Addiction Recovery Is Possible
According to a 2017 report, 1 in 7 Americans will suffer from substance addiction during their lifetime. For these 20 million people and their loved ones, the news that addiction is a chronic disease can be disheartening. It becomes even more so when they learn about the odds of relapse. In fact, relapse is so common, even after professional treatment, that many programs don’t warn about what to do if a relapse happens… but rather when.
Here at MindBody Medicine Center, we’ve worked closely with many patients struggling from addiction. We help them to identify underlying causes of addiction and find ways to effectively manage the symptoms and cravings associated with this debilitating disease.
Understanding the MindBody Connection in Addiction
Far too often in medicine, we focus exclusively on what’s going on in the body and neglect the governing role of the conscious and unconscious mind in disease. As in all chronic diseases, addiction is closely tied to a person’s mental and emotional state, which is made readily evident by the statistics.
According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, severe mental illness can nearly double your risk of addiction (although these numbers can vary widely depending on the type and severity of the addiction and mental health disorder in question). Studies have also found that populations struggling with addiction are more likely to have experienced adverse or traumatic experiences during childhood. There are numerous reasons for this correlation between mental health and addiction, but a primary cause is that individuals with chronic mental health challenges often self-medicate in order to simply feel better. You can learn more about the research behind comorbidity from this report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
It’s important to note, however, that the body still plays an important role in addiction and relapse. Once the body is dependent on a substance in order to regulate mood, it can be difficult to restore your endocrine balance and healthy digestion and assimilation. Neurotransmitter deficiencies contribute to anxiety, depression and low energy. Many people also experience hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, and even delayed onset food sensitivities as a result of drug use.
Restoring the Body’s Balance Empowers You to Resist Relapse
Here at MindBody Medicine Center we believe that disease has a purpose. It brings our attention to a problem, and motivates us to change. We call this the “lesson of the disease” and it’s a vital principle to understand when treating addiction.
Our approach to addiction treatment may look different from others’. It starts with a comprehensive assessment in order to identify conditions in the body that lead to fatigue, anxiety, reduced pain tolerance, lack of focus, depression, and more. This enables us to treat and correct the problems that caused a person to turn to substance abuse in the first place.
The next step is usually intravenous NAD therapy, which improves brain function, neurotransmitter production and energy levels. This reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and helps to restore a clear mind. Dr. Peters was one of the first physicians to introduce IV NAD therapy and it continues to be is a very unique offering from our clinic, and we’ve seen its efficacy in many different clients.
Finally, we create a long-term treatment plan which is based on reversing the underlying causes , or biolgoical basis of addiction and restore the balance of the body. This may include nutritional support, group counseling, individual therapy, and other clinical therapies.
Addiction is a chronic disease, and it’s necessary to treat the whole body as a unit in order to effectively manage it. This treatment is not a substitute for recovery, but rather the beginning of the healing process. Our job is to empower the patient with better brain and body function that allows them to fully engage in the recovery process.
Contact Us to Learn More
To learn more about our unique approach to addiction recovery, contact us at (480) 607-7999. If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, you can also reach emergency help at any time through the national helpline for addiction: 1-800-662-HELP (4357).