Drug and alcohol addiction leave a lot of toxins all over the body. It isn’t only people who have heavily abused drugs and alcohol who need a detox. Every day we are exposed to free radicals and toxins in our environments. As a result, we need to regularly take care of ourselves mind, body, and spirit. Regularly cleansing the skin and the body of toxins isn’t a new age spa-luxury marketing scheme. Baths, steam rooms, and purifying cleansing rituals are ancient practices for health and wellness.
Body
- Immune system support: Early months up to the first two years of recovery can include catching a lot of colds and viruses. Addiction compromises the body’s natural immunity for fighting off bugs and viruses. Put healing essential oil like eucalyptus into a bath for an immune boosting, sinus clearing effect. The heat, sweating, and cleansing clear out the system and support immunity.
- Relieving joint stiffness or aches: Some drugs have a lifespan of a few years, hidden within joints and muscles. Severe addiction can cause atrophy and weaken bone density causing stiffness in joints and muscles. Feeling achy all over is a sign of detox in early recovery. Later on, it could mean that the body found more toxins to release.
Mind
- Better sleep: Taking a warm bath before bedtime is deeply relaxing. The stimulation of heat, especially when paired with relaxing aromatherapy using lavender and chamomile, deeply relaxes the body and the mind, which is perfect for deep sleep.
- Relaxation and stress relief: Feeling good, doing good for yourself, and luxuriating in a healing bath is relaxing and stress relieving. Self-care is about stress managements, both important parts of relapse prevention. For all areas of mental health recovery, reducing stress through self-care is critical to stave off relapse and keep recovery positive.
Spirit
- Putting yourself first: Many people mistakenly believe that spiritual recovery is all about selflessness since many mental health disorders can create what is perceived as selfishness. Too often, people who are struggling to meet the demands of daily life, take care of others, and attempt to manage unmanageable symptoms aren’t taking very good care of themselves- in the personal, intimate ways they need to be taken care of. A bath is quite literally a spiritual experience in that it is setting aside quiet, private time to do something healing and self-focused for recovery.
Autonomy is our goal for clients at LEAD Recovery Center. Our multiphase transitional care programs are designed to help clients gain the necessary life skills they need for thriving in recovery. For information, call us today at 800-380-0012.
