Holistic Rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction is a new age approach that aims to heal the body, mind, and spirit while detoxing. It uses homeopathic therapies along with teaching new coping skills to remain free of drugs and alcohol. It is based on the idea that our lives, family and other factors contribute to the disease and addresses the underlying issues that lead to addiction.

 

There are several therapies used including:

  • Art Therapy
  • Aromatherapy
  • Chiropractic
  • Massage
  • acupuncture
  • counseling whether individual, family and/or group
  • spirituality
  • equine therapy
  • trauma counseling
  • nutrition
  • guided imagery
  • guided meditation
  • alternate philosophies

 

Holistic rehabilitation addressed the whole human being and the causes of the addiction in order to invoke complete healing and freedom from the addiction long-term. Through learning new skills and learning about who you are as a person, you learn new behavioral techniques to lead a sober lifestyle.

Drugs alter the physical brain and cause impairment of neurotransmitters

There are three types of holistic drug treatment centers including:

  • The first focuses on the healing process and incorporates Eastern-inspired therapies like Reiki. This type of center does not use the 12-Step Program in its therapies line up.
  • The second focuses, does offer the 12 Step Program in addition to the healing arts, massage therapy, or yoga.
  • The third, holistic rehab, has a great variety of services and is difficult to define. Some use the term holistic because medications are not used in treatment. They accept recovering addicts as long as they have gone through detox and do not require psychiatric drugs.

Individuals undergoing withdrawal should not do so at a holistic recovery center because medications needed are not available to treat the side effects of withdrawal such as seizures and DT’s. Practitioners maintain that psychiatric medications prolong periods of toxicity nullifying the homeopathic effects that cleanse like herbal remedies and good nutrition.

Drugs alter the physical brain and cause impairment of neurotransmitters and behaviors controlled by the prefrontal cortex like:

  • decision making
  • judgment
  • self-control
  • motivation
  • memory
  • emotional regulation

 

Traditional rehab programs do not incorporate supplemental treatments such as reiki, massage therapy, energy work, journey work, and nutrition or Eastern philosophies. They do incorporate the use of psychiatric medicines.

 

According to data of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 21.6 million persons over the age of 12 needed treatment for an illegal drug or alcohol use problem, but only 2.3 million received such at a specialized substance abuse facility in 2011.

 

No method is consistently effective including holistic rehab. The development of strategies to reduce stigma and raise awareness of addiction and treatment is needed for both addicts and professional staff.

It is important to make a well-informed decision and individual research is vital to finding the most appropriate program.