Healthy Habits for a Sober Lifestyle

Many individuals who struggle with addiction place the importance of a healthy lifestyle to the wayside, because drugs and alcohol seem more important. When starting a new life in recovery, creating a healthy lifestyle is essential to maintaining long term sobriety. Yoga, meditation, physical exercise, and healthy eating are four important components that are easy to incorporate into a new sober lifestyle.

 

 

Yoga

There are many kinds of holistic therapy that can help heal both the mind and the body after drug addiction. One of these that many people find to be extremely beneficial is yoga. Yoga allows one to focus on the energy in the body, build muscle strength, relax the mind, and so much more.

Stretching out your muscles can help a lot with physical withdrawals that are experienced when first getting sober. Withdrawals can cause stiff and sore muscles. Yoga can help provide relief from that pain. It is also hard to focus on the persistent thoughts of getting high while one is concentrating on holding a pose, which can help ease the mind from obsessive thoughts.

Meditation

At the end of many yoga sessions, the instructor will guide you through a meditation. Once the body feels more relaxed, it is nice to wind down while practicing mindfulness. When practicing mindfulness, one becomes more aware of what is happening around them and what they are doing at that very moment. This can help calm the mind rather than it be overwhelmed by the multitude of changes happening in life. Focusing on breathing, taking full, deep breaths, helps relax the body even more. Finding your own meditation in a garden where you can find peace and let the worries of the world flow away can be extremely beneficial to your sober living!

Physical Exercise

While in active addiction, one can easily push fitness to the side. High intensity exercises may seem intimidating, so it is important to start slow and work your way up. Some good ideas for beginning to work out are taking a walk, hiking, swimming, or biking or other outdoor activities.

The body is going through a lot of dramatic changes in early recovery from drugs and alcohol, which can be stressful to the mind and body. Physical exercise relieves both physical and psychological stress. Many people report a “high” feeling after a workout, which is caused by the release of endorphins in the brain. These endorphins can help prevent cravings for drugs or alcohol.

Healthy Eating

It is common for people in early recovery to crave sweets. Sweets release some of the same endorphins in the brain that drugs use to, so food can easily become an addiction in itself. Sweet fruits such as mango, strawberries, or kiwi can be a great replacement to help curb cravings for sweets. Another thing that will help curb these sugar cravings is eating frequent, small meals consisting of carbohydrates, vitamins, and protein, because it will keep your blood sugar high.

More often than not, a person struggling with drug addiction or alcoholism is suffering from malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies. A nutritious diet is important in recovery, because your body needs these nutrients to thrive. Healthy eating habits lead to increased mood and energy, therefore reducing the chances of a relapse. By combining healthy eating with exercise, a person’s energy will generally increase and help start a more motivated, energetic outlook on life.

Author Bio: Cassidy Webb is a 24 year old avid writer from South Florida. She works for a digital marketing company that advocates spreading awareness on the disease of addiction. Her passion in life is to help others by sharing her experience, strength, and hope.