Adventure therapy is one form of addiction treatment that literally gets people excited. While you’ll always want to explore multiple ways to treat your addiction, there is something about jumping into new experiences that changes people’s lives forever. Doing new things gives you a way to fill up the extra time that you have as you get sober. Drug rehab programs that keep you busy give you an advantage for not noticing cravings or withdrawal symptoms. As someone with ADHD, you might already be worried about whether or not you can sit though long hours of therapy with nothing to do to break up the monotony. When you are curious about whether or not adventure therapy is a good option for people with ADHD, then you’ve already begun to think about how to find the right treatment program to fit your learning style.
What Are the Benefits of Adventure Therapy?
Adventure therapy is used to treat a variety of different mental health conditions, and you’ll find that it has many benefits for someone who is trying to recover from an addiction. These are just a few of the things that you gain when you go on adventures with your recovery group.
- build resilience
- increase confidence
- find new hobbies and interests
- make new friends
- stimulate the natural release of stress relief hormones
Whether you are already a thrill seeker or are ready to do something new, you’ll often find that there are parts of yourself that get buried beneath the effects of drugs and alcohol. Adventure programs include activities that help draw out the best parts of your personality. Depending upon your therapy program, adventures may include things such as going for a hike or completing a rope course. Any adventure that gets put on your daily schedule is designed to help push you to new heights. Although you might feel a temporary boost of fear or anxiousness about doing something new, you’ll have your team right there guiding you to be brave and keep going.
How Does ADHD Affect Addiction Recovery?
As you hopefully already know, having ADHD shouldn’t hold you back in life. You might need to use special strategies to stay organized and focused while learning, but you can achieve anything that you set your mind to accomplish. It is important to know that ADHD can have an impact upon your mental health. People with ADHD are at a higher risk for addiction since some people turn to drugs to manage their symptoms. In fact, even the prescribed medications for ADHD can sometimes be misused.
Adventure therapy is meant to help you rebalance your mind and body by engaging in activities that stimulate the natural release of your body’s stress hormones. You’ll find that looking forward to each day’s new adventures helps you to deal with some of your symptoms of ADHD. Since you might have trouble absorbing everything that you hear in a lecture-style situation, it is often better to experience life lessons while your body is actively engaged. Experiencing a thrill gives you a temporary boost of energy that helps you focus. As the adrenaline wears off, you’ll then feel a sense of calm that makes it easier to express your emotions and get more out of your other types of therapy sessions.
How Do I Start My Adventure in Sobriety?
Taking time out of your busy schedule to take care of yourself is important. While you’ll feel like you are just having fun, participating in adventure therapy is essential for your wellbeing. Drug rehabs that offer adventures also go one step further by helping you to identify any other mental health conditions that impact your ability to stay sober. Since many people with ADHD also struggle with issues such as anger management disorders, depression and anxiety, it helps to experience a full range of services that make it possible to improve your total mental health.
As a person with ADHD, you might dread having to do tons of research or fill out lengthy applications. Fortunately, signing up for adventure therapy is a fairly simple process, and you can have trained counselors help you complete any steps that feel challenging. In fact, the hardest part of going to adventure therapy tends to be making that decision to take the first step.
Does the thought of going to adventure therapy get your heart racing? If so, we can help you find a program that pushes you to reach your highest potential. Give us a call today at 844-639-8371.