With drug addiction being one of the leading causes of death in the US, it’s no surprise that the presence of 12-Step treatment centers is so pervasive nationwide. While the 12 Steps have their benefits, and have helped many people on their recovery path, they’re not without their limitations.
For recovery to be long lasting, addiction should be treated with an integrative approach that focuses on every one of the axes it affects: mind, body, soul and spirit. Integrative addiction recovery debunks the idea that you’re powerless over addiction – a belief that the billion-dollar rehab industry may be interested in keeping you stuck in.
1. It Doesn’t Make Sense to Treat Opioid Addiction With More Opioids
The wish that there was a magic pill that can make problems go away is a common one. But there isn’t one for conditions like anxiety and depression that opioid addicts hope to self-soothe, and there isn’t one for addiction, either. Using an opioid to treat an opioid addiction is just as contradictory as it sounds. That’s because detoxing from drugs like Buprenorphine is risky, and can be significantly more difficult and painful than the drug that originally caused the addiction. Finding alternative opioid addiction treatment that addresses your deeper needs and doesn’t create vicious cycles of self-harm is the key to effective recovery.
2. Prescription Drug Addiction Affects the Entire Human System, so it Has to be Treated Holistically
The mainstream consensus surrounding addiction is that it’s a chronic and incurable illness. But advances in medicine and technology have proven that blaming addiction entirely on brain chemistry is an oversimplification that can be damaging to those in recovery. Usually, addiction is a symptom of something deeper: a spiritual crisis that manifests as a mental and physical one. But because addiction impacts the prefrontal cortex – the part in the brain responsible for delaying reward, self-monitoring and executive function – it’s important to find alternative sources of joy and reward in order to fully heal. Therefore, part of the recovery process should include taking pleasure in new, more nourishing activities like yoga, exercise and nature immersion, and making sure you’re eating to heal from the damage of addiction and maintain optimal health.
3. Integrative Addiction Recovery is Not Only Safer, but More Effective
Western medicine’s war-on-disease model uses medication to treat the symptoms of addiction. But integrative addiction recovery addresses its root causes, helping you move beyond the cycle of recovery and relapse into being recovered. By understanding how the brain’s neuroplasticity and neurogenesis can be used in the recovery process, we can see that the problem of addiction goes well beyond something a pill can cure. Our alternative addiction treatments include therapies such as spiritual counseling, energy psychology, meditation, music therapy, nutritional counseling and an organic superfood to heal your entire being from within.
Learn more about prescription drug addiction and recovery in our article, Prescription Drug Use — The Vicious Cycle of Physical Dependence.
If you’re ready for a safer, more effective approach to prescription drug addiction, call us at (877) 710-3385 or email us at i[email protected] to find out how we can help.