Recovering from addiction is not a singular moment in time. It is a process that continues long after you achieve sobriety. Like any disease, addiction can reoccur at any time, so taking the necessary steps to avoid your addiction triggers and unnecessary temptations is key to maintaining your recovery and avoiding a relapse.
Where the situation begins to get very difficult is when a real medical issue conflicts with your addiction history.
For most people, dealing with physical pain from a viable medical problem or procedure requires pain medication to manage the pain and decrease feelings of discomfort. But for a recovering addict, taking prescription pain medication can completely unravel all the progress they’ve made in recovery and initiate a serious relapse episode.
That’s why finding non-opioid alternatives to prescription pain medication to handle physical pain and potential medical issues is an important step to preserving your health and maintaining your sobriety all at the same time.
Why It’s Important to Know about Pain Management Alternatives
Waiting until you are experiencing serious physical issues to research pain management alternatives is like waiting to buy a parachute until you jump out of a plane: it’s already too late to save you. You may not be dealing with any pain at the moment, but being prepared for future issues is an essential step to supporting your recovery journey today.
Taking the time to look into all of the various alternatives while you are pain-free and level-headed enables you to process the information logically and have it for reference if a medical issue or unforeseen injury arises.
Natural Alternatives to Opioids
Natural alternatives to opioids come in a variety of forms. From herbal supplements to physical exercises, the natural and holistic options for pain management have become standard practice at many pain management centers.
Understanding which options are most effective and which would work best for you are key to finding pain management solution that can help you maintain your recovery.
Some of the more proven options include:
- Stress-Reduction Techniques
Decreasing stress within your life is a crucial step to controlling and overcoming physical pain. Popular and proven techniques include yoga, guided imagery, music therapy, and hypnosis. These approaches teach individuals how to focus on their breathing and become more in tune with the real-world surrounding them. Learning how to better control personal reactions and responses to outside stressors can remove tension and help the body reach a state of homeostasis.2 - Nutrition and Vitamins
Research has shown that certain types of supplements and dietary approaches actually reduce and relieve pain within individuals. Natural remedies can actually reduce pains associated with swelling, decrease diabetic nerve pain, aid in addiction recovery and reestablish a healthy immune system.1
While all of these non-opioid alternatives can help to decrease feelings of pain and discomfort within individuals, they require experienced clinicians to guide you through their implementation. This gives your body a chance to safely adjust to these treatments. Plus, the supervision and direction can help maximize the positive effects.
There are Addiction Treatment Centers that Specialize in Natural Ways to Relieve Pain and Heal the Mind and Body
Finding a treatment facility that specializes in these non-opioid alternatives to pain management is key. This approach enables you to address your physical discomfort through time-tested and medically proven alternatives to the addictive prescription medications typically used throughout our country.
The process of healing the mind, body and soul together addresses all of the deficiencies your body endured throughout the course of your addiction. The mind cannot exist without the body, and the body cannot exist without the mind, so incorporating a therapeutic approach that adequately addresses both enables your entire being to rejuvenate and flourish without compromising your sobriety.
Life-Changing Holistic Addiction Treatment at Ranch Creek Recovery
If you or a loved one has struggled with opioids and pain medication in the past and need to get back on track after a relapse, now is the time to find real, life-changing support that will help you achieve sobriety and learn how to holistically manage your pain.
At Ranch Creek Recovery, we address addiction recovery and relapse prevention head on through our non-12-step, individualized, holistic addiction treatment programs. Our team of treatment experts will work one-on-one with you to create a custom treatment and recovery plan that will help you feel confident and ready to enter your new, sober life.
Learn more about our addiction treatment programs. Have questions? We’re here to help in any way we can. Contact us today.
CALL NOW: (877) 293-8607
Resources:
1 Practical Pain Management. Common Alternative Treatments for Chronic Pain. Accessed September 10, 2019. https://www.practicalpainmanagement.com/common-alternative-treatments-chronic-pain
2 WebMD. Alternative Treatments for Chronic Pain. Accessed September 10, 2019. https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/features/alternative-treatments#1
