Overcoming Common Rehab Worries

It's pretty normal to have a lot of fears and worries prior to entering rehab — but the trick is not letting it get in the way of your recovery. Here we take a look at some common worries and what steps you can take to put yourself at ease. 

Worry: You don’t know what to expect. 
What to do: It’s pretty normal to have a lot of questions about rehab – from what detox will feel like to what the facility looks like to what’s expected of you during treatment. Your best bet is to check out the rehab’s website and then give the admissions department a call with any questions or concerns. 

Worry: You can’t handle life without the crutch of drugs or alcohol. 
What to do: Stay calm and know that you’ll learn healthy coping skills in rehab to help you handle the highs and lows of day-to-day life. 

Worry: You’ll relapse and/or fail at recovery. 
What to do: Relapse is common (but not inevitable) and it also doesn’t mean that you failed. Recovery is a lifelong process, so do your best to commit to recovery, stay the course and surround yourself with a supportive network. 

Worry: Your loved ones will think poorly of you or shy away from you after rehab. 
What to do: Talk to friends and family about your concerns and let them know that you need their support. The people who truly care about you will likely support your decision.

Worry: You’ll lose your personal identity.
What to do: Look for a rehab that tailors addiction treatment based on your unique challenges, family relationships, personal background, emotional makeup and substance abuse history.

Cutting-Edge Holistic Rehab

Each person faces different challenges and concerns as they begin recovery. 

At Complete Harmony, we’ll work with you to overcome any fears and get the help you need and deserve. To learn more, call today: 866-930-4673.

How Patience Helps Your Recovery

An important yet oft-overlooked skill that needs to be practiced during recovery is patience – patience with the process, patience with yourself, patience with your loved ones, patience for your mind, body and spirit to heal. 

Just think of the definition of patience: “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset.” 

For those in recovery, this translates to the capacity to stick with the process, despite any setbacks, challenges or even relapses. Sobriety is a lifelong journey; there’s no quick fix. What’s more, being impatient will just lead to feelings of frustration and even failure. 

That said, it’s perfectly normal to want to get to the finish line as quickly as possible. But being patient and making an effort to enjoy the lessons, friendships and emotions along the way will benefit your overall health and your recovery. 

Here are a few of the good things that come to those who wait. 

• You’ll have better mental health. Patient people have been shown to better cope with stressful situations. In turn, they tend to experience less depression and negative emotions and have more mindfulness and gratitude – both key recovery skills.
• You’ll have healthier relationships. In recovery, you’ll need patience with family and friends who might not be ready to move past any conflicts caused by your addiction. Being patient can also prevent loneliness, according to studies. This makes sense since making and keeping friends generally requires a healthy dose of give and take and patience. 
• You’ll achieve your goals better. Research shows that patient people tend to exert more effort toward their goals than those who want to see results immediately. 

Experience Continuous Growth

Personal growth and relapse prevention is key for long-term recovery – and we're here to help. At Complete Harmony, our holistic treatment and relapse prevention plans provide a firm foundation for lifelong sobriety. To learn more, call: 866-930-4673. 

What to Do With Your Newfound Time

Once you’re clean and done with rehab, you may find yourself with a lot of downtime, which can present both opportunity and angst for those in recovery. This is because boredom can easily lead to relapse; too much free time spent reflecting on regrets or contemplating using again. 

Luckily, there are plenty of fun, sober activities to help use this newfound time wisely. Added bonus: You’ll likely meet new like-minded people and/or revive some hobbies you loved prior to struggling with substance use disorder. 

Here are a few ideas to help you spend your free time wisely: 

• Volunteer. Whether you volunteer at the local library, soup kitchen or animal shelter, giving back is a great way to stay busy. Plus, you’ll be contributing to your community and possibly gaining new friends with similarly generous hearts.
• Start a blog. Writing about your journey toward recovery is a cathartic and creative way to pass the time. And, if you choose to share the blog, it could also help others in the recovery community. 
• Take a class. Always wanted to learn how to paint or cook or speak another language? Go for it! To keep costs down, consider online courses or adult courses offered at your local YMCA or library. 
• Get lost in a book. Reading is a surefire way to pass the nighttime hours and it will also help with stress management, concentration and sleep. You could also consider joining a local reading club – just be sure that alcohol isn’t involved. 
• Put on your chef hat. Cooking is a great way to keep your hands and mind busy. And learning to prepare your own healthy meals will keep you in tip-top shape for lasting sobriety. 

Whatever activity you choose, try to make it something that supports your recovery. You’ve worked hard and earned the gift of free time – so spend time doing things that make you happier and healthier! 

Continuing Holistic Healing 

After recovery, the staff at Complete Harmony encourages you to continue holistic therapies and find groups and community resources that support your commitment to sobriety. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.

Building Your Self-Esteem for Sobriety

If you struggle with low self-esteem, you’re not alone. For many people in recovery, it may have even influenced you to use in the first place. 

Luckily, self-esteem is something you can work to increase. And putting in the effort to build your self-confidence will give you greater confidence in your ability to get (and stay) sober. Get started with these steps: 

• Get to know and accept yourself. Part of recovery is getting to know (and love) the new sober you. Re-acquaint yourself with your strengths, imperfections and unique qualities that make you, well, you. 
• Recognize negative thought patterns -- and then redirect them. Of course, this will take some practice. Try it: Next time you find yourself saying, “I can’t…” stop and say “I can try…” or  “This is difficult, but I can do it.” 
• Focus on success. Each minute, each day, each week sober is a success – so, not to sound cliché, but give yourself credit where it’s do. Along the same lines, try not to dwell on your failures. 
• Set small realistic goals. Setting unrealistic expectations is the perfect formula for low self-esteem. Instead, increase your confidence by setting achievable goals. For example, don’t strive to run every day for 20 minutes if you haven’t worked out in years. Instead, set a goal to walk for 10 minutes today.
• Make a commitment to yourself. You and only you can truly do the work it takes to increase your self-esteem. Remind yourself that you can do this and that you deserve to be confident, happy and sober. And be patient: Change takes time; don’t expect your self-esteem to increase overnight. 
• Avoid comparing yourself to others. Unfortunately, social media makes this nearly impossible – but next time you begin using others as a benchmark of your own worth, stop. This type of comparison can spin you into a frenzy of self-doubt. 
• Surround yourself with supportive people. Sure, self-esteem comes from within, but the support of others certainly can’t hurt. A positive mentor, sponsor, therapist, friend or family member can help you to see the good in yourself. 

Relapse Prevention at Complete Harmony

At Complete Harmony, our holistic relapse prevention plans provide the tools to build your self-esteem and work toward lifelong sobriety. After recovery, our staff encourages you to continue holistic therapies and find groups and community resources that support your commitment to sobriety. To learn more, call 866-930-4673.

Really Good Reasons to Get Sober

Especially during the beginning stages of recovery, it’s hard to imagine that you’ll ever feel better or that you'll ever be able to get through rehab to reap the benefits of sobriety. 

Take heart: If you hang in there and do the work, you’ll come out the other side with better health, hope and happiness. Here are a few things to look forward to: 

• You’ll have more energy. You’ll no longer feel hungover or sick from substance abuse and you’ll have more time on your hands to devote to things that make you feel energized and motivated. 
• You’ll develop meaningful relationships. Recovery gives you the opportunity to realize who should (and shouldn’t) be in your life. You’ll get the opportunity to make amends, rebuild relationships, and meet others who are also working to build a new, better sober life.
• You’ll look better. Active addiction takes a heavy toll on your appearance. Within a few short weeks of stopping drugs or alcohol, you’ll likely notice a healthier glow, including better complexion, brighter eyes, and shinier hair — and this will keep improving as you gain tools to stay sober and prioritize self-care.
• You’ll heal your mind, body, and spirit. Getting sober means that you’ll no longer be putting harmful toxins into your body. Plus, you’ll be exposed to holistic therapies (yoga, meditation, nutrition, exercise) that will teach you to clear your mind, open your spirit and care for your body. 

Customized Holistic Rehab Program at Complete Harmony

Our holistic addiction recovery may be especially helpful for clients who have tried traditional, 12-step rehab without success. Our team of addiction experts will work with you or someone you love to set and achieve personal sobriety goals within the safe, beautiful confines of our seaside retreat. To learn more, call 866-930-4673. 

4 Reasons to Add Massage Therapy to Your Recovery

Recently, massage therapy has made many headlines for its role in pain management, leading some experts to question whether this holistic treatment holds one of the keys to combating the opioid epidemic. 

In fact, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) has been actively engaged with several organizations and agencies regarding massage therapy for an alternative to opioids.

Whether or not massage therapy can help prevent addiction is still out for debate. What we do know, however, is that it has produced proven results when used as part of addiction recovery. Research has shown that the power of touch can help decrease stress, reduce anxiety and depression and help clients release negative thoughts and memories.

Here are a few more benefits of massage therapy:

• You’ll boost your immunity. Even one, 45-minute massage session can create positive changes in your body’s immune system. This is because it increases the number of lymphocytes, which are the white blood cells that help protect your body from disease. 
• You’ll sleep better. Several studies have linked massage with reduced fatigue and improved sleep. One explanation: It increases delta waves, or the brain waves responsible for deep sleep. 
• You’ll better manage anxiety and depression. Massage releases oxytocin and serotonin –happy hormones – and this can help lower your stress and boost your mood. Plus, massage therapy can target certain pressure points to relieve tension.
• You’ll be more focused. Numerous studies have touted massage therapy for its role in improving brainpower, productivity, alertness and focus – all helpful while working hard to absorb strategies and tools for staying sober. 

California Holistic Addiction Treatment

Bodywork and massage therapy and bodywork are one of the many holistic therapies offered at our CA alternative rehab center. To learn more about our alternative, non-12-step program, call today: 866-930-4673.

3 Tips for Goal Setting

Once you’re done with rehab, do you eventually want to finish your degree or run a 5K or get your finances back in order? Being sober gives you the ability and energy to pursue your dreams and plan short- and long-term goals. It’s pretty exciting (and overwhelming), which is why many addiction experts suggest starting with small, daily realistic goals to help you stay focused. 

Completing goals, regardless of how easy or difficult they may be, can help you build self-confidence and keep you focused on what you want out of your new sober life. Daily goal setting doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Take a few minutes each day and think "S.M.A.R.T" – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound.

Here are a few more ideas to help you get started: 

1. Make a master list. Staring at a blank slate is tough, so start by just jotting down a bunch of goals – and then narrow down the list according to any short-term goals for the day, week, month or year. A few examples:

• Find a local support group.
• Commit to one positive thing each day.
• Try something new. 
• Restore positive relationships.
• Make a budget.

2. Use a positive tone. Words can make a big impact when it comes to boosting your confidence and determination. For example, use positive phrases like “I will” instead of “I hope to” when writing down your daily goals. 

3. Celebrate your successes. Even reaching the smallest goal is an achievement. When you review your list of goals, take a minute to celebrate the progress you’ve made. Similarly, don’t beat yourself up for the goals you have yet to reach or that are taking longer than expected to achieve. 

Experience Continuous Growth

Personal growth and relapse prevention is key for long-term recovery – and we're here to help. At Complete Harmony, our holistic treatment and relapse prevention plans provide a firm foundation for lifelong sobriety. To learn more, call: 866-930-4673.