Addiction is an insidious disease because so much of it affects the mind. The addict has physical side effects of addiction, certainly, especially when entering withdrawal, but much of the worst aspects of substance abuse is the mental toll it has on the addict and the psychological damage it can inflict, even long afterward. But there are ways to combat this mental effect, and focusing on a way to reach a healthier mental balance is one of the best ways to start. By utilizing techniques such as mindfulness and meditation in addiction recovery, the recovering addict can find a better way forward into a more lasting recovery.
How mindfulness and meditation can be used in recovery
Most people know what meditation is, even if only as a cartoonish stereotype. We all have mental images of people sitting in a lotus position on a yoga mat, solemnly chanting “Om” as they concentrate on thinking about thinking. This is a vast oversimplification, of course, as most caricatures are, but it’s a start.
Meditation is not about how you sit or what you chant, after all, but about what you’re seeking to accomplish. It’s about sitting quietly and focusing on what lies within, ignoring outside stimuli to instead explore what you’re thinking and feeling and using that examination to build yourself up and move past negative emotions.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation, one in which the act of meditation is focused specifically on being in the moment, using breathing methods, focused imagery and other techniques to work on becoming aware of what one is feeling at a specific point but not seeking to interpret or judge that feeling.
Both can be used in addiction recovery in various ways, from stress management to possibly managing cravings. Many addiction treatment programs and facilities have integrated one or both into their toolbox in helping addicts successfully manage treatment and recovery.
Meditation allows the recovering addict to put aside stress and troubling problems and try and focus on what they’re thinking and feeling at that point. They can use it to become more self-aware of how they react to certain stimuli, identify things that might set off cravings and, hopefully, help defray those cravings.
At best, mindfulness can help manage cravings by giving them a different reaction to certain triggers than retreating right into substance abuse. At the worst moments, mindfulness can help soothe the recovering addict’s troubled mind and help center them, calming them to the point where they react rationally rather than emotionally to certain triggers and, hopefully, avoid relapse.
How we can help you find meditation tools that work for you
At Good Landing Recovery, meditation and mindfulness are seen as useful tools that can help patients manage cravings, calm themselves during stressful moments and help maintain their equilibrium to avoid relapse and reach a lasting recovery. Patients are taught how to use these tools during rehab so they can better use them in early recovery for better results.
Both meditation and mindfulness can be incredibly powerful tools and practices to help the addict in their worst moments reach their best possible results. By using meditation and mindfulness in addiction recovery, the recovering addict can avoid relapse and reach a lasting recovery against the greatest of odds. Give Good Landing a call today to get started.
