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Processing Stress In Recovery

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Nobody likes stress. In fact, no body likes stress. Stress, it has been proven hundreds of times over, is incredibly bad for your health. Stress is one of the leading causes of disease, heart failure, and poor health throughout the world. To deal with stress, the body produces adrenaline, which stimulates the fight or flight response. Inherently we don’t even really “deal” with stress, we either fight it off or run away from it. Going against our survival instincts and choosing to work through stress is a major part of growing in recovery. Life can be stressful, but the stress does not have to win. Here are some tips for learning to grow through stress rather than run from it, fight it, or be consumed by it to the point of ill health.

Failure Happens

“Progress not perfection” is a popular saying in the rooms of recovery and twelve step meetings.  The Big Book of Alcoholics in Chapter 5 titled “How it Works” reads, “No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” The truth is, nobody is perfect. Trying to bear the responsibility of being that one perfect person is just too much for anyone’s back. As alcoholics and addicts, we tend to convince ourselves we’re “special”. We have to succeed because we are capable of it, even if nobody understands. Consequently, we begin to view failure as stress and stress as failure. Stress is a natural reaction to life. Being the wonderfully imperfect beings that we are, we get stressed and sometimes we “fail”. It’s okay.

Give It Away To Keep It

Stress is actually a gift of recovery. In early recovery, we work hard to keep our stress at a minimum in an effort to support our treatment. We continue to grow and begin living our life again. Jobs, responsibilities, all the little pieces of life come trickling back in, and cause us stress. The truth is, we worked hard to get here. We’ve earned our stress because we’ve developed an entirely new manner of living in which to handle it- even if we don’t always handle it well.

Being of service is a critically important component in recovery. One of the quickest and most sure-fire ways to get out of self when you are super focused on your stress is to be of service to another person. You might be thinking you don’t have time to be of service because you are too busy with all the stressful things you have going on. Usually, that’s the strongest indicator that you need to make the time. It will significantly help you reduce your stress by helping you get grounded and grateful for the life you have created!

Enlightened Recovery compassionately treats each patient with the therapeutic skills necessary to help them build a new spiritually founded life. Our treatment programs for addiction and dual-diagnosis disorders are integrative, combining twelve step philosophy with effective therapy models and holistic healing modalities. Call us today for more information 833-801-5483.

Natural Remedies For Flu Season

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For most of the country, flu season never left this year. Bout after bout of flu-like sickness has come in swarms from the spring, through the summer and into the fall. Now that flu shots are being offered, it is time to look at natural remedies for helping to fight off the flu this season.

Why Preventative Alternatives?

Drug and alcohol abuse compromise the immune system’s ability to fight for itself. Though recovery from drug and alcohol abuse is a move in the right direction, it can take time for the immune system to rebuild. At Enlightened Recovery we maintain a healthy, sustainable and organic diet to help support nutritional health. It is common to catch numerous colds throughout early recovery when not taking the proper preventative cautions to ward off infections.

Salt Water Rinse

You might be inclined to buy over the counter sprays to deal with your stuffy nose. Doing a warm water rinse or using essential oils is much more highly recommended. You can use a netty pot or a saline rinse to do the job. Different recipes exist using baking soda and salt. Salt water rinses help break up congestion while clearing out any viral infection. Though it is not recommended to use essential oils in the nasal cavity, putting Eucalyptus oil near the nose and on the chest or throat will act like Vick’s vapo rub!

Warm Water Gargle

Now that we have the stuffy nose taken care of, let’s tackle that itchy throat. Drinking plenty of warm liquids is a great way to manage a sore throat. Warm water with salt as a gargle can be helpful. Many throat tea variations are helpful especially when drank with honey. Honey is a viscous liquid that helps soothe the throat while creating a thick coating.

Steaming

Taking a steaming hot shower, sitting in a steam room, or creating a steam over the stove can be helpful for clearing congestion. Try hanging a satchel of eucalyptus and lavender beneath your shower head during a hot shower. For over the stove, boil a pot of water and add a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender, or other essential oil. Putting a towel over your head, hover over the hot pot.

Foods

Eating a diet rich in Vitamin-C is best for fighting off the flu. Though there are different foods with different properties which might be more useful than others, maintaining a healhty and balanced diet is key. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Avoid salty, sugary, inflammatory foods. Typically, abstaining from dairy is best for dealing with congestion.

Enlightened Recovery provides nutritional and holistic training to patients to help them support their new lifestyles with healthy practices. We believe in the necessity of living well for wellbeing. Our certified dual diagnosis treatment welcomes those seeking to transform their lives. For more information call 833-801-5483.

Physical Fitness is really Mental Fitness

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Withdrawals. Detoxing. Craving. Feeling extremely uncomfortable. Early recovery (the first 30-90 days) is not the most inspirational to be physically active. In fact, early recovery feels more like the opportune time to do nothing but eat, group therapy, and sleep. Unfortunately, in most treatment programs, some form of physical activity is included. Gym time, personal trainers, yoga, walking, hiking- it seems like “those people” are determined to make you move. As with everything in early recovery, there is a purpose.

Physical Fitness is really Mental Fitness

Physical activity in early recovery isn’t really about the physical fitness. Of course, there is physiological benefit to exercise. Getting in a good sweat gets your heart rate going, opens up your sweat glands, and helps you detoxify residual junk from your drug of choice. Exercise is also proven to improve your mood and alleviate symptoms of depression. Substance abuse affects the brain on a very intimate level, right down to the neurotransmitters.

Neurotransmitters are communication messengers in the brain. One such transmitter called dopamine communicates pleasure. Alcohol, cocaine, and just about every abused substance creates a surplus of dopamine production, acclimating the brain to a very excited way of life. In early recovery when we’re stripped away from those substances, our brains have a very difficult time producing dopamine on its own. In fact, it is the act of substance abuse itself which creates this situation. Chemical dependency on drugs and alcohol is the result of the brain relying upon the presence of substances to produce that overload of dopamine. Consequently, in early recovery, there are many feelings of depression, irritability, low mood, and lethargy. Physical activity helps with that.

Physical activity also helps boost short-term brain function and heighten awareness, according to this Medium author. It also helps in defeating the most defeating part of the early recovery experience: being uncomfortable. There is little feeling as victorious as completing an exercise activity you absolutely did not think you could. At the onset of recovery, there is a lot of doubt. We are sometimes convinced for certain that we won’t make it. We can’t stand another detox and get through another 6 months of uncomfortable feelings. On another level, there are days we don’t think we can make it through anything at all. Exercise is a living metaphor that we can – and we will – get through it, and we grow in the process.

 

Enlightened Recovery incorporates yoga, exercise and other kinds of physical exercise as part of a holistic program of treatment for drug and alcohol addiction. We offer a unique approach to recovery, fusing 12 step philosophy with holistic methods of treatment. For more information on our programs call 833-801-5483.

Common Questions About Meditation and Mindfulness

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What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a practice of noticing. Many of us just go with the motions of our days without really noticing what is going on. Bringing awareness to our surroundings assists us in becoming present and enjoying life fully in each moment. Mindfulness is proven to help relax, sharpen focus, and regulate mood.

Is mindfulness different from meditation?

Yes and no. Mindfulness is a form of meditation but not all meditation is necessarily mindful. However, practicing meditation does tend to increase one’s sense of mindfulness. Meditation, like mindfulness, is a practice that helps develop a sense of awareness. Though mindfulness is a thought process, meditation can be practiced in different ways.

What if your mind is too busy?

Most meditation and mindfulness practitioners would argue that there is no such thing as a mind too busy to practice. They might even emphasize that the mind which thinks itself too busy for mindfulness and meditation is in the most need! Practicing mindfulness and meditation is a way to quiet the mind and calm the chaos internally. It may take time and meditation sessions of no more than five minutes at a time to start.

Is the goal to stop all thoughts?

Some disciplines of religion like Zen Buddhism include meditation in which the goal is to empty the mind completely. Not all meditation is about nothingness. Mindfulness, arguably, is about everythingness by noticing the world around you. Practicing meditation and mindfulness is about coming to terms with your thoughts.

Do I have to be spiritual to practice mindfulness and meditation?

No. Though mindfulness and meditation are spiritually founded practices, religion or spirituality does not have to be part of your life. It is important to note, however, that many people will have spiritual experiences or spiritual shifts. Meditation and mindfulness are proven to enhance feelings of connectedness and universality.

How do I practice mindfulness and meditation?

The simplest way to practice is to just breath and notice your thoughts. Meditation can be sitting, quiet, music, guided, etc. Choose what works best for you.

Enlightened Recovery combines holistic health and spiritual practices with both evidence-based treatment as well as 12 step philosophy. Our integrated approach to recovery creates a unique program of treatment for men and women overcoming addiction. For more information on our programs of treatment, call 833-801-5483.

An Eating Disorder at the Dinner Table

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Eating disorders are not always obvious. On the other hand, eating disorders are not always hidden as well. Many wrongly assume that an eating disorder is most strongly evidenced by how thin someone is. Mostly that is because people wrongly assume eating disorders are about eating. Just like alcohol and drugs are really symptoms of the mental illness that is addiction and alcoholism, food, weight, and eating, are just symptoms of eating disorders.

Having an unhealthy obsession over food consumption, weight, body image, and body mass index is indication of a problematic way of thinking. That unhealthy obsession can be displayed in numerous ways. Similar to the way an addict or alcoholic goes to great lengths of dishonesty to protect their addiction, someone with an eating disorder will protect their illness. Binging and purging are easily hidden. When weight loss, or weight gain, or not noticeable, these harmful and potentially fatal practices can carry on under the radar.

“Weight loss,” chief executive of the National Eating Disorders Association Claire Mysko explains, “is not necessarily associated with a lot of eating disorders. Certainly with some- and with anorexia- that is a sign. But for most people who struggle with eating disorders, you wouldn’t necessarily know it from looking at them.”

Anorexia is a prevailing eating disorder that can affect men and women of all demographics, cultures, and appearances. Since anorexia mostly involves restricting a diet, commonly to the point of starvation, weight loss is a regular symptom. However, not all eating disorders are about restriction. In fact, most eating disorders include the practice of binging and purging. Binging is eating a copious amount of food to the point of feeling sick. Purging means using a method like vomiting, abusing laxatives, or excessive exercise, to get rid of that feeling. These practices can cause subtle fluctuations in weight, but no drastic weight loss.

The pervasive stereotype of what an eating disorder “should” look like prevents thousands from seeking treatment for their harmful habits. Eating disorders can cause heart failure, stroke, intestinal problems, and weight problems.

If you are concerned you or a loved one might be experiencing an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise, or body image, call Enlightened Recovery today. We offer care for dual-diagnosis issues. Eating disorders are commonly accompanied by substance abuse of drugs and alcohol. For more information call 833-801-5483.

Going Sugar Free is Easy

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Going sugar free is easy, though sometimes easier said than done. Sugar is a major part of the American diet, popping up in the most unsuspecting places. With various names as disguises, sugar can appear in almost any food. In fact, read the nutrition label on most grocery store bought processed foods and find sugar or a similar ingredient. Sugar, Cane Juice, Fructose, Dextrose, High Fructose Corn Syrup…it is all the same thing. For years American culture has largely ignored the blanketed presence of sugar. Recent documentaries like  Fed Up, That Sugar Film, and Sugar Coated reveal the “dark” side of sugar.

Sugar is addicting.

Scientific research has proven that sugar is not only highly addicting but acts identically to cocaine once it enters the bloodstream. Sugar changes the way our bodies and brains act on their own, as well as interact with each other. Too much sugar is known to lead to poor dental health. Sugar can cause a wide array of health problems, largely because sugar damages the immune system.

Choosing to go sugar free is no easy choice.

The experience of taking sugar out of the diet is similar to detoxing from drugs like cocaine. There are mood swings, irritability, changes in appetite, and even obsessive cravings for sugar. Overtime, the symptoms of sugar withdrawal lessen and, like sobriety, the benefits take over. Getting there takes time.

Here are some tips for starting the journey toward going sugar free:

  • Clean: Do a sweep of your refrigerator, cabinets, and pantry. Help you help yourself by getting rid of all the sugary foods in the house, as well as things with added sugar.

  • Read: While cleaning out your house and grocery shopping read the labels. Looking at the ingredients and nutrition facts will show you just how much sugar is in your ketchup.

  • DIY: Instead of buying pre-sweetened food sources, opt to make food and food additions yourself. If you don’t have time to prepare everything at home, look for sugar-free or unsweetened varieties.

  • Snacks: Eating multiple small “meals” throughout the way staves off hunger which can cause craving for sugar. People tend to snack on candy and sugary items during the day. Reach for any whole, real food instead. Fruits and vegetables are great snacks.

  • Spices: While you’re learning to eat without added sweetness, you might find yourself lacking in flavor. Spice everything up using herbs and spices.

  • Soda: A great tool for reducing sugar is cutting out soda. If you’re desperate for a fizzy drink try natural sodas sweetened with agave or sparkling flavored water.

Enlightened Recovery is proud to offer comprehensive education in food, cooking, and nutrition as part of our holistic program of healing from addiction. Call us today for more information on our programs of treatment for men and women seeking recovery 833-801-5483.

Comprehending the Chakras

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According to eastern philosophy, the body contains seven centers of spiritual and energetic power. These centers are referred to as chakras. Each chakra has an individual purpose and energy. Chakras can be opened or closed. An open chakra means the energy of that chakra and the holistic body can freely flow. When a chakra is closed, that energy is blocked. Energy that gets blocked can result in physical as well as psychological manifestations.

Ideally, as eastern preventative medicine practitioner would advocate, we should be in the flow all the time. Understanding the meanings associated with each chakra can help us understand where we might be blocked. Various treatment methods like reiki, massage, acupuncture and yoga can open the chakras, releasing their blocked energy. Mindfulness meditation can aid as well.

Why do chakras matter in recovery?

Recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, in addition to co-occurring disorders, is a healing process involving the full cooperation of mind, body, and spirit. Working with the chakras helps these three components be in open communication with one another. Recovery is also full of energetic releases found in profound moments of healing and growth. Like conduits or channels for energy, being able to focus on each chakra can support the movement of that energy. Drugs and alcohol are blockers. For a long time, it might have felt as though such harmful substances helped us be ourselves and be in tune with people around us. At the very neurobiological level of our brains, right down to the neurotransmitters, substances were preventing us from doing so. Choosing recovery, we choose to feel free in the natural flow of our own being again.

What are the chakras and where are they?

Each chakra has a color. Improving the strength of each chakra can be done with simple and fun color therapy. If you want to focus on opening a certain chakra, fill your space with that chakra’s color and embrace that particular energy with the intention of what the chakra means.

Root Chakra (red)- at the very base of our spine in the sit bones of our behind

Sacral Chakra (orange)- in our pelvic floor

Solar Plexus Chakra (yellow)- towards the top of our diaphragm

Heart Chakra (green)– in our chests

Throat Chakra (light blue)- in the base of our throats, where our voice box might be found

Third Eye Chakra (dark blue)– raised above the space between our eyebrows

Crown Chakra (purple)- the top of our head, or above our head

Enlightened Recovery knows that the deep connection between mind, body, and soul, is the ultimate source of healing and transformation when recovering from addiction to drugs and alcohol. Our program is rooted in 12 step philosophy and holistic healing practices. For more information please call 833-801-5483.

Enlightening Empowerment: Owning your Choices and Taking Responsibility for the Consequences

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“You are free to choose…” is the most simple way of describing man’s spiritual gift in his ability to express free will; however, “…you are not free from the consequence of your choice.”

Imagine all the world, mankind, and creation, as existing within one pond. With every choice we make, we cast an energetic pebble upon the pond’s waters. As a result, the pond ripples, sending waves out across the surface until it hits a border and comes back again. Over and over this cycle repeats until the energy of the wave dies out. Magnifying that example to the expansiveness of our existence, there is not telling where or when the energy of our choices might cease to have an effect. Some call this “new age” and “spiritual thinking” while others might refer to it as metaphysical law or quantum mechanics.

From a purely ontological perspective, if we choose to drop a heavy rock on our foot, we are not freed from a broken toe. Big or small, our choices have meaning for ourselves and others. Attempting to choose inconsequentially likely enabled many patterns of our addictive and alcoholic behaviors. Ignorant to how our drinking and using was affecting others, we continued to choose suffering, choose intoxication, regardless of the consequence. Recovery gives us the gifts of consideration, selflessness, and service. Approaching each choice with mindfulness, we learn to take responsibility for the consequences of our choices.

Simply accepting “blame” is different from the empowering practice of truly owning the choices we make. For example, we choose to accept a task assigned to us by another. Regretting it immediately, we moan and complain, becoming resentful of this horrible tragedy we’re suffering. How quickly we cast the ownership of our choices! Empowerment would mean owning the choice to accept this task. Enlightened empowerment would not only own the action, but own the process as well. Yes, we made the choice to take on this task. We are going to complete it fully as a result.

Recovery is not forced upon us. Though overtime we lose our deep attachment to the suffering of craving, we always have the choice to drink. Empowerment in recovery comes from fully embracing the every day, multiple times a day, decision not to drink or use drugs. Enlightened empowerment comes from trudging that road to happy destiny with grace. We choose to stay sober each day and we face the consequence of fulfilling the needs of the recovery lifestyle. We own it because we love it and we love ourselves.

Enlightened Recovery believes in the empowering effect of recovery from drug and alcohol addiction through treatment. Founded in twelve step philosophy and coupled with holistic healing practices, Enlightened offers a multidisciplinary approach. We have hope for the hopeless and a solution for the answerless.

Losing Yourself in Someone Else: Codependency

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Codependency can be a development that takes place through hidden increments. At the foundation of codependent tendencies is a set of basic human fears:

I am not worthy

I am not whole

I am not loveable

Should our significant other discover these unconscionable truths, they may leave us. Forgetful that these fears are the fallacy of the human conditions, we adopt them as personalized convictions. Our relationships transform from mutual to one-sided, shifting from healthy to unbalanced.

Codependency is Losing Yourself in Someone Else

Healthy relationships have an open communication channel for limiting what each individual is capable and not capable of doing. Saying “no” is setting a loving boundary with just two letters. Relationships are unbalanced when saying “no” becomes a point of anxiety because saying “yes” has become obligation for one or both partners. Love and service are beautiful parts of any partnership. They are not the same as indentured enslavement. Codependency is when we lose our ability to say “no” out of fear. We might notice that when our partner needs help, we run to their aid. When we are unable to attend to them, we suffer from guilt and anxiety. Unless we are validated by our partner’s need for us in their lives, we feel lost. Our sense of being is defined by how we are needed.

Detached from our inherent strength to set boundaries is the beginning of a decline in our authentic voice. Codependency in a relationship creates fear that our opinions, thoughts, and feelings might scare the other person away. As a result, we cease expressing ourselves as we are. Instead, we speak as we think our partner would prefer us to be heard. We might mimic them entirely. We feel that our being is not as good as theirs, that we are less than them. Ultimately, we are in fear of abandonment and rejection. Allowing fear to dictate how we act as a whole being extinguishes our ability to come from love.

We not only lose sight of our personal power and our voice, we disconnect from our needs entirely. Prioritizing the identity and responsibility of our partner, we forget to focus on our own needs. Friends, family, 12-Step meetings, hobbies, and interests fall to the wayside as our world closes in around our partner.

Enlightened Recovery humbly offers a holistic design for the recovery process to heal the spirit, mind, and body. Our program is rooted in twelve step philosophy as a solution to the problem of drug and alcohol addiction. Call us today for more information on our programs of treatment for men and women seeking recovery 833-801-5483.

Nature: It Does a Body (Image) Good

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“The soul expands in response to what it sees”  – Anonymous

We see thousands of media advertisements every day. Digitally altered, these images are selling us on an unrealistic idea of perfection. Perfection according to mainstream media comes in different forms: perfect body, perfect partner, perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect relationship, perfect smile, perfect home, perfect car, perfect kitchen, even perfect laundry. In regards to man made items, there is no such thing as perfect. Some philosophers romanticize the beauty of nature as being the only perfect creations in the world. Roses are remarked as being such a perfect creation, they are protected by thorns. Alice Walker once wrote, “in nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.” Nature reminds us of our perfect imperfections. When we gaze at a landscape, it is doubtful we spend our time criticizing each imperfect detail of what we see. Instead, we marvel at the magnificence of nature’s whole- a respect we rarely pay to ourselves.

Spending time in nature is good for the mind, body, and spirit. We find ourselves relaxed when we disconnect from those relentless and rigorous demands of daily life and inundating media. Our blood pressure drops and our brain actually expands. New findings from Body Image journal suggest that spending time in nature helps us see ourselves in that very same broad acceptance. Nature enhances our perception of our own bodies.

Adults who spent more time in nature had higher scores in an evaluation of body appreciation. The evaluation included the level of respect one has for their body as well as their level of willingness to reject cultural norms and unreachable ideals perpetuated by the media. High self-esteem, connectedness, and feelings of “oneness” were also common in the adults with high exposure to nature. Positive body image directly correlated with the higher senses of self-esteem and connection.

Being in nature allows us to focus on what our body is capable of versus what is wrong with it- as dictated by daily media messages. As a result, we develop a greater sense of respect for our bodies, feeling physically empowered.

Enlightened Recovery sees the divine transformation of the spirit, mind, and body, that can take place through recovering from drug and alcohol addiction. Our treatment programs for men and women offer a foundation in holistic practices, encouraging complete healing. There is hope. We have a solution. If you or a loved one are suffering, please call 833-801-5483 for more information.