Staying Healthy in Early Recovery

A healthier lifestyle should be a necessary component to anyone that is recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. Recovery is an ongoing process that needs to include multiple avenues of treatment. This may include 12-step meetings, working with a therapist, talking with sober supports and friends, hiring a sober escort or companion, staying active, and eating healthy. Support for your mental wellness should be just as important as support for your physical well-being. A strong mind and a strong body will help ease the transition from addiction to a sober lifestyle.

Post-Treatment Addiction Consulting

While Recovery Care Partner offers post-treatment support such as sober escorts, sober companions, and sober transport, a certain degree of personal responsibility needs to come from the addict themselves. Maintenance of a healthy lifestyle can be achieved through outdoor activities, group activities, exercise, proper nutrition, and mindfulness meditation and exercises. 12-step meetings don’t hurt either!

Exercise in Early Recovery

Exercise has been scientifically proven to boost the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These two “feel-good” hormones can contribute to better sleep, better mood, and an overall improved sense of well-being. It’s a smart idea to adopt a new exercise program or regime to help bolster yourself in early recovery.

Many people benefit from group fitness classes such as CrossFit, Yoga, Pilates, Spinning classes, and group weightlifting exercises. Finding other sober people that enjoy the same physical activities as you can not only motivate you to achieve better physical health; it can also help build new sober friendships and relationships.

Having sober friends can make all the difference in early sobriety, as it gives you a chance to connect with people who have gone through similar things. Many people do not understand just how devastating and debilitating addiction can really be. This is why having people that can relate to your experiences can make all the difference; they are also people that you can attend meetings with. Many former addicts in recovery state that the friends they made in early recovery have been friends for years.

Try activities such as rock climbing, camping, hiking, martial arts, kayaking, paddle boarding, and going to the beach! Group sports such as volleyball, basketball, and flag football are also great ways to build friendships and comradery.

Nutrition for a Recovering Body

 Fueling your body with the right food is absolutely necessary! Early recovery is tough and many people choose to make it even more difficult by not giving their body the proper nutrition it requires. A body weakened by drug and alcohol addiction needs time to recover, so make sure you are eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and legumes. Try to avoid foods that can cause mood crashes, such as processed foods, sugary drinks, soda, and processed sugar. While pizza is fine once in a while, try not to make it a daily occurrence!

Drinking enough water will help keep you hydrated and feeling healthy, so make sure not to neglect drinking this vital substance. Here are just a few examples of healthy food to help get you started:

• Fruits: apples, bananas, berries, peaches, plums, mangos, and avocados.
• Lean Meats: turkey, sirloin steak, chicken, ham, and turkey.
• Fish: salmon, trout, halibut, swordfish, tuna, mackerel, herring, haddock, mahi mahi, and catfish.
• Vegetables: broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, kale, onion, asparagus, beets, carrots, peas, corn, sweet potatoes, celery, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, chard, and red cabbage.
• Legumes: black beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, and navy beans.
• Whole grains: brown rice, oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, pasta and crackers, millet, bulgur, and buckwheat.

 Mindfulness Exercises for a Calm Brain

Mindfulness meditation is a powerful tool, especially when used with other therapies. Mindfulness meditation means quieting your brain and becoming an observer to your thoughts; it means not emotionally reacting to negative feelings and deliberations. Zen can be thought of as the moment before a thought, and many people practice for a lifetime to try and reach this state. No one is perfect with their practice; trying your best is all that you should ask of yourself and others.

Mindfulness meditation groups can often be found within yoga groups and classes or through certain therapists. Ask around! You’ll never know what you may find through this powerful practice.

Addiction Counseling and Intervention Specialists

 You can only help a person as much as they want to help themselves; this is why it is so important for an addict to take personal responsibility and care for their mental and physical well-being.

Recovery Care Partner offers people that are currently facing addiction – as well as recovering addicts – the chance to help them land on their feet. Everyone, at some point in their lives, is going to need a little help from others.

This is where Recovery Care Partner shines. Our sober companions and sober transition coaching offers people in early recovery the tools to help succeed in life; life skills augmentation, proper nutrition, mindfulness exercises, exercise regiments, resume writing, and skill building are all facets that our sober companions and addiction coaches love to teach.

If your loved one is struggling with addiction, or you need some additional support yourself while going through early recovery, do not hesitate to call Recovery Care Partner at (855) 727-2887. You can also reach us via our contact page by clicking here.

Respect your body. It’s the only one you get.

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Marijuana Addiction

Many people are under the assumption that marijuana causes no signs or symptoms of addiction. This may be due to a comparison of marijuana and other drugs: cannabis is simply not as harmful as harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, or morphine. There may also be more of a lax attitude towards this drug due to the sweeping reform that is currently running through the policies in America. Marijuana is the most commonly used and abused illegal drug in the United States and its use is only surpassed by nicotine and alcohol.

Experiences with marijuana are by no means universal; some users experience feelings of happiness and joy while others experience intense anxiety, delusions, distrust, and panic.

Long-Term Effects of Marijuana

Some brain scans suggest reduced volume of specific brain regions involved in executive functioning such as memory, learning, and impulse control compared to individuals that do not use the drug. Other studies suggest altered connectivity in certain areas of the brain.  The most impactful aspect of marijuana is usually the negative effects on short-term memory and cognitive functioning, as well as altered states of REM sleep.

What Does Marijuana Detox Look Like?

While the physical symptoms of marijuana withdrawal are minor compared to harder drugs, the psychological addiction is no joke. If you or a loved one has been using for an extended period of time (months or years) it may be difficult to quit on your own. Many people that have gone through marijuana withdrawal report the following symptoms:

• Strange dreams
• Stomach pains
• Sleeping difficulty
• Nervousness and/or anxiety
• Restlessness
• Increased anger, aggression, and irritation
• Headaches
• Depressed mood
• Drug cravings
• Decreased appetite

Headaches were reported in almost 30% of individuals that chose to detox from marijuana.

Many users report serious signs of depression after stopping the use of this drug. Whether the cessation of the marijuana caused the depression or whether the depression was simply masked by the high is up for debate and varies widely depending on the individual.  We recommend a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (Advil, Aspirin) to deal with the side effects. There has also been a startling number of people that

Marijuana Detox

Detox varies based on a few factors:

• An individual’s metabolism
• The amount and frequency of use
• Your age, gender, weight, and level of health
• How long an individual has been using the substance

Marijuana Addiction Services in Philadelphia

At Recovery Care Partner, we specialize in pre and post treatment services for alcoholism and drug addiction. We provide services such as interventionists, pre-treatment consultation, sober companions and escort, recovery care monitoring, and transition coaching in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Richmond, Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, Greenwich, Connecticut, and The Greater Washington, DC/Baltimore region.

If you or a loved one is suffering from addiction, give Recovery Care Partner a call at (855)-727-2887 to learn more about our services and get help.

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