Mindfulness as a Tool for Addiction Recovery

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient practice with roots in medicine and spirituality. It is comprised of techniques that can help any person remain in the present moment, by focusing on the current bodily sensations, thoughts, emotions, and environment, accepting the experience as it is in the moment rather than putting judgments, fears, or expectations on these sensations.

How Mindfulness Benefits Addiction Recovery

Mindfulness in addiction recovery can give you the tools you need to withstand cravings, access your inner strength and resilience, and help you move toxins from your body. Holistic treatment that includes mindfulness practices can help you to make peace with strong emotions and sensations, as you learn to ride them out like a wave instead of fighting against them.

Through mindfulness, you may achieve positive insights, develop more positive habits and behaviors, and gain a stronger mind-body connection. Some health practitioners believe that mindfulness provides you with a brand-new awareness of yourself, giving you inner strength and wisdom, and allowing you to empower yourself to make changes to your core beliefs and habits that will last a lifetime.

Mindfulness creates noticeable neurological effects in the brain that may promote increased functional connectivity, and it can help you become more aware of your actions, decreasing emotional reactivity and increasing a sense of calmness, so the risk of impulsive drug and/or alcohol use will be reduced for the rest of your life.

In addition, many of these practices can help people deal with chronic pain and health issues, both of which can be the underlying cause for addiction as they may result in depression and substance abuse if untreated.

Mindfulness Practices

There are different types of mindfulness practices you may try throughout your recovery, and some may work better for you than others, especially as you enter different phases of your treatment plan. There are restorative exercises, relaxation techniques, acceptance practices, and those that balance the body with the mind.

Some of the types of mindfulness practices include:

Meditation

Meditation can help when it comes to addiction treatment as it helps you achieve inner peace, without the use of substances. This, along with decreasing negative feelings and anxiety, can reduce chronic pain, slow the brain’s aging process, improve creativity, memory, and executive function. Meditation works best when it is used in routine practice, with the best results seen after daily meditation for eight straight weeks.

Breathwork

Breathwork in recovery is also known as “mindful breathing”, and works well for those who have trouble sitting in silence for long periods of time. The method of focusing on your breath is easy and helps you to ground yourself in your present experience.

Yoga

Not only does substance abuse affect your social life, mental health, relationships, and work performance, but it also affects your physical health. With low-impact exercise such as yoga, you will see a nearly immediate reduction in anxiety and stress, while helping you sleep better and improving your self-esteem. Symptoms of depression may be reduced, along with an improved mind-body connection and emotional balance. Healing your body from aches and pains as you reduce obsessive thinking patterns, strengthen your body, and empower yourself to embrace personal growth will give you tools to help you long after rehab is over.

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