A Whole Person Approach to Addiction Treatment
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There’s no wrong way to overcome an addiction to alcohol and drugs. In fact, there are so many different approaches and forms of treatment available to account for the variety of needs people have with regard to the recovery process. For instance, some people experience great results from twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous while others need a period of treatment in rehab to begin their own holistic recovery journey.
However, even though there are a thousand different ways to get sober, there’s no “right” or “wrong” way, and one method of recovery isn’t necessarily better than others. Instead, they merely work better for other people.
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What is Holistic Addiction Recovery?
For those who have heard the term “holism”, they’re most likely to make associations with medicine. Holistic medicine refers to an approach to healthcare that addresses more than just the physical needs of patients; instead, holistic medicine addresses a patient’s mental, physical, social, and spiritual needs as part of his or her comprehensive care.
In recent years, holistic medicine has been applied to addiction treatment as well, offering those in treatment with a more dynamic recovery curriculum. As such, there are quite a few books available on the topic of holistic addiction recovery. These books are beneficial for those who know little about holistic recovery yet are interested in pursuing holistic channels of addiction rehabilitation, or even for those already familiar with holistic treatment but would like to learn more about it. Therefore, the following are seven such books to which you could refer for answers to any questions you may have about holistic addiction recovery.
Addiction Recovery Book Titles
The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure by Chris Prentiss
The benefit of holistic treatment is that it offers those in recovery a means of addressing a wide variety of potential needs rather than just the physical. However, in The Alcoholism and Addiction Cure, Prentiss takes the holistic addiction recovery approach and turns it into an actual recovery method akin to the twelve-step method. The holistic pseudo-program Prentiss offers is comprised of a three-step method to achieve lasting sobriety, a four-stage explanation of the development of chemical dependence, and step-by-step guidance for curating one’s own holistic recovery program. Additionally, Prentiss provides readers with an in-depth look at how one’s thoughts, emotions, and beliefs factor into his or her recovery.
The Naked Mind: Control Alcohol by Annie Grace
In concise and easy-to-understand prose, Annie Grace begins The Naked Mind: Control Alcohol by offering explanations of the main reasons why we, as a society, turn to alcohol in the first place; in most cases, Grace says that we have society- and culture-level conditioning to thank for our affinity to alcohol as well as other substances. In what eventually reveals itself as impressive strategy, Grace follows these explanations for why we turn to alcohol by asserting that recovery is not about giving up alcohol or denying oneself of something we want; instead, Grace’s holistic view of alcoholism asserts that recovery means freeing oneself from alcohol and how society has conditioned us to use alcohol—and drugs—as an emotional crutch.
Integral Recovery by John Dupuy
If you were to take all of the books on holistic addiction recovery that exist, put them in a big pile, and choose only one from that pile to be your decisive guide to this particular modality, it should be Integral Recovery by John Dupuy. Arguably the definitive guide to addiction and recovery from a holistic perspective, Dupuy’s revolutionary book asserts that most of the treatment methods and modalities that exist today are partial and segmented and, instead, offers his own truly holistic, or “Integral”, approach to overcoming addiction and thoroughly restructure one’s entire life. Many people who seek a holistic method of recovery consider this the unofficial “holistic Bible” for addicts.
Awakening the Brain by Charlotte A. Tomaino
Written by a woman who is both a nun and one of the earliest neuropsychologists, Awakening the Brain by Charlotte Tomaino posits two very important concepts: (1) the power of a person’s thoughts and beliefs, and (2) the potential that each and every one of us has to restore the brain to its former health and function. Perhaps it’s because of her spiritual background, but Tomaino asserts that each person has limitless potential and has crafted her holistic perspective of addiction recovery from a combination of her deep spiritual background and her extensive knowledge of neuroscience.
While the book is not explicitly about holistic addiction recovery, the information presented is much like a holistic roadmap for overcoming the psychological and neurological effects of addiction.
Clean by David Sheff
Despite there being more information about addiction available today than ever before, it seems as though the disease is also less clear than ever. Perhaps the more we learn about the disease, the less we know. That’s why Clean, an aggressive if thought provoking book by David Sheff, seeks to teach us about addiction in a simpler, more cohesive way.
Sheff clearly did his research as he offers tons of statistics, studies, and evidence to support his holistic conception of addiction and recovery. While it may seem dense, a careful read will provide all the clarity one might need. Additionally, Sheff provides a description of many of the recovery methods and techniques that are available, identifying their weaknesses and incorporating their strengths into his perspective.
Holistic Recovery from Addiction: Found Here!
The amount of information that exists about holism and holistic addiction recovery is quite expansive. When you consider that there is also a wealth of information on topics that directly relate to holistic recoveries—such as neuroscience, medicine, physical therapy, and so on—it begins to seem overwhelming. However, for those looking for more information, there’s plenty of it available to help them understand holistic treatment methods and to find what they need to overcome this disease.
If you or someone you love would like to discuss holistic treatments further, call Rehabs Of Armerica directly. No matter if it’s day or night, Rehabs Of Armerica and our team of recovery representatives are always here to help!
Edward lives and works in South Florida and has been a part of its recovery community for many years. With a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts, he works to help Find Addiction Rehabs as both a writer and marketer. Edward loves to share his passion for the field through writing about addiction topics, effective treatment for addiction, and behavioral health as a whole. Alongside personal experience, Edward has deep connections to the mental health treatment industry, having worked as a medical office manager for a psychiatric consortium for many years.
