Meditation is a practice that is popular throughout the world and comes in a variety of different forms.
It is believed to have several physical and mental health benefits. For someone who has been abusing drugs or alcohol for many years, their health may be lacking. While traditional treatment may help them overcome their addiction, more is needed to help the recovering addict find lasting sobriety. This is where guided meditation for addiction can step in. At our drug rehab in Langhorne, we use several addiction therapies including meditation to help our patients heal in recovery.
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Advantages of Meditation for Addiction
For the average person, meditation can be beneficial. For someone in recovery, meditation can be especially advantageous as they not only need to heal from the damage left behind by their addictions, but also, they are working on progressing forward in their lives.
Reduced Stress
The daunting task of going through treatment makes early recovery especially stressful for recovering addicts. Not only are they battling addiction cravings, but they also need to rebuild their lives. Both can be stressful, but one of the many benefits of meditation for addiction is that this practice can reduce stress. Mindfulness meditation in particular has been found to help reduce stress levels.1 Stress can also be a trigger for addiction cravings, so regular meditation can help addicts who are now done with their outpatient program learn to better manage these cravings and avoid relapse on their own.
Lowered Anxiety
Especially for people who may have initially turned to drugs or alcohol to help ease their anxiety, meditation can become a healthier way of coping when these substances are no longer an option in recovery. Mindfulness meditation has been found to moderately help decrease anxiety.1 With time, recovering addicts can learn to turn to meditation when they are feeling anxious instead of feeling the need to use drugs or alcohol.
Improved Mood
Mood swings, irritability, and depression are all common withdrawal symptoms as the body and brain struggle to adjust to life without drugs or alcohol. Luckily, there is some evidence to suggest that regular meditation can boost a person’s mood.2 This improved mood can help motivate recovering addicts to continue their recovery journey.
Improved Physical Health
Not only can meditation for recovering addicts help improve mental health, but also, meditation can have physical health benefits as well. Some studies suggest that meditation may reduce blood pressure, improve the immune system, and reduce cell aging.3
Brain Changes
Substance abuse actually rewires the brain as it becomes dependent on the chemicals that the abused substance provides. During addiction recovery, the brain is forced to learn to live without this substance and, with time, will reshape itself once more. Meditation can lead to brain changes associated with an improved ability to process information and may also reduce the effects of brain aging.4
Addiction recovery is about a lot more than quitting substance abuse. Because there are several benefits of meditation for addiction, our Philly PHP drug rehab uses meditation as well as several other therapies and programs to help patients move forward free from drugs and alcohol. If you or someone you love is ready to take steps to do the same, let us help.
Call 888-280-4763 to learn more about Banyan Treatment Centers Philadelphia and get started.
Sources & References:
- JAMA - Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being
- Science Direct - Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators
- Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley - Five Ways Mindfulness Meditation Is Good for Your Health
- NIH - Mediation: In Depth
