Water Can Help You in Recovery
Dr. Wallace J. Nichols wrote the book on water. That is, the book on how water creates a certain state of mind in which we can heal and do better for ourselves, for others, and for the planet. “I wondered whether water is a mirror for our darker emotions,” Nichols expresses in his book Blue Mind, “as much as it is an engine for our happiness. Water quiets all the noise, all the distractions, and connects you to your own thoughts.”
Being connected to our own thoughts isn’t something we are keen on in the early stages of our recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Before we learn about the neuroscience of addiction, our underlying contributing factors to our personal addiction, and the roots of our addiction in our past, we know only something simple.
We don’t like how we feel in our head and our drugs of choice make that go away. Unfortunately, drugs and alcohol don’t really make our thoughts go away. Once we’ve stayed sober long enough, we realize that our thoughts aren’t as intimidating as we thought they were and even without drugs and alcohol, we can be comfortable with how we feel.
We may not be comfortable all the time. We learn that we can embrace and handle uncomfortable times as well. Our thoughts increasingly become our friend. In the water, we can be at peace with our thoughts, no matter what they are.
The Therapeutic Benefit That Water Activities Bring
Water based activities can provide a therapeutic benefit to treatment for addiction. We feel more comfortable physically in the water because of the way water carries our weight. Metaphorically, we are relieved by the few moments of the day and in our lives of struggle that we don’t have to carry all the weight ourselves.
Water embraces us, soothes us, and supports us. Whether we are simply wading in a pool, swimming laps, or surfing in the ocean, our skin is being enveloped in water and we are receiving its healing benefits.
Water Can Help You in Recovery
Lakehouse Recovery Center is located on a beautiful piece of water- Lake Sherwood. Offering clients an Olympic size swimming pool in the backward in addition to private access to the lake and trips to the nearby Malibu beaches incorporates a connection with water to recovery in a beautiful way. Our residential treatment programs are designed to show men and women how to enjoy their lives in recovery without the use of drugs and alcohol. For information, call us today: 877.762.3707