Benefits of Holistic Drug Detox

The path leading to addiction can take many forms. For some people, innocent experimentation turns into a daily habit. For others, a medication treatment for an injury or chronic condition leads to addiction. While treating the damaging effects of addiction is essential to the recovery process, addressing the root causes that enable addiction to take hold becomes equally important.

Holistic drug detox programs treat the damaging effects of addiction as well as the root causes that drive the behavior. Ultimately, addiction entails both a physical and psychological hold that takes over a person’s overall reasoning and decision-making abilities. Holistic drug detox enables addicts to work through the underlying issues that drive addiction and restore a person back to a healthy, normal functional capacity.

The Holistic Approach

Holistic detox addresses physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Holistic drug detox works off the same treatment model used in holistic medicine. According to the State University of New York, the holistic approach views addiction as a consequence or symptom of deeper, underlying problems. In effect, holistic drug detox programs treat the whole person as opposed to the addiction in particular.

The holistic approach emphasizes the importance of maintaining balance within the body, mind and spirit, which are the interdependent parts that make up the individual. More oftentimes than not, a person will become increasingly dependent on the effects of drugs when one or more of these areas is out of balance.

Holistic treatment approaches support the body’s (and mind’s) natural healing processes and so work to support and strengthen these internal mechanisms. Likewise, holistic detox programs take a highly individualized approach in terms of identifying a person’s specific treatment needs.

Treatment Options

The overall benefit provided by holistic drug detox lies in how these programs help addicts reach a state of optimal health and wellness, both physically and psychologically. As each person brings a different set of circumstances to the treatment process, holistic drug detox bases the types of treatment interventions used on the specific needs of the individual.

Much like traditional detox programs, holistic treatment options include both medication and behavioral interventions, though these options are only a part of the overall treatment plan. Holistic drug detox programs employ a wide range of alternative therapies designed to promote healing and balance for the individual as a whole rather than treat the physical and/or psychological components of addiction separately.

Treatment interventions used include:

• Energy therapies
• Meditation
• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Yoga
• Biochemical therapy
• Biofeedback
• Dance therapy

12-Step Support Group Alternatives

Most all types of drug treatment programs incorporate some type of support group model as an essential part of the recovery process. Traditional treatment programs tend to lean towards the 12-Step support group approach, whereas holistic drug detox programs often promote alternative support group models in an effort to reinforce the “whole person” healing approach inherent within their programs.

Variations on the 12-Step support group model include:

• Moderation Management
• SMART Recovery
• LifeRing Secular Recovery
• Women for Sobriety
• Secular Organizations for sobriety

In effect, alternative-type support groups encourage self-empowerment as opposed to the emphasis placed on “powerlessness” within traditional 12-Step group approaches.