Clients are far more likely to successfully remain in long-term recovery when they are empowered to achieve well-being and balance in many different areas of life. A holistic healing program promotes wellness in many areas to build a strong foundation for long-term recovery.
Lifestyle medicine takes a holistic approach by addressing multiple topics and helping clients build skills that will support recovery and contribute to their quality of life. Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery at 866.300.5275 for more information on holistic healing programs for adolescent boys struggling with substance use disorder.
What Is Lifestyle Medicine?
Lifestyle medicine has many benefits for recovery. If you’re wondering, “What is lifestyle medicine?” here’s a quick overview. Lifestyle medicine is an evidence-based approach to addiction treatment that focuses on achieving wellness in multiple areas of life. Addiction impacts many aspects of a user’s life, including:
- Relationships and community
- Financial well-being
- Work and education
- Physical fitness
- Nutrition and dietary choices
- Environment and standard of living
Many clients who enter treatment have lost basic skills in the above areas, and others may have never learned such skills in the first place.
Benefits of Lifestyle Medicine
Following are some of the top benefits lifestyle medicine achieves in addiction treatment:
1. The Brain-Body Connection Is Understood
Lifestyle medicine puts a strong emphasis on diet and nutrition.
Clients learn what a healthy, balanced diet looks like and how the body suffers when it is deprived of essential nutrition. When clients understand the deep connection when what they eat and how they feel, they feel healthier and gain valuable knowledge that stays with them for the rest of their lives.
2. Physical Health Supports Recovery
Addiction takes a serious toll on physical health. Lifestyle medicine aims to counter this by teaching the value of physical movement and exercise.
Movement keeps the body strong and healthy, releases endorphins, and serves as a valuable outlet for coping with cravings and difficult emotions both during and after treatment.
3. Thoughts and Feelings Become Manageable
Many people with a substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health disorder. Oftentimes, substance use is an attempt to self-medicate to quiet unmanageable thoughts and feelings. The holistic approach of lifestyle medicine includes attention to all aspects of life. The overall impact of a lifestyle medicine approach is that clients feel better about their lives and gain coping skills that help them respond in a healthy manner when thoughts or emotions pose a challenge.
4. Plans Can Be Made for the Future
Treatment that employs lifestyle medicine encourages clients to reflect on the past and plan for the future. When clients have future goals and aspirations and feel empowered to achieve them, they have more motivation to stay in recovery. While adult programs may encourage clients to assess current career goals, adolescent programs focus on academic support and career education and planning.
5. Life Becomes Exciting
Unique treatment modalities like adventure therapy and equine therapy infuse a sense of excitement and enjoyment into clients’ lives. When teenage boys learn to try new skills and hobbies like yoga, horseback riding, or creating art, they learn the importance of having fun and exploring new experiences. Teaching clients to grab ahold of a zest for life gives them the internal desire to commit to recovery.
Build New Lifestyle Habits at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery
A major benefit of lifestyle medicine is that it helps clients feel good. Learning or relearning basic skills related to diet, fitness, and health can be a renewing experience after the struggles of active addiction.
Foothills at Red Oak Recovery uses a lifestyle medicine approach to addiction treatment because it is both effective and enjoyable. Our clients learn how it feels to experience wellness within and without. It can be used in the treatment of a range of conditions, such as:
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Heroin addiction treatment
- Cocaine addiction treatment
- Opioid addiction treatment
- Prescription drug addiction treatment
Contact Foothills at Red Oak Recovery at 866.300.5275 for more information on lifestyle medicine and treatment options for adolescent boys.
