Healthy Habits for Opioid Addiction Recovery

Recovery from addiction is a holistic journey. As your mind and body break away from opioid addiction, why not commit to living a healthier lifestyle? These additional measures give you less time to think about substance use while also enhancing your recovery. In this post, we’ll explore the best healthy habits to incorporate into your life during opioid addiction recovery.

Exercise

Opioid addiction alters the way your mind experiences pleasure. For those in recovery, you need to find healthy ways to retrain your brain to find joy and pleasure. Exercise can help. Physical activity releases an abundance of neurochemicals, including endorphins, serotonin and dopamine. That means exercise can keep both your body and your mind fit and healthy.

Find exercises you love so this healthy habit is more enjoyable. There are a variety of ways to increase your physical activity level, including:

• Enjoy a walk during your lunch break
• Join a yoga class, sports team or another exercise group
• Take an active interest in your garden or landscaping
• Put on your favorite tunes and take regular dance breaks

Nutrition

Many people coming out of addiction are malnourished. Drugs like opioids can replace your brain’s natural drive for food. Plus, addiction can impact how your digestive organs function. Both these issues can contribute to unhealthy eating habits and a lack of proper nutrition.

Recovery should involve letting your body heal. This will undoubtedly require an abundance of vital nutrients. Yet some people replace their cravings for drugs with food, leading to binge eating patterns or even obesity.

Focus on the habit of healthy eating as part of your recovery process. This could include:

• Learning to cook meals full of vitamins, minerals and nutrients that will help your body recover
• Eating regular meals and snacks to keep cravings at bay
• Staying hydrated
• Adding more fruits, vegetables and other superfoods to your diet

Make New Friendships and Connections With Others

You are more than a body and a mind. Your overall well-being also depends on making emotional connections with others. Close relationships are vital to your recovery, and most addiction experts recommend that you surround yourself with a support system. As you gain friendships and rebuild your social circle, feelings of loneliness or isolation are less likely to trigger a relapse.

Here are just a few ways to connect with other people:

• Join a support group
• Rebuild healthy friendships
• Reconnect and rebuild trust with family
• Form new relationships through work or other activities

Explore Your Interests and Hobbies

An important aspect of recovery is finding healthy ways to prevent cravings and triggers. Hobbies can improve your emotional health by relieving stress and keeping your mind off substance use. This could include an activity you’re already passionate about or a new hobby you’ve always wanted to try. Just find something you’ll enjoy, and dedicate time every day or week to that activity.

Learn How to Maintain Your Recovery

While these habits are a great way to continue your recovery journey, the first step is to ask for help. At Health Care Resource Centers, we offer medication-assisted treatment and compassionate counseling to support and encourage your recovery journey. Find out more when you contact us online or give us a call at 866-758-7769.

Medically Reviewed By:

Health Care Resource Centers Clinical Team

Health Care Resource Centers Clinical Team

The Clinical Team at Health Care Resource Centers is our team of physicians and medical directors within the organization. HCRC is a CARF accredited organization and has been providing addiction treatment services for over 32 years in the New England area.