Start small until the rewards become self-evident. Incorporate mindfulness into your treatment plan.Go to a slower yoga class (Hatha, Yin, Restorative) where you can practice listening to your body.Find a meditation group near you, so that you and attend their practice sessions.The first 10 guided meditations are free and then a subscription is required to get full access. Check out Headspace, a great app that introduces the basic concepts of meditation in a very simple and accessible way.Here are a few tips and resources for starting a practice: Remember that the goal is not to judge, so you can start this very moment by just recognizing what your reaction is to the idea of a mindfulness practice and practicing gentleness towards yourself. So you see the benefits of getting going on some kind of mindfulness practice for yourself or someone you love, but you’re not sure where to start? Maybe you feel hesitant or daunted by the process. People are more likely to get and stay sober when they practice mindfulness.įor people whose brains are still developing these qualities strengthen the parts that help them assess risk (self-relevant processing), and deal with stressful situations and intense emotions (self-control). In short, developing a consistent practice is like going to the gym, but for your mind. Self-control is particularly important as people struggling with addiction often feel out of control without using.Īlso, cravings are sensations in the body and increased awareness can help people notice the cravings sooner, so that they can be proactive in seeking help or using a positive coping skill before their urge to use becomes overpowering. Interoception (the ability to feel stimuli in the body)Īll of these qualities can enhance anyone’s quality of experience, especially when dealing with addiction.Focus, staying on task and problem-solving.Studies ( See study here) show that consistent daily practice can improve: Meditation, yoga or other mindfulness exercises can fundamentally change one’s brain. Practicing this act of paying attention to one’s current experience without judgment is the foundation of most meditation practices and endless techniques have been developed over thousands of years of practice. This is what consistent drug use can do to a developing brain. If they get pulled away in the middle of the process, the clay will dry and become very challenging to change. Imagine an artist working on a piece of pottery. It can basically halt certain developmental processes during a critical time for finalizing brain growth. When someone is relying on a substance to deal with their emotions, they are not strengthening the neural pathways responsible for emotional regulation.įeelings often never get stuffed down, creating a downward spiral where the user feels completely stuck and overwhelmed by life’s ups and downs.įor adolescents and young adults, the consistent use of drugs and alcohol can have a lasting impact on their brains. Addiction also causes other changes in the brain that make it harder for the addict to recognize how their behaviors are affecting them as well as others.Ĭombine this with underlying mental health issues and it starts to make sense why recovery is so challenging and requires so much support. It then feels unable to handle situations without the aid of the substance. If substance abuse continues for long enough, new pathways form in the brain. Experimental use can build to abuse and addiction. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, the pattern is clear: instant gratification with long-term consequences. Masking underlying mental health concerns (self-medicating anxiety for example).As a coping mechanism to manage uncomfortable emotions.Enhancing school performance ( study drugs).Peer pressure, to fit in with peers who are using.Some factors are listed below, to learn more about substance abuse click here: There are many elements may lead a teen to use, or abuse, substances.
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