At Pacific Bay Recovery, we strive to promote the pleasure of living free of substances. Recovery may be challenging and our process of treatment requires a substantial commitment, so your time spent in treatment ought to remind you of the freedom it is possible to experience without alcohol or drugs.
Therapeutic recreation rehabilitation assists you in relearning how to take care of yourself and enjoy activities. Our team designs recreational therapy that contributes to mental, physical, and emotional healing and encourages lifestyle changes when your treatment is done.
Benefits of Recreational Activities
For the ones who are actively misusing alcohol or drugs, recreation is frequently the furthest thing from their mind. Our team promotes recreational sports while in treatment to increase stress management abilities, problem-solving skills, social interaction, and physical activity.
We are able to customize our recreational therapy to every patient’s personal needs to match their long-term goals. Integrating activities into your rehab promotes health that is free from addiction and enhances your social, cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Plus, getting involved in activities has many other types of benefits:
- Develops a positive routine, supporting patients long after their treatment with us
- Encourages patients to find peace in recovery
- Increases feelings of control and focus
- Reduces cravings and prevents boredom
- Combats depression and loneliness
- Builds confidence and self-esteem
- Reinforces positive management of stress
- Improves immunity
- Assists patients in achieving fitness goals
- Supports community involvement and development of healthy friendships
- Promotes holistic recovery
- Reconnects neuro-pathways that are impaired while actively addicted
Rehabilitation Through Sports
Once someone is attempting to beat addiction, the body and mind crave the substance that was generating endorphins inside the brain and creating that feeling of being high. Add to that the stress of day-to-day life and these cravings may reach an unbearable level. Strenuous exercise also will release endorphins and cause you to have a sense of a “runner’s high” — so addiction and exercise will get you the same euphoric sensation. Even though it might be less intense than what was experienced with alcohol or drugs, the impact may be quite pleasurable both physically and mentally. As a matter of fact, research on patients who receive treatment for substance use proved that addiction recovery and exercise may lead to a feeling of accomplishment and more confidence in remaining sober.
Combined Effects of Sports and Outdoor Activities for Rehabilitation
Below is a list of the ways sober outside activities may benefit you socially, mentally, and physically:
Physical Benefits
- Depending upon the level of activity, it is possible to increase endurance, increase muscle strength, and improve your range of motion.
- Exercise outdoors may trigger a release of endorphins inside the brain and create a feeling of well-being and make you want to repeat that experience.
- Research shows that exercise will speed the repair of damage to the body and brain caused by repetitive alcohol or drug use. Studies show people heal more quickly when they’re in a natural environment.
Emotional and Mental Benefits
- Various research has found activities outdoors promote a positive attitude, a reduction in anxiety and stress, an increase in self-awareness, improved focus, and an improvement in happiness, in general.
- Research from the University of Michigan published in Psychological Science discovered that engaging with nature, strolling in the park, or just glaring at photos of nature increased attention span and memory by roughly 20% in research participants.
- The connection with nature boosts awareness of yourself, as well as your surroundings, enhancing your sense of belonging to the world and leading to inner peace.
- Activities outdoors assist you in overcoming boredom and isolation, both huge risk factors for relapse.
- Engaging with activities and people outdoors assists you in discovering that it’s possible to have fun without any addictive substances.
Social Benefits
- Activities outdoor offer the chance to connect with other people who value sober lifestyles, share your appreciation for nature and outdoor activities, and support each other in their sobriety.
- Sharing outside experiences with other people assists you in improving your communication and social skills. Also, group activities help to promote teamwork and improve problem-solving skills.
- Embracing new challenges may improve your self-esteem and provide the confidence to cope with the unpredictable, which is critical to a successful recovery.
- Whether indoors or outdoors, making plans with other people helps to remain motivated to keep your recovery goals and commitments.
Finding the Right Therapy For You
Having exciting activities that encourage enjoyment, engagement, and body movement are important for the health and healing of our patients. Learning to connect around such activities builds positive recovery skills, self-esteem, and interpersonal skills.
For more information on rehabilitation through sports and outdoor activities, please feel free to get in touch with our treatment centers San Diego today at (619) 350-8220.
