How to Use Tools Like H.A.L.T. to Heal at the Cellular Level

The iconic English clergyman Thomas Fuller famously said, “He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” Yet, forgiveness is difficult, especially for individuals in recovery. This is true of forgiving others as well as forgiving oneself. Yet, to heal, one must first learn to forgive. Tools like H.A.L.T., which stands for Hungry, Angry, Lonely, and Tired, can help one with that forgiveness and ultimately help one heal at the cellular level.

Understanding the Prevalence of Addiction and Mental Illness in the U.S.

Addiction remains high both in the U.S. and around the world. This is especially true with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). AUD is highly prevalent because alcohol is legal and highly advertised, and many people believe it to be harmless. Opioids and synthetic opioids remain highly prevalent because they are cheap, and dealers are putting opioids in many other substances, which also leads to a high number of overdose deaths.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “Overall, drug overdose deaths rose from 2019 to 2022 with 107,941 drug overdose deaths reported in 2022. Deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone (primarily illicitly manufactured fentanyl) continued to rise with 73,838 overdose deaths reported in 2022.” Of course, these statistics are staggering. They also involve many people who have a dual diagnosis of addiction and mental illness.

The Signs and Symptoms of Mental Illness and Addiction

There is little doubt that addiction and mental illness are highly linked. This is true of people who acquire a mental illness after they begin using alcohol and substances and those who self-medicate for their mental illness. Ultimately, the order does not matter; they both can lead to devastating results.

There are also many signs and symptoms that an individual is struggling with mental illness and addiction. Of course, the spectrum is broad, but there are some universal signs. The following are just a few of those signs and symptoms:

• Having physical ailments that are otherwise unexplained, such as headaches, body aches, and gastrointestinal problems
• Isolating away from family and close friends
• Engaging in risky behaviors, including sexual and violent behaviors
• Struggling with sleep cycles, including sleeping too much and not sleeping enough (insomnia)
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling excessively anxious and/or depressed
• Excessive mood swings
• Not knowing what to do with one’s life (feeling trapped)
• Unable to stop drinking or using once started
• Engaging in self-harm
• Having suicidal ideations

As one can see, these are significant signs and symptoms, which is why if any, many, or all of these symptoms are present, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. Doing so could mean the difference between short-term side effects and long-term consequences. The good news is there are ways to heal at the cellular level from addiction and/or mental illness.

A Focus on Recovery at the Cellular Level

Recovery at the cellular level is all about recovering one’s entire sense of “Self.” This is “Self” with a capital “S” because it means all of the components of the mind, body, and soul must be addressed. It includes the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

Healing at the cellular level also requires individualized care and comprehensive modalities (the multi-angled approach). This is the only way to get to the root/core causes of one’s addiction and/or mental illness.

Many people don’t realize that it is the underlying issues that often cause them to drink or use. As is often said in the 12-Step rooms of recovery, “It is about the thinking as much as it is about the drinking.”

Many of these underlying issues come from previous trauma. The fact of the matter is that many people don’t realize just how prevalent trauma is. According to the peer-reviewed journal Psychological Medicine, “General population studies have shown that a large proportion of people in developed countries have been exposed to at least one TE in their lifetime (estimates from 28 to 90%), with the most common events being the unexpected death of a loved one, motor vehicle accidents and being mugged.”

This trauma must be dealt with if one is going to heal at the cellular level. It is also true that if this trauma is not dealt with, it may not just lead to issues of addiction, but it can also lead to issues of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), which is also highly prevalent in the U.S.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and The National Center for PTSD, “Most of us will experience at least one trauma in our lifetime that could lead to PTSD. There are factors that put you at risk of experiencing a trauma, many of which are not under your control. For example, if you were directly exposed to the trauma or injured, you are more likely to develop PTSD.”

Of course, many people use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate for that trauma. This only makes things worse and can ultimately lead to AUD, OUD, or another type of substance use disorder (SUD). The good news is there are many ways to heal from AUD, OUD, or SUD.  There are also many tools that can help one stay recovered from AUD, OUD, or SUD. These are tools like H.A.L.T.

How to Use Tools Like H.A.L.T. to Heal at the Cellular Level

H.A.L.T. stands for “Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired.” It is a checklist that one can go through in their mind when they are feeling anxious or triggered in their recovery. 

This is critical because using this H.A.L.T. protocol can mean the difference between long-term sobriety and a relapse, which are more common than many people think. A large percentage of people who try to get sober end up relapsing. This is not their fault; it is merely the nature of addiction.

However, relapse certainly does not have to be a part of someone’s recovery story. The key is to stick with a recovery plan and use the tools (like H.A.L.T.) to heal at the cellular level. This begins by making sure that one focuses on nutrition and diet.

A Focus on Hunger to Heal at the Cellular Level

Many people don’t realize that their physical cravings for alcohol are often related to the high levels of sugar that are in alcohol. When this body does not have the sugar it needs, it often shifts to craving that source of sugar in alcohol.

This is why it can be so important to focus on nutrition in recovery (and carrying something sweet like a candy in one’s pocket). Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we have a saying: “Food is medicine.” This is because we believe that nutrition is a critical component to healing at the cellular level, and it is why we have licensed nutritionists and dieticians on staff to answer any of our client’s questions and needs. We also have a certified naturopath doctor who can oversee the entire process.

Of course, we don’t just focus on nutrition – we also focus on making our food delicious. This is why we employ world-class chefs to prepare all of our individually tailored meals. We also use as many local and organic ingredients as possible to ensure that all of the nutrients remain intact. To aid in that nutrition we also use pharmaceutical-grade supplements and offer infusion therapy.

A Focus on Anger to Heal at the Cellular Level

There is a saying in recovery that goes, “Resentment is the number one offender.” This means that more than anything, a resentment can lead to a drink and not the other way around. Also, this is why people describe their relapse as happening long before they even pick up the drink – their mind is not in the right headspace.

That is why it is important to be able to recognize when one is angry so one can step back and healthily process the situation. When this anger is recognized one can utilize techniques that they have learned in recovery such as breathwork and meditation.

In fact, meditation can not only help with anger, but it offers a myriad of other benefits. According to the International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda (AYU), “During the process of meditation, accumulated stresses are removed, energy is increased, and health is positively affected overall. Research has confirmed a myriad of health benefits associated with the practice of meditation. These include stress reduction, decreased anxiety, decreased depression, reduction in pain (both physical and psychological), improved memory, and increased efficiency.” It is also important to focus on loneliness in recovery.

A Focus on Loneliness to Heal at the Cellular Level

Many people are isolated in active addiction. This is often to “protect” their drinking and using from loved ones. If not careful, this isolation can also pop up in active recovery.

The best way to combat this isolation (and loneliness) in recovery is to connect with others in recovery. This often starts in the treatment center with modalities like group therapy and continues when people start to branch out and join recovery communities (like 12-Step groups).

It is important to build a social sober network for when times get tough and triggering. This social sober network can mean the difference between long-term recovery and a relapse. It also gives an individual purpose in recovery, which is essential. Helping another person struggling in recovery actually helps the individual more in the end. It is hard to think of one’s own problems when they are helping another with theirs.

A Focus on Being Tired to Heal at the Cellular Level

Sleep is an essential component of a health recovery. Actually, sleep is simply a vital healthy component of anyone’s life, recovery or not.

However, in recovery, sleep is not just about putting one’s head on the pillow. It is also about getting in the right headspace before one retires at night. This may include prayer and meditation, or it may include calling another person in recovery and telling them about their day.

When one does not have enough sleep, it can also lead to poor decision-making, among other problems. According to the peer-reviewed journal Pharmacy and Therapeutics, “New sleep deprivation studies confirm the relationship between inadequate sleep and a wide range of disorders, such as hypertension, obesity and type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, impaired immune functioning, and more.”

Healing at the Cellular Level With Various Means, Methods, and Modalities

While being able to H.A.L.T. is important, it is also important to understand that it should be a supplement to other more substantial modalities. These are modalities like psychotherapy, experiential therapy, and holistic healing methods.

As previously mentioned, comprehensive care is key. That comprehensive care should begin with evidence-based therapies like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and continue with experiential therapies like horticulture therapy and art therapy, and holistic healing methods like yoga therapy and mindfulness meditation.

To Heal With Psychotherapy

CBT is highly effective because it makes the individual an “active participant” in their own recovery. According to the peer-reviewed journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, “Consistent with the medical model of psychiatry, the overall goal of treatment is symptom reduction, improvement in functioning, and remission of the disorder. In order to achieve this goal, the patient becomes an active participant in a collaborative problem-solving process to test and challenge the validity of maladaptive cognitions and to modify maladaptive behavioral patterns…. Although these strategies greatly emphasize cognitive factors, physiological, emotional, and behavioral components are also recognized for the role that they play in the maintenance of the disorder.”

CBT and DBT are also highly effective because they ensure that an individual starts to address the underlying issues of the negative way in which they view themselves and the world around them. Once these views are addressed, then the way they act out in relation to them (often by drinking and using) can be tempered.

To Heal With Experiential Therapy

Experiential therapy is also highly effective at helping individuals heal at the cellular level. This can be especially true on the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii’s Big Island.

One ideal form of recovery and experiential therapy is horticulture therapy. When one walks onto Exclusive Hawaii Rehab’s luxury 30-acre property, one will be greeted by rows of citrus trees, coconut trees, guava bushes, pineapple patches, and much much more. There are also vegetable boxes that can be directly cultivated by clients. The goal is to connect to nature and thus better connect to oneself.

There are also many other benefits to horticulture therapy. According to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, “People’s interactions with plants, through goal-orientated horticultural activities in the form of active gardening, as well as the passive appreciation of nature, could be therapeutic to people with mental disorders in many ways. First, horticulture could have emotional benefits, such as reducing stress, reducing psychiatric symptoms, stabilizing mood, and increasing the sense of tranquility, spirituality, and enjoyment. Second, it could help people to reduce fatigue and restore attention and cognitive ability.”

Ultimately, the key is to find a variety of means, methods, and modalities that work for the individual and stick with them. This includes using protocols like H.A.L.T.

Healing at the Cellular Level With Exclusive Hawaii Rehab

Thomas Fuller also famously said, “All things are difficult before they are easy.” Now, while recovery may never be considered “easy,” it does get significantly more so over time.

Here at Exclusive Hawaii Rehab, we are here to help our clients get to that point of ease. We do so by utilizing individualized and comprehensive recovery plans with a focus on the future. For those still struggling with mental illness and addiction, it’s time to H.A.L.T., then it’s time to heal at the cellular level.

Tools like the acronym H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) can be highly effective at helping individuals handle “triggers” in treatment and recovery. There are also various modalities and holistic healing methods that can best accompany tools like H.A.L.T. to ensure that one heals at the cellular level. If you feel like you or a loved one is struggling with issues of addiction, mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, we can help get you on the right road to recovery right away. You don’t have to go through this process alone. For more information about using recovery protocols like H.A.L.T. and other means, methods, and modalities of recovery, please reach out to Exclusive Hawaii Rehab today at (808) 775-0200.