Few people think of participating in fitness therapy when enrolling in a treatment program for drug or alcohol abuse. You might imagine that you’ll spend all of your time in group therapy or in one-on-one sessions with a counselor. However, addiction can negatively impact your physical health in a number of ways. You might have given up on healthy habits you once had, like going for runs or working out at the gym. Using drugs or drinking took over your life instead. A fitness therapy program can help you get healthy and can be a useful outlet for stress.
Attacking Chemical Dependency at Its Roots
Many individuals develop a dependence on drugs or alcohol after turning to these substances to cope with stress, past trauma, or mental health issues. Drugs and alcohol can seem to relieve the symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety and depression at first. However, these substances are highly addictive.
To overcome addiction, it’s necessary to also address the underlying causes. A fitness therapy program teaches clients that they can relieve stress in a healthy way.
Fitness therapy teaches you different ways of relaxing the body and mind. You learn to transfer stress into healthy action. Additionally, exercise has the power to release dopamine, which is the body’s feel-good neurotransmitter. Most drugs artificially trigger dopamine release, but exercise is a healthy way to feel happier and more relaxed.
Engaging in activity can also help with reducing drug cravings. When you’re busy getting healthy, you’re distracted from feelings of temptation. Running, lifting weights, yoga, swimming, and other forms of exercise can help you avoid relapse.
What to Expect in a Fitness Therapy Program
It’s not necessary for you to be in the best shape of your life to participate in a fitness therapy program. This isn’t about lifting the heaviest weights or running the fastest. The only person you’re competing against is yourself. You challenge yourself to do a little more each day.
Exercise doesn’t have to hurt. It shouldn’t be boring. For example, you might enjoy dancing, swimming, or riding a stationary bike. Someone else could prefer basketball, running, or Pilates.
Because exercise and addiction recovery can go hand in hand, therapists will adjust your experience. They won’t ask you to do things you can’t. However, they’ll encourage you to step out of your comfort zone a little. Challenging yourself makes you feel good, boosts self-esteem, and builds strength as well as endurance.
Incorporating Fitness Therapy into a Treatment Plan
Fitness therapy for addiction treatment can’t stand alone. It’s not enough to break the psychological hold that drugs have on you. That’s why therapists combine it with other care approaches. Examples include:
- Family therapy as a method for reuniting you with loved ones who also need healing
- Behavioral therapy, which encourages you to develop and use coping skills in daily life
- Trauma treatment that empowers you to move past a distressing situation from the past you haven’t fully processed
- Yoga therapy that encourages mindfulness in addition to the health results of fitness therapy
Each day, addiction therapy services such as these help people throw off the shackles of chemical dependency. Imagine yourself getting healthy, fit, and drug-free. Break free from addiction and begin a new journey by reaching out to a treatment center today.
Contact Serenity Light Recovery Today
Enrolling in a high-quality rehab program is easy. Serenity Light Recovery, located in Angleton, Texas, combines medical detox with evidence-based clinical services, including fitness therapy. An intake advisor can conduct an insurance verification when you call. Reach out to our team at (281) 431-6700 today to learn more about our fitness therapy program.
As our CEO, Heather’s main calling is to stay true to the vision of the organization, which is saving lives and striving to redefine statistics by raising the standard of care with evolving treatment methods. Heather studied psychology at LSU and both the main and Clear Lake campuses of the University of Houston, and she is a certified IASIS provider and CPI instructor. She’s been helping people in recovery since 2011. Heather’s motto to live by is “I am not what I’ve done; I am what I’ve overcome.”
