Holistic Addiction Treatment

Treating the Whole Person in Drug and Alcohol Rehab

Addiction treatment is a pressing need for Americans from all walks of life. At one time, this treatment tended to focus solely on addressing substance-related symptoms. Other areas of an affected person’s life were not considered. However, today, well-designed programs take a different approach. Instead of focusing exclusively on treating symptoms, they address all relevant aspect of your well-being. A common term for this whole-person approach is holistic addiction treatment.

When combined with frontline addiction treatments, holistic treatments can provide you with some important recovery benefits. Those benefits may include improvements in your addiction symptoms. They may also include a more general improvement in your overall quality of life. The Discovery House is a leading provider of high-quality holistic care.

What Is Holistic Addiction Treatment?

Holistic treatment is also commonly known as complementary treatment. Treatment of this kind is not intended to replace the medication or psychotherapy used in addiction care. Instead, it complements that care and provides you with additional forms of help.

Goals of Using Holistic Therapies in Addiction Treatment

Properly designed holistic programs are integrative. This means that they do not combine complementary and standard treatment in a haphazard way. Instead, they coordinate these two forms of care. In this manner, all of the help you receive works together to increase your overall level of benefit.

The result of integrative care is sometimes referred to as whole-person health. This kind of health does not just involve getting treated for your addiction symptoms. In addition, it involves all of the main domains of your life, including your:

Behavioral needs
Biological needs
Environmental needs
Social needs

Forms of Therapy Used in Holistic Addiction Treatment

What forms of complementary therapy or treatment are used in holistic addiction programs? Researchers and public health officials group the available options into categories that include:

Physical approaches
Psychological approaches
Combined physical and psychological approaches

Examples of physical holistic health options include massage and acupuncture. Potential psychological options include music and art therapy, meditation and relaxation or stress management therapy. Options that combine the psychological and physical include:

Dance therapy
Certain art therapies
Tai chi
Yoga

Is Nutrition Therapy Part of Holistic Addiction Treatment?

Nutrition therapy is an option for holistic addiction treatment. You may also see this treatment referred to as nutritional therapy. Specific types of nutritional support include:

Customized diet plans
The use of dietary supplements
Probiotic treatment
Herbal treatment

There is also a treatment that combines nutritional support with psychological support: mindful eating.

Holistic vs Conventional Approaches in Rehab

Medication and psychotherapy are the cornerstones of modern rehab treatment. Medication is used less often than therapy. However, if you are affected by opioid or alcohol problems, it may be crucial to your recovery. Therapy options are available for every major form of addiction. Not all of the options are the same for all substance use disorders. But there are multiple options available for each of them.

The medication and therapy used in high-quality treatment are evidence-based. This means that they are not randomly chosen without regard to their usefulness. Instead, they have gone through extensive study and review. In addition, the results of this process show that they will provide clear benefits much of the time.

Holistic therapy is not opposed to conventional treatment. In other words, there is no essential conflict between them. Properly chosen holistic options work together with conventional options. This is the key to integrative care. You receive combined benefits, not just the benefits of a single treatment approach.

Are Holistic Addiction Therapies Evidence-Based?

Do holistic therapies pass muster as evidence-based treatments? Or, put another way, do these therapies provide clear benefits much of the time? The answer to this question varies to a certain degree. Some holistic treatments have undergone extensive study. Others have not been studied nearly as much. In addition, some newer treatments have not been studied at all. Options that have been studied most often include:

Yoga
Meditation
Acupuncture
Tai chi

What is the evidence for the effectiveness of these and other therapies? Studies show that many of them are promising or have demonstrated benefits. Options with benefits back by substantial scientific research include:

Emerging evidence also supports the use of mindfulness meditation and yoga, in particular.

Are Holistic Approaches to Dual Diagnosis Effective?

Some people in substance treatment also face other significant mental health concerns. When these concerns appear together with drug or alcohol problems, the result is known as dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis is not a rare occurrence. In fact, there is a roughly 50% overlap between substance problems and mental illness.

No matter the substance problem or mental illness involved, dual diagnosis is a serious issue. Left untreated, mental illness can make your addiction worse. Untreated addiction has the same impact on mental illness. The only way to break this cycle is combined treatment for both problems. As with separate addiction and mental illness, medication and therapy are frontline treatment options.

Can holistic treatments also help you recover from dual diagnosis? Research indicates that the answer to this question is yes. In people only affected by mental illness, holistic care can potentially:

Improve treatment outcomes
Help support a higher level of quality of life

Since research also backs the use of holistic substance treatment, a dual diagnosis benefit is likely, as well. Research bears this out. For example, nutrition therapy can aid in the treatment of dual diagnosis cases involving eating disorders.

Are Holistic Therapies Covered By Insurance?

Will your health insurance pay for holistic addiction treatment? There is no single answer to this question. Some policies may cover all or part of your expenses. However, others may provide little or no coverage. Check your specific policy for details on what is and is not covered.

Also, be aware that treatment may be within reach even if you do not have insurance coverage. Many programs allow you to pay for your care through an installment agreement. You may also be able to obtain a loan to cover the costs of treatment.

Finding the Right Holistic Treatment Center for You!

How can you find a holistic treatment center that meets your needs? First, that center must provide treatment for your specific form of addiction. In addition, it must provide a beneficial range of holistic options. Both the frontline care and holistic care offered should be evidence-based. They should also form part of a single, integrative treatment approach.

Ask your doctor for advice on finding appropriate programs. You can also talk to an addiction specialist. In addition, you can check with the many programs that have an online presence. Be aware that any given program may or may not be a good fit for you.

Turn to The Discovery House for Luxury Holistic Addiction Treatment

Holistic addiction treatment is treatment that addresses your whole person, not just your addiction symptoms. The same approach is also called complementary care. When integrated into your overall recovery plan, holistic care helps ensure that all of your needs are met. In this way, recovery has a positive impact on all aspects of your life.

At The Discovery House, we specialize in holistic treatment in a luxury setting. Our goal is to do everything possible to support your recovery from drug or alcohol problems. That is true whether or not you are also affected by dual diagnosis.

Our comfortable, relaxed surroundings serve to further the benefits of your integrative, holistic care. Fully licensed and accredited, The Discovery House is a premier treatment provider. Call us today to learn more about our many available services.