What is Alternative Treatment?

Every individual is unique and the circumstances in which an individual might find themselves are just as varied as the amount of people in this world – if not more. That is why a standard, cookie cutter drug and alcohol addiction treatment program may not always suit the needs of the individual and their requirements for the recovery process. For decades now medical professionals have been pioneering alternative treatments to aide the long and often perilous recovery process. Because everyone is unique and different people respond to different treatments, these additional treatments have been well met.

When an individual engages in substance abuse of one kind or another they are often using the substance as a means of distracting themselves from life’s woes and the longer they remain distanced from reality the worse the problems that lead them to engage in substance become creating a dangerous feedback loop. Enter Mindfulness meditation. This form of treatment allows the individual to increase their awareness – of themselves and their environment – and thus to direct their focus inward rather than outward into the ether as was the case when they engage in gratuitous substance abuse. This form of meditation allows people to center themselves and in time to cope with the challenges of life leading to a more balanced state of mind that is less likely to feel the powerlessness that leads to drug abuse.

For the artistically inclined there is a new, innovative form of therapy termed art therapy. This form of therapy involves pens, paint, brushes, and any conceivable medium by which one may express themselves artistically. Through this form of therapy an individual recovering from substance abuse can explore their own mind through their art, and when combined with a professional therapist they can obtain deeper insight into themselves and their reasons for using. Besides that use, the act of painting is itself therapeutic and relaxing and is thus innately beneficial.