Health and wellbeing are the foundation for all things in our lives. In recovery, we hear the words body, mind and spirit or body, mind, and soul on a regular basis. We read these words on the internet. We hear them in recovery meetings, and we hear them in spiritual gatherings. Simply defined they mean our well being goes beyond our physical health. True wellbeing includes our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. It is important to know what exactly what the body, mind, and spirit mean to you as you make you are getting the most out of your addiction treatment program.

Your Body and Addiction

Every time we fly, we are instructed we must give ourselves oxygen before we attempt to help others. For some, this seems incredibly selfish. We might think “I need to secure my child’s well being before my own.” We are often taught being selfless is virtuous. As we learn on the plane, we know if we aren’t getting oxygen we are then incapable of helping others. We are unable to save the lives of others if we don’t take care of ourselves first. If we look at each of the words individually it can help illustrate a clear picture of the whole. A body is the material part or nature of a human being. This includes our muscles, ligaments, bones, and blood. We can see and touch the body. It’s our body that needs oxygen, food, and water to survive. It is our body that gets physically addicted to drugs or alcohol. We then look at the mind which gets a bit more complex.

Your Mind, Spirit, and Recovery

Merriam Webster defines mind as elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons. We can see a facial expression change as a result of a feeling, but we don’t see the feeling. Some would say the mind is the guiding force as our thoughts control our actions. There is debate, but some say mind and brain are synonymous. Your mental health is a critical factor during your recovery.

The word spirit is defined by Merriam Webster as the activating or essential principle influencing a person. Our spirit is our guide. Another definition is a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being. In both definitions, we are not talking about cells or grey matter. We are talking about the non-physical. Our spirit is our higher self. Some call this higher self God. What we know for certain is that the integration of body, mind, and spirit dictate our thoughts and actions. An individual who reaches for a drug after being in recovery could say it was simply their hand that reached. Someone else would say it was their thoughts that said I can do it just this once that guided the hand. Others would say a spiritual disconnect leads to the insane thinking that somehow this time it will be different. What we know for sure is that body, mind, spirit can heal and recover one day at a time.

Heal Your Whole Being with Oceanfront Recovery

Recovery can be the next chapter in your story. When you change your story, you change your life. Oceanfront Recovery wants to help you change the story of your life from addiction to recovery. We offer a wide variety of programs to help you or your loved one beat addiction once and for all. Some of these programs include:

Contact us today to find out more about our residential treatment programs. Call 877.279.1777 today to speak to a treatment professional.