Yoga as an additional tool
Since 2000 there have been over 700,000 deaths due to overdose in the US. The number of deaths has tripled since 1990, with around 88000 deaths a year due to alcohol and around 130 deaths every single day due to an opioid overdose. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a chronic mental health condition and therefore cannot be treated with a ‘one size fits all’ approach. It is complicated and messy, a web of biological, psychological, and cultural/social factors converge to plague the addict or alcoholic’s road to recovery.
The conventional methods of treatment usually include detoxification (the process to clear the body of drugs) and medically managed withdrawal. We now know that drug use is predominantly influenced by psychological, social, and behavioral patterns, therefore patients will often then receive long-term residential treatment with a focus on “re-socialization” and “personal accountability and responsibility”. Patients are encouraged to examine damaging self-beliefs and destructive patterns of behavior and adopt new and more harmonious ways to interact with others and the world.
With the roots of SUD often going back to childhood, and with every single case being entirely unique to every patient, it is important to consider that different treatment modalities and techniques will be more effective for different people. Current inpatient treatment centers and programs work for some addicts seeking recovery; however, here at K.Y.P. we believe that introducing a yoga practice into a person's daily life can complement these treatments beautifully.
Studies of patients that attempt to recover from SUD using yoga principles alone have poor success results; however, the use of yoga as an adjunct treatment option alongside traditional treatment has proven to be very effective. Traditional treatment generally includes the use of psychosocial therapy, alongside the use of medication specific to the drug abuse being addressed in order to prevent withdrawal symptoms and suppress drug cravings. The efficacy of psychosocial therapy is attributed to motivation, the style of behavioral therapy implemented, and a broad range of coping skills. One part of these coping skills focuses on relaxation, mindfulness, and meditation; all of which are key components of the practice of yoga.
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, however, it is in the last five decades that its popularity in the western world has increased. More and more people are realizing the benefits of yoga for their physical, mental, and emotional health through a combination of physical postures, relaxation, breathing, and meditation. As an activity that is largely perceived as having something of a cult following and predominantly focused on reaching a higher state of spirituality, many people feel they cannot relate to the practices of yoga or feel practicing it may draw a negative stigma to them. However, with the magnitude of research studies that demonstrate these benefits, we now have scientific evidence of its value in today's world.
Many treatment centers are considering that substance use disorders are part of a spectrum of lifestyle imbalances. Often when people think of yoga, they tend to think of branded spandex clothes and complicated physical poses. It is only when you look a little deeper that you discover there is so much more to yoga, it is a lifestyle shift, a set of beliefs and practices to live by for a meaningful and peaceful life. It can serve as guidelines for self-discipline, and through practice can direct attention toward one’s health, while acknowledging the spiritual aspects of one’s nature. It is not so much a religious practice, but more of a framework for personal discovery and self-love.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with incorporating yoga into a person’s life purely for the physical exercise aspect of the practice, however, studies have shown that when practicing yoga with the intention of encompassing all aspects of its values into a lifestyle, better outcomes are measured in the value of further reduced ongoing stress levels compared to those who practiced purely for exercise.
Complementary therapies such as yoga and mindfulness/meditation are increasingly recognized for their ability to enhance recovery from addiction, partly by targeting stress-related cognitions, emotions, and behavioral urges such as cravings.
Yoga is now considered to be an effective treatment for alcohol disorder when used alongside standard treatment plans, studies support this when comparisons are made between patients who add yoga and those who do not, with findings showing that at the six-month follow-up those who added yoga reported a larger reduction in alcohol consumption and reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol. All participants in this study reported that the yoga addition improved their sense of well-being, and made them feel more relaxed and less anxious. This relaxation response achieved after yoga may give the patient the ability to face situations in a relaxed state of mind and therefore increase impulse control.
References
Hallgren, M., Romberg, K., Bakshi, A. S., & Andréasson, S. (2014). Yoga as an adjunct treatment for alcohol dependence: a pilot study. Complementary therapies in medicine, 22(3), 441–445. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2014.03.003
Khanna, S., & Greeson, J. M. (2013). A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction. Complementary therapies in medicine, 21(3), 244–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008
Lutz, D.J., Gipson, D.R., & Robinson, D.N. (2019). Yoga as an Adjunct for Treatment of Substance Abuse. Practice Innovations, 4, 13–27.
