Getting Back To The Basics: Using Nature To Overcome Drug Addiction

Experts have stated that addiction is on the rise, with 23.5 million Americans addicted to drugs and alcohol. This startling statistics illustrates the need for treatment centers that can help those with a substance abuse problem kick the habit. While there are many different approaches when it comes to drug rehabilitation, focusing on the ways in which an addict connects with nature can be powerful in overcoming an addiction.

Here are three ways that nature can play a valuable role in treating drug addiction in the future.

1. Nature-based activities help teach coping skills.

Activities like treetop obstacle courses and whitewater rafting are becoming more popular in drug treatment centers today. These nature-based activities can play a valuable role in helping addicts learn coping skills. Many people turn to drugs and alcohol because they haven't mastered healthy coping mechanisms to deal with life's ups and downs.

By engaging in nature-based activities, addicts will be able to see that they can make it through difficult situations without the drug of their choice. This knowledge is invaluable when it comes to mastering an addiction, and nature-based activities provide the perfect forum for teaching healthy coping mechanisms through hands-on experience.

2. Nature-based activities can help foster trust.

Many addicts have a difficult time trusting those around them. This isolates the individual, and makes overcoming addiction even more difficult. Because nature-based activities like camping or canoeing must often be completed in groups, it becomes essential to the survival of the group that each member learns to trust the others.

By placing recovering addicts in these group situations, a therapist has the ability to illustrate the importance of teamwork and accountability. These character traits can give a recovering addict the fortitude needed to remain sober in the future.

3. Nature-based activities help restore self-confidence.

Losing sight of your value as a person can be easy to do when you are in the depths of addiction. Recovering addicts need to rebuild their self-confidence, and this can be easily done through nature-based activities. Incorporating animals into the recovery process can remind an addict what it feels like to experience unconditional love.

Animals don't see the addiction; they see each person as an individual with unique character traits. This unbiased affection can help recovering addicts begin to see themselves in a new light, making it easier to stay sober in the future.

Getting back to the basics of nature when treating addiction can be beneficial. Nature-based activities help teach recovering addicts valuable coping skills, help them learn to trust others, and help restore self-confidence. Look into local treatment centers, like Olalla Recovery Centers, to find the services offered in your area.l

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