substance use or mental illness necessarily comes first. In some cases, people experiencing mental health issues may start using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate in an attempt to alleviate their mental health symptoms. In other cases, certain substances can cause people with an addiction to start experiencing mental health symptoms.
We do know that mental disorders and substance use disorders do share some overlapping underlying causes, including genetic susceptibility, changes in brain composition, and early exposure to trauma or stress. Lets take a look at some things you can do to maintain your mental health in recovery.
Taking Care of Yourself First
People tend to be very aware of the importance of caring for their physical health. We all know for example that eating nutritious food fuels our bodies and minds with energy. We also know that exercise is important, as it helps to strengthen muscles and also the cardiovascular system. Regular exercise also helps you to be able to engage in physical activities that are inherently beneficial for overall well-being. What people are sometimes less aware of is the fact that good mental health needs to be cultivated as well.
Our minds are like muscles that also need exercise and practice to keep them strong, flexible, and clear. The mind and train of thought play a considerable role in the success of a patient’s recovery. Adopting a more positive mindset can help mitigate your chances of spiraling into negative patterns. Being mindful and taking moments to reflect daily can help put your recovery journey into perspective and help you realize how far you have come.
The idea of self-care doesn’t have to be overwhelming or scary, though it definitely can be at first. In today’s culture, self-care is often thought to be taking a long bath or treating yourself to a new clothing item, but it’s so much more than that. Self-care is different for everyone and can look like a variety of different things. For some, self-care will be doing the dishes after coming out of a depressive episode, for others, it will be buying a ticket to see a movie after a stressful week. Self-care looks different for everyone, and that’s okay.
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Your physical health directly influences your mental health in addiction recovery. Whatever you eat or drink affects your mind and body equally. For example, when a person becomes an alcoholic or smokes persistently, he/she loses the ability to remain focused on work or studies and which ultimately leads to failure. Similarly, excess salt in your diet can abnormally increase the blood flow which in turn causes feelings of anxiousness and anger. Likewise, having a well-balanced diet, as prescribed by your doctor or a nutritionist keeps you happy and healthy.
Work on managing your time and energy. Try to decrease your workload and take some time for meditation or journaling daily. Go to the gym or work out at home to stay active. Exercise is undoubtedly the best and simplest way to overcome mental illnesses. It also helps you overcome physical changes like weight gain or weight loss as a result of hormonal changes caused by depression or stress. Keep a close check on your routine and make the best effort to let go of the distress and be regular in taking your prescribed medicine.
Manage Your Stress
When recovering from addiction, stress is not your friend, especially early on. While we all need a little stress to motivate us and keep us focused, too much stress can make you feel overwhelmed and lead to cravings and negative emotions. Every method of self-care will reduce stress to some degree by increasing your energy and resilience. However, there are some specific things you can do to keep stressors from multiplying. For example, it’s important to know how much you can handle and learn to say no to additional responsibilities. Have a clear understanding of your priorities and do those things first. Also, much of our stress comes from interpersonal conflict. Learning to communicate better and resolve conflict can drastically reduce the amount of stress in your life.
Find Your Balance for Mental Health in Addiction Recovery
As a society, we tend to place a lot of value on the things that we do. We equate busyness with how good, productive, and valuable we are. However, this is a destructive and dangerous mindset for those who are in the early stages of recovery
When you first begin to journey to sobriety, it can be extremely easy to spend all your time doing one activity, in an attempt to keep yourself distracted and avoid the temptation to use drugs or alcohol. Finding a healthy balance between work, school, social life, and recovery activities like 12-step meetings can be tricky, but is possible. All of these things can be fulfilling, but if you’re focusing too much on one aspect of your life, you’ll quickly find yourself feeling overwhelmed, which could quickly lead to a relapse.
Build and Mental Health in Addiction Recovery Support System
Everyone needs the support of others in their lives, and your friends and family can make up your support network. Having people you can lean on is empowering in itself.
Reach out to family and friends. Simply saying hello or offering to help with a task can spark conversation.
Use technology. Connect with people far away via email, text messaging or video calls.
Connect with people who share your interests. Join a club, volunteer at a local organization or take a class to help meet people who share your likes and interests.
Look for peer support groups. If you are facing a personal challenge, consider joining a peer support group to help take care of your mental health in addiction recovery and connect with people who are facing something similar.
Ask for help. Reach out to your local library, place of worship, or community center to learn more about local events you may want to attend or groups you may want to join.
Do Not Worry and Do Not Blame
Do not worry about the thing that you can’t control, nor try to take control of everything around you. Complete recovery needs time and depending upon your conditions it will either be treated through medication or therapy. Trust your doctor and follow the prescribed lifestyle and diet. Do not blame yourself or any other person for your mental illness. Mental health issues might be a result of stress you get from some job-related issue or some family dispute, but no one can be solely blamed for it. Relieve yourself from envy and guilt and focus on your treatment only. Do not let any negative emotions control your life.
Spot Your Early Warning Signs
If you can, try to be aware of how you’re feeling, and watch out for any signs you might be becoming unwell. These will be individual to you, but it can be useful to reflect on what these may be so you can get support as soon as possible. No one in substance use recovery is shielded from the possibility of experiencing a relapse. However, relapse doesn’t just happen; it typically evolves over a period of weeks. Keep an eye out for these early warning signs.
Diminishing contact with sponsor
Neglecting recovery practices.
Increasing symptoms of anxiety or depression
Romanticizing past substance use
Mental Health and Addiction Recovery with Harmony Ridge
Our staff at Harmony Ridge is dedicated to maintaining the highest quality of care by evolving our programs to exceed our members’ expectations. We will always provide support for them at every step of their recovery journey. We believe that giving patients a clear-cut understanding of their substance abuse disorder will help us give them the skills they need to give up drugs for good. The first step towards achieving recovery is giving us a call. Our team of admissions professionals is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Give us a call today! (855) 942-3922
