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5 Benefits Of Spending Time Around Trees

Trees are gifts to the world which grow out of the ground. Enhance your recovery by spending time in the greenery provided by trees and reap the benefits.

Benefits Of Spending Time Around Trees

  1. Clean Air, Clean Breathing, Clean Living. Trees are natural anti-pollutants. Ever driven up a mountain to the forest and notice the air just smells and feels different? High density tree areas create cleaner air which helps you breathe cleaner air. Studies have found that spending time in nature can inspire you to take more action environmentally and ecologically. All that clean oxygen goes right to your head and your heart.
  2. Tress Live Long And So Can You. Seeing, visiting, and living in green areas increases longevity, some research suggests. Greenery and green spaces help people feel more relaxed, breathe deeper breaths, and reduce their stress. As a result, their immune system enhances in its functions, preventing a wealth of diseases from developing. The more green space the better.
  3. Trees Make You Happy. Not everyone is a nature person. However, it is difficult not to be moved emotionally or spiritually by an especially beautiful tree. Trees have a deep and mysterious energy, like wise sages. Spending time around trees has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety while increasing feelings of wellbeing, safety, and self-esteem, as well as body image.
  4. Trees Make You Sleepy. From the subtle sound of the air moving through the leaves, to the rich oxygen, to the calming presence of their stature, trees help you get better sleep. Studies have found that there is a correlation in patterns of sleep and proximity to trees. See trees all day and sleep soundly.
  5. Trees Are Regenerating. John Muir was no stranger to the healing benefits of trees. In fact, he quite literally wrote the book(s) on it. Muir felt that regular retreats to the forest and the mountains were necessary for optimal health and happiness. Spending a weekend walking among the trees can help you recenter, reboot, and revitalize your recovery.

Enlightened Recovery is located in beautiful Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, surrounded by beautiful trees and lush green landscape. Our residential treatment programs use spiritual twelve step philosophy with proven holistic treatment methods to provide a program for mind, body, and spirit. It’s time to learn how to enjoy life again. For more information, call 833-801-5483.

Did You Know These 7 Foods and Supplements Help Your Hormones?

Hormones are naturally produced by the body to help regulate various functions. When we find ourselves trapped in a controlling relationship with drugs and alcohol, we damage our hormones. Drugs and alcohol are powerful chemicals substances that alter mind, body, and spirit. Some of our most essential hormone production and function gets tilted off kilter as we continue to suffer in the face of substance abuse. The thyroid, for example, is an important producer of hormones.

Abuse of substances like alcohol can incur thyroid problems. Hypothyroidism is the slowing of the thyroid while hyperthyroidism is an overproduction of the thyroid. An imbalanced thyroid can lead to symptoms resembling depression and anxiety. Coupled with ongoing substance abuse the body spirals further and further into chaos.

Addiction and alcoholism is a holistic disease. Diseases break the body down and halt natural functioning. In order to fully recover from drug addiction and alcoholism, one has to take a full approach. Stopping the abusive use of substances is just the first step in total holistic healing.

Enlightened Recovery believes in approaching addiction treatment with holistic, natural, healing that treats mind, body, and spirit. We proudly educate our clients on natural ways to help their bodies heal through food, natural remedies, yoga, and spiritual practices. Our treatment program uses leading evidence based therapeutic treatment methods with holistic healing modalities.

Hormones can be reset and supplemented by natural means. Many doctors prescribe a synthetic thyroid medication to correct thyroid problems. Though these medications are helpful, they can lead to a lifelong prescription as they create a reliance within the body.

Here are some of our natural approaches to supporting a healthy functioning hormone system while in recovery for addiction to drugs and alcohol:

  • Molasses
  • Grade A maple syrup
  • Maca Root
  • Primrose Oil
  • Iodine
  • Vitamin D
  • Magnesium

One of the best ways to encourage a healthy thyroid is by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Balanced diet and exercise is essential. Spend time outdoors in the sunshine and surrounded by green areas as much as possible. Enlightened Recovery is located on a beautifully lush and green campus in the quaint city of Egg Harbor, New Jersey. We offer multiple levels of care which can be individualized to meet each client’s needs. For more information, call 833-801-5483.

Can’t Sleep? Eat (And Don’t Eat) These Foods

“I’m going to sleep so good tonight,” we grunt and groan, rubbing our bellies and slowly sliding further into our seats. A good meal at the end of the day is comforting. Eating just enough, perhaps too much, or having the exact food we have been craving all day puts us at ease.

Then, something happens. We’re wide awake. The promise of of an epicurean induced slumber slides away as we did earlier in our dinner table seats. Our stomachs might be grumbling, our insides might be burning, and most certainly our minds are wide awake.

Food is fuel. What we put into our bodies affects our energy and our minds in addition to our digestive systems. We know that there are herbal teas like chamomile and lavender to help us go to sleep. Certainly turkey and foods containing tryptophan and melatonin cause an easy transition into sleep land. Did you know there are other foods which will help you sleep or keep you wide awake?

 

Foods To Sleep

  • Complex Carbs: there’s little doubt that a big bowl of pasta can tucker one out for the night. Rather than eating simple starches or bleached starches, opt for grains and wheat. Complex carbs take longer to digest, allowing you to fall asleep while your body does the work.

  • Fatty Fishes: Fish like salmon and tuna which can have a high fat count are great sleepy time foods. Both fish contain tryptophan and vitamins to help your body naturally produce melatonin

  • Leafy Greens: spinach, kale, and chard, all have calcium. Combining calcium rich foods with tryptophan rich foods is an extra boost for producing melatonin.

  • Simple Fruits: Fruits with high fiber and sweet taste will satisfy your late night sugar cravings without the negative consequences.  

 

Foods Not To Sleep

  • Fried Foods: eating a deep fried meal can certainly make you feel lethargic, but it probably won’t help you sleep. Salty, fatty, fried foods are going to cause bloating and gas. It will be hard to find a comfortable position, breathe deeply, and sleep soundly.

  • Sugary Sweet Desserts: nothing tops a rich meal like a sweet dessert. Sugar is a stimulant, yet we often choose dessert as the last meal of the night. Too much sugar after dinner can wake your body up even worse, as you stay up all night from the sugar high, you’ll eventually experience a sugar crash- usually right in time to wake up and start your day, exhausted.

 

Enlightened Recovery emphasizes the importance of a holistic and balanced diet. As part of our treatment programs we offer nutritional guidance, educational courses on food and eating, as well as cooking classes. For more information on our programs for substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders, call 833-801-5483 today.

Are You Having Nightmares? ​These Could Be The Reasons Why

Dreams are the brain’s way of making sense of the day. Our brains are like supercomputers, computing, analyzing, and storing thousands of pieces of information each day. Sometimes, there are bits that fall under the radar. Dreams help the brain process what is left over. Interpreting dreams is an ancient practice. Some people read very heavily into their dreams as if each night’s internal cinema were a prophecy coming from the subconscious. Others can hardly connect to their dreams and give them little attention when they occur. Everybody dreams, whether they can remember them, or care about them, or not.

 

Nightmares are the horrific kinds of dreams. Violent dreams can wake us up in the middle of the night, hearts pounding, minds full of anxiety. In early recovery, during treatment, withdrawing from drugs and alcohol can cause nightmares. We might experience episodes of PTSD in our sleep as our brain tries to process events from the past. Almost everyone in recovery experiences “using dreams” throughout their sobriety, especially in the first year. A using dream is when one knowingly, or unknowingly, uses a substance, comprising their sobriety. Being in treatment especially triggers these dreams as the mind has an ongoing subconscious narrative focusing on staying sober. 

Sometimes these dreams can be violent. If you’re using used to take place in violent environments or were associated with violent environments, dreams about using can turn violent. However, our past is not the only thing which dictates violence in nightmares. New research revealed that what you think about and what kind of media you consume within 90 minutes of bedtime has a great effect on what kind of dreams you have.

Media consumption can affect how often you dream as well as what you are dreaming about. If you are laying in bed scrolling through old pictures of partying, drinking, and using, it wouldn’t be unlikely for you to have a using dream. According to Bustle, people who consume media of the violent kind within 90 minutes of going to bed were 13 times more likely to have violent dreams.

Cut off your media consumption at least one hour before bedtime. Making a gratitude list, praying, and meditating before bed can help set your mind in a positive place. Drinking a calming tea and journaling will help your mind be at ease as well.

Enlightened Recovery has the answer to the question of how to treat drug and alcohol addiction. By using tested 12 step philosophy with modern holistic treatments, we provide an integrative approach to healing. We want you to start your new life with us. Call us today at 833-801-5483.

The Three Aromatherapy Oils Everyone Should Use In Recovery

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, flowers, herbs, plants, and scents, to treat holistic health issues. Oils are a wonderful and natural way to support the experience of early recovery from aches and pains to headache and stress.

 

Lavender

Lavender is basically nature’s wonder drug. Primarily used for relaxation, lavender can also be used for a number of medicinal purposes. Lavender is a flower which is purple in color. Use lavender in an aromatherapy diffuser to create an atmosphere of relaxation. For coping with feelings of anxiety due to an anxiety disorder or some of the symptoms of withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, lavender can be a calming agent. Lavender oil can be applied topically. For best results, apply lavender oil to the temples, the underside of the wrist, the top of the head, and bottom of the feet. These are areas of pressure points and some of the body’s most adaptive places. Having the scent of lavender on your body will help you to breathe it in more, focusing on it’s relaxing purpose.

Medicinally, lavender can be used to treat bites, burns, stings, and pain. Lavender’s soothing properties will reduce the urgent physical sensations and help the body concentrate on healing.

 

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus oil comes from the fragrant leaves of the eucalyptus trees. The scent of eucalyptus is refreshing and invigorating. It is no wonder that Koalas love to eat them. As a tool for aromatherapy, eucalyptus is used for opening up. When congested with allergies or a cold, rubbing eucalyptus oil on the nose, throat, and chest, acts as a natural decongestant. Eucalyptus can be used in the shower to create an awakening experience.

Respiratory issues is where eucalyptus oil is the most efficient, but can be used in other ways. Eucalyptus oil naturally acts as an anti-everything harmful: bacterial, fungal, microbial, and viral. If you are willing to withstand the sting, putting Eucalyptus oil on a wound can help.

 

Peppermint

Peppermint is made for more than lattes, seasonal chocolates, and chewing gum. Peppermint oil can be added to food to achieve that minty taste. However, applying peppermint to the body is like using a cooling and heating sensation style product. Peppermint is a natural menthol, helping to ease muscle tension as well as tension caused by headaches. Drinking peppermint tea eases tension in the digestive system, helping with bloating and constipation.

 

Enlightened Recovery utilizes holistic healing modalities such as aromatherapy to support a clinically based program designed for healing. Your body, mind, and spirit, deserve to heal after being abused by drugs and alcohol. For more information on our programs of treatment, call 833-801-5483.

Size Isn’t Everything

Imagine if the whole world ran on the principle of size the way that the fashion industry forces us to do. The entirety of the world’s systems would be changed. Classrooms wouldn’t run by age but perhaps by weight and height. Job promotions would be given out not based on performance but on shoe size or length of hair. Medical treatment in an emergency room might be based on shirt size rather than urgency. It might seem silly to think about. For the millions of men and women suffering from negative body image, size matters. In fact, size is everything.

Get Over the Size Thing

An obsession with size is literally waking up and making the decision on how worthy or unworthy one is based on what clothing size they will be able to fit into that day. If there was a daily regulatory process where everyone was weighed and measured, then told how they should a) feel about themselves b) feel about others and c) be treated by the rest of the world, there would be an outcry. Due to years of pressure from the fashion industry, unfortunately, many people feel that they deserve this kind of treatment. Sadly, they are unable to recognize that the only one stamping them with their daily evaluation is themselves.

According to a recent survey by Yahoo, 71% of women surveyed (about 1,000) didn’t even know what size clothing they should be wearing. However, when women don’t fit into the size they think they should, they experience shame, guilt, and disappointment. The size on their clothes, when it doesn’t fit the ideal standard, brings on feelings of shame about oneself and one’s body.

Ignore the Shaming

It really seems quite preposterous. Yet, mainstream society has created a valuation of women based on beauty, which is in part founded by size. Where did this madness start? Multiple documentaries like America The Beautiful have investigated. What lies beneath a global obsession for thinness is the penny pinching efforts of fashion labels. In an effort to save money on expensive fabrics being used for fashion shows, designers turned to models with smaller sizes in order to make smaller close, hence less fabric. That’s it. As a result, there’s a global insecurity with size, shape, and body image.

Enlightened Recovery is a certified dual diagnosis treatment facility offering care and recovery to those suffering from substance use disorders and mental health disorders such as an eating disorder. Body image, eating disorder, and substance abuse often come hand in hand. We’re here to help you find a healthy view on yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself again. For more information, call 833-801-5483 today.

Should You Quit Social Media For The Holidays?

The holidays aren’t merry and bright for everyone. Though winter cheer is supposed to warm our hearts despite the frightful weather outside, for many, the holidays are a dismal time. Far from being a bah-humbug, some have experienced great loss, abandonment, or trauma during the holidays. Growing up without the picture postcard perfect holiday celebrations can make witnessing the celebrations of others difficult. Recovery is a time to redefine how you want to relate to and spend your holiday season. It is also a time to learn how to manage your fear of missing out, the way you compare yourself to others, and the way you feel about yourself. Even so, the holidays can be hard. For this reason, many 12 step meeting clubhouses around the world have 24 hour meeting schedules during specific holiday celebrations. There is usually a spike in sobriety dates during January as people hit their bottoms during the holidays.

Social Media Detox

Holidays are just a season and a single day in the year. As we’ve learned to do, we take it all in stride, one day at a time. The holidays will pass and there will be a whole other set of eleven months during the year until they return.

It is perfectly okay to feel slightly disturbed or uncertain during the holidays. Engaging in regular self-care is of critical importance during these times. One practice that might be beneficial to add to your holiday self-care regimen is quitting social media temporarily.

Getting Your Head on Straight

New research suggests that quitting social media, specifically Facebook, can increase your sense of happiness. However, the research is limited in its credibility. Many studies have shown that Facebook can increase feelings of FOMO, isolation, and depression. Going without Facebook long term has not been studied longitudinally or in a blind study. However, the results from such studies show that there is a definite difference between those who can give up their social media vices and those who cannot.

Taking A Holiday Social Media Detox

Set out a final post wishing everyone a happy holidays and sign off. With your free time, read a book you’ve been eyeing, pick up a new hobby like playing the guitar, or spend time exploring an area you’ve been wanting to see. Make the holiday season yours by creating your own memories.

At Enlightened Recovery we offer clients a way to create a new life for themselves integrating therapeutic practices and holistic lifestyles for total transformation. Our certified treatment center works to help those with substance use disorder issues as well as co-occurring secondary issues. For more information, call 833-801-5483.

When You Start Meditating

Meditation is a helpful spiritual tool for recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. People associate all kinds of images and ideas with meditation without knowing just what will happen when they start meditating. Here are some of the things you might have to endure when you start meditating.

You Sleep Better

Meditation before bed is as good as medicine. Slowing down the nervous system and helping the brains settle down, meditation encourages the body to reset after all the chaotic happenings of the day. Focusing on the breath helps the body and brain get that extra bit of oxygen it needs before going to sleep. When oxygen reaches the muscles, it helps them relax. Some people find that their mind races before going to sleep. Meditation helps to quiet the mind. Practicing some mindfulness with meditation will train the brain to let go of the stress from the day and focus only on the present moment, which is thankfully bedtime.

You Notice Your Thoughts More

Mindful meditation asks you to pay attention to the thoughts that come up as you try to settle your mind into not thinking much. You acknowledge the thoughts which arise, notice them, actively try not to label or judge them, then practice just letting them go. In doing so, you start to recognize patterns of what you’re thinking and why you’re thinking it. When adverse situations arise which would usually call for a particular reaction, you find yourself stopping to think about that reaction before acting on it. Where you might have once reacted adversely, you find yourself able to pause, notice your thoughts, and take a moment to choose how you would rather react.

You Become More Compassionate

Learning to recognize patterns of your own suffering through noticing your thoughts and observing how they effect you helps you to be more compassionate toward yourself. Compassion is about recognizing that someone experiences suffering of their own, then developing a kind and loving sympathy for them. It is harder to be kind toward ourselves than it is to be kind toward others. When we meditate and foster that self-compassion, our kindness toward others changes. It deepens and widens in our hearts. We feel a whole-heartedness toward the world we never noticed before.

You Want To Meditate When You Can

Connecting to the breath is like connecting to the source of life. Even if you can’t engage in a full twenty minute or hour long meditation during the day, you find yourself searching for every opportunity you can to take a deep breath. Just taking one moment to mindfully take a deep breath in and let a deep breath out is a moment of meditation. Overtime, you’ll notice that when you are in need of receiving, your inhale will lengthen. Likewise, when you are in need of letting go, you will be able to exhale for longer without hardly taking a breath in.

Enlightened Recovery teaches our patients meditation as part of a spiritual skill set for overcoming the power of addiction to drugs and alcohol. We offer multiple levels of care to men and women seeking compassionate change in their lives regarding addiction and dual-diagnosis issues. For more information call 833-801-5483.

Types of Detox Treatment Methods

Medically Assisted Detox

Medically assisted detox receives a lot of attention and controversy. Most medically assisted detox treatments involve the use of drug replacement therapy or drug substitution therapy. Famous name drugs like methadone or suboxone are prescribed to help someone slowly ween off of drugs like heroin, meth, and cocaine. Methadone and suboxone contain small traces of opioid, or morphine. Instead of enduring the unrelenting symptoms of withdrawal, someone can taper down through the process. Detox is the highest risk period of relapse. Medically assisted detox helps ensure against relapse.

However, that trace of morphine can be abused and become depended upon. Some people stay on substitution drug therapy treatments for years on end. While some practitioners see that as a success if the person does not turn back to illicit substances, others see that as not being true abstinence from being dependent upon a mind altering substance.

Naturally Assisted Detox

Naturally assisted detox is a relatively new treatment method for detox. With great sucess, NAD also reduces the symptoms of withdrawal, similar to the way medically assisted detox does. However, NAD relies on the intravenous administration of naturally occurring amino acids, vitamins, and minerals to replenish the body’s natural immune system, rather than morphine. Not only does NAD reduce symptoms of withdrawal, but it reduces the detox time period.

Cold Turkey

Putting an abrupt halt to the abuse of addictive substances can cause a range of health complications, which can include death. Detox, though it depends on how long drugs were abused and how severely they were abused, can be dangerous. When the body is detoxing, the brain is going through all the desperate measures it can think of to make the experience as awful as possible. One the one hand, the brain is in chaos- it doesn’t know how to function without the presence of drugs and alcohol anymore. Simultaneously, it wants to cause as much discomfort as possible through intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms so that it might make using sound convincing.

Quitting cold turkey and doing an at home detox is possible with some preparation. Having plenty of fluids, regularly taking temperature, and being monitored is important. Detox can cause seizure, heart attack, stroke, and passing out.

Enlightened Recovery proudly works with nearby detox treatment centers for patients looking to start treatment, but are in need of detox first. We offer treatment programs for men and women seeking recovery from their relationship with addiction. For more information call 833-801-5483.

The Ongoing Grief Of Losing A Parent

Many turn to substance abuse out of a need to cope with emotional pain. Feelings of abandonment, neglect, isolation, being different, or having the symptoms of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety, can drive one to need a mind calming solution. Drugs and alcohol provide people the solace, escape, and comfort they need to get through challenging emotional circumstances. One of the most significant life events someone can experience is the loss of a parent. Grieving the loss of a critical life figure is emotionally taxing, spiritually breaking, and difficult task.

Grief, in all of its stages, can feel like it will never end. Losing someone special like a parent leaves a hole and a void in our lives that forever will go unfilled. Attempting to fill that hole with drugs and alcohol may anesthetize the pain temporarily. However, the longer we prevent ourselves from feeling through the cycle of grief, we only delay the inevitable. No drug and no drink, despite our willful attempts, can truly make that pain go away. Somehow, when it comes to emotional experiences, it is only by thoroughly feeling and processing grief that it can be resolved.

Being in the safe and therapeutic environment of treatment, at any level, is a considerable place to being working on grief. As you begin to dissect the relationship that might exist between your substance abuse and the loss of a significant loved one in your life, take these suggestions to heart:

It’s true, nobody could possibly understand unless they’ve experienced it

You might be quick to get angry, resentful, or write off people who try to sympathize with what you’ve experienced. Rightfully, you find it hard to relate to anyone’s sympathy if they themselves have not lost a parent. Try to remain open to receiving emotional support and seek the similarities in what your peers offer you, rather than focus on the differences.

Experience your emotions authentically and take care of yourself

Learning how to participate in self-care is a part of the recovery process when you are in treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. On particularly tough days, know that it’s okay to just not be entirely okay. It is also okay to do what you need to do to take care of yourself. Remember, though, you are learning what that means. There is a difference between isolating and taking quiet time for yourself. Help stay grounded in your choices by allowing others to guide you and listen to your needs.

Enlightened Recovery uses the spiritual healing of holistic practices supported by strong evidence based practice and 12 step philosophy. By seeking understanding through underlying circumstances, our program helps residents gain insight to their addictions. We offer certified dual diagnosis treatment for both substance abuse and other mental health disorders. For more information call 844-243-LIVE.